Is this the beginning of the end for push-back front fairings?
Every kart competing in the Academy Trophy Junior round in Spain on the weekend was fitted with an Impact Data Recorder (IDR).
Mounted on a bracket that’s clamped to the main chassis rail, the IDR is indented as a safety device to collect accident data and assist future design of circuit layouts, barrier positioning and improvement of safety equipment.
If it’s recording accident data, one would assume it could be configured to trigger an alarm at Race Control if an impact hits a pre-determined force?
This is the first FIA-developed accident data recording device to be fitted to a kart. It is 6cm long, weighs 12 grams and was developed with the support of the FIA Foundation.
Of course, being attached to the chassis, it’s recording data the kart experiences, not the driver. In some karting shunts, the driver is ejected – or more likely these days, partially ejected (unable to be free of the kart due to entanglement with bodywork, striking radiators, camera mounts etc).
“The IDR is aimed at categories from national to regional level where more expensive, bespoke data recorders may not be available” the FIA published,
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“The FIA’s global network of National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) are able to purchase and fit the IDR in grassroots and national competitions.
“Paired with bespoke software, the devices can provide unprecedented insights into the nature and frequency of crashes, allowing ASNs to adapt and improve their safety infrastructure over time.
The IDR will be used at every round of the 2025 FIA Karting Academy Trophy with a planned wider uptake from 2026 onwards at international and national levels.
“It was a really successful first implementation of the Impact Data Recorder for karting, which is a discipline that has huge participation but that, up until now, has not been somewhere that we have had a lot of real-world data to draw upon” said FIA Safety Director, Nuno Costa.
“Now, as the IDR is rolled out more widely, the data that is being collected, initially by the FIA and hopefully in the near future also by ASNs, has significant potential to improve safety standards across the board.”
Akbar Ebrahim, President of the FIA Karting Commission (CIK), said: “When the FIA launched the IDR, we were immediately very excited about the potential it had to provide a totally new data source in the karting world. I’m pleased that the first implementation was a success, and really encourage our ASNs and organisers to look at how they can implement it in their national championships. The more we understand about the crashes that happen on-track, the better prepared we can be in the future to mitigate risk and protect our competitors.”
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