Skip to content
Free shipping on all US domestic orders, excluding a few oversized items. There is no minimum purchase, and even the small stuff ships free. Most orders ship the same day!
Free shipping on all US domestic orders, excluding some seat brands. There is no minimum purchase, and even the small stuff ships free.
Kart Racing Gloves: Why They’re Important

Kart Racing Gloves: Why They’re Important

Purpose-built racing gloves are an essential, yet often forgotten, part of karting apparel. If you’ve ever karted competitively, you know that you can’t give the track your undivided attention unless your wrist and hands aren’t working properly.

man karting in racing overalls

Moreover, although karting is widely considered the entry-level, family-friendly form of motorsport, the risk of collisions and accidents is ever-present, and just like the other parts of your body, your hands need protection as well. And this is where karting gloves comes in—they tick all the boxes.

The Difference Between Regular Driving Gloves and Karting Gloves

While regular driving gloves are generally made for comfort solely, karting gloves offer other features as well, such as safety and durability. They have some special characteristics, which allows them to achieve this. They include:

  • Internal seams or external seams
  • Non-slip silicone for strong grasp and excellent quality
  • Elastic wrist shear stops and wrist oblique for better fit and comfort
  • Palms padded with synthetic leather for better grip and abrasion resistance

The following are some important reasons why it’s essential to wear racing gloves before you get behind the wheel of the kart.

Enhanced Grip and Control

Competitive karting is all about precision. Even the slightest of slip of the hand can send you spinning off the course. Therefore, you need to have complete control of your vehicles at all times, and that’s exactly what purpose-made karting gloves offer. They’re designed to fit snugly around your hand and provide you with a strong grip of the steering wheel regardless of the conditions.

Gloves with external seams such as OMP KS-1R Professional Karting Gloves will maximize the sensitivity on the steering wheel while the antislipping silicon points used generally on the fingertips and forefingers will maximize the grip on the steering wheel.

Decreased Hand Exhaustion

Competitive karting often involves spending long, intense hours behind the steering wheel. This inevitably results in hand fatigue which can impact the driver’s concentration and efficiency.

So, how do karting gloves help here? Well, since they generally come with a non-slip silicone padding in the palm area which naturally provides a better grip of the steering wheel, drivers don’t have to grip the steering wheel to tightly, which saves energy and prevents fatigue.

Comfort and Safety In Extreme Weather

Karting gloves are particularly important in adverse weather conditions. In cold weather, for instance, the insulative properties of karting gloves keep your hands warm and cozy, keeping you concentrated on the track.

In summer months, there’s always the risk of your palms becoming sweaty and slipping off the steering wheel. When you’re wearing karting gloves, however, there’s no chance of this happening.

Some Karting Gloves, such as OMP ARP Karting Gloves, are designed to racing in the rain. They use the ARP – Advances Rainproof technology developed by OMP, keeping the hands dry & warm.

Here at Fast Racer, we offer karting gloves, karting shoes, karting suits and overalls crafted by some of the leading brands in the sports, namely OMP and Alpinestars. Check out our collection.

 

 

Previous article Bell K1 Pro Circuit Blue / Red, All-purpose Racing/Karting Helmet, 360-Degree Video Is Now Available

Leave a comment

Comments must be approved before appearing

* Required fields