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changed the gearing so the fronts wheels were faster , thinking they would in effect pull the car around corners

That increased understeer. The car wants to go staight out of the bends into the bushes.


The advantage of a belt drive is you can regulate under- or oversteer by chosing the right belt dimensions.
Another advantage of a belt drive to the front wheels is its self regulating effect:
When entering a bend, the resistance on the front wheels increases (inner wheel wants to go straight). The belt will smoothly start to slip over the pulley(s).
Now the drive forces will go more and more to the rear axle, causing more oversteer, that turns the car into the bend.
At the end of the bend the resistant at the rear wheels increases, lifting the front of the car, which results in less slipping of the belt and more power to the front axle, which decreases oversteer.
That's exactly what you need to get out of the corner quickly.
I tested this many times on my Ninco belt drive cars. With the belt mounted (4WD) the car was faster and very smooth.
Maybe on a track with very, very long straights, the belt will create resistant and make the car slower than a 2WD setup.

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