(Photo: gfckarting.com)

Gary Carlton is recognized as one of the best shifterkart pilots from the United States. For over a decade, the California native established himself at the top level of the sport in the USA before traveling overseas to take on the best in the world. From his early years with the Trackmagic brand, to the different manufacturers he worked with in Europe, Carlton gained his knowledge on and off the track. All his experience led to the launch of the GFC chassis brand during the second half of the 2018.

GFC GT14 for shifterkart is now homologated (Photo: gfckarting.com)

Victory at its debut at the ROK Vegas event in October brought the brand to center stage in North American karting. The chassis brand has grown over the last six years, earning victories and championships across the United States at all levels of the sport. Its dealer network expands the GFC brand from coast to coast, and selected countries around the world.

“The GFC brand started as a dream with only a clear vision, one small tool box, and relentless determination to succeed in the goals that were set forth,” stated Gary Carlton, CEO of GFC Karting. “From humble beginnings out of a one car garage, the GFC brand has grown to one of the key players in the North American Karting market.”

One of the next steps for GFC Karting was to have the chassis recognized for international competition. Starting in 2025, GFC will have CIK-FIA homologation certification for two of its models – GFC SS31 (Single Speed) and GFC GT14 (shifterkart).

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the CIK-FIA and have the security that comes with homologation process with our products that we provide to our customers,” added Carlton. “It’s a big step forward in our long term plans for our brand and company as a whole. The future has a lot in store and this step is only just the beginning.”

The GFC SS31 for single speed competition is also homologated for 2025-2027 (Photo: gfckarting.com)

The process to achieving the CIK-FIA homologation began back in January 2024 when the chassis designs had to be submitted for new brands. By August, the process took its next step with CIK-FIA providing GFC Karting with its homologation number. The next phase was the certification inspection – scheduled for November 7 at the TB Kart SRL facility in Orsinego, Italy. For the inspection, a total of 75 frames were needed to be produced for each model, with 25 for each model built – including the front and rear axles, floor pan, and pedals. Everything except brakes and bodywork were on display for the inspection process. Following the inspection, CIK-FIA sealed one frame for each model to utilize as an example chassis in the case of a technical question were to arise.

“One thing that is really important in the homologation isn’t so much about controlling the design process, but about giving you an insurance policy from the CIK-FIA that the GFC chassis are produced under their safety standards,” Carlton continued. “We felt this was very important for all of our dealers to have this moving forward with our company, giving them the piece of mind that they are protected with this policy.”

What the CIK-FIA homologation certification also does is allow for the GFC chassis to compete in international competition where homologation is required. This includes many championship programs around the globe, including the FIA Karting European and World Championships.

The 2024 season wrapped up another successful year for the GFC Karting brand here in the United States. Below are notable results from 2024:

(Photo: gfckarting.com)

Keagan Kaminski: Challenge of the Americas – Senor 100cc Vice Champion
Nico Sarphati: Challenge of the Americas – Junior 100cc Champion
Braydon Wagner: Challenge of the Americas – 60cc Champion

Robert Arana: Texas Sprint Racing Series – Junior 206 Champion
Christopher Tracey: Texas Sprint Racing Series – Junior 206 Vice Champion
Ragan Saville: Texas Sprint Racing Series – Senior 206 Vice Champion
Jesus Vasquez Jr.: Texas Sprint Racing Series – KA100 Senior Champion
Madison Knox: Texas Sprint Racing Series – Senior Heavy 206 Champion
Tyler Roberts: Texas Sprint Racing Series – KA100 Junior – 3rd Place

Keagan Kaminski: California ProKart Challenge – KA100 Senior Champion
Matthew Cagle: California ProKart Challenge – KA100 Junior Champion
Johnie Stamps: California ProKart Challenge – KA100 Junior Vice Champion
Alex Rantala: California ProKart Challenge – KA100 Junior – 3rd Place
Braydon Wagner: California ProKart Challenge – Mini Swift – 3rd Place

Ridgeley Welsh: ROK Sonoma – VLR Senior Champion
Cole Anderson: ROK Sonoma – Mini ROK Champion
Kylie Johnson: ROK Sonoma – Mini ROK Vice Champion
Koa Saito: ROK Sonoma – Mini ROK – 3rd Place

Brody McQuarrie: UMC Karting Championship – Junior 100cc Champion
Cody Hayhurst: UMC Karting Championship – Junior 100cc Vice Champion
Ayrton Little: UMC Karting Championship – ROK Shifter Champion
Even Concepcion: UMC Karting Championship – ROK Shifter Vice Champion
Steele Larson: UMC Karting Championship – 206 Senior Vice Champion
Lincoln Larson: UMC Karting Championship – Senior 100cc Vice Champion

Conner Wick: NWKA Padholder Super Cup Series – KZ Champion
Ryan Hegar: NWKA Padholder Super Cup Series – KZ Heavy Vice Champion
James Francis: NWKA Padholder Road Race Series – NW Honda 125 Champion
Gunther Hohagen: NWKA Padholder Road Race Series – NW 125 Open Heavy Champion
Andrew Hohagen: NWKA Padholder Road Race Series – NW 125 Open Light Champion
Bruno Mendes: PSGKA – TAG Senior Champion

Brian Keck: ROK Vegas – ROK Shifter Masters Champion
Kyle Wick: ROK Vegas – ROK Shifter Vice Champion

Jacob Gulick: SKUSA Pro Tour – Pro Shifter Vice Champion
Jesus Vasquez Jr.: SKUSA SuperNationals 27 – KA100 Senior Vice Champion

GFC Links:

Website: gfckarting.com
Facebook: gfckarting
Instagram: gfckarting

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