Some voices in the world of karting have tempered the chorus of praise after the first international events in 2015 with new spoiler support homologated by the CIK-FIA. Beyond the unquestionable efficiency of the system in limiting deliberate contact, a significant proportion of the manufacturers and major teams want to draw the attention of the federal authorities to two major points, the first being safety. Kartcom has transcribed their views here.
Two incidents have occurred, one during the Winter Cup and the other at the WSK Gold Cup, where the spoiler got caught under the kart. At Lonato, it was followed by a forward roll, fortunately not serious for the driver. This is still an isolated incident. Moreover, these experienced professionals question the impact absorption capacity of a spoiler that has dropped or when it slides sideways after an impact that isn’t completely from the front. Originally planned to reduce the force of an impact, the spoiler no longer fulfills its role completely.
These professionals also have reservations about the sporting fairness of the new regulations. On the one hand, the penalties repeatedly distributed for incidents that have not corresponded to intentionally unsporting behaviour, but more racing incidents, a situation accentuated by the use of harder tyres or when the track is slippery.
In addition, they noticed changes in stiffness between spoilers from different manufacturers, some absorbing a significant impact, while others drop at the slightest touch.
To be continued …
Info Kartcom / © Photo DR