Episode 24

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!

The Ultimate Guide To Racewear

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!
Part 3/3 – Racewear

This week we’re going to be wrapping up the mini-series that is “The Ultimate Guide” to racewear, by focusing on what you need to adorn whilst on-track for a MotorsportUK national race meeting. So far in the series we had a look at how to pick out a suitable helmet for your head, followed by what to wear to stay safe whilst karting. This week, we’re focusing on the go-kart’s bigger sibling, the car.

DISCLAIMER:
The following information is a summary compiled from the MotorsportUK 2020 Yearbook. If you are unsure about purchasing equipment, please refer to the Yearbook, and ask a reputable retailer. The following guide, although correct to the best of my knowledge, should not be taken as gospel.

In summary, to go racing in the UK, you will need to wear flame-resistant overalls, with flame-resistant underwear also strongly recommended. So far, much like karting, just with flame-resistance rather than abrasion-resistance. However, with cars, you also need to clip on a frontal head restraint (FHR, also commonly known as HANS device) to the back of your helmet, in order to protect your neck from whiplash (or worse) in the event of, well, a sudden deceleration as a result of external factors…

Specifically speaking, when it comes to racing, your race suits need to be homologated to the FIA standard 8856-2000, or 8856-2018. There are a few exceptions where you can get away with wearing the FIA 1986 standard or a select few others, but if you stick to 8856-2000 or 8856-2018 you can’t go wrong. For a brand-new suit that complies, you’re looking at spending around £270 for an entry-level OMP suit, however prices for top-of-the-range Formula 1 level suits can fetch prices of £1,500, just like this Alpinestars Hypertech V2! My personal pick would be the Sparco Sprint, at £345 it’s a perfect entry-level option, and I even own an older generation of the same suit myself!

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The 2020 Yearbook, with regards to the rest of a competitor’s racewear, states “competitors are also strongly advised to wear flame-resistant gloves, socks, balaclavas and underwear.” However, when it comes to series-specific regulations, these pieces of equipment are often made mandatory, and it’s always best to prioritise your self-preservation, anyway.

Therefore, when looking at gloves, you’re looking at between £65 and £180. They are homologated to the same standards as the race suits, so it’s simple to remember what you’re looking for, too. At the budget end of the scale, you can pick up these Sparco Land gloves, or you could splash out on the Sparco Tide gloves at the opposite end of the spectrum. My pick, though, are the Sparco Arrow gloves, matching my pick from the karting gloves last week. They are £130, so firmly in the mid-range, however to me they felt extremely comfortable, so well worth the cost.

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When it comes to boots, the creative departments have gone a bit mad in comparison to the race suits and gloves. Take these Sparco X-Light boots for example. At £400, they’re the most expensive new boots on the market, and to me the design looks to have been very much inspired by current football boots, with the ankle sock. On the budget end, you can get the Sparco Slalon RB-3.1, at just over £100. They’re much more understated in their appearance, even foregoing the velcro ankle strap. A solid mid-range option could be the OMP Tecnica Evo’s, at £180, with their suede outer giving a very luxurious look.

Underneath your overalls, an extra layer of fire-proofing is a great way to ensure you’re not grilled in the unfortunate instance of a fire, and this can be done by wearing FIA 8856-2000/8856-2018 underwear. Prices for a complete set of balaclava, top, leggings and socks could set you back more than £400 if you brought the OMP Lamborghini collection equipment (linked top, leggings, balaclava and socks), but the basics only have to cost £170 all in (top, leggings, balaclava, socks). I feel that the best value equipment, though, comes out at £225 (top, leggings, balaclava, socks). I picked these because they have flat seams, meaning they’re more comfortable when pressed onto your body, but still relatively cheap.

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The last item the talk about is the Frontal Head Restraint (or Head And Neck Support) device (FHR/HANS). These are homologated to the FIA 8858-2010 helmet standard, so maybe I should’ve mentioned them two weeks ago, but here we are. In essence, their purpose is to stop the neck from hyperextension in a crash, by limiting the movement of the head. They sit on your shoulders, being clamped down by the seat belts, and clip to a pair of posts on the back of your helmet.

Because they’re all pretty similar in their form, the only thing you need to look out for is the recline angle. The recline angle is how much the top of the FHR device is tilted away from its base, and the recline angle you need depends on how much you lean back in your car. For most cars (i.e cars based on a production chassis) a 20 degree recline angle is most suited for you, whereas if you race in single-seaters you probably require a 30 degree recline, as you’re sat closer to a lying-down position.

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FHR devices can range in price from £215 for the entry level Stand21 Club, up to £1350 for the Stand21 Featherlite, which is made entirely from carbon-fibre, and boasts users such as Lewis Hamilton. If you want the enjoyable aesthetic of the carbon weave without the 4-figure price tag, the Schroth Pro is the cheapest carbon-fibre model on the market, at a shade over £900.

And there you have it, everything you need to buy if you want to go racing. In summary, your equipment needs to meet the FIA 8856-2000 or FIA 8856-2018 standards, and your FHR device needs to meet the FIA 8858-2010 homologation. As long as what you buy fits these standards, it’s thoroughly up to you how little or how much you spend, as long as you’re staying safe!

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Episode 23

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!
Part 2/3 – Kartwear

The Ultimate Guide To Kartwear

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!
Part 2/3 – Kartwear

Welcome back, and to part 2 of “The Ultimate Guide” to racewear! Now that, after reading last week’s episode, your head is suitably safe (for the time being, at least), it’s time to protect the rest of your body. This week, we’re looking at race suits, boots and gloves, and what exactly you need to go racing.

DISCLAIMER
The following information is a summary compiled from the MotorsportUK 2020 Yearbook. If you are unsure about purchasing equipment, please refer to the Yearbook, and ask a reputable retailer. The following guide, although correct to the best of my knowledge, should not be taken as gospel.

