kid kart body style

[Stacey McLaughlin]

Hello,

Again looking for some more GREAT advice from everyone! : ) Right now our daughter has the regular body plastic on her kart, but we are interested in putting on a full body plastic, it just seems so much safer. But, on most of the karting websites I go on and look at photos, most kids run with the regular body (sorry not sure what it is called?) Is there a reason for this? I hope I made some sense? LOL Thanks everyone!!!

Stacey

[Tim Salvino]

Full body work gives a sense of safety and strength. Soon they start to depend on the bodywork to keep them safe, bumping much more than they should and becoming very aggressive drivers. Just look at the dirt oval races. Open bodywork is fine, and should make you want to avoid contact, which will make it safer for everybody.

[Ron Gordon]

Stacey,

If you look at most kid karts (atleast the sprint racers i have seen) the full body is applied over the CIK/Breadbox style body work.

While this does create a since of greater safety it can also cause what Tim said to a degree. The biggest down fall of doing this is the added weight the full bodies will give the chassis.

The regular body work your kids kart has now will do a great job in protecting the driver as long as you pay attention to the way you set it up on her kart.

First make sure the rear bumper extends right to the outside edge of the rear tires and the side pods are the same with the front side of the rear tires.

Ensure all the body work is fastened tight to its mounts and is atleast 1" off the ground and pretty much level to the ground when she is seated in the kart. Especially true for the front bumper, you don't want it to be a ramp so to speak.

All in all the kid karters are a pretty safe group compaired to the older classes. You do have the bumps and spins but most of the time in kid karts it was an accident caused by thier competative nature on thier own or getting over to fast after passing another kart, not like the older classes where you will see more use the bumpers to move a driver out of the way...LOL.

We cant drive for our kids but we can teach them good lines, good techniques and especially good sportsmanship. Kid Karts is all about learnign and getting the basics down, when she gets that the wins will come..Just finishing is the most important at this stage....Atleast thats how I look at it..

Have fun, teach her good track etiquette and the proper lines, get good personal safety equipment for her and before you know it she will be in a senior class having as much fun as she will in kid karts, winning more races than you can find place for the trophies.

Ron
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Just another one of the Many OVKA Karter's
and OVKA Kid Kart Director