After years of studies on kart racing accidents, the FIA has established a new safety regulation for rib protection devices. This kind of device, never subject to regulation so far, from 2021 will be mandatory for all entries at international kart races, while the extention of the compulsion to lower-tier competitions will be considered by each national racing association.
Obviously, old rib protectors won’t be allowed, as they will be substituted by new ones, in compliance with the new regulation whose number is 8870-2018. This homologation has strict requirements about material, shape and rigidity. Those requirements derive from the results of many studies, which allowed FIA technicians to identify three macro-typologies of karting accidents:

- impacts against flat or curve structures;
- impacts against seats or steering wheels;
- impacts against sharp or pointed objects (i.e. the steering column)

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Now, OMP readily presents its KS-1 PRO rib protector, totally in polycarbonate, the first in the world to obtain the FIA homologation. KS-1 PRO, featuring an internal coating in shock absorbing foam, also saves the drivers’ comfort thanks to the “compass” regulator, whichi allows the device to adapt to any chest shape. Also, the size scale was integrated by two “wide” sizes, to match the drivers’ comfort even more.

To furtherly discover the products’ features: bit.ly/3nWSMNk