A complete buying guide to help you select the best racing footwear
Racing shoes are made by several companies, each with their own styling flair and manufacturing differences.
Racing shoe designers and manufacturers such as “P1 Racewear” handcraft their shoes to the highest quality standards. Lightweight, thin soles, construction and materials which let the foot breathe are all the signature hallmarks of a good race shoe, the exact qualities that a P1 Racewear shoe can offer.
Whether you're throwing the car into a hairpin turn or perhaps testing a modification that you have made to your drift car over the weekend, you need to feel the pedals.
Wearing regular shoes, well, they are like trying to write with winter gloves on- the sense of accuracy is therefore missing.
Therefore, our range of motorsport footwear lets you feel how the car is performing, giving you the accuracy and the precision you need to excel on the race track.
Thin soles
If you jump into a daily driver with a pair of new winter boots on, the pedals can feel different, and the car can stall as it leaves the driveway, as you're not used to the clutch biting point being lower.
This is why racing shoes are different: they have an ultra-thin sole. This then allows you to focus on your chosen motorsport discipline and get acquainted with car pedals feel.
Therefore, nothing is left to chance; you're not going to slip on a pair of shoes and suddenly have the car's pedals feel different on race day. Racing shoes are thus purposely designed for better control.
Safety standards- which motorsport safety standard do you need to meet?
In specific motorsport competitions, your race car won't be allowed to pass the start line unless all required safety standards for the vehicle and its equipment are met.
Racing overalls, gloves, helmets, shoes, socks, balaclavas and underwear, all of these cover most of the equipment you need.
FIA 8856-2018 is the safety standard cited; therefore, don’t just choose personal protective equipment based on style or manufacturer. Make sure the item is certified as passing that particular safety standard. This making sure you will not be turned away at pre-event scrutineering.
Who are the FIA?
FIA Certification: The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) is the most widely used safety standard in Great Britain and the requirement in all leading events and championships.
From touring car championships to F1, and rally competitions from the UK national events right the way up to the WRC, the FIA standards are required and are widely cited as the gold standard for the equipment that must satisfy them.
FIA 8856-2018 or FIA 8856-2000 Certification
For example, the race organiser for the event you are competing in may require racing boots certified to FIA 8856-2018 or FIA 8856-2000. Although the latter homologation now has a limited life span, but all the manufacturers are now producing to the latest 2018 specification.
Why do race boots even need a safety standard?
In most motorsport disciplines, from rallying to touring car championships, the focus in boot design is on fire resistance.
Therefore, in most motorsport disciplines, the focus is on the level of fire resistance of the racing suit, gloves, and shoes can offer.
Therefore, this is why you need everything from the boots you wear, through to the race balaclava helping to protect your face, to buy you time to get to safety.
This is why you should invest in the best safety equipment you can buy. Across our site, all our items are branded, featuring well-known motorsport names from P1
Racewear shoes through to Alpinestars. We stock some of the best brands because we want our customers to have items that meet safety standards first and foremost, made by reliable brands.
Are leather racing boots a good option?
Leather, a natural material, has been used to design racing shoes for decades. Many of the top brands use leather in the production of their boots; the racing shoe manufacturer then supplements them with layers of Nomex to increase fire resistance, even the soles and laces all requiring the same fireproof resistance.
Why is the breathability of the race shoes an important consideration?
The race suit, gloves and shoes should all be breathable to some extent.
Generally, a driver’s feet are on the low point of the cars floor, and this may well be close to the red-hot exhaust passing underneath, heat build-up can be an issue all adding up to excess perspiration and is a significant factor as to why ventilation is essential in race boots and all race wear items.
No driver or co-driver wants to go through, say, a hot and arid rally stage in shoes, racing suits, or a helmet that makes you feel excessively uncomfortable, itchy, and sweaty.
Co-drivers, while not pressing the pedals in a rally car, have a specific boot for them. This made to the same exacting fireproof requirements but has a deeper sole to allow them to keep the shoe out of the mud and water.
Consider therefore the fabrics used, weigh up obtaining a light shoe, but it still needs enough support and material to absorb sweat and for you to be comfortable.
Oil-resistant and anti-slip
At motorsport events, we use a range of high-octane fuels and engine lubricants.
Yet picture the scene: you're at an old vintage rally competition, surrounded by, say, older Ford Escort models, some of which may have a slight oil leak.
Therefore, no driver wants to slip and become injured whilst at a motorsport event.
Thin rubber soles with hardly any grip can become extremely slippery when your foot meets a patch of oil.
Therefore, choose racing boots that may well have an oil-resistant sole.
Anti-vibration
Not all race shoes offer this feature; however, with a powerful engine under the bonnet, the engine will vibrate, transferring engine vibration through the pedals.
To mitigate this, consider purchase racing footwear with an anti-vibration design.
Lace up or Velcro boots?
For several drivers, Velcro is often the way to go; however, this is a personal preference.
What we would recommend is this: Velcro can be less prone to coming loose.
Think of a tight and twisting rally stage: if there were to be a camera on your footwork as you control those pedals, we are talking thousands of foot movements throughout the stage. This gives the footwear a chance to work loose, untie the laces, and become so loose the race shoes possibly compromise driving performance.
Therefore, good-quality Velcro can help keep the foot snug in the racing shoe, but is not a major consideration in choosing the right footwear for you.
Which brands of racing footwear do you recommend?
We stock two major lines of racing footwear: P1 Racewear and Alpinestars.
We stock these brands because they have proven themselves on the racetrack for decades. The quality of these racing shoes are always consistently very high, which also means they offer superb value for money.
How much should a good pair of racing shoes cost?
Racing shoes range widely in price; however, we recommend paying between £100 and £300 per pair.
We stock P1 Racewears Superlight boot, which sits comfortably between those two price parameters and offers superb value for money.
When you purchase racing shoes from a company such as P1, you're also buying into the company's heritage and product innovation. You therefore have the dedicated motorsport product that helps you to be comfortable and in control.
If I am only occasionally driving, is it worth the investment in a pair of race shoes?
Most definitely, it doesn’t matter if you only participate in say drifting or track-day events occasionally; you still need the proper safety equipment.
A fire could occur because of a collision; this could take place after driving the car for less than an hour a month. Therefore, the correct safety equipment is crucial.
Complete a checklist: for example, have you added to your kit bag a racing helmet, balaclava, race gloves, race suit, racing underwear, and race shoes?
Which motorsport discipline are the shoes designed for?
Motorsport shoes could be split broadly into two categories: one for most motorsport disciplines, including, say, racing in all disciplines and rallying. Then, separate, completely separate is karting shoes. The boot's design is different; it's designed to offer more ankle support and does not need to be fireproof.
Why do you recommend P1 Racewear racing shoes?
Across our website, you will see a wide range of racewear, including P1 Racewear shoes made by this well-respected Italian company.
So, you may well be wondering why we are such strong brand ambassadors for P1 Racewear?
Why do we recommend custom and off-the-peg racing suits, gloves, and footwear made by P1?
The reason is simple: you are obtaining a very high-quality product that is handmade and crafted in Italy. The company has a motorsport pedigree, and the owner is passionate about providing innovative products at a price point all drivers can afford.
