New here from South Africa - Some questions before I hit the track

[Ruan]

Hey everyone,

I just purchased an LO206 which I believe is track/race ready. Coming from South Africa, our regs were quite different for club racing. I used to race Snr Max and DD2 (clubmans), and I had some questions. I am 36 and a new father, and I am only looking to get into this for a good time, not interested in racing regionals or nationals - neither my body nor my wallet would allow me anyways. So far, I have been reading the regs and its quite overwhelming because I am an analyst by day and I tend to overthink EVERYTHING in life (fun).

Assuming my kart is good for the track, I had a few other questions regarding gear and what to expect. I moved to Canada alone, so I don't have anyone here to really show me the "Canadian way" when it comes to club racing. For now, I just want to get to a T&T night without being sent home. Couple of questions, hoping you guys could help me out...

1. The documents I have read from the page here states that rib protectors are mandatory. We only needed them for national or regional events, do I need this for my first year when I am most likely just going to be doing T&T nights or club events? I have always raced without them so its new to me.

2. I brought my kart suit with me, but its not CIK 2, or I don't think it is at least - is this an absolute must for T&T nights and club events or can we buy the suits from K1 for example that are homologated, but not CIK 2 necessarily. Again, mostly just trying to get into T&T nights, perhaps a club race or two if I feel comfortable. Back home we used to just buy any suit from Ebay that states CIK approved - not sure how technical the scrutineers get here.

3. Aside from my kart, trolley, toolbox and fire extinguisher, what other essentials do you guys here bring to the track? I really look forward to meeting everyone and if it's God's will, maybe one day I will get my kiddo in a bambino as well!

Cheers,

Ru

[phil]

A rib protector is mandatory, but it doesn't have to be the expensive one mandated for national events.
The suit should be fine.
Proper helmet is also required
Assuming the kart has a full width plastic rear bumper, I don't see anything holding you back from T & T. If you want to bring what you have to one of the spring work parties (this is me casually inviting you to offer free labor to the club), I'm sure someone could look at it and ensure you won't get turned away.

Welcome to the club!

[Ruan]

Thank you for responding I am sure I can lend a hand. I purchased my kart from Brham (Gentlemen Pros) so I am sure all will be A-OK when it comes to the kart. My main concern was to have the right gear. What rib protectors do most guys/gals use when you say it does not have to be an expensive one? Do you mean like the ones for hockey? Sorry if its a dumb question, I just don't know anything about them.

[JasonL]

Ru,
Great to hear from you, and welcome to Canada, Calgary, and CKRC.

Test & tunes events are fairly easy. Assuming you've got a structurally functional and safe kart, there should be little to prevent you from using it on track. I wouldn't imagine anything with your suit preventing you from driving, a rib vest is required, but we don't mandate the latest FIA spec for club races. A Snell-approved helmet is required - check the rules for specifics, but IIRC, it needs to meet one of the last two Snell standards.

As far as tools, etc. I don't imagine much difference vs. what your prior experience would have been. We're fortunate that Overdrive Motorsports is on site for Thursday T&Ts, and provides great on-site support for the club's parts & service needs.

Looking forward to seeing you on track!

Jason

[Ruan]

Thank you Jason! I think my kart is a newer model, I paid $3900 for it (it was advertised on the CKRC forum here) so I think (hope) it is all good haha. My Arai was a SA2015 so it expired, but I currently do have a Zamp SA2020 so it should still be good until 2030. Got my Sparco boots and gloves from home as well, so pretty much just the rib vest and suit that I was still wondering about. I am looking forward to meeting everyone, I imagine that I will most likely be there on Thursdays so that's good to know, thank you so much for the info!

[SteveO]

Welcome to the club Ru!

Having broken 5 ribs last year racing in Briggs Masters, I'd suggest buying a good quality kart-specific rib vest. I thought my old one was good enough, until I realized that it wasn't. With the faster karts - VLR, Rotax & Shifter it becomes even more important.

The Try A Kart program uses a lot of lacrosse rib vests, simply because they are adequate at 6/10ths and they don't cost much. However, I'd never consider using one in a race. Joey at Overdrive is a great local source; the nice part about that is that you can try different ones on before purchasing.

Looking forward to seeing you at the track this year.