Getting Started in Racing

Safety - It's the Name of the Racing Game

Although this section is short, it's definitely the most important when it comes to racing. Actually, it's your safety and the safety of your fellow racers, team members and the spectators that's most important. Fortunately, there have been a number of advances in race car, racing kart and racer safety equipment over the past years, so racing is safer than ever. However, you still want to take all the precautions you can.

Race Car Safety Equipment

First, when it comes to the race car, you must have at least the minimum equipment required by whatever organization or club you are racing with. Roll cage, safety harness, seat, quick-release steering wheel, fire extinguishing system, and fuel cell are just some of the basics that may be required. Check with your association to find out exactly what you need for your car.

If you're racing karts, the current generation are pretty much ready to race as far as the safety side of it goes. Although not equipped with seat belts, the racing kart seat fits very snugly, and the karts now have such a wide wheelbase and low center of gravity that rollovers and being ejected from the seat are very rare.

Head Protection

Now, let's talk about protecting you. Minimum requirements again will be spelled out by the governing racing body wherever you compete, but always buy the absolute best you can afford. If you can't afford the minimums, you'll need to reconsider racing until you can.

Since your brain is normally the most important part of your body to protect (for most people anyway, we hope) make sure you get a good, high quality Snell and/or DOT-approved helmet. You can break a leg and still come back to race, but a broken head... Well, I'm sure you know the consequences.

Along with your helmet you'll want a neck collar at a minimum. If you can afford it, then a HANS Device is the ultimate head and neck restraint used by professional race car drivers from NASCAR to Formula 1.

Unfortunately, they're not cheap (to the tune of over $1000), but what's the price of your safety? If you plan to do any kind of serious racing, then there's a good chance a HANS Device will be required in your series. Even if not, buy one if it's in your budget. You won't regret it. Otherwise, for whatever racing you do, at least have a good neck collar.

Body Protection

Your next layer of protection is the driver's suit or "fire suit", gloves, fire-resistant long underwear and shoes. Kart racers can get by on the minimal end of the fire protection scale due to the rarity of a major fire in a kart crash. Drivers of full-size cars, though, will want all the fire protection they can afford.

Although you can get a racing suit for under $100, it's going to have very little fire protection. When it comes to fire-resistance in racing suits, you are essentially buying seconds. Starting with the $100 suit with maybe one second of protection, you can work your way up to about 10 seconds for around $1300. I guess it comes down to how fast you think you can get unbuckled and out of your car!

If you would like to know a little more on the standards used to rate fire resistance, known as SFI Rating, check out this excellent article at Sparco USA, one of the world's leading racing safety equipment suppliers.

Good gloves are critical no matter what type of racing you do. You want to have a good grip on the steering wheel, but more importantly, gloves can protect you from burns. This is true even in karting where a burnt hand from a hot exhaust pipe is one of the most common injuries.

Racing shoes and boots are also available with fire resistant Nomex to protect your feet. And in addition to the protection, racing shoes are much thinner than your normal shoes to provide better pedal feel.

Be Safe, Practicing or Racing

One last thing. Whether you're racing, qualifying, practicing or just goofing around, always wear your safety equipment. It would be a shame to have some freak accident while you are out breaking in a motor or running some practice laps, and the safety equipment you really needed is sitting back on your pit toolbox. It's the old adage "better to be safe than sorry."

Once again check with your local racing association to find out exactly what your minimum safety requirements will be, and then buy the best that your budget will allow. Get advice from fellow racers and racing shops on equipment they would recommend. Finally, get it and then wear it. You will never regret wearing the safety equipment you hopefully will never need.

Now, if you are not interested in driving and looking to be on the other side of the safety equation, that is, watching out for the safety of the drivers, head on over to our next section Watch Racing For Free. We'll cover how you can get right in the middle of the racing action either as a race official or a race team member.

Next section: Watch Racing For Free - Be A Race Official or Race Team Member - Go there now!