Auto cross, racing helmets and gear.

G-Force are good for the price, or go up a step and get a Bell. Up further get a Kevlar helmet from Bell which will be even lighter weight. Both Bell and G-Force are "painter friendly" if you decide to get a custom paint job later.

What's preferable is that you actually try on your prospective helmet, to make sure it fits well since heads differ by more than just size, but also by shape.

 

For auto racing most organizations require a SA (Special Application) helmet. These are certified by Snell every 5 years, So helmets will be Snell SA 1995 or Snell SA 2000's. In October of this year Snell SA 2005's will become available from Bell. I don't know when other makers will be approved.

Pegasus auto racing has a good range of makers and can get you a helmet quickly if need by. Fit and comfort is most important.

Have a blast.

 

Demon tweeks in the UK has the best prices on upper end gear. For autocross it may be overkill.

 

"It's not how you drive, it's how you look ..... "

Now kidding aside, decide your budget as this can get expensive. You don't need the whole kit for auto X but if you'll do track days or some sort of racing in the future you are better off spending more.

I would buy a decent helmet but find the one that fits your head. Bell is a good option but there's other brands like Bieffe (www.bieffeamerica.com), Sparco, and even OMP that are good buys. I don't care for Simpson and Arai are excellent but expensive.

I've bought my gear with Grand Prix Racewear (www.gprdirect.com) in the UK, they always run specials that are good values.

one more thing, buy shoes too.... they give you much better feeling.

 

Any time you're ready! By the way, FCA Prancing Horse magazine asked me to to an article on Helmet Painting. It's been submitted and will likely be published in the 4th Qtr issue.

 

as mcharness says, its really a comfort thing, and youd be far better off trying some on before you buy. also note that they are supposed to be tight when you put them on for the first time (unlike the ones that they give you on track days and karting centres!)

Ive got an Arai GP5k (the budget model of the helmet juan pablo montoya and raikkonen wear) as i used to race formula fords. It fits my face and head much better than the equivalent Bell helmet, and having raced using a Bell helmet a few times i can say theres far less buffetting generated by the Arai (of course its not going to be an issue in a tin top, but should you get really into your motor sport you might want to try single seaters )

got my overalls, boots and gloves (note: make sure youve got padding on the back of the hand of the gloves if you want to go single seater racing), all Sparcos, from Demontweeks, and my helmet from Grand Prix Racewear. top notch service from both.

edit:

dont forget to pick up a balaclava, preferrably nomex and fireproof, with the stitching on the outside (or youll get stitch marks on your head and face - not comfortable). you can then wash that after events and wont have to worry too much about your motorracing helmet getting really sweaty and smelling bad!

pez

 

Ney has it right. Its too hot in north america to race now so wait until it cools in Oct. and get the sa2005 helmets. Also, decide autox or road race. AutoX is o.k. kinda like time trialing an interesting game. Road racing is a sport. Big grins!

 

sorry to take this thread OT, but can i also recommend the PC racing sim GTR from Simbin?

theres an amazing sounding f355 Challenge car in there as well as the f550 and f575 GT cars from the FIA GT championship.

best sim on the market at the moment (im as big into my sim racing as i am into my real racing)

get yourself a decent wheel (id recommend the logitech driving force pro), a decent spec PC, and youre flying (or driving, as the case may be!).

Racing sims are now a great (and cheap) way to learn race craft imo.

pez

 

There is no F355 Challenge in GTR. GTR is based on the 2003 FIA: GT Racing Championship. The car you're probably thinking of is the 360 GT.

 

About helmets, I use the Arai GP-5. The best fitting, lightest most well ventilated open-wheel racing helmet I could find. Of course, depending on the shape and size of your head, it may not be the best for you.

I'm going to have to say that if you're buying a helmet, you must, not should, try it on first. Proper fit is not only important for comfort, but essential for safety.

Here's some info you guys might find interesting.

List of FIA Approved Helmets According to FIA Standard 8860-2004

This standard was introduced after Magny-Cours 2004 and is unique to Formula 1. The helmets are the same as what was being used before, except now are made of carbon-fibre, with the exclusion of the Bell Racestar HP3, which was newly introduced this year.

Helmet Choices of 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship Drivers

Schuberth

Michael Schumacher
Rubens Barrichello
Ralf Schumacher
Nick Heidfeld
Mark Webber

Arai

Fernando Alonso
Kimi Raikkonen
Juan Pablo Montoya
David Coulthard
Giancarlo Fisichella
Takuma Sato
Christian Klien
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Narain Karthikeyan
Tiago Monteiro
Christijan Albers
Patrick Friesacher
Pedro de la Rosa
Alexander Wurz
Antonio Pizzonia
Anthony Davidson
Ricardo Zonta
Robert Doornbos

Bell

Jenson Button
Jacques Villeneuve
Felipe Massa

Sparco

Jarno Trulli

 

FIA approved helmet lists??? For the love of g-d folks, it's autocross, not Speed World Challenge. Just about anything that will prevent you from going "ow!" when your head thunks the window/a-pillar/roof in the *highly* unlikely event that you roll or crash your car will do.

Geez...next thing you know, you folks will be recommending flame retardant nomex suits and a HANS device to go around cones in a parking lot.

 

True, but you only have one head and even with modern science, they're not easily swapped out.

Don't skimp on the safety stuff.

 

yep, thats a doh! moment, i probably had the sega arcade game F355 Challenge interferring with GTR in my brain!

f360, f550, f575.

cool sim, and as well as race craft they can be a great way to learn about race car setup too.

back on topic now - have fun!

 

Driving Impressions in NJ has Arai helmets and anything else you need. I went there once and went kinda apesh$t with stuff which was overkill, lol Arai GP4, OMP mito gloves, diadora boots, lol. Got a good deal though. I believe the gentleman's name was Greg.

 

doesnt jeff gordon wear arai too?

 

He does and so does Jimmy Johnson and maybe Mark Martin. Great helmet, i love mine

 

I highly recommend Racer Wholsale, www.racerwholesale.com. Had fantastic service from them this year.

I tried a G-Force helmet from them and it was a tremendous value. I did go back to Bell and Racer Wholesale made the switch easy. I find Bell fits me best. Try them all, but my vote is for Bell.

Don't forget to get a good pair of driving shoes and buy them 1/2 size smaller than you normally would. Remember, these shoes are *not* made for walking.

As for gloves, unless they're required by the promoter or sanction rules, they're simply for posing. Racing gloves are for racing and track days are not racing. Gloves are for fire protection and with gloves you lose a bit of steering feedback.

 

As do most of the Champ Car drivers.