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Luckily, unlike with last week’s helmet standards, your choices of equipment are much simpler when it comes to your body. The main difference, however, is whether your karting or racing. Whereas with helmets you can use a racing-standard lid for karting, the same is not applicable for race suits. As a result, this week we’re focusing on Karting, and next week we’ll take a look at Racing.

When it comes to karting – specifically, in this case, “short circuit” karting – fireproof protection isn’t exactly necessary. After all, if your kart is on fire, you could simply hop out and run away. No, the injury that karting race suits protect against is the abrasion of the skin, in the event of ejection from your kart. A lovely thought, skin shredding against tarmac. Probably best to avoid it, really.

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As a result, karting overalls are CIK homologated for abrasion, more specifically they must meet standard No. 2001-1 or No. 2013-1, at level 1 or level 2. Whether the kart suit you need has to be level 2 homologated depends on which series you’re competing in, so if you’re on a tight budget it’s best to check with the organisers as to whether you can get away with a cheaper Level 1 suit or not.

For adult size suits, the cheapest on the market right now is the OMP KS-4, at just under £130, although thanks to clearance offers you can currently pick up a Level 2 certified Alpinestars KMX-9 V2 for just over the £130 mark. If you like to stand out, however, both OMP and Sparco offer truly customisable suit designs for more than £400, although in comparison to race suits that doesn’t seem like horrendous value, to be honest. For a mid-range offering, this Sparco Kerb suit is Level 2 certified, features lots of features and comes in good, not overtly garish colour schemes, too, all for less than £200.

Max Verstappen & Pierre Gasly, karting on ice

The MotorsportUK Karting regulations also specify that “complete” (i.e not fingerless etc) gloves must be worn at all times, alongside boots “which must cover and protect the ankles.” The Yearbook, however, does not mention that these gloves and boots have to meet any standards, meaning you could theoretically drive with gardening gloves and wellies on, although I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you’re looking for proper karting gloves and boots, gloves can start from £30 for these OMP’s, ranging all the way to more than £110 for some Sparco Tide gloves. Personally, I would choose the Sparco Arrow gloves at £65, but that’s because I have a very particular way in which I like my gloves to fit me, and these filled my brief perfectly. When it comes to boots, these start at £65 for some Sparco’s, but can cost north of £200, such as these OMP’s. At the £100 mark, Alpinestars produce their Tech 1-K boots, which offer good value for money.

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When it comes to Karting “underwear,” the products themselves offer no driving-specific protection. Instead, they are marketed as aiding breathability and muscular compression. In reality, any brand of sporting base-layer will provide the same properties, and so I would suggest wearing whatever you feel most comfortable in, even if that’s just a normal t-shirt and jeans.

One thing you may want to consider, though, is a rib protector. Some circuits can have potholes or bumps and, when in a kart with no suspension, your body can be thrown around a little. Especially if you’re on the slimmer side. Generally, because of where the top of the seat is, your ribs take the most punishment, so they’re the most commonly protected area. As with everything, there’s many different products at many different price-points that offer varying degrees of protection, all the way from this Sparco vest-thing at £85 to the all-singing, all-dancing, all-carbon Stilo Curva, at £265. As a mid-budget offering, the Sparco Rib Pro K-7 is a good bet, as it offers full wrap-around protection at just £135.

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Other extras that you could invest in are wet-suits, which go over your karting suit to waterproof it, waterproof over-boots for, well, your boots, and neck braces (which, although not necessary for adults, are pretty vital for children).

In summary, then, in order to compete in a MotorsportUK Karting series, you must have a homologated, CIK 2001-1 or 2013-1 suit, along with complete gloves and boots that protect your ankles. You also need a helmet that meets the requirements explained in last week’s #RacingGrind post, but everything else is optional. Now you know what to buy, have fun in whatever karting series you’re racing in, but most importantly, stay safe!

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Episode 22

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!

The Ultimate Guide To Helmets

Do you know your Snell from your Bell? Your HANS from your hands? Your Nomex from your Spandex? This is The Ultimate Guide to Racewear!
Part 1/3 – Helmets

When you’re starting out in the world of motorsport, it’s easy to become confused about the variety of different racewear standards, and which ones apply to you. After all, if I hop onto the Demon Tweeks website and go to the ‘Helmets’ category, I’m faced with no less than eight approval standards. EIGHT!

Therefore, I’ve decided it’s time to create a single document that outlines exactly what you need to wear for different disciplines of MotorsportUK licenced National racing, and how much it’ll cost. This is the first instalment of “The Ultimate Guide” into racewear.

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DISCLAIMER
The following information is a summary compiled from the MotorsportUK 2020 Yearbook. If you are unsure about purchasing equipment, please refer to the Yearbook, and ask a reputable retailer. The following guide, although correct to the best of my knowledge, should not be taken as gospel.

This week: helmets. A good-condition head is pretty vital for people to function as they should both on and off the race track, and so it should be your top priority to protect yours at all costs. Therefore, it’s really important that you’re buying a product that is proven to be effective in the sort of crash you might unfortunately find yourself in. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what sort of lid you need.

If you are purchasing equipment for a Bambino, Cadet or under-15 Kart driver, you should be searching for helmets that, at the very least, meet SNELL-FIA CMR2007, SNELL-FIA CMS2007, SNELL-FIA CMR2016 or SNELL-FIA CMS2016 standards. It is imperative, however, that the helmet must not weigh more than 1,550g, due to the forces on these young driver’s necks.

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If you’re an adult who’s karting, or a younger driver partaking in National Junior Drag Racing, you should be looking at helmets that adhere to any of the standards above, or SNELL K2015 is also permitted. SNELL K2010 is permitted for now, however the standard is not valid after 2023, whereas every other standard mentioned up to this point has no current expiry date.

