Posted by gabe | Posted in Equipment Purchasing | Posted on 07-12-2009
Anyone who has been around a race paddock, or watched a professional race knows the basic racer attire. Race suit, fancy race shoes, gloves, helmet and assorted safety devices. And as most of us have come to expect, if something is race-oriented and necessary, it’s typically expensive new. The Chumpcar series as a whole is about being more price sensitive without necessarily skimping on the safety gear. We have been scouring the internet in an attempt to save our team money by finding either used (but still within regulation), on-sale or last year’s product line on sale.
This is a big topic, but for now I have been focusing my search on fire suits. Ultra Shield Race Products has some great deals even if you are that elusive size Medium, though you may have to settle for single layer nomex and hunt for some not-too-crusty fire-resistant long johns, or even piece together a full setup. A single layer jacket here, some pants there and long johns on eBay. I have yet to hear to any confirmation on whether it is acceptable to mix and match single and double layer outer layers, for example double-layer pants and single layer coat with a fire resistant shirt.
Based solely on cost alone it seemed cheaper to go with the closeout deals on Ultra Shield’s site for the $20 dollar pants and $30 coat to go single layer exterior and find some long johns. It was looking like I could get my suit taken care of for around $150. Unfortunately Ultra Shield called me back on my order and discovered that they were out of the medium pants. Thumbs up to Ultra Shield for their good customer service.
The search continues.
