The CIK-FIA has issued a statement regarding comments published on a website criticising aerodynamic devices on karts.
A post on GPBlog (the article can be read HERE) claims the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) is appealing to the karting industry, promoters, kart race organizers and the FIA to stop a ‘dangerous’ and ‘wrong’ development in karting.
GPDA Chairman Alexander Wurz said “They come up with floors, and with different kinds of wings and downforce settings” and “Everyone will want to buy those downforce parts, but its not for the better of sport or drivers.”
KR did present a kart with an aero undertray at last year’s KZ World Championship, but nowhere in modern spring kart racing are wings being used – or allowed.
It’s ruffled feathers in Geneva with the CIK-FIA Karting department issuing the following statement.
The Statement
The FIA strongly refutes a number of assertions made in comments carried in a recent article published by GPBlog.com.
The article claims that “[Karting] is increasingly allowing aerodynamic parts on the kart” and that “they come up with floors, and with different kinds of wings and downforce settings.”
These statements are incorrect and misrepresent the CIK-FIA Karting Technical and Homologation Regulations which govern FIA-sanctioned Karting events and explicitly prohibit modifications to the aerodynamics, wings, or floors of karts.
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To clarify
- Article 4.6 of the Karting Technical Regulations, updated by the World Motor Sport Council in February 2025, specifically prohibits alterations to the floor trays of karts.
- The technical regulations also stipulate that only components expressly approved by the FIA may be used, thereby preventing the use of untested or non-homologated parts.
- All homologated bodywork must undergo FIA-standard crash testing, ensuring safety and integrity. There are currently five manufacturers who have homologated bodywork parts with a numbering system in place to ensure and track regulatory compliance.
- Under Article 22 of the Homologation Regulations, bodywork must be air-blow moulded, which inherently prevents adjustable aerodynamic features.
- Additionally, Article 3.2 of the Technical Regulations prohibits any modifications to homologated bodywork as inferred was possible or taking place in the article.
The FIA welcomes the opportunity to clarify these points and reiterate the strict regulatory framework in place which ensures consistency, safety, cost containment and fairness in karting.
The claims made in the article regarding alterations are not permitted in FIA-sanctioned Karting events and it is important to note that all components, including bodywork, are tightly controlled through homologation and scrutineering procedures that prevent any unapproved modifications.
We also wish to address the following comment quoted in the article “We are looking out for the kids in karting, and we are concerned. We think it’s in the wrong direction and it should be stopped …”
Safety will always be the key priority of the FIA. Suggestions that safety has been compromised to accommodate kart upgrades are entirely baseless and untrue. In fact, the technical regulations have been strengthened this year to further enhance safety standards. The FIA has in recent years developed several new safety standards for karting, such as the karting body protection, karting light panels and karting helmet standards. The FIA continues to strengthen safety standards in karting and will shortly release a completely new safety device initiative for karting.
The FIA remains deeply committed to making karting more accessible and inclusive. Through our Global Karting Plan, we are introducing new categories and competitions such as the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup in November where standardised karts will ensure technical and financial parity in a competition that identifies and rewards racing talent.
The technical regulations can be found on the FIA website: https://www.fiakarting.com/page/technical-regulations
The homologation regulations can be found on the FIA website: https://www.fiakarting.com/page/homologation
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