Hi, I got my kart and such and just getting the driver equipment.
I had earlier bought a Sparco neck brave, which is just a large ring. But when I around around, I saw other kinds of neck braces. E.g. the EVS. And I can’t find much that says which is better.
So- Is a more complicated neck brave like the EVS a better purchase for me? Or would the Sparco ring still work.
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Here is a previous topic on neck collars.
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Old post, but want to say even if you use just a foam circle type like the OMP K-Style it’s still worth bothering. Most of the time it’s not put to use, but when you’re spun around with enough force to chuck you out of the seat, then that’s when it will support your head and neck.
Does it? Or does it stretch the neck?
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My logic is, if my neck without a brace can tilt back 90 degrees and I get whipped around and the helmet and head weight extend that to 100 degrees then that is a stretch beyond normal muscle tolerance.
However with even a foam brace, and the same whip, the lower helmet edge can’t tilt much further than the foam allows. So say 60 degrees. Your muscles are 30 degrees within full stretch range.
Just the way I see it working. Anyone with solid data can please chime in with corrections.
There is no such thing in the neck brace debate. Just opinions and theories.
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I value my neck collar to protect my collarbone, not my neck.
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From your helmet edges? That’s some tilt yeah?
Collar bone is a pretty common injury when you go on your head. Helmet comes down and bumps it and it’s a pretty fragile bone.
There are white papers that show in some situations, rigid style (Leatt) neck collars can reduce injury to the neck and spine, however it also increases the chance of broken collarbones. I have a motocross racer friend who is still with us because he was wearing one. The problem is there are way too many variables to be definitive and to my knowledge, no one has studied karting applications.
As a side note attaching go-pro anchors to the top of any helmet increases your chance of injury when the helmet is not able to slide.
Care to share these white papers? The only study I saw was horribly flawed to be completely unreliable.
Also, I would like to add. I’ve seen crashes where people have walked away with no brace. Had they been wearing a neckbrace I am fairly confident people would have attributed lack of injury to it, such is the nature of the Action bias.
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I’m new to karting, but came from many years of motocross. I have a carbon fiber Leatt brace. Are very many karters using one? Seems like it would be a good idea.
The Leatt is a nice one but you don’t see a lot of them because they are pricey.
The most common one I see is the moto lightweight one that costs about 50 bucks. It’s also available with some colors like yellow and looks less goofy than a foam donut.
I am using an old Stewart brand formed foam U with most of the foam removed…There is no spec, so they can’t tell me that my mostly fabric visual aid is non-compliant…and there’s just enough foam there that I think it will marginally help in a flip.
I have raced with the EVS pictured above, and it’s also fine. Just heavier and notice it more while driving if it bounces. I use that one while riding dirtbikes…
IMO the best protection against neck injury are strong neck muscles. I used to be able plank between 2 chairs using my heels and back of my head. I’m not sure I still could with my current mass distribution…
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The Leatt website (leatt.com) list this document:
https://b2b.leatt.com/amfile/file/download/file/1158/
I am not aware if other companies have done this research.
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Welcome Cam,
I use a Leatt brace for DH MTB but find it rather restrictive with the tail piece that rests on the back. I have not tried it in the kart but use the EVS brand. There was a kart-specific Leatt brace but I have never seen one in person so I don’t know how it compares.
For adult classes, most tracks leave neck braces up to the driver.
Atlas brand makes one as well. I spend most of my free time in the moto world and I’ve friends that wear them. I am suprised you don’t see more in karting. Ive got two friends, one that races LMP2 and one Porsches…they both wear HANS. I think its required in lmp2.
HANS is a different type of brace meant to limit neck extension when you are strapped into a cockpit.
There have been no credible studies showing one way or another that foam neck braces prevent injury of the neck.
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I look at it this way. If I were to suffer a horrific neck injury while not wearing a brace, everyone would say “See! This is what happens when you skip out on the right equipment!” But, if I suffer a horrific neck injury while wearing a neck brace, everyone would say “Wow, I guess sometimes things just happen. You can’t prevent every injury”
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Action Bias. I have seen tons of big accidents in my time with no brace and no injury. If they were wearing one it’d absolutely be attributed to the action.