Helmets that adhere to these standards start at around £240 (such as this OMP KJ-8 EVO), but can cost over £1,000 (VAT inclusive) for a full bells-and-whistles carbon-fibre lid, such as this Stilo ST5F N KRT (catchy name, I know!). A good mid-range offering would be the Stilo ST5 CMR at around £375, as it is extremely light at 1.2kg, SNELL-FIA CMR2016 approved, and comes in a variety of shell and lining colours. Alternatively, you are allowed to use any helmet that meets one of the car standards below, meaning you don’t need two helmets for karting and car racing.

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Now, having such a large price range may lead to further questions, such as “how much money should I spend on my helmet?” Of course, I can’t give a specific answer to that question, because every one of you reading this will have a different budget, but I can give one piece of advice. If you’re caught between spending extra on your suit, gloves, boots etc or your helmet, think about which body part is most valuable to you, and spend the extra money protecting that bit. Chances are, it’s your head.

Stepping up from karts into cars, and there are currently seven permitted standards mentioned in the MotorsportUK 2020 Yearbook. FIA 8860-2004 is permitted, however will not be allowed after 2020, so I wouldn’t recommend buying one of these. SNELL SA2010 and SNELL SAH2010 approved helmets are fine for use until the end of 2023, and SNELL SA2015 are permitted until the end of 2026.

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I would personally recommend choosing a helmet that complies with one of the standards that do not currently have an expiry date, though. These standards are FIA 8860-2010, FIA 8859-2015 or SNELL SA2020. Recently the FIA published their 8860-2018 standard which isn’t present in the MotorsportUK Yearbook, however I have been informed by a member of their technical team that helmets meeting this standard are also allowed.

Helmets that meet one of these latter standards can range wildly in price, all the way from £270 (for this Race Safety Accessories lid) to nearly £5,700 for this carbon Stilo! I would say for a good quality, entry level helmet the Sparco Air Pro RF-5W is a great shout at £500, and the Bell GTX3 is a very good entry-level carbon-fibre offering at just under the £1000 mark.

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When buying a helmet, making sure yours meets the correct standard is not the only consideration. It’s vital you buy the correct size for your head, and that it fits nice and snugly. After all, if you did end up in a crash, your helmet wouldn’t do much good if it was super loose and just flew off, would it?

So, in summary, any helmet that fits any of these standards is permissible for use in UK National events:

FIA 8860-2004 (not after 31.12.20)
SNELL SA2010 (not after 31.12.23)
SNELL SAH2010 (not after 31.12.23)
SNELL SA2015 (not after 31.12.26)
FIA 8860-2010
FIA 8859-2015
SNELL SA2020
FIA 8860-2018

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If you’re taking part in Karting events or Junior Drag Racing you can use any of the above or helmets that fit these standards:

SNELL K2010 (not after 31.12.23)
SNELL K2015
SNELL-FIA CMR2007
SNELL-FIA CMS2007
SNELL-FIA CMR2016
SNELL-FIA CMS2016

Although, if you’re a Kart racer under 15, a Cadet or a Bambino, you need one of these helmets, and it must not weigh more than 1,550g:

SNELL-FIA CMR2007
SNELL-FIA CMS2007
SNELL-FIA CMR2016
SNELL-FIA CMS2016

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Episode 21

With their latest competition, it’s almost as if McLaren have been reading my recent blog posts!

“Designing McLaren’s F1 Race Suits?”

With their latest competition, it’s almost as if McLaren have been reading my recent blog posts!

Last Friday McLaren and Sparco launched a competition for their fans. Now, normally, news of a company creating a competition isn’t exactly worthy of an article, but this one is different. After all, for most competitions all you have to do is sign up to a mailing list or like a post on social media, and the winner is picked randomly. Not for this competition, though. This competition actually rewards creativity.

The task is pretty simple, so in the words of McLaren themselves:

“To be in with a chance of winning, download the Sparco Race Suit template, design your own race suit and send your design to McLaren’s social channels. The winner will be chosen by McLaren from all entries received.”

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As an absolute sucker for competitions, paired with the fact I had a go at designing my own race suit a few weeks ago (which you can see here), I thought this was right up my street, so naturally I used a portion of my weekend creating the best entry I could think of. The result? You can see for yourself here:

My #RacingGrind entry into the McLaren & Sparco race suit competition

With my design, I wanted to pluck design themes from both the current McLaren branding and my own. After all, it’s a McLaren competition with the McLaren sponsors plastered all over it, and so I had to keep it recognisably McLaren to an extent, whilst tying in my Living The Racing Grind brand. Luckily, the colour orange is prominent in both the McLaren race team and my own logo. The only slight complication arose from the contrasting shades of orange, so I decided I wouldn’t use either specific shade. Instead? Traffic cone orange.

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The main way I have implemented the orange is by adapting a design idea I had when creating my initial #RacingGrind concepts, by creating a sort of spiral transition up the legs. This time, however, I chose not to make the colour transition a sharp line, but instead utilised the tapering line theme used on the current McLaren Formula 1 race suits. Personally, I also think this gives the suits a nice, modern look which breaks the mould a bit, too.

The tip of the transitional pattern is also seen at the top of the suit, with a slight intrusion of orange coming off of the left shoulder. But anyway, back to the legs. At the bottom of the left leg, I have inserted a little black outline of the #RacingGrind motif, as a little touch that isn’t immediately visible. Over on the right left, I have added large #RacingGrind branding in the contrasting grey colour found on my logo.

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Other grey touches you will see on the suit include the little corner accents by the shoulder tabs, and another transition on the forearms, within which the Richard Mille logos sit. This transition once again utilises the tapered lines idea, and makes a good alternative to the block colour change featured on the real-life race suits.

Finally, I have created an imitation of the current number font used by McLaren to add my preferred number, 99, on the back, and the last touch I added was a whacking great big Living The Racing Grind logo, front and centre, on the chest. After all, it’s an area used for sponsorship branding, so I’ll happily place my brand onto a McLaren race suit!

