Martini Racing Shoes: Which Ones Are Actually Race Shoes
A scrutineer picks up your left foot at the pit wall, turns the shoe over, and looks for a label on the tongue. There isn't one. You are wearing a hundred-and-nine-dollar pair of Martini sneakers that arrived in a Sparco box with Sparco stripes on them, and you are about to sit out the first session.
This happens because of a genuine ambiguity in the range. We stock nine Martini shoes. Eight of them are street shoes. One is a racing shoe. They photograph almost identically.
The short version. If you need a shoe for competition, there is exactly one: the Martini Top, FIA 8856-2018, $299. Everything else in the Martini shoe range is lifestyle footwear, however racing-inspired the marketing sounds.
The One Racing Shoe
The Martini Top is Sparco's Top shoe in the Heritage livery: high-top cut, one large velcro closure rather than laces, an anatomic rear insert and a pre-shaped memory foam insole. Suede upper with leather in the wear areas, and the narrow profile Sparco uses across its racing footwear so the shoe fits between pedals rather than across them.
It carries FIA 8856-2018, which is the current homologation for driver footwear. That is what the scrutineer is looking for.
| Shoe | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Martini Top Racing Shoes | FIA 8856-2018 | $299 |
The Eight Street Shoes
None of these are rated, and none of them claim to be — every listing says "Street Shoes" in the title. The confusion comes from them sitting on the same collection page as the Top, in the same livery, from the same brand.
 |
 |
 |
| Shoe | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| S-Run | Trainer. street | $139 |
| S-Pole | Trainer. street | $129 |
| SL-17 | Leather driving shoe, P6 sole, rolled heel. street | $119 |
| S-Drive Low | Microfibre trainer. street | $109 |
| S-Time | Trainer. street | $109 |
| S-Urban | Trainer. street | $109 |
| S-Park | Work shoe, built for the garage floor. street | $109 |
| S-Light | Trainer. street | $99 |
The SL-17 Deserves a Word
Of the eight, the SL-17 is the one that genuinely drives well. Lightweight leather, a thin P6 racing sole and a rolled heel that lets you roll onto the throttle properly. Sparco has put harness-guide shapes in the lace holes and epaulette details on the sides, which is the kind of thing you either love or never notice.
It is an excellent shoe for a spirited road drive and for the pedals in your own car. It is still not FIA-rated, and no amount of pedal feel changes that. If your event requires certified footwear, this is not the shoe.
Which Should You Buy?
- Wheel-to-wheel racing, or any event that specifies FIA footwear: the Top, and nothing else in this range.
- HPDE where shoes are not specified: most run groups accept a thin-soled closed shoe. The SL-17 is the sensible pick — but read your organiser's regs rather than assuming.
- Driving to the track and back: any of the eight. Pick on looks.
- In the garage all weekend: the S-Park, which is a work shoe.
- Buying a gift: the street shoes, every time. The Top is a specialist item and sizing for racing shoes is deliberately tight.
One sizing note. Racing shoes run narrow on purpose — the point is a slim profile between the pedals, not comfort walking around the paddock. If you are ordering the Top and you are between sizes, talk to us first.
Browse all Martini Racing Shoes, or see the rest of the range in our complete Martini Racing guide.
Part of our Martini Racing series. Also worth reading: What to Wear on Track and Professional Racing Shoes: Pedal Feel vs Safety Standards.