There’s an adage that safety doesn’t win races, but it lets you keep racing. Any driver who has been in a crash will tell you safety equipment is worth every dime of its price, especially when he or she gets to walk away.
Yet talking about safety is uncomfortable for some racers, akin to acknowledging a rattle in the engine bay they hope goes away. OG Racing’s TJ Huston and Steve Wu want to have those conversations with NASA racers. OG Racing operates the NASA Racing Gear Store.
“If there’s an incident, the first rule of thumb as far as racing goes is that you don’t talk about it,” Wu said. “Let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about what went wrong and what we could have done better, because this is all preventable stuff. I feel like my personal health and well-being is important, so I feel like yours should be too.”
Huston and Wu are the duo behind NASA Racing Gear Store, which offers special pricing for NASA members on safety equipment from helmets to fire systems. NASA partnered with Sterling, Va.,-based OG Racing to launch the NASA Racing Gear Store about 18 months ago.
Wu is OG Racing’s chief operating officer, while Huston takes on a more public role as a motorsports safety specialist. Started by Bill Love in 1990 in the back of his pickup truck, OG Racing has grown into one of the country’s largest distributors of motorsports gear. The company offers all major brands including Sparco, Bell Racing, Lifeline and more.
Huston and Wu say what makes OG Racing different from other distributors is its customer service. Between NASA, karting and other series, Huston is at the track 26 to 30 weekends a year talking about safety with anyone who will listen.
Both talk safety, why it’s worth the investment, and the perks of the NASA Racing Gear Store.
Safety First
If Huston were to build a track car today, naturally safety would be his top priority. From the roll cage to his racing suit, Huston would spare no expense.
Too often he’s seen racers spend their budget on the car while saving money on the safety equipment. “You don’t need that last two horsepower, I promise you,” Huston said.
Racers often assume crashes will be minor, but at these speeds, serious injury is always a risk. “Safety is our North Star, and it should be for every driver, too,” Huston said.
Safety Equipment Every Racer Should Have
Regardless of the minimum safety standards set by a racing organization, Huston and Wu always exceed them.
A helmet is the top priority. Humans have three main head shapes — round oval, intermediate oval or long oval — so the fit matters. If you can grab the chin bar and move the helmet back and forth or can slide a hand into the helmet, it’s too loose. That small gap can be problematic in a crash.
“It’s got no business moving that far,” Huston said. “You want everything to decelerate at the same time during impact. If you can get everything to slow at a steady rate, it absolutely decreases your risk of a severe concussion.”
If the car does not have a containment seat, Huston recommends a hybrid system from Simpson Racing, which provides good neck and head protection in the event of a side impact. Racers also need to be concerned with fire safety. A full fire-suppression system is a great start, but the racing suit, underwear, gloves and shoes are the next line of defense.
“If the car does catch fire, that’s when the driver is the most vulnerable after an accident,” Wu said. “Because you’re in a flaming box and you’re strapped in, you need as much protection for as long as possible.”
Today’s safety gear offers better breathability, which helps a driver be more alert on the track. “If you’re wearing an Under Armour shirt versus a wool sweater, you’re going to perform better,” Wu said.
How Much to Spend?
Of course, money doesn’t equal quality when it comes to safety equipment, but it tends to reflect gear that’s been extensively tested, refined and built to last. Wu said racers can get good safety protection by spending $2,500 to $3,000 in the NASA Racing Gear Store. Bump the spend up to $5,000 and it’s a next-level outfit.
“You’re wearing the same helmet, suit, shoes and gloves that the Formula 1 and NASCAR drivers are wearing,” Huston said. “If it’s good enough for the top boys in NASCAR, F1 and IndyCar, I imagine it’s pretty good for the guys doing some club racing.”
For Huston, the extra $1,200 on a cool suit is worth the money. “They do such a good job of knocking down the heat for you and they just keep you in the right head space,” he said.
When to Replace Safety Equipment?
There are no set rules on when to replace safety equipment, but Huston recommends replacing a helmet every five years. That’s especially true if the helmet was in the crash or the driver slammed it to the ground in anger.
“Technically speaking, anything over a 3-meter fall, even if it falls off the roof of your car and hits the asphalt, it’s done,” Huston said.
The only way to check if the helmet wasn’t damaged is to cut it open and examine the inside, he said. Drivers also need to watch out for UV exposure, because the sun can quickly degrade the products.
When it comes to suits, gloves and shoes, keep an eye out for wear. If a suit is tearing, especially along the seams, it’s time to replace it. Ultimately, if a suit is getting up in years, it’s probably time think about a new one. Materials science has advanced, and the new stuff has advantages over older suits.
“The suits we sold when I first started back in 2004 and compared to what we have now, it’s literally night and day,” Wu said. “It’s digital versus analog.”
Free Advice
Drivers need to pay attention to what they are wearing under the suit. Like a firefighter, the underclothing should be tight to the body, while the suit should be looser to create separation.
Synthetic underclothing is a no-no in Huston’s book, and he says racers should wear Nomex or fire-resistant cotton underclothing.
“As soon as (synthetic clothing) gets to a certain temperature threshold, it melts to your skin,” Huston said. “People think that the suit is the final layer of protection, when really it’s the stuff that’s contacting your skin.”
The NASA Racing Gear Store has fire-rated base layers available and, of course, NASA members receive special pricing.
Talk It Over
As far as Huston and Wu are concerned, safety should be in front of mind for racers. It may be their livelihood, but they’ve seen how invaluable the safety equipment can be.
“Safety is the redheaded stepchild as far as motorsports is concerned,” Wu said. “So, making it a more interesting topic so you can be safe, have this gear and look pretty cool at the same time. Who doesn’t want to look like an F1 racer on the weekend?”