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Well there you have it, a full explanation of my entry into the McLaren & Sparco “Design Your Own Race Suit” competition. So far a lot of very good entries have already been submitted by other people, so whilst I’d love to be one of the two winners and have this suit make in into reality, I’m not holding out any hope.

What do you think, though?
Are you planning to enter the competition?
Let me know with a comment down below!

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Enjoyed reading this article? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below! All that’s needed is an email address, and don’t worry, there’ll be no junk mail!

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Episode 20

The first actual motorsport news in months has created a media frenzy, and here I am jumping on the bandwagon!

“What’s Next For Vettel?”

The first actual motorsport news in months has created a media frenzy, and here I am jumping on the bandwagon!

A slightly different blog post this week, but considering the timing of this news (being officially announced the day before my blog day) it would be quite short-sighted of me not to comment on the only notable piece of motorsport news we’ve had in an eternity, so here’s yet another Sebastian Vettel-centric article for you to gorge on:

By now you will most likely have been made aware of the news that the Ferrari Formula 1 team will not be renewing its contract with star driver Sebastian Vettel. The 4-time World Champion will, as a result, leave the Italian team at the conclusion of the 2020 F1 season. Now, the majority of articles written during the fallout of this news centre around the vacancy at Ferrari, but I want to discuss the future that surrounds the driver.

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Below are a few different potential futures for the German, and I have attempted to evaluate the likelihood of each one becoming his chosen path.

Join another Formula 1 team:

I’ll start off with the sensible scenarios, otherwise everyone will think I’ve been ingesting something funny during lockdown and immediately cease reading. So then, could Vettel join another Formula 1 team? Seats at the other two top teams are almost certainly unavailable, as the Red Bull boss, Helmut Marko, has specified he doesn’t want to pay for two lead drivers, and Mercedes are unlikely to disturb the harmonious environment Lewis Hamilton has managed to create around himself. Even if either Hamilton or Bottas were to make the shock switch to the vacant red seat, Merc have both George Russell and Esteban Ocon on their books (although Ocon technically isn’t), so Vettel would by no means next in line to pilot a silver car.

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This means Sebastian would have to settle for a midfield outfit. Renault, being the fourth factory outfit, could potentially offer Vettel a deal, especially considering Ricciardo is one of the favourites for the Ferrari seat and Renault have a history of signing headline drivers. Sebastian, however, may be deterred by the lack of improvement the Enstone outfit showed last season.

McLaren would seem like the other sensible midfield choice. Until last season the Woking-based team also liked to have a star driver in their line-up, and they currently hold the other front-runner for the Ferrari vacancy. However, I don’t think the papaya-liveried manufacturer would be as forthcoming as many expect them to be. After seeing the leap forward they made last season after eradicating large-ego’s from their personnel, I would have thought they would be cautious in potentially signing another. To compound this, I don’t think Vettel would relish the possibility of being outshone by another young driver in Norris, considering he left both Red Bull and Ferrari immediately after he was beaten by a younger, less experienced teammate.

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Going through the rest of the teams on the grid, we get to Aston Martin/Racing Point. With Lawrence Stroll’s investment the team they should make big strides to the top of the midfield, if not further, and there’s no doubt that Seb’s experience would help the team maximise their machinery. Daddy Stroll would certainly be able to afford Vettel’s wage demands too, however would the veteran really want the challenge? I don’t think the team would see tangible results in the next few years, at which point Vettel would definitely be too old.

Finally, could Vettel replace Raikkonen at Alfa/Sauber? I could see Kimi retiring at the end of the year, at which point Seb would be a brilliant replacement to fulfil the same role and mentor the Ferrari rookies, but once again would he really be willing to? He said in his statement that money was not a factor in the Ferrari deal breaking up, and I don’t see him sticking around just to collect a pay check. His legacy as a four-time world champion would be damaged too much if he was to stick around for longer than he needs to, so I could see this happening for a year or so, but not for much longer than that.

The look of a man who’s tired of Formula 1?

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Retire from Formula 1:

I think this is probably the most likely scenario, after all, his statement read “these past few months have led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life.” Having recently become a father, maybe this means F1 isn’t his priority anymore? It would be a real shame to see him leave the grid, as his personality outside of the car is almost universally loved by fans, media and drivers alike.

But what would he do if he retired? First and foremost, I expect he would immediately spend large amounts of time with his family as, other than during this lockdown, being an F1 driver naturally means a lot of time travelling, and so a lot of time away from home. Longer term, however, there are a few different paths he could go down:

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Naturally, as a four-time Formula 1 World Champion, there would be a fair few motorsport teams that would like him on their books. Combining this with the 2022 rule changes for the World Endurance Championship, could we see him take a year out before returning in an LMDh prototype, or even an LMH Hypercar? This would be the perfect marquee signing to boost the WEC’s profile, and a substantially less-crowded calendar would reduce the strain of travelling. Finding a team wouldn’t be too difficult, either, as Porsche are evaluating a potential return to the championship. A German headline driver in a German team vying to win their 20^th Le Mans? Sounds like a good plan to me. I don’t think that he would join Formula E, nor would he venture into the world of rallying, so endurance racing is almost certainly his best bet.

If he was to turn his back completely on racing, could he become a pundit? Well, whilst being fluent in German (obviously), English and Italian, he would be perfectly suited to be picked up by many different broadcasters on odd weekends, and his humour is widely appreciated. His inside knowledge of the elusive Ferrari environment would also be a wonderful insight for the wider audience, and if he was able to pick and choose his weekends (which you would expect), this would be a brilliant way for him to phase out of the F1 bubble, too.

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Finally, and this is really quite unlikely, he could take the Nico Rosberg approach to F1 retirement. Since the former Mercedes man retired at the end of the 2016 season, he has successfully become a full-time YouTuber, boasting 701,000 subscribers. Yes, I do realise how ridiculous this suggestion is, considering Vettel doesn’t partake in social media in any form, but don’t you think his personality would just shine in an online video format?

