[Translated with ChatGPT]

It seems that the project promoted by the FIA Safety Department, launched over a year ago and concerning the protection of kart wheels, has now reached its final evaluation stage. For some time, the body responsible for setting safety standards in the various FIA-regulated motorsport categories had highlighted the potential danger of the "exposed" wheels on karts. As with single-seaters, kart wheels are mostly exposed to possible contact with the wheels of other vehicles. This situation had been flagged as dangerous since, according to the FIA Safety Department's analyses, wheel-to-wheel contact between different vehicles could lead to accidents and, above all, to karts overturning.

For this reason, the initial intention had been to completely cover both the front and rear wheels. However, this solution failed to gain enthusiasm from either manufacturers or the public. On one hand, covering the wheels brings significant challenges in managing tire temperatures, which — especially during the hottest seasons and in the highest-performing categories (such as Shifter) — are already under heavy stress even without covers. On the other hand, from a purely aesthetic perspective, covering the wheels on a racing kart would somehow strip away its essential nature, making it resemble the less prestigious rental karts.

After months of design, development, and testing both on-track and in the lab, the FIA Safety Department now seems to have reached a final version to be applied only to the rear wheels, as shown in the exclusive images in this news piece. From what can be seen, the tire cover will only be partial, protecting the rear area of the tire. The cover, mounted at the end of the central rear protection structure, replaces the current side element that is adjustable in width. Between the cover and the tire, two rollers have been added to prevent tire damage in case the rear protection comes into contact with the tire itself. It also seems that the total weight increase (overhanging) will be 1 kg compared to the current protections (therefore 500 g per side).

Before being officially introduced from next year onwards (it is still unclear in which events and categories), this solution will be tested for the first time during a real race, exclusively with the Academy-Junior category, at the FIA Karting World Cup in Cremona (Italy), from September 25 to 28, 2025.