So you made the decision to have fun and start your racing career (just kidding, no pressure about trying to get to the top, yet). There are some things that you need to be aware of before heading to the track. First, check with your local track to make sure that you or your child is old enough to drive on that track. Many places have age limits, specific types of licenses and classes for younger drivers. Be prepared to pay some membership fees as well that are not part of the rental session. Also, check to see if they have all the proper safety equipment that is necessary for you to use or rent. If it’s a legitimate track, they will require you to wear a helmet and possibly other safety requirements. In all cases be sure to follow their safety requirements and ask questions that have anything to do with safety.
Speaking of safety equipment, let’s go over the different types of equipment and their uses and how they should be used and what to expect from them.
Helmet: Your helmet should be DOT, SNELL and/or a formal sanctioning body that your country approves for motorsport use. Keep in mind that motorcycle helmets and autosport helmets are tested differently. Make sure that the track will accept the helmet that you are going to wear if you are bringing your own helmet. Helmets do have an expiration date, so only use helmets that are not expired. You will need to familiarize yourself with how to put the helmet on and just as importantly, how to take it off! I can’t count how many times I’ve had to help people remove their helmets because they didn’t know how. Practice putting your helmet on and taking it off a couple of times to familiarize yourself with the process. Each helmet can have a different system, so check to make sure you understand how it works. The helmet should fit snug on your head. When you shack your head side-to-side, there should be little to no movement of the helmet. Too large of a helmet can be a safety hazard and can make injuries worse if not fitted properly. Some expectations from the helmet other than the obvious of protecting your head; is that your visibility will be hindered, your hearing will be muffled and when you talk people won’t be able t hear you very well. So be aware of where you are on the track, listen carefully for other drivers, spectators and team members and speak loudly when you need to communicate. If you have long hair, please be sure to tuck in your hair in a fashion so that your hair is not flopping in the wind. It is a serious hazard.
Neck Brace: Not all places will require this. However, if you’re new to racing your neck muscles may have a difficult time dealing with the additional weight of the helmet. Your neck brace will help stabilize the helmet but will also help to protect your neck in an impact with the additional weight of the helmet. I will always recommend a neck brace for a child or a beginner. A neck brace is mostly used in open-wheeled events like karting but I still encourage it for all other forms of motorsport. They can be fairly inexpensive for the value compared to other racing equipment.
Gloves: Gloves are a touchy subject (yeah, the pun was intended). Gloves will help you with protection and will help you grip the steering wheel. There are some arguments that you lose some of the feel with gloves and it’s hard to feel what the kart or car is doing. Glove technology has improved quite a bit and it is very much worth having gloves. The longer you drive the more your hands will suffer from blisters or feedback from the steering wheel. Gloves will prolong the protection from these types of fatigue.
Shoes: To this day, I’m still astonished by how many people show up to the track in flip-flops, slippers, and sandals. You need to have shoes that cover your toes. Also the harder the sole of your shoe the better and if there’s a rounded heal, that’s even better. Just to start off though, shoes that don’t have a lot of flexibility in them are better than some tennis shoes. The reason for this is so you can have a better peddle feel and better feedback of what the kart is doing.
Rib Protectors: Rib protectors are recommended for all ages when it comes to kart racing. Accidents happen and if you are harnessed in with seat (indoor kart racing) or not harnessed into the seat (outdoor kart racing), the rib protector will help with various types of impacts, especially from the side.
Other articles of safety: Some types of racing will require you to have fire-retardant materials such as Nomex. This goes for everything from the lining of your helmet to your underwear as well as all your safety equipment.
Be sure to ask the organizer of the type of racing that you want to do, to see if this is required. Racing is fun as long as everyone can finish safely.