So, whilst this may be the end of Vettel’s Ferrari career, it certainly isn’t the end of his motorsport career. What do you think, though? Where do you envision Vettel in 2021? At another F1 team? In another racing series? Taking a sabbatical? Let me know with a comment below!

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Enjoyed reading this article? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below! All that’s needed is an email address, and don’t worry, there’ll be no junk mail!

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Episode 19

If I was in charge of making my own race circuit, with no limitations, what would I come up with? The result is interesting, to say the least…

“My Ultimate Race Track”

If I was in charge of making my own race circuit, with no limitations, what would I come up with? The result is interesting, to say the least…

Another week in lockdown, and another week of my mind’s creativity running amok. This week’s result? My ultimate racetrack.

The rules for this task are simple: Chop up my favourite corners/sections from existing tracks around the world, and combine them into a single, long mega-track.

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Bonus points are awarded for keeping each section proportionally correct (thus keeping the profile of each corner identical to reality), keeping the speeds of each corner the same as real life (as opposed to putting Eau Rouge 20m down the road from a hairpin, which would completely negate the challenge of the corner), and also for not having to resort to adding sections to make the track fit together (in other words, try to make 100% of the track real, with no made-up bits connecting it).

Before I get into my creation, I should first credit a couple of people for the initial idea: Will Buxton (F1 Media powerhouse, his article is here) and a YouTube channel called Tommo F1 (His video on this subject is here). I will stress a slight point of adaptation on my part, though. Those two tracks were built from F1 circuits, with F1 cars in mind. My course, on the other hand, is built more with GT3 machinery in mind, and has sampled tarmac from all manner of circuits.

A selection of race tracks, to scale, that I had at my disposal…

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Without further ado, my design lifts corners (or more realistically, corner combinations) from twelve circuits, situated on five continents around the world. Specifically, we have:

The twelve circuits I chose to create my concoction…

Circuit Of The Americas (Austin, Texas, USA)
Interlagos (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Silverstone (Northamptonshire, UK)
Brands Hatch (Kent, UK)
Algarve (Portimao, Portugal)
Spa-Francorchamps (Middle-of-Nowhere, Belgium)
Monaco (well, Monaco)
Hockenheimring (Germany)
Red Bull Ring (Spielberg, Austria)
Suzuka (Japan)
Fuji Speedway (Japan)
Mount Panorama (Bathurst, Australia)

Some tracks, I’m sure you would expect to see on the list. Some of the others, though, are a little more left field. Why have I made each choice? I’ll explain as I walk you through the mighty Clarkodrome. Speaking of which, this is what it looks like:

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So, initially, you’ll notice that it’s an anticlockwise circuit. To be honest, there wasn’t any specific reasoning behind that, it was just a happy accident that occurred when I was stitching the track together. You’ll also notice it’s quite a long circuit, and I would estimate lap times around the 3-minute mark in a GT3 car.

Racing across the start/finish line then, and your first challenge is the steep uphill of turn 1 at COTA. The rise up allows a late braking point before the apex, and the fall back down the hill into the flat-out turn 2 provides a good acceleration zone.

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After turn 2, you’re racing down into the Eau Rouge-Radillon section of Spa. It’s a legendary combination, and just had to be part of my Clarkodrome concoction. After the little kink at the start of the Kemmel straight, though, there’s a new challenge…

Hitting the brakes hard whilst still applying a hint of lock, you’re onto the legendary Mount Panorama. Up Griffin’s Bend and squirting the throttle towards The Cutting, you’re about to traverse the entirety of the hill. The crest is at Skyline, before the plummeting sequence of The Esses and The Dipper throw you from wall to wall trying to carry as much speed as you dare. By reaching Forrest’s Elbow, you’ve hopefully emerged unscathed.

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It’s not the Conrod Straight that greets you yet, however, as you’ve entered Austria instead. The right-hand double that is Rindt and A1 (the last 2 corners) are, in my opinion at least, extremely underrated corners. The track dips down just before Rindt, before compressing on the apex of A1, giving an uphill exit. The amount of speed that you can carry through these two corners is incredible and provides a good test of a driver’s skills (and cojones).

Rising up out of Austria, we’re suddenly transported to Suzuka, and the run down to Spoon. It’s a tricky corner, Spoon, as it’s quite a long corner with two apexes, but I like the challenge, and that’s why it’s made its way onto the Clarkodrome.

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Out of Suzuka, and we’re back to the mountain. The long Conrod Straight, before the right-left-right chicane of The Chase. A brilliant overtaking spot, as you flick through the initial right before stamping on the anchors.

Out of The Chase, you’ve managed to travel halfway across the world, to a little circuit in Kent. You’re climbing the pit straight at Brands Hatch, where you have to manage the tricky Paddock Hill bend followed by the brilliantly named Druids. Unfortunately, you don’t get the fast Graham Hill Bend after, though. No, you get something even trickier: the last two corners from the Fuji Speedway.

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Much like Spoon and Paddock Hill, these are two more corners that are long and challenging, and I think the number of different lines available presents a good overtaking spot, even at low speeds.

Out of the final turn at Fuji then, and you’re onto the wonderful Portimao Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, with the hugely thrilling hill on the little straight which, at high speed, can lend itself to a little jump, before the wonderful compression of Turn 9 (which, for the purposes of this, is now also a tunnel), and then to top it all off you’ve got the delightfully tricky Turn 10/11, where you almost have to forget 10 in order to maximise your line for 11.

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Sprinting out of Portimao, you enter sunny Northamptonshire, and the legendary Maggots and Becketts complex. No Hangar straight here, though, as you’re straight back onto the brakes with the final two turns at Hockenheim, complete with ice rink run-off.

Admittedly, Hockenheim was not originally part of this, however the corner profile was required to complete the loop and, considering all the action that unfolded at these corners during the 2019 German GP, I’m all for it.

