How we recommend
We recommend gear by category and use, not by brand, and do not quote prices. We may earn a commission on purchases at no cost to you.
Our approach
We recommend gear by category and by the driver it suits, not by brand or model, and we do not quote prices. The buttons on each guide lead to current listings so you can compare for yourself. Product links are affiliate links, labeled where they appear, and we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Every statement in these guides comes from a named source: standards bodies such as the Snell Memorial Foundation, the FIA and the SFI Foundation, sanctioning bodies and clubs such as SCCA and NASA, and manufacturers. When a claim comes from a company about its own products, we say so. When sources disagree, we give each version and who holds it.
Where to start
- Going to your first track day? Begin with the track day checklist, then read track days for how the events are run and track day car prep for what tech inspection looks at.
- Buying a helmet? Read racing helmets first. NASA and SCCA both require an approved helmet at their track days, and their lists of accepted labels differ.
- Moving into wheel-to-wheel racing? The guides to head and neck restraints, race suits and gloves and shoes cover the standards behind the labels on each kind of gear.
- Racing karts? Karting has its own helmet, suit and rib protection standards. See karting gear.
- Building a sim rig? Start with sim wheels and pedals, then sim cockpits for something to mount them on.
- Buying for someone else? The gift guide explains which gear makes a good gift and which is better chosen by the person who will wear it.
Safety gear and training
Get trained
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for instruction from a racing school or a sanctioning body's driver education program, and it does not replace the rules and tech requirements of the event you enter.
Several of these guides cover safety equipment. They explain what the gear does and what the cited rules say, with dates, but the rules of the event you enter decide what is accepted. A helmet or suit can pass at one club and be refused at another, and standards are added and dropped over time. Before you buy, check the current rules of your event and, once you own it, the label on your gear. Our equipment pages explain who certifies what, and licences and schools covers where to learn.
What we do not do
We do not publish hands-on reviews of products we have not tested, and we do not rank individual models or brands. We never suggest that an expired or uncertified item is good enough, and we do not compare prices. Where a manufacturer's specification is the only source for a figure, we label it as the manufacturer's claim.