OMP Kart Balaclava

From £9.00 Incl. VATFrom £7.50 Excl. VAT

Non-FIA-approved motorsport equipment. Ask us anything before you order: the showroom team use this kit, not just sell it.

Colour

Clear

Add to wishlist

Size/Fitting guide

SKU: OMPKE0-3027-A01 Category: Karting Underwear

Save to Pinterest

The OMPKE0-3027-A01 is OMP’s kart balaclava: a close-fitting head covering for use under a karting helmet. The material is a polymer and spandex mix, which stretches to fit securely without bunching and stays put through a kart session. The open-face design leaves the face exposed from the nose down, covering the top, back, and sides of the head.

This is not an FIA-rated balaclava. It does not carry the fire-resistant approval required for car motorsport or indoor karting where regulations specify flame-retardant head protection. It is a comfort and hygiene liner for outdoor karting where regulations permit a non-homologated balaclava.

Five colours: Black, White, Blue, Red, and Fluorescent Yellow. One size fits all.

At £7.50, the balaclava serves two purposes: it keeps the helmet interior cleaner by absorbing sweat, and it improves comfort under a helmet that sits directly against the skin. It is not a safety-critical item at this approval level, but it is standard kit for regular outdoor karters.

If FIA-rated fire-resistant balaclava protection is required (for car racing, or indoor karting where the regulations specify homologation), the OMP First balaclava rated to FIA 8856-2018 is the correct choice.

Additional information

Approval	Non-FIA
Brand	OMP
Colour	Black, White, Blue, Red, Fluorescent Yellow
Product Type	Karting

Karting underwear size guide

Kart underwear is sized on your body, the same chest and waist measurements as a kart suit. The complication is that this category uses four different labelling systems, sometimes within the same brand.

System	Sizes	Which products
Single letters	S, M, L, XL, XXL	OMP Padded Shorts, Alpinestars Tech KX, Sparco B-Rookie
Paired letters	XS-S, M-L, XL-XXL	The OMP KS range, Alpinestars Ride Tech
Wide pairs	S/M, L/XL, XXL/XXXL	OMP KS Winter-R tops and long johns
One size	no choice	All the balaclavas: OMP KS, Sparco Rookie and Softknit, Alpinestars Ride Tech

The quickest routeSize it from your kart suit. The letters follow the same body ladder. If you are a Sparco M kart suit you are a Sparco M top and shorts. If you have not bought the suit yet, measure your chest and waist and use those.

Measure these

AChestAround the fullest part, under the armpits, tape horizontal.

BWaistAround your natural waist, level with the navel.

CShoe sizeOnly needed for socks. They go by foot, not by clothing size.

Charts

SparcoLetters follow their body ladder.▼

Letter	Suit size	Chest (cm)	Waist (cm)
XS	44 / 46	86 – 93	74 – 81
S	48 / 50	94 – 101	82 – 87
M	52 / 54	102 – 109	88 – 97
L	56 / 58	110 – 117	98 – 105
XL	60 / 62	118 – 125	106 – 113
XXL	64 / 66	126 – 133	114 – 121

Sparco publish no separate underwear chart. These are the bands from their own body size chart, which is what their letters follow. The K-Carbon tops run XXS, XS-S, M-L and XL, so the middle two each cover two of these rows.

AlpinestarsXS to XL published, from their tech layer range.▼

Letter	Chest (cm)	Waist (cm)
XS	86 – 90	72 – 76
S	90 – 94	76 – 80
M	94 – 98	80 – 84
L	102 – 106	88 – 92
XL	106 – 110	92 – 96

Their own chart jumps from 98 cm to 102 cm between M and L, so a 98 to 102 cm chest falls in a gap. Ring us if that is you.

OMPSold in letters and pairs with no published measurements.▼

OMP put a size chart on every kart suit, boot and glove product page but not on their underwear. Rather than convert from another brand’s chart, size the KS range from your OMP kart suit size, or send us your chest and waist and we will confirm before it ships.

The KS Winter-R tops and long johns use unusually wide pairs, S/M, L/XL and XXL/XXXL, so each garment covers three suit sizes. If you are on a boundary there, take the larger.