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Out of Germany, you’re transported to the glitzy Monaco, as you deal with the tight Tabac corner, and the fast first half of the Swimming Pool complex, before emerging at the final braking point on the lap, Interlagos’ famous “is that Glock.” Sorry, forgot it’s not actually called that, it’s Juncao.

Out of Juncao, you’ve got the long uphill drag-race to the line to finish the magnificent (if I do say so myself) Clarkodrome lap.

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It’s got everything. Two humongous straights, fast corners, slow corners, a bridge & tunnel, and masses of undulation. Everything you could possibly want from a racing track, this has it. I think drivers would love it, as many points have no room for error, yet there’s plenty of overtaking spots for exciting racing, alongside many challenging twists that would make mastering a qualifying lap virtually impossible. With a mix of long straights and tight corners, I doubt any one car would have an overall advantage around here either.

What do you think? Do you think this would be fun to drive if it were real? Which corners are your must-haves in your own ultimate tracks?
Let me know with a comment below!

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Episode 18

When it comes to anything, branding is important. Making sure you’re known for your work is key, and so branding at every opportunity is vital.

“How To Design A Race Suit”

When it comes to anything, branding is important. Making sure you’re known for your work is key, and so branding at every opportunity is vital.

This week I decided to put my new-found (and still extremely basic) Photoshop skills to the test, by creating a few concept ideas of what my very own #RacingGrind race suit could look like. After all, everyone has to wear an FIA-approved race suit when competing in in organised motorsport, all the way from entry-level MX-5’s right up to Formula 1. And with that in mind, why not have a suit that’s personalised?

I think it would be a brilliant opportunity to be a human advertising board – both for my sponsors and this blog itself. I say this because when I’m at a race meeting, I may not always be directly next to my car. Therefore, if I had a plain, unbranded suit on, people may not associate me with my car, my sponsors, my brand, ultimately defeating the point of having a wonderfully branded car in the first place. Having a branded suit also means that, if I were to step onto a podium, I would be able to celebrate whilst adorning the logos of the people/companies that made it possible for me to be there in the first place.

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With that said, let’s have a look at three potential designs for my first #RacingGrind race suit:

Firstly, we have this design based on an OMP template. You will notice a few common ideas that carry through the three concepts – most clearly being the colour palate of black, grey and an orange gradient. The colour choice has been obtained from my logo, and is consistent with all of my other branding.

I also noticed that, when researching existing race suit designs, the area from the waist down is often under-utilised. I can understand why, as you very rarely see the driver’s legs in photos and you can’t see them at all when the driver is in the car, but I think that, for those very reasons, this area is free for a bit more creative freedom.

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As such, you can see a fading from black to orange, and back to black on the legs, whilst the left leg emblazons my name (a common feature on many race suits) and the right leg has an overlaying pattern formed by the chevron element in my logo.

Working our way up the suit, the Living The Racing Grind logo sits on my back, just below the level of my waist, whilst the #RacingGrind occupies the belt-area on the front. Just below this you’ll find my name and preferred racing number, all in the same font as my logo.

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The main chest area of the suit is left blank, as this is an area highly utilised by sponsors, whilst the chest area itself is neatly bordered by the chevrons from my logo. The main back area is another generally lesser-used area from a sponsorship perspective, and so I have employed the space to -once again – plug my own brand by smacking a huge incarnation of the logo’s motif. This is black on the orange gradient background, as I think this provides an interesting contrast to the orange-on-black you see across the rest of the suit. Finally, above the motif you see a Union Flag, to symbolise that I am British.

In terms of the arms, I have left these a plain black, as you often see a multitude of sponsor logos on these areas and too much else would create an extremely cluttered area.

Possible locations for sponsor logos to be embedded onto design 1

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Speaking of sponsors, you will see above I have added a variety of spaces that would be available for sponsor use, and of course if you’re reading this and think you would be interested in potentially sponsoring me during my motorsport exploits, please do not hesitate to get in touch over via RacingGrind@Hotmail.com.

Moving on to the second initial design (made this time from a Sparco template), and you will see this is comparatively much less in-your-face. On this occasion I have opted for the grey to be the base layer, and I have chosen to add a subtle chevron pattern across the whole of the suit. In reality the colour difference between the pattern and the base colour would be much less, but I had to slightly increase the contrast for the purpose of computer screens.

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Once again starting from the legs, you will see the Union Flag (this time in full colour) sits down by the right ankle. This is not because I’m trying to hide it, but simply because that was the best place to fit it, honest! The design around the legs is one big tapered transition from a grey upper half to a black lower half, which is intended to form one continuous spiral if I stood with my legs together. A couple of little touches include my logo’s motif on the left knee, and my preferred driver number on the right thigh. This time, I have managed to fit a full website address in, albeit across my rear-end.

The black taper comes to a point around the belt area, where you once again see my name and the #RacingGrind, although I think they look a bit more interesting this time, as they are both angled.

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The front is once again left blank for sponsor use, whilst this time I have opted for the full Living The Racing Grind logo to take pride of place across my shoulder blades. The Sparco template has an added advantage of creating an extra medium-sized sponsor area on the small of my back too, which is an added bonus.

Onto the arms, and this time I have decided to add a touch of orange, with colours neatly transitioned by way of chevrons.

Possible locations for sponsor logos to be embedded onto design 2

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This design is certainly more understated, but with a base of grey, you could argue it is also blander, and could potentially blend into a background (just like that infamous Manchester United kit). I do prefer the design I have created around the legs, and I think the subtle chevron patterning would be a great little up-close detail on a real suit, too. With that said, above is how the design would look with a full set of sponsors.

The third and final design I have is an amalgamation of my favoured sections of each of the two previous suits.

I preferred the black base colour, but I also thought the discrete base pattern was a good idea, so you will see a black pattern on a black background. I kept the spiral transition from design two, however I have inverted the colours to keep a contrast with the base. I also decided to move the number over to the other thigh, so I could add a large print of my name up the right leg.

