Proper Racing Gear - Import Tuner Magazine

Last weekend, I trekked over to Streets of Willow at Willow Springs International Raceway to run the counterclockwise course for the first time with the track day organization, Shift-S3ctor. I hope to never have to truly put safety gear to the test, but it’s surely better to be safe than sorry—so I went with the best. To ensure that I had a safe return with moisturized skin intact, Alpinestars outfitted me with everything I needed. This included a women’s-specific Stella GP Pro suit (the same one that Danica Patrick wears . . . if you’re reading this, Danica, number-one fan here!) along with Tech 1-T shoes and Tech 1-Z gloves.

The suit is their top-tiered, three-layer suit comprised of a flame-resistant Nomex outer and inner layer plus a Carbon-X mid-layer. The triple combination of layers and materials provides for the ultimate protection along with some über comfort. This suit perfectly complemented the other safety gear I have. The shoulder is constructed with additional Carbon-X padding for added comfort when I wear my HANS device neck restraint. The shoes and gloves are both lined with the same flame-resistant Nomex material, while the shoes have a lightweight and durable full-grain leather upper. All are FIA and SFI rated to match the homologation standards of racing organizations.

I’ve always tried to never skimp on safety gear. After all, chances of crashes and fire accidents are the same—always plausible. Next up, I may look into beefing up my rollbar (and by beefing up, I mean tearing it out and putting a full ’cage in).