Track Tac

Joie of seating kart seat with head rest.

B

braxton

Member
Anyone ever seen one in person? Thinking of one for my 6 year old son. Can't find any pics of one on a flat kart. Thanks
 
I have saw one they are a nice piece. Talking with the reps from Labour they said it would work great on a flat kart thought about getting one for myself for a little while just haven't got it yet. Be prepared to face multiple views of good or bad for a flat kart. Personally it makes sense to run one in my opinion
 
After suffering a wild flip myself, i can honestly see where it might cause problems. the idea of the flat kart during any racing accident is to let the driver have a way out. the head bolsters on the joie seat could possibly prevent this. but, with that being said, i think that a head rest and possibly a right side helmet rest would go a long way to helping....but the full containment should be reserved for the champ karts. the head bolsters would be hard to clear with your shoulders should you get into a wild ride....

because it's illegal now doesn't mean that it will be in the future....and if ANYTHING can help prevent injuries, then it should be explored. get away from the mind set of "it's in the rules and can't be changed" or "it's always been that way".... i can think of half a dozen different things that would enhance safety, yet until the karting organizations get thier collective you-know-what's out of thier you-know-where....well, nuff said...

Just sayin....
 
XXX#40 said:
they are illegal and dangerous on a flat kart
Click to expand...

I would love to see some documented evidence or a report from a study stating why this would be dangerous. Im like Mikey56, I am not one to live my life by the theory of "its always been that way". Look at the way safety has increased in all forms of racing over the last few years. Yeah, we now have neck support devices, better helmets, and minor things for the driver. But has anything been done to the kart itself to improve safety? Personally, I think an improved seat to support the right side, and back of the head would be a good thing. And what about a little more fiberglass behind the shoulders in case of the ever present wheel hop over the left rear tire? These things could be done and not affect the exit from the kart in case of an accident. I wish I had the time and the money to develop this, but I don't. Especially when the current mindset is that it would be illegal to have it on a kart.

With all of that said...... I truly believe that most dirt kart racing accidents are due to lack of respect for other drivers. We feel invincible sitting in our little fiberglass seat surrounded by a thin fiberglass body and some 1/2" light gauge tubing nerf bars. All the while racing with others who believe that they are in a bull dozer. OK....Off my soap box..... just my $0.02
 
If you want added support to the head and neck area, perhaps your dollars would be better spent on a personal applicance such as a 360 device or something similar. Especially in a flat kart, your support goes WITH you, and still doesn't impede the driver from getting away from the kart in the case of ejection. Devices like these provide much more stability and safety factor than a seat possibly could, and can go with the driver from kart to kart as well.
 
I tried getting on of those seats that Lajoie has pictured, when I called them, they said the no longer make a karting seat, just the head restraint set-up, personally, i'd love to have a seat where my shoulders are inside of it (as pictured on there site)

-Matt
 
simple solution switch to a champ kart, until you've had a kart land on top of another driver upside down you'll never understand why headrests are illegal.
headrests weren't always illegal, some racers never think about the saftey of there fellow racers.
a open kart flips a headrest can break your
 
that's just like with us we run winged outlaw karts and have had dads ask us if they could jump in with us because they missed their flight of hot laps and I told him no . he just couldn't understsand how his kid could hurt ours with his flat kart didn't take into mind what we could do to him.. not to mention how any type of halo can pin you in the seat which you don't want at all. as xxx said there is a reason roll bars and head rests have been banned. get a 360 instead
 
every accident is unique....you won't ever see the same accident, the same way, with the same results. accident scene investigations while i was a cop proves that.

headrests will not impact racing as significantly as some suggest (those against them that is). you're bringing the back of the seat up to about the middle of the helmet while sitting in the kart. sure, i wear a 360 device, and that goes with me when i have to get out....but that doesn't end the safety issue. safety issues don't end with "switch to champ karts" or that everything connected with safety is either illegal or never tried before.

with the advent of more modern technologies and manufacturing methods, safety doesn't have to take a back seat while racing a kart......better jackets prevent abrasions, better helmets protect the noggin from serious injuries......why can't seats evolve in the same fashion? why? because "it's always been like that" or "it's good enough, so why bother?"..... those that speak up for better seats and better safety are usually the ones that have ideas and thoughts to improve racing....those that think because the rules say it's illegal, no one should question it....wrong answer....i question everything when it comes to out-dated safety standards. while i agree on the halo system not being used on a flat kart, there are other things that could improve the seat and make it a lot better than what it is today...
 
Mikey56 I understand your point completely and that's what I was trying to say in my post above. A flat kart seat that came as high as the shoulders and maybe a tab a little higher to support the back of the helmet. Then just roll that tab around to the right a little to give the helmet some side support too. No halo at all.

And "switching to champ karts" is NOT a simple solution. Not every track runs them and I am currently out of "simple solution" money.
 
