A Proper Primer on Personal Protection

You could make an argument that the shoes are as important as the gloves, and that you should blow out the budget here, too. And that wouldn’t be a terrible argument. Other than your hands, your feet are the only other thing that controls the car. Fortunately, the entry-level TB-3 shoe felt great (although not as great as the Hero) and fit me well. It also had matching fluorescent accents!

How does one decide on shoe fitment? Well, they should fit like… shoes. You aren’t running in them, or even walking in them much, so you are OK with slightly less toe space than you might have in a regular sneaker. But that doesn’t mean the toe should be cramped, either. Remember, you won’t be standing in them when using them, but sitting in them with your heel usually resting on the floor. So that’s when they should be the most comfortable.

We didn’t talk at all about underwear. Because it kind of depends. No, not those Depends®. It depends on your outer garments, mostly. You’ll need socks made of flame retardant material no matter what, so get some. But when it comes to an additional layer of undergarments (shirt, pants or shorts) under your racing suit, you may or may not need or want them.

Let’s deal with “need” first. Really inexpensive suits may be only one layer. This provides minimal protection in a fire incident. In these cases, your sanctioning body may require that you have certified undergarments to bring you up to a minimum of two layers and/or a minimum SFI TPP rating. Normal cotton t-shirts and underwear do not count here.

In the case of higher-end suits like the Challenge TB-3, or Alpinestars, or others, the suit is constructed of multiple layers of flame retardant materials and therefore the sanctioning body may not require additional flame retardant undergarments. However, wearing them is a good idea. Fire does not care how much clothing you are wearing. It also doesn’t care how easy or hard it is to get out of your car. It can also happen very, very quickly. And, in a true horrific scenario, if you are trapped or unconscious and need safety workers to extract you, every additional ounce (literal or figurative) of protection is valuable.

While I’m not required to wear additional flame retardant undergarments, I will be purchasing them in the near future. I will likely be purchasing some kind of cool shirt which usually is also flame retardant, and, with that, I’ll likely get long underpants. It will be hotter, but I’d rather be safer. Until then, I’ll always be wearing at least cotton boxers and a cotton t-shirt under my suit.

So, in the end, what have we learned about personal safety equipment?

• There are numerous certifications and standards. Understand which ones you are subject to. Don’t assume.
• Measuring per manufacturer directions is not anywhere close to a guarantee of perfect fitment. Every body is different, no matter what the tape measure says. You will need to try things on.
• Just because one manufacturer’s clothing article fits doesn’t mean that all their articles will fit. You might end up mixing-and-matching across brands or even product lines in order to get proper fitment and maximum safety.
• A showroom retailer is going to be the best cost-vs-time-vs-effort-vs-knowledge tradeoff for getting your gear.

If you live very far away from racing communities, it might be difficult to find a local safety retailer/showroom with a broad selection of brands. Outlets like Pegasus Auto Racing also do mail order and have very knowledgeable staff, like Bart Hockerman and the many others who work there. In some cases you may not have a choice but to make a large order of sizes and brands and models to test fitment and then send things back. Such is life.

Or, like me, you can take a “vacation” to visit your favorite retailer’s showroom, hang out for the day, play dress up, and get the right kit to keep your insides where they belong and to protect yourself from disaster.