The year 2026 will also be remembered as the year FIA Karting introduced the Anti-Launch Device, a rear fairing with integrated wheel covers, the result of more than a year and a half of research and testing conducted by the FIA Safety Department. The project (initiated by the FIA President, the Commission International de Karting, and the World Motor Sport Council) aims to reduce the likelihood that, following contact between the wheels of two karts, one of them might lift off the ground and potentially overturn. According to the FIA, the overturning of a kart due to contact between two vehicles represents one of the most dangerous scenarios for the driver among those that can occur on the track. The approach adopted by the FIA Safety Department, however, did not focus on attempting to absorb the impacts the driver experiences as a result of this type of accident, but rather on preventing the dynamics that can trigger them, by intervening directly to protect the main cause of the rollover itself: the kart’s rear wheels. Developed starting in late 2024, the Anti-Launch Device was first validated in the laboratory, then during track tests, and finally in two races selected by FIA Karting, held in 2025. As of April 1, 2026, it is mandatory in international championships for Group 1 and 2 categories (Single-Speed and Multi-Speed, Junior and Senior); starting in July 2026, the requirement extends to Group 3 categories (the MINI classes).
Tech Focus
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Anti-Launch Device: The Rear Bumper Introduced by FIA Karting to Prevent Karts from “Taking Off”
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