Socks

OMP sell the KS sock in S, M and L against shoe size rather than clothing size.

Size	UK shoe	EU shoe
S	UK 6.5 – 7	EU 40 – 41
M	UK 8 – 9	EU 42 – 43
L	UK 9.5 – 10.5	EU 44 – 45

OMP publish the shoe ranges for their racing socks and the KS kart sock follows the same ladder. Kart socks are thicker than everyday ones, so if you are buying boots at the same time try them together or allow for it.

Balaclavas

Every kart balaclava we stock is one size and stretches to fit, including the OMP KS and KS Summer, the Sparco Rookie and Softknit, and the Alpinestars Ride Tech V2. There is nothing to choose. If you wear glasses, an open face style is easier to get on without dragging the arms out of place.

What this layer is for

Everything in this category is marked Non-FIA, and that is normal. Kart underwear is a comfort, wicking and abrasion layer rather than fire kit, which is the opposite of car racing underwear. What it does do is stop the suit chafing over a long day, keep you warm in winter, and add padding at the ribs where the seat works on you.

The padded shorts are the ones people underestimate. They sit between you and the seat and they are the difference between finishing a wet club meeting comfortable and finishing it bruised.

Buying a kart suit at the same time?Measure in the underwear, or order it first. A suit sized over a t-shirt and then worn over a long sleeve top and long johns is the most common reason a suit that should have fitted does not.

Falling between paired sizes?Send us your chest and waist with the range you are looking at. The paired sizing here is wide, so it is worth a check. Call 0115 989 3488 or email Sales@GSMPerformance.co.uk.

Sparco bands from sparco-official.com. Alpinestars from the size guide on their Race V3 Top Tech Layer. Sock ladder from OMP’s published racing sock ranges. OMP publish no kart underwear measurements, which is why they are not tabulated. All checked 2 August 2026.

What is karting underwear actually for?
Comfort and temperature control rather than fire protection. A close-fitting base layer wicks sweat, stops the suit rubbing, and keeps you warm in a February practice session or cooler in August. It is not FIA fire-resistant underwear, which only matters for car racing, and our guide on fireproof underwear rules explains that side.

What size should I go for?
This is a one-size-fits-most piece. Base layers work by sitting close to the skin, so if you are between sizes, take the smaller one.

How do I wash it?
After every session: cool wash, no fabric softener (it kills the wicking), air dry. It is the easiest bit of your kit to keep fresh, and doing so means the suit itself needs washing far less often.

Offer 1: Pick your free gift!

Offer 1: Pick your free gift.
We're giving away free gifts when you purchase any racing helmet over £400.
Simply add your helmet of choice to your basket, and checkout.
A popup will then appear, where you can pick which free gift you want to receive. It's as easy as that!

Offer 2: Automatic free gift!

Offer 2: Automatic free gift.
We're giving away a gift box full of goodies or a face mask with every order.
Simply pick which one you want on the checkout screen

Offer 3: 10% off racing suits!

Spend over £500.00 on any FIA racing suit and receive an instant 10% discount.
Simply add your suit of choice to your basket and checkout.
Your 10% discount will be instantly added to your product. No product code needed!

Offer 3: 5% off your first order!

Spend over £150.00 on checkout and receive an instant 5% discount on your first order with GSM Performance.
Add the code: New-GSM5 in your shopping basket and the discount will be instantly added to your product entire order.

At GSM Performance, our priority is to maintain the utmost hygiene and quality standards for the benefit of our customers. To that end, we have instituted a policy that all purchases of long johns, balaclavas, tops, and underwear are final and non-returnable. This policy is necessary due to the personal nature of these items, which are worn in close contact with the body. This protocol is intended to guarantee the health and safety of all our customers.

This policy adheres to the best industry practices and safeguards both our customers and our staff. It's important to clarify that this policy does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. This policy does not apply if you receive damaged or defective products. In such cases, our customer service team is available to promptly address your concerns and arrange a replacement or refund. We greatly appreciate your understanding and adherence to our hygiene policy and thank you for your continued confidence in GSM Performance. For further information please see our terms and conditions which are agreed on checkout.