I run the Lajoie head rest on a senior champ kart. It does work. I'm not sure about running one on the flat karts. Maybe a Hans type device would work better since it is stapped to the driver and not the seat. JMO

Nick Thunder
 
not if your using the valhalla 360 device. i wear it exclusively while racing...in fact, i won't race without it....but it's not designed for or safe using seat belts....by safe, i mean that in case you have to get out of the kart in a hurry, being strapped to your body and then using seatbelts that are attached to the kart, they could become tangled...whereas a HANS device uses the seat belts to hold it down, so when the belts are released, the device itsn't attached. with the vahalla, you have straps running under your arms and to the front of your device and body...then your laying seatbelts over these strraps, which could become entangled. nuff on that...

seats in a LTO or flat kart need to have a better right side bolster that comes up nearer to the shoulder joint and then a smaller rise up toward the back of the helmet. not all the way up, but enough to be able to lean your head back and feel it. this would in no way compromise safety or the ability to get out of the kart. it would prevent getting the nose of someones kart slammed into your head!! but, too many will elect to go with the "it's unsafe and illegal".... that's easy to say, but as soon as you get nailed in the back of the head, you'll change your tune.....and yes, it will happen...racers. some racers not all, are not considerate of other racers and will do anything to win....including taking you out anyway that they can....i've seen it, read about it and had it happen to me.....deal with it however you want, but getting into any kart with the mind set of "it's not in the rules or illegal and you can't change it" needs to have a serious look in the mirror.....

nuff said...off the soap box...but i still say and will say that seats can be designed safer and more body friendly....all it takes is understanding and innovative thinking...
 
mikey56 said:
not if your using the valhalla 360 device. i wear it exclusively while racing...in fact, i won't race without it....but it's not designed for or safe using seat belts....by safe, i mean that in case you have to get out of the kart in a hurry, being strapped to your body and then using seatbelts that are attached to the kart, they could become tangled...whereas a HANS device uses the seat belts to hold it down, so when the belts are released, the device itsn't attached. with the vahalla, you have straps running under your arms and to the front of your device and body...then your laying seatbelts over these strraps, which could become entangled. nuff on that...

seats in a LTO or flat kart need to have a better right side bolster that comes up nearer to the shoulder joint and then a smaller rise up toward the back of the helmet. not all the way up, but enough to be able to lean your head back and feel it. this would in no way compromise safety or the ability to get out of the kart. it would prevent getting the nose of someones kart slammed into your head!! but, too many will elect to go with the "it's unsafe and illegal".... that's easy to say, but as soon as you get nailed in the back of the head, you'll change your tune.....and yes, it will happen...racers. some racers not all, are not considerate of other racers and will do anything to win....including taking you out anyway that they can....i've seen it, read about it and had it happen to me.....deal with it however you want, but getting into any kart with the mind set of "it's not in the rules or illegal and you can't change it" needs to have a serious look in the mirror.....

nuff said...off the soap box...but i still say and will say that seats can be designed safer and more body friendly....all it takes is understanding and innovative thinking...
Click to expand...

I wasnt referring to a 360...I was referring to the HANS type devices, as I quoted in my reply.
 
18 yrs in kart racing and only had one kart hit the back of my seat, mikey get out and race more than one track.
and its in the rules for a reason, when a kart flips the driver is suppose to come out of the kart, but every few years someone from car racing wants to change the way it is protect yourself, as for us i see a track allowing a kart to race with a headrest ill pack my stuff and leave, if you cand hold your head up or are that affraid then maybe karting isnt for you
 
That's a pretty pompous attitude!
I don't think anyone is saying they "can't hold their head up", or are "afraid." It sounds like some simple discussion about how we can make karting safer. Is that so wrong?

I don't see the benefit of the LaJoie system in flat karts, but we have their head restraint system installed in both of our champ karts.
I'm not going to come on here and blast others for looking into it as a means to increase the safety of our sport.
For years, we all ran open face helmets, no neck braces (foamies), no gloves, and sometimes a leather jacket! Full bodies, noses, and front bumpers didn't exist, rear bumpers were part of the frame, nerf bars resembled an air filter protector! People were resistant to change then as well. Thankfully, karting continues to change and improve elements of safety.

It's times like this when I see attitudes flare up that I wonder what the new people in our sport must think.
At a time when we need all the butts in the seats that we can get, there are those that would pick up there ball and go home if they don't get their own way. Sad indeed.

--
Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cuts
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com

Celebrating 25 years of service to the karting industry
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
brian, you go to a track and they telll you today they are going to run champs and flats together in your sons class, what do you do?
headrests are dangerous on a flat kart, not only for the driver but also fellow competitors, now come off your high horse, cough up the 20 bucks for this site so you wont have to type in your advertisements in the bottom of your post every time
 
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