A Spotlight on Track Safety and Technology

  Curb Your Enthusiasm:
  Truck tire sidewalls make for ideal curbing.

As any track owner knows, defining a corner can be a challenge, and keeping that corner from changing during a race can be nearly impossible. The most common corner barriers are used tires, especially racing slicks, as they are plentiful and free. Tires provide a decent level of safety, but are easily moved from their location by the constant onslaught of bumpers and side pods. Even chains of tires bolted together are surprisingly easy to dislodge when 18 karters decide that the fast line is where the tires are. There are other drawbacks to tires such as the fact that they tend to pull a kart into them rather than deflect it off, tires are great mosquito breading grounds, and they are not the most attractive lawn art in the neighborhood,

Several track owners have found an innovative solution to the tire issue by using just part of a tire, the sidewall, to define corner apexes and exits. The tire sidewalls, which are cut from old truck tires by an enormous machine, are used as ballast for the orange traffic barrels that we see so many of in construction zones. They have no sharp steel or belting showing, and lay flat on the ground, standing no more than 3" or 4" tall. Each tire collar weighs around thirty pounds, and when overlapped and bolted together, becomes almost immovable by kart contact. It is important to bolt the sidewalls together in order to ensure that they do not move, a single 1/4" or larger fastener will suit/ Make sure that the exposed end of the fastener is down, this will add to the stability of the tire curbing.

The true test for any track barrier is how safe and effective is it? In the thousands of laps run with the tire sidewalls as curbing, the track owners have reported no ill effects and all agree that the curbing enhances racing and safety. Karters can take comfort in knowing that they can make a small mistake and run up on the curbing without loosing a lot of time or being spun out. The curbing essentially adds to the useable area of racetrack by giving the option of using the curbing to gain an inside position on a competitor. Yet this maneuver is risky, as running high up on the curbing can slow a kart substantially.

Truck tire sidewalls, often called collars, can be bought for around $5 each from a local highway department or safety services outfit, or can be bought in bulk, by the truck load, for around $1 each, but expect to buy at least a ton or two if you plan to buy in bulk. While the sidewalls are effective and safe for defining corners, more substantial barriers, such as tires or hay bales, should be used to protect karters from coming in contact with hard or immovable objects. As always, safety should be the first consideration in determining track layout and barriers.

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Trevor Hilliar