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For the chest and back, I have effectively replicated design number one, as I like the way the chevrons give emphasis to the main sponsors, just like it gives emphasis to the centre of my logo. Finally, I carried over the arm design from concept two, as I personally think having plain black arms wouldn’t really fit with the loud nature of the rest of the design, and the orange serves well to emphasise the larger sponsor logos that would adorn my forearms.

Possible locations for sponsor logos to be embedded onto design 3

There you have it then, three potential race suit designs for my inaugural motorsport campaign in 2021. As I write this, I’m leaning towards design three, however there’s still a long period of time before any of these could become a reality, so a lot could change between now and then…

What do you think? Which would you pick, or what would you change? Let me know with a comment below!

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Episode 17

Despite being in lockdown, thousands are racing each other in the hope of securing a race seat worth $1,000,000. I’m one of them, and you can be too!

Winning a $1 Million Drive?

Despite being in lockdown, thousands are racing each other in the hope of securing a race seat worth $1,000,000. I’m one of them, and you can be too!

Now, when it comes to this journey of mine, my #RacingGrind, I’m realistically looking at an entry-level series to race in. After all, I don’t really know if I’ll be any good yet, so diving into an elite competition would be stupid, and that’s if I could afford it in the first place, which I can’t.

But what if I am good enough already? What if, somehow, I am just as quick as the professionals, if not quicker? What if I have all this talent, and yet it’s being wasted through a lack of opportunity? There must be some way, somehow, for me to prove this talent to someone, right?

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Luckily, there is! Better yet, I (or you for that matter) don’t need a full, top-of-the-range sim-rig that costs thousands of pounds. All I need is my smartphone.

Three years ago, Darren Cox – creator of the Nissan GT Academy competition – devised the World’s Fastest Gamer competition. The objective is simple: take the fastest virtual drivers from a selection of video games, fly them to America (in this instance Miami), and put them through a series of racing, fitness and personality tests. The prize for the winner of this competition? A season of professionally racing GT3 machinery in the GT World Challenge, a prize worth US$1 million!

Rudy Van Buren, winner of the inaugural World’s Fastest Gamer, is racing Porsche Supercup in 2020.

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So how does this relate to you or me, and our smartphones? Well, last week, qualifying for the third iteration of World’s Fastest Gamer began, using a free-to-play smartphone game called Gear.Club. In order to qualify, you must complete two time-trials in the Koenigsegg Agera RS, and have the fastest combined time at the end of the entry period. Easy, right?

All you have to do is complete the two time trials quicker than anyone else!

If you want to enter yourself, the competition opened on April 15^th, and runs until May 6^th, so you have just under 2 weeks to download the game and perfect your times. But what if you don’t win? No worries, as this isn’t your only chance to get to the WFG3 finals. 2 more qualifying events are set to take place on the platform in the next couple of months, so there’s plenty of time to practice!

The on-track competition takes place using custom WFG machinery.

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Now, I found out about this competition last Thursday, just as the entry period opened. Personally, I had never even heard of the game before, let alone played it, but it’s a dream of mine to go racing nonetheless. Therefore, I downloaded the app immediately and set to work getting my times in.

Initially, I found the handling mechanics quite difficult to get used to, as it felt quite arcade-y in comparison to Real Racing 3, a mobile game I have played on-and-off for years. Knowing that this is probably my only way in to professional racing, though, I have devoted a fair amount of my last week getting used to the game, in order to maximise my chances.

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The game’s graphics are, for a mobile game, reasonably high quality. The “circuits” used aren’t real tracks, but fabricated street tracks, meaning it’s quite difficult to work out braking points, as there aren’t many reference points. The car itself is also tricky to initially master, as it’s prone to oversteer, especially at higher speeds. The means that occasionally you end up fishtailing down a straight before lightly grazing one of the walls, which magically returns you to a solid 15 mph regardless of your entry velocity. All of this combined means it’s not the easiest game to master, but the game is quite satisfying when you complete a good run. So, how have my times stacked up against the rest of the world? Quite good considering, I think.

In order to be placed on the leaderboard, you have to have a time inside the top 500 in the world on both time-trials. Sounds quite difficult, but I actually managed to put myself in that situation at the end of my first day on the game! Better yet, at the end of Saturday (day 3 on the game), one of my times made the top 100! Safe to say it’s actually remarkably easy to get used to the way the game works, even if it is difficult to master, which I’m not remotely close to doing.

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It’s worth noting that, in order to keep the playing field fairly level, attempts at setting times are limited by a ticket system. You can have a maximum of 5 tickets at any one time, and it takes 2 hours for a ticket to replenish. Therefore, I have been getting 10 daily attempts in, in two sets of 5. You could of course obtain more attempts, but these come at a cost – ranging from 79p for 5 extra tickets, all the way up to £43.99 for 375 extra tickets. I’d expect you’re only buying these if you feel confident of clinching first place, though.

Naturally, as more competitors have entered, my times have slipped down the standings a little, and at the time of writing I’m 122^nd overall. A result I’d be happy with if the competition ended today, but that won’t stop me from striving for that top spot.

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Enjoyed reading this article? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below! All that’s needed is an email address, and don’t worry, there’ll be no junk mail!

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Episode 16

Almost everyone and everything has been affected by Covid-19, so what has the virus meant for Living The Racing Grind?

“Is Coronavirus Affecting My #RacingGrind?”

Almost everyone and everything has been affected by Covid-19, so what has the virus meant for Living The Racing Grind?

The current worldwide situation is unprecedented in its global impact, with huge effects being felt on both humanitarian and economic levels. The vast majority of people, in the UK at least, aren’t even allowed to leave their homes unless they are performing one of a small number of permitted tasks, such as daily exercise or food shopping. As a result, most businesses have seen either a large reduction in service or have temporarily ceased trading in a bid to conserve their cashflow.

This is all information you most likely know already, but what does it mean for me and, more importantly, my #RacingGrind? Well, there are of course disadvantages, but there are also upsides for this blog. What exactly are they? Read on to find out.

