Racing Balaclavas

The cheapest piece of required kit in the store, and the one most often forgotten until scrutineering.

A balaclava completes the fire-resistant layer between your