FIA 8877-2022 homologation: everything changes for karting suits, shoes, and gloves

FIA 8877-2022
HOMOLOGATION, THE DEFINITIVE REGULATION FOR KART DRIVERS' CLOTHING

Luca Basso

14 April 2026 • 25 min. read

Starting in 2025, the International Automobile Federation has introduced a new regulation that comprehensively redefines the safety requirements that suits must meet and extends, for the first time, homologation to gloves and shoes

WHAT IS IT?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

IN PRACTICE

In karting, specific technical clothing is an essential component for ensuring driver safety. Besides the helmet, the main items designed to protect the driver are the overalls, rib protectors, gloves, and shoes. Over the years, these latter items have evolved technically, but this progression has not been accompanied by adequate regulation. While there have historically been homologation regulations for overalls and, starting in 2021, also for rib protectors (read the article "Tech Talk | The FIA 8870-2018 approval, for kart rib protectors"), FIA has never defined specific safety standards for the other elements of the kart driver's clothing kit (gloves and shoes). In the early 2000s, the CIK-FIA established a standard—called CIK-FIA 2001-1—dedicated exclusively to overalls. This was a key regulation and represented the first attempt to provide official technical references. Regarding suits, a more significant step was taken in 2013 with the introduction of the CIK-FIA 2013-1 standard, which redefines the requirements for homologation by introducing the so-called Level 1 and Level 2, i.e., differentiated safety standards based on the level of protection guaranteed in terms of abrasion resistance. In 2025, with the introduction of the FIA 8877-2022 standard, the regulation was extended for the first time to gloves and shoes, defining their design criteria and minimum technical/safety requirements.

The FIA 8877-2022 homologation was developed by the FIA Safety Department following an analysis of injuries and accidents recorded in recent years, thanks to the contribution of a technical team composed of manufacturers selected by the FIA Technical Commission, the FIA Industry Group, which provided technical expertise, materials, and specific products. The result is a highly structured homologation process that requires, among other things, that garments and their materials undergo a series of tests to ensure they meet dimensional requirements and verify their quality/resistance standards. The following slides address the main tests a garment must pass to obtain certification.

The evolution of regulations in brief
Standard	Year	Items involved	Key features
CIK-FIA 2001-1	2001	Suits only	First official reference; basic requirements.
CIK-FIA 2013-1	2013	Suits only	Introduction of Level 1 and Level 2; focus on abrasion.
FIA 8877-2022	2022	Suits, gloves, shoes	Holistic standard; tests based on real accident data.

Starting January 1, 2025, FIA 8877-2022 is mandatory for all races on the International Sporting Calendar. For suits, it will coexist with the previous CIK-FIA 2013-1 until 2029.

FIA 8877-2022 homologation requires different labels for suits, gloves, and shoes. For suits, the homologation label is embroidered on the collar and contains the following information: [1] standard number, [2] manufacturer, [3] homologation number, [4] expiry date of the homologation for the item in question, [5] degree of protection.

For suits, a FIA hologram is also required, applied to the inside of the fastening system.

For gloves, the homologation label is more compact and indicates [1] the standard, [2] the manufacturer, [3] the homologation number, and [4] the year of validity. The hologram, however, is positioned inside the cuff.

For shoes, as for gloves, the homologation label indicates [1] the standard, [2] the manufacturer, [3] the homologation number, and [4] the year of validity. The hologram, however, is positioned inside the tongue.

FIA 8877-2022 HOMOLOGATION, THE DEFINITIVE REGULATION FOR KART DRIVERS' CLOTHING

FIA 8877-2022
HOMOLOGATION, THE DEFINITIVE REGULATION FOR KART DRIVERS' CLOTHING