Just to add to others points, from somebody with no karting background, but a Cadet age driver who has come from nothing to a national and regional champion in only 18 months.
Nothing beats seat time, but it must be quality seat time. I see plenty of kids going round and round but if their fathers/Trainers aren't watching every corner this can just reinforce bad habits.
Simon has done aproximately 20,000 laps since he first got into a kart last year and I can say in all honesty that I have observed and debriefed probably 90% of them.
Next, among all the other stuff you have to think outside the box as well. The more established the class the harder it gets, but look for the angles, whether it be in the set-up or engine, even the tiny things. There's always something that might just give an extra 100th here or there, but they all add up.
Good feedback is of course the 'holy grail' of young drivers. Once you can start to see bunches of laps in the same 10th, start making one big change, send the driver out 'blind' and get them to tell you what the difference is, at this stage you're not nessasarily looking for more speed, but consistency, and just to understand the difference in the feel and why it's happening. You'll soon find you can make fairly small changes and a driver will be able to work out what it is. It's a relatively small step then for them to start telling you what to do to improve a kart.
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