Bringing back the tyre means cooling the overheated tyre back to optimal temperature. The best drivers manage it during a race without losing pace. How is it done?

The skill of brining back the tyre is quite high level and not an easy one to learn. Driver must be able to adapt and change their driving accordingly. For clean drivers it is not as hard because they don’t need to swap driving techniques. Clean and steady driving is optimal for the task. While more aggressive drivers, who will benefit more from bringing back the tyre in the first place, have to minimise pushing and sliding into the corners. 

Bringing Back the Tyre during Practices 

The easiest way to bring back the tyre is by slowing down or stopping. It is the most effective and fastest way to have an effect. That’s how some drivers manage to take the maximum out of the tyre more than once during a qualifying or practice session. After having set the fastest time, the driver won’t keep pushing and overheating the tyre but, instead, will slow significantly or stop in the pits. That’s why stopping in the pits is also forbidden during a qualifying practice. The pressures will lower to a temperature that will allow us to push again. Mechanics often speed it up by putting the pressures down when their driver comes in during a practice session. In qualifying, we can slow down without disturbing other drivers by about 5 or 6 seconds for one or a few seconds for two laps. 

Bringing Back the Tyre during a Race

Race situation is, therefore, much trickier since we cannot stop or slow down significantly. You’ve probably noticed in a pack of karts how unsuccessful attacking turns into waiting. That indicates the pace is there but requires a longer plan. After a big push, the driver might have taken the tyre to the edge, and will feel it. I have used it a couple of times when I’m not under attack but can win another position by the end of the race. I slowed the pace by 0.1 or 0.15 seconds, keeping it very clean without stressing the tyre. It is necessary to take action as soon as the tyre starts slightly dropping off, or the process will be much harder and take a lot longer. Then we can cruise at given pace for 2 or 3 laps without losing much time on the kart in front because we have some pace advantage. When we start pushing again we will have more pace and for longer than before. This way we will have a better chance when attacking, possibly avoid a counterattack by pulling away and save time. 

Bringing back the tyre requires very good feel for the kart and the condition of the tyres. The later we react, the harder and longer the process will be. Stop pushing and drive cleanly in order to manage your tyre temperatures in a race. Do you have enough control and patience to successfully cool your tyres while racing?