Custom karting suits

First, check what your series requires

This comes before design, because it decides whether we are the right supplier for your suit.

Many sanctioned karting championships require the driver to wear a suit homologated to a recognised karting standard, with the homologation label sewn into the garment. That label can only be carried by a suit whose design has been through the official approval process.

Our karting suits are not currently homologated, and we do not label or describe them as such. They are suitable where homologation is not required: rental and arrive-and-drive tracks, leisure and corporate karting, practice, club events that do not mandate it, and team, mechanic and promotional wear. If you race in a series, read its regulations or ask the organiser before ordering. If a homologated suit is mandatory, you need one that carries the label.

We would rather lose an order than have a driver turned away at scrutineering.

What a kart suit has to do

A kart has no bodywork around the driver, so the suit is the layer between the driver and the track. Unlike a car racing suit, its main job is resistance to abrasion, not fire. That is why kart suits are made from tough synthetic outer fabrics with a soft lining, and why they are a different product from a fire-resistant car racing suit. Our suits are not fire-resistant garments and must not be used where one is required.

The second job is freedom of movement. A kart driver sits low with knees raised and arms working constantly. A suit cut like a standing overall pulls across the shoulders and behind the knees.

Cut and stretch panels

A proper kart suit is cut for the seated position: arms and legs pre-curved, with extra length in the back so the suit does not pull down at the collar when the driver is in the seat.

Stretch panels do the rest. A knitted panel across the lower back, in the crotch and under the arms lets the suit move with the driver. The collar, cuffs and ankles are finished in soft knitted rib, with the collar closing by hook-and-loop. A two-way front zip with a covering flap is standard.

Ventilation matters in summer and for rental use: perforated or mesh panels in protected areas make a suit far more comfortable without weakening the zones that matter.

Design: sublimated or panelled

There are two ways to put a team design on a kart suit.

Sublimation prints the whole design into the fabric before the suit is sewn. Any number of colours, gradients and sponsor logos can be included at no extra production cost, and the design cannot peel. It is how most modern team suits are made.

Cut-and-sew builds the design from panels of different coloured fabric, with logos embroidered or printed on top. It gives a classic look and suits simpler designs in two or three colours.

Sponsor logos should be supplied as vector artwork. We send a proof showing the suit from front, back and both sides, with every logo in position, for approval before production.

Sizing

A kart suit should be close-fitting without restricting, and it is worn over a base layer and often a rib protector. Tell us if a rib protector is worn so the chest is cut for it.

We work from a standard chart for cadet, junior and adult sizes, or from individual measurements for team orders. A measurement guide is supplied; having someone else take the measurements gives a much better result than self-measuring. Children outgrow suits quickly, and it is tempting to order large, though a suit that is too big bunches behind the knees and at the elbows.

Rental fleets and tracks

Rental tracks need suits that survive constant use and washing, in a full range of sizes that staff can hand out quickly. We make simple, durable rental suits with the size marked clearly on the outside, in your track colours and branding, and can keep the specification so replacements match the fleet.

The rest of the team

Mechanic suits, team shirts, jackets and caps can be produced in the same design so the whole team matches in the paddock.