ELECTRIC BLANKET KIT FOR KART ENGINES AND RADIATORS, THE NEW-LINE RACING SOLUTION FOR WINTER (INSPIRED BY F1)

Luca Basso

15 February 2023 • 11 min. read

Developed to overcome the limitations imposed on engine warm-up in international races, this innovative product from the Italian company is ideal for all those who wish to get rid of the always delicate and critical engine warm-up phase, especially when the ambient temperature is cold. Let's see what it is composed of, how it works and what the declared benefits it brings are

Exploiting technologies established in other categories to solve problems related to your industry. Perhaps it is no coincidence that such an idea was conceived in the heart of the Motor Valley and more precisely in Maranello, the home of Ferrari. Except that, this time, the "stroke of genius" did not take shape within the walls of the Prancing Horse's R&D department and did not concern Formula 1 but materialized about 8 minutes by car from the Ferrari factories, more precisely in the headquarters of New-Line Racing, a company specialised for over twenty years in kart radiators. It is a product that promises to solve one of the main problems associated with karting, i.e. correctly warming up the engine, especially during the colder seasons, before using it. What is it about? A pair of electric blankets, homologous in terms of technologies and materials to those used by Formula 1 teams to keep iyres at the right temperature, to be attached to the radiator and to the cylinder of the kart engine to bring (and keep) cooling water to the correct operating temperature, without the need to warm up the engine on the stand. This solution meets the needs of teams, trainers and drivers during race weekends, more specifically on official session days (qualifiers, elimination heats, pre-finals and finals), when there is an absolute ban on starting the engines in the paddock and in parc ferme regime. But that's not all, because it can also be a valid ally for all kart drivers, even amateurs who use their kart only in practice lap sessions, who, recklessly, do not stop using their kart even in the seasons with the coldest temperatures. Let's see why.

By moving the cursor, it is possible to see how the electric blankets are installed on the engine and on the radiator. New-Line Racing has designed an electric blanket for the radiator, with a width of 19 cm, making it adaptable to the most common karting models, even those it does not manufacture itself.

The origin

The regulatory modification (introduced by the CIK-FIA in December 2018) of article 2.14 (which regulates the safety procedures), letter Q, of the general provisions of the Sporting Regulations, which from that moment prescribed an absolute ban on "starting up, running in, warming up or testing the engines in the paddock and in the reserved areas..." definitely started the New-Line Racing project. If on the one hand this novelty has improved the general health and safety conditions in the paddock, on the other it has caused various problems in the correct setting up and use of engines, especially in the colder periods of the year. In fact, from the moment that mechanics could only start the engines in the pre-grid, when the marshals wave the green flag, thus forcing the drivers to enter the track with non-optimal engine and cooling system temperatures, with a non-negligible negative impact both on performance on the first laps and on the general reliability of the engines. To overcome these problems, various expedients were implemented, such as, for example, heating the water in the cooling system using simple boilers and then inserting it into the radiator. An ineffective solution given that, due to the dissipation effect, the temperature returns to room level within a few minutes with the radiator cold. Here then is the context in which the intuition of Marco Malverti materialized, owner of New-Line Racing together with Alberto Frigeri and Massimo Benedetti, who thought of designing special electric blankets for kart engine radiators and cylinders, so as to warm them up and keep them (together with the water inside the cooling circuit) in the correct operating temperature range. The production process faced by New-Line saw the development of a first prototype in the spring of 2022, in relation to which problems were encountered relating to the type of material used, polyester, which burned when the heating system of the electric blanket was switched on. This critical issue was resolved thanks to the collaboration with a specialised company (which also works with F1), which led to the development of a second perfectly functional prototype and, within a short time, to the approval of the final product, ready to be marketed.

Above, the second electric blanket prototype launched by New-Line Racing in which it is possible to notice (on the radiator) the lateral velcro closure, eliminated during development to facilitate product installation. Below, the definitive pair of electric blankets, available for purchase from January 2023.