The technical and aesthetic evolution of kart bodywork kits - TKART

THE FIRST EXPERIMENTAL BODYWORKS

The first bodywork kit used experimentally on karts included the side pods and the front fairing, an accessory that was previously limited to a simple panel with a sticker with the kart’s number on it, fixed between steering wheel and fuel tank or directly to the front tube of the chassis. The front panel had a rounded shape, including the column support and the steering wheel was larger. The fairings did not have to comply with a regulation and therefore had different shapes. Some had openings at the front to direct the air flow towards the carburetor.

YEAR

The first bodywork kit was used experimentally in the 1985 season. The Formula K World Championship was also raced using these chassis, the new class with 135 cc engines that were meant to unite European and American karting under a single Regulation.

Augusto "Guga" Ribas, the surprise winner of the 1986 Formula K World Championship raced in Jacksonville (USA)

The cover of a 1985 magazine celebrating Mike Wilson’s victory

No fairings, instead , for Mike Wilson’s kart in the early 1980s

MATERIAL

The first bodywork were handmade fiberglass prototypes. Plastic was later used as a raw material.

Experimental fairings of the mid-1980s

Danilo Rossi in action in Lonato in 1990: the side fairings are completely square.

GRAPHICS

The introduction of bodywork increased the space for stickers to be attached to karts, previously only present on the chassis and on the floor trays. In official competitions, the largest space was usually dedicated to the chassis manufacturer, followed by the engine and tyre brand.

The front nose of Mike Wilson's kart at the 1989 Valance World

APPROVAL

Bodywork kits were not regulated by approvals In 1985.

The cover of a Japanese magazine from 1988...

...all the karts now have side fairings and front number panel

AERODYNAMIC RESEARCH

We are at the dawn of kart bodywork kits and they were totally handmade. Studies and tests to improve the impact of air on vehicles arrived much later.

THE FIRST KG KIT

The first bodywork kit made by KG was introduced in 1992, consisting of side fairings, front number panel and front spoiler, which became mandatory in that year. The sides were squared and the space between the front and rear tyres was almost completely covered, increasing protection for the driver. The front spoiler was proportioned to the kart and the front was more tapered near the steering column support compared to the fiberglass version.

YEAR

The first kit was made by KG in 1992. The company led by Gianluca Giacoletto previously only manufactured steering wheels, which were used by most manufacturers. The brand quickly established itself as a reference point for fairings, also thanks to the Masters Karting Paris Bercy, an event held in 1993. The event, which saw several F1 drivers competing in the kart races (it was the last race on the track with Senna against Prost) and other motorsports, was an important showcase for the new KG kits, which were mounted on all the karts.

The front spoiler with the stickers of the manufacturer Haase clearly in evidence

1 di 2

MATERIAL

The fairing kits were no longer made of fiberglass, they were instead made of plastic. The new material allows the optimisation of the manufacturing processes.

A detail of the system for attaching the spolier to the front bumper

GRAPHICS

The introduction of different colours was an important innovation at the time: several maufacturers linked their brand to a colour, making their kart immediately recognizable because of the bodyworks. KG supplied his kit in numerous colours: white, blue, black, red, yellow and silver. A few kits were also in light green.

The Haase kart of Nicola Gianniberti

APPROVAL

1992 was the year when the front spoiler became compulsory. However, there was still no approval but only manadatory sizes. Again according to the rules, there was an obligation to insert a reinforcement tube, fastened by two screws, inside the recess in the side fairings. This was a solution designed to increase track safety. The bodywork kit shown in the photo remained the reference point until 1996.

Some details of the 1992 side fairings made by KG

Jenson Button with the Tecno kart used in the 1995 ICA European Championship

AERODYNAMIC RESEARCH

Squared side fairings make it clear that aerodynamic research was still unknown in karting. Furthermore, the regulation did not permit certain sizes to be exceeded.

THE EVOLUTION OF BODYWORK KITS FOR KARTS