D
epending on the type of track
day and the type of cars on track,
it can sometimes seem a little
pretentious to slip into a race suit. But as an
old driving instructor we know always says:
“You can't put the bloody thing on after the
crash!” Of course, no-one with any kind of
sense intends to have a crash, but we all have
to accept it does happen.
opinion
6
MOTORSPORT DAYS ANNUAL
MotorsportDays.com
Street cool or
racewear?
Race suits are an important part of any driver’s motorsport
outfit and can essentially save your life, but is it ever safe
to go on track without one?
The aim of a track day is to have fun, and to
push yourself and your car a lot harder than
you would on the average day, albeit in much
safer conditions than you would get on the
roads. With track day briefings there is often
a little light humour, but sometimes the level
of risk involved is not fully understood by
those preparing to go on track. When they
leave the briefing with the precious wrist-
bands, the conversation often moves onto
racewear – checking with mates to see who
is putting on a race suit or a nomex vest. If
you are on a test day or at a race meeting, a
race suit is a no-brainer. But what about when
you’re on a track day?
If you have ever seen a car catch fire, the
speed at which it goes up is terrifying. Now
imagine that upside down. Even fire protec-
tive overalls only have to resist a flame for a
minimum of 11 seconds to obtain the FIA
approval required for most levels of motor-
sport race suits. How long do you think your
jeans or t-shirt would last?
Those of you old enough may well remem-
ber Lorenzo Bandini and his fatal crash at
Monte Carlo back in the ‘60s. That alone
should be enough to make you realise you
don’t want to be near, let alone in, a burning
vehicle.
So, what’s it going to be – jeans and t-shirt,
or a race suit?
.