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Firstly, the short-term disadvantages, and most notably, blog ideas. You would have already noticed that my #RaceWatch series has fallen flat, and frankly that is because there are no races to watch! Yes, I could work around that by reviewing sim races, however they do not interest me from a spectator viewpoint. Yes, I would love to compete, but watching virtual racing is not my cup of tea.

In terms of the main #RacingGrind blogs, you can probably tell from this article that these ideas are also starting to run dry. Actually, that’s a little unfair. I have plenty of ideas, but not many are possible to follow through with because of the current climate. This is because they may involve attending race meetings or car events, or simply because nobody is available to answer my research emails. As a result, there may be more design-related content coming in the next few weeks (such as helmet, race suit and livery designs), as this is content that I don’t rely on anyone bar myself to make.

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Another point to address concerns the cover photos. Up to this point, every photo used as the cover for each blog had been shot by myself or my father. Now, however, I have reached a point where I don’t have enough pictures in the bank, meaning I’m having to improvise. Where possible I will endeavour to continue to use first-hand imagery, although this might not be entirely possible, and so solutions such as this article’s cover will be utilised.

On to the advantages, and the most notable advantage is that of time. Current circumstances mean that I am able to invest much more time and effort into producing a much higher-quality blog. All aspects of the blog, such as website appearance and usability, social media content and blog marketing are all being reviewed, with the idea to improve ease of use, aesthetics and professionalism of the blog in all areas.

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Some changes have already started to occur, with new, bold templates having been rolled out on the @TheRacingGrind Instagram page, making each post unmistakably ours when seen by other users, whilst also providing more continuity on the profile page.

Of course, there are also long-term effects to come for most, if not all businesses. Whilst Living The Racing Grind itself is not a business, as there is no cashflow, our future plans are directly affected by other entities. One foreseeable issue is that of sponsorship. The notion of going racing in 2021 is entirely dependent on securing sufficient sponsorship, and with purse-strings being pulled tight by the virus, businesses will almost certainly have less cash on hand to spend on sponsorship.

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One thing to reiterate, though, is that this blog is all about a journey onto the racing grid. Every journey encounters hills, and all that’s required to scale those hills is a bit more effort. I still enjoy writing this blog, and so I’m still going to write it, no matter how many people read it. Thank you, though, to those of you who do take the time to digest my ramblings. I promise it’ll get better soon. And I’m not just talking about the blog.

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Episode 15

With motorsport ceasing to exist for the time being, just how am I keeping sane?

“Away From The Track”

With motorsport ceasing to exist for the time being, just how am I keeping sane?

With motorsport virtually non-existent for the foreseeable future, I thought this week would be as good a time as any to chat about my life away from racing: what I enjoy, what I would normally get up to (with emphasis on normally, considering we can’t leave the house right now), and what I’ve been doing to pass the time during lockdown.

First and foremost, I enjoy sport. If it’s not participating in karting or watching a variety of motorsport, then it’s football, golf or cricket. Whilst I enjoy watching football and used to play as a child, cricket is my main love (outside of motorsport, of course). I started playing when I was around 10, and I continue to thoroughly enjoy it. In fact, comparisons between racing and cricket are closer than you think, as both are team sports, yet utterly reliant on individual performances. After all, you only need 1 batsman to make a big score in order to win a cricket match, just like the best driver could potentially carry a mediocre car to a win. At the end of the day, though, you still need 11 cricketers to field a side, just like you still need a team of mechanics and engineers to build a race-winning car.

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Golf, on the other hand, I don’t really view as a sport. I’m not the biggest fan of watching golf, I’d much rather play it, but I see it more of a social activity than a sport. Close to where I live there is a Topgolf centre, which is a great place for both tour Pro’s and golf virgins to gather and enjoy themselves, due to the fact you don’t actually have to be good at golf to gain a respectable Topgolf score. Personally, I’m not good at golf but I wouldn’t say I’m particularly bad at it either, it’s just a fun change of pace compared to the fast, aggressive world of motorsport. I even completed a bit of chipping-practice in the back garden earlier this week, without killing any neighbours at that!

Moving completely away from sport, I recently have started to thoroughly enjoy learning some graphic design. Over the past couple of weeks, I have started to teach myself the nuances of the industry-leading Adobe Creative Cloud products, including Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop (although alternative production software is available and most likely just as good, if not better. *Definitely Not Sponsored*). Viewers of the #RacingGrind Instagram profile will have noticed the incorporation of added branding on my recent posts, all of which has been created myself. I have also been experimenting with logo animation as part of my research into potentially producing video content in the future, and I have spent this past weekend putting a lot of time into designing my first initial design for next years’ #RacingGrind race suit.

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With my day job in accountancy, it’s not exactly the perfect profession for getting creative. In fact, “getting creative” generally finds accountants in trouble, so it’s strongly discouraged! As a result, finding an outlet for my creative juices is a must, and digital production is something I’ve always been interested in. Now that this #RacingGrind is slowly establishing itself as not “just a New Year’s resolution”, it’s the perfect canvas for me to draw on, edit and animate in order to gain these new skills, which will hopefully have the added benefit of creating more polished, professional content for you all to enjoy, including helmet, race suit and car livery designs. After all, who doesn’t love an aesthetically pleasing colour-scheme on a racing car.

In short, that was a little snippet at what I like to get up to when I’m not working on my #RacingGrind (even though half of it is still connected to the brand…). In my opinion it’s great to have hobbies, as they provide a form of escapism from the real world, and all of the stress and responsibilities that are associated with it. I would assume that if you’re reading this article of mine, you’re probably either a motorsport fan, a car fan or both, but what else interests you? What other hobbies do you like to partake in? Let me know by leaving a comment down below!

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Enjoyed reading this article? Let us know your thoughts with a comment below! All that’s needed is an email address, and don’t worry, there’ll be no junk mail!

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