3. Racing Tips
b) Kart Safety - Why is it so important?
In this section we will look at the safety gear needed for kart racing. As karting is an open-wheeled form of auto racing, safety is paramount as there is no body work on the vehicle chassis to protect the karter from coming into contact with the rotating wheels in the event of a collision. When seated in a kart, you can be traveling at 50 km/h with your body just centimeters away from the abrasive track surface. Without proper safety gear, your day out at the karting centre can turn into something disastrous. Do not take safety for granted if you want to continue enjoying karting.
Helmet
There are many helmets available in the market and their price can vary from anywhere between $10 to way over $1000. The helmet is the most important safety gear as it protects the most vital part of your body, the head. Most good helmets cost above $100 and you should not compromise safety with an inferior cheaper helmet. For a start, it is advisable to get a basic helmet that is well fitted to your head with some sort of safety certification. However, if you are going to be in this sport for the long haul, you should invest in a good full face helmet with either a SA05 or K05 certification.
Built - A helmet normally has 4 elements: a rigid outer shell, a crushable liner, a chinstrap and fir or comfort padding. The rigid outer shell adds load-spreading capacity and prevents objects from piercing the helmet. The liner absorbs the energy of an impact by crushing. The chinstrap, when properly buckled and adjusted, along with the fit padding, helps the helmet remain in position during a crash.
Snell rating - The Snell helmet safety rating system helps drivers stay on top of driver safety. The protective capability of any helmet is difficult to measure. The Snell Foundation is an organization that destroys thousands of helmets every year to test their standards for protective performance. If your helmet is Snell approved, it will have a sticker inside. Having this label in your helmet allows you to take part in international karting races. For more details, check out http://www.smf.org/cert.html for the full certification lists.
Care - Taking good care of your helmet is also key to its durability. Having a protective helmet bag to store it in and being careful how you pack it is very important. Many helmet manufacturers suggest replacing your helmets even when you just drop it. Other extreme factors like ultra-violet rays can also break down the helmet from the outside.
Fitting - Your race helmet needs to be snug. You should be able to gauge the balance and your helmet should not be so tight it hurts or too loose that it flops around. Measuring your head properly is the first step to ensure a good fit of the helmet. A cloth tape should be used to make your initial measurement. The circumference of the head should be measured at a point approximately once inch above the eyebrows in front, and at a point in the back of the head, resulting in the largest possible measurement. Take several measurements to ensure you have the largest one.
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