2. Safety Equipment

Once you have your licence in hand, the next task to take on is purchasing and obtaining the appropriate equipment needed in order for you to race. In terms of the basics, this is what’s required as the bare minimum to allow you to take part in a race weekend:

• Race Helmet – Every competitor will need a SNELL or FIA verified and approved helmet, which is always checked by a scrutineer at every race meeting you compete in. Any helmet bought from new can be used for 10 years from when they were first homologated.
• Race Suit – An FIA approved race suit is critical – all of them are made of fireproof materials, however each brand will develop theirs differently depending on size, design and comfort levels.
• Gloves – these come in a range of different brands, designs, colours and sizes depending on personal preference and comfort.
• Boots – Just like the gloves, race boots are key to ensure a comfortable driving experience while still providing appropriate levels of grip and feel on the pedals when accelerating and braking.
• HANS Device or Frontal Head Restraint – this is vital to ensure that in the event of an accident, your head and neck stay secure and safe to prevent any form of injury as much as possible. There are options of using either a full HANS device, an adjustable harness or a hybrid system developed by companies such as Simpson. Whichever you choose, safety in a race car shouldn’t be compromised, so we recommend using one of these devices whenever you’re out on track.
• Fireproof Underwear – this acts as a second layer of sorts and is worn underneath your race suit. While it isn’t mandatory to wear it, it is another element we strongly advise you purchase.
  These should be the essentials that you take with you every single time you head to a race track, be it a test day or a race weekend. You would need this especially if you arrange to test with any cars ahead of deciding what to race and who to race with for the upcoming season and beyond.