CIK-FIA Level 2
Explained

CIK-FIA Level 2 is the homologation standard for karting suits published by the Commission Internationale de Karting, the karting arm of the FIA. A suit carrying a valid Level 2 homologation has been submitted to an FIA-accredited laboratory, tested against a defined set of performance criteria, and issued a homologation number tied to that specific suit model and manufacturer.

It is the baseline requirement at every major US national karting series and at essentially all CIK-sanctioned international events. If you race karts at a sanctioned event, this is the standard your suit is checked against at tech.

The critical point most buyers miss: homologation belongs to the suit model, not to the manufacturer. A brand can sell both homologated and non-homologated suits side by side. The tag is what counts.

The CIK-FIA Level system has been superseded by a new standard, FIA 8877-2022. If you’re buying a karting suit now, this is the single most important thing to understand — and most retail listings still don’t mention it.

The timeline that matters:

• 31 December 2024 — manufacturers could no longer produce new suits to the old CIK-FIA Level standard.
• Now through 31 December 2029 — Level 2 suits manufactured before that cut-off remain accepted, in line with the expiry printed on the suit’s own label. Level 2 suits also carry a five-year validity from manufacture, so check both dates.
• From 1 January 2030 — only FIA 8877-2022 is accepted at events run under FIA safety regulations.

So a Level 2 suit is not obsolete today — it’s legal to race in, subject to its label. But it is a standard on a countdown, and the useful life left on one you buy now is shorter than the five years the label might imply.

Buying advice: check the homologation and expiry printed on the label before you buy, particularly secondhand. And if you’re a junior driver whose family expects several seasons out of a suit, factor the 2029 date into the decision.

CIK-FIA publishes two levels for karting suits, and the numbering runs the opposite way to what most people assume.

• Level 2 — the standard specification, and the one written into the rulebooks of the major US series. This is what the overwhelming majority of karting drivers need, from cadet through senior.
• Level 1 — a higher-specification homologation, generally seen on suits built for CIK international competition and top-tier events. Higher abrasion performance, correspondingly higher price.

In short: Level 2 is the working standard; Level 1 exceeds it. A Level 1 suit satisfies a Level 2 requirement. A Level 2 suit is what almost every US karter should be buying — paying for Level 1 at club or regional level buys protection your rulebook doesn't ask for.

This is the single most common point of confusion, and it costs people money. CIK-FIA and SFI are not two brands of the same thing — they test for fundamentally different hazards, because karting and car racing fail in different ways.

• SFI 3.2A tests thermal protection. A closed-cockpit or open-wheel car carries fuel and can burn. The SFI rating measures TPP — how many seconds of protection the fabric gives against direct flame. That’s the whole design problem.
• CIK-FIA Level 2 tests abrasion resistance. A kart carries very little fuel and sits inches off the tarmac. The realistic failure mode is not fire — it’s a driver leaving the kart and sliding along the track surface. Level 2 is built around impact abrasion, tear strength, and seam integrity.

Which is why an SFI-rated car racing suit will generally not pass karting tech, even though it may be a far more expensive garment. It was engineered for a hazard the kart track doesn’t present, and not engineered for the one it does.

It runs the other way too. A CIK Level 2 karting suit is not a substitute for an SFI-rated suit in a car. If you race both — a lot of drivers do — you need both. See our full SFI ratings guide for the car side, and SFI vs FIA 8856-2018 if you’re comparing car-racing certifications.

Every homologated karting suit carries a label with the information a tech inspector will look for. Learn to read it before you buy — particularly if you’re buying used.

• Homologation number — identifies the specific approved suit model and the issuing authority.
• Level designation — Level 1 or Level 2, printed explicitly.
• Validity period — the reason to read the tag at all. See below.
• Manufacturer identification and the suit model name.

Homologations expire. This is what catches people out. A CIK-FIA homologation is issued with a validity period, and once it lapses, that suit is no longer compliant no matter how good the fabric still looks. Buy a three-year-old suit secondhand and you may be buying a garment that will not pass tech next season.

Two habits worth building: photograph your tag when the suit is new, so you have the number and dates if the label wears; and check the validity date before every season rather than the morning of a race weekend.

Every major US national karting body specifies CIK-FIA Level 2 as the baseline for sanctioned competition:

• WKA (World Karting Association) — Level 2 minimum across cadet, junior, and senior classes at national events.
• SKUSA (Superkarts! USA) — Level 2 for all sanctioned events, including Micro Swift, Mini Swift, Junior, and the shifter classes. SuperNationals carries additional equipment requirements.
• Rotax Max Challenge USA — Level 2, with a fit check at registration for junior classes.
• IAME USA East / West — Level 2; inspectors are notably strict on suit condition as well as certification.
• USPKS and most regional series — Level 2 minimum.

Club-level and arrive-and-drive rental karting are the exception — many clubs accept any abrasion-resistant suit. But the moment you enter a sanctioned regional or national event, Level 2 is the floor.

Unlike SFI, there is no single headline number — no karting equivalent of “10 seconds of protection.” Level 2 homologation assesses the garment as a complete system:

• Abrasion resistance — how the outer shell survives contact with track surface under load. The primary criterion.
• Tear and tensile strength — whether the material propagates a tear once one starts.
• Seam integrity — seams are where suits fail in a slide, so construction is assessed, not just fabric.
• Coverage and design — cuff, collar, and closure requirements so the suit stays closed under load.

So if you’re looking for a TPP number on a karting suit, you won’t find one — TPP is an SFI thermal measurement and doesn’t apply here. More on what TPP measures.

Every HS Race Gear karting suit is built to CIK Level 2 specification and made to your exact measurements — not pulled from a size run. Custom colors, sponsor logos, and driver name included, with a digital mockup before anything is cut.

• Custom kart racing suits — senior and adult classes, full custom design.
• Youth & kids karting suits — ages 8–15, built with growth room for cadet, micro, mini and junior classes.
• Shifter kart suits — KZ, IAME X30 Shifter and Stock Honda, with reinforced right shoulder.
• Full karting kit — suit, gloves, shoes and what else you need to get to the grid.

Custom-measured, made in the USA, from $329.