The examples below have been shared with us by Scrutineers and provide some useful reminders of areas to look out for during safety scrutineering and general observations.
Kart Steering Hub Attachment
The images below were sent to us by a Scrutineer after this issue was found on a kart following a practice session. The bolt holding the steering hub had sheared and the head of the bolt on the underside of the column had fallen away. Fortunately, in this instance the nut and remaining length of thread had stayed within the hole through the boss and the column, maintaining a degree of control and allowing the driver to return safely. However, it wouldn’t have taken much for the remaining parts to work themselves free and for steering control of the kart to be lost completely.
All Kart scrutineers will be familiar with checking this part of the kart at pre-event safety scrutineering, and where there is no secondary fixing or retaining device, the advice given is to wrap tape around the bolt – as you will see from the pictures here, this would allow both parts of the broken fixing to be retained through the holes, helping to ensure that a sufficient degree of steering control is retained should such a failure occur.
Kart Battery Attachment
A Kart Scrutineer sent this photo of a battery completely unsecured within the battery tray.
Whilst from the photo, the battery tray itself appears to be fitted correctly in accordance with National Competition Rule Ch.18 App. Art.34.11, having the battery completely unsecured within the tray significantly reduces the effect of securing the tray!
When safety scrutineering karts – or during general observations – please pay attention to how batteries are retained on the kart. They should be securely fixed within their relevant housing.
