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Adding Weight to the Kart

At all times, the way weight is attached to the kart must conform to the Karting Australia Handbook.

Attaching Weight for Endurance Racing

d) All Karts in the 4SE Class, the minimum weight must be completed with one or several units of ballast provided:
(i) Each unit is a strong and unitary block
(ii) No single block must weigh more than 5kg
(iii) A Ballast Canister is permitted and if fitted must be attached only to the Frame or the Seat with minimum Class 8.8 bolts
and lock nuts
(iv) These bolts must be minimum 8mm diameter
(v) A Maximum of two (2) threads of the bolt may protrude past the lock nut once fixed
(vi) A Ballast Canister must have four (4) fixing points

Endurance racing requires multiple drivers with different body weights to race on a circuit for an extended period. At all times teams must be above the minimum weight limit for the class. For Subaru Endurance  Racing the class weight is 175KG Kart & Driver. In order to achieve this, weight can be altered during the race at pitstops.

The first thing to do is bolt as much ballast as possible to the seat and chassis. Do this by adding enough weight to the kart to ensure your heaviest driver meets the minimum weight requirements. Remember also, a full tank of petrol weighs about 6.5KGS, so work this into your strategy.

 

There are two legal ways of quickly altering weight during an endurance race;

1. Weight Canisters

Weight canisters must be firmly attached to the chassis at four points. They can be made of a combination of metal and heavy plastics. The weight canister must have a lid or device that ensures the lead ballast cannot rattle lose during competition.
The advantage of the canister system is teams can make up specific weights to add for each driver. Teams can also add specific weights based on the fuel load at the time.

    

2. Seat Inserts

Seat inserts must be retained by two mechanical fixings. These fixings should ideally attach to the chassis, however attachment through the outer fiberglass seat is also acceptable.

Inserts are made by using a fibreglass inner kart seat and attaching lead sheeting to this insert.