Go Kart Helmet - Where and what to buy in NJ?

Stable Energies is probably the best resource for motorsports gear.

The MOST important thing in a kids kart helmet is the FIT and the WEIGHT. Be careful about using adult sized/shaped helmets; too many kids use XS adult motorcycle helmets.

For all kids, and in particular kids, weight matters. The price point may be painful, but my 11 year old daughter races Rotax karts and we got her an Arai CK-6. Arais are great, but this is a super-lightweight composite helmet, designed for kids and karting. We got it from a contact in the UK (they are hard to find here), or you can try DemonTweeks in the UK. They can ship pretty quickly. Another resource where you can try-and-return is OG Racing.

Would also get a VERY good neck brace; my daughter prefers the Valhalla version. Would not let her sit in the kart with a foam donut. Might want to consider the Valhalla Armadillo body armor as well.

Call me paranoid, but her Rotax kart can hit 85mph. The indoor karts rarely go over but they also weigh 300+lbs if they land on you.

 

Try Driving Impressions in Dover NJ as well...

 

At 14 your son may be already into adult size helmets. Tape measure his head to get an idea of sizing and options. In youth / karting I have found that Bell US has very good models.

Both of these have smaller shells than adult helmets.

GP.2 Youth | Racing Helmets | Bell Racing USA
GP.2 CMR | Racing Helmets | Bell Racing USA

Arai SK-6 is a more refined option but also more expensive

For custom paint job I have used Corby Concepts. Pricing was reasonable and they did a very good job. If you want the absolute best designs (and expensive) try www.luckydesign.it

I have bought form www.ogracing.com.

 

How and where do you get your kids into karting in nj?

 

My daughter started in indoor Sodi karts at GPNY; really took to it so outdoor/Rotax was the next step. I race, but she has the talent in the family.

NJMP has a tremendous karting facility, Englishtown has a program; unsure about indoor options but should be good to find. KEY thing is the quality of instruction....can make or break the experience for the kids (my daughter started when she was 8....). If you're in Northern NJ, Oakland Valley in NY attracts a lot of karters from NJ.

My daughter's coach runs a phenomenally good summer camp for beginners, PM if interested.

As for danger...my daughter is an aggressive starter, and the starts of these races almost kill me to watch. However, the safety gear is good, I have her armored up...Promised myself would let her run old tires every race before I went cheap on safety gear.

 

My son raced karts from age 8 to 16, then transitioned to SCCA and Formula Ford (Today FF to include Hondas) now he's in college but we do the occasional Porsche Club race. Our 'home' track was OVRP early on, then Raceway Park in Englishtown. NJMP was too late for us but it is an exceptional course.

It can be hard to break into karting but the best thing is to just start showing up.

Oakland Valley is actually a fairly legendary track, Marco Andretti had cut his teeth there a few years before we showed up. Not sure if Mike Doty is still in the game but if so ran terrific support program for kids. At Englishtown it would be Keith Raffa of 'Full Tilt' motorsports. The Ferris family who run E-town are wonderful folks who are a mainstay family of the national WKA organization.
Karting was some of the best days parenting in my life...

 

Good to know thanks. No kids yet but possibly will start a family in a few years and its a cool thing to get kids into