What Rib protector ?

After a some-what abrupt end to a weekend of karting a couple of weeks ago with the addition of a fracture to my rib cage, I have decided to do a little research into the world of Rib protection.  A totally non scientific study into what is on the market, how it can help protect you, how they work, and then finally cost.

I should also add I was wearing rib protection with my incident and can't help but think it could have been worse if I was not wearing said protection?  or did it actually add to the problem?  

The details of my accident are I think quite simple, exiting a tight anticlockwise hairpin onto a start finish straight I lost traction on the exit of the corner and the kart slammed sideways into the end of the tyre wall, spinning me around (see footage from rear camera @ 1min 55sec in our new video).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5BMWD9iXJ4

The impact forced the weight of my body 90 degrees to the right and the top of the seat created an extreme pressure point on one of my ribs creating the fracture.  As I understand the rib protector is used to dissipate the point of pressure over the whole ribcage therefore moving all the ribs together and not disengaging one, which happened with me.  

The rib protectors as well as helping with impacts also help with the extreme forces the body endures while simply racing karts, spreading the load the seat can put on your ribs on each corner of each lap.  As we all know it can be very physical racing karts with extreme changes in direction at high speed creating G-forces that test the whole body especially ribs and hips.

Here are 4 different makes of rib protector available from http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/karting/body-protection they range in price from £41.00-£121.00 + vat

The Sparco --- http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/karting/body-protection/sparco-spk-3-rib-protector
The Alpinestars --- http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/karting/body-protection/alpinestars-bionic-rib-support
The OMP--- http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/karting/body-protection/omp-carbon-rib-waistcoat
The Tillett--- http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/karting/body-protection/tillett-ribtec-r4-rib-protector

After looking into the options Its my opinion that any protection is better than none and generally the more you pay for the protection the better it gets, talking with racers and people in the industry while researching this the overall thinking is the new Tillett R4 takes a lot of beating.   However, it is only protection and not a guarantee of safety, motor-racing can be dangerous and the occasional accident and circumstance can go against you but in general any protection has to be a good thing.

I have just put my order in for a new Tillett R4 `i'll let you know how I get on if my ribs are better by our next outing at Ellough Park Raceway in Norfolk on 19th July.

Video of Wildtracks karting test weekend May 2013

The full weekend at  www.wildtracksltd.co.uk/karting  in May gave ample chance to take photos and video of the thrills and spills of Rotax Max karting.  View the link for the video and leave feedback if you like it, or not.
Enjoy! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5BMWD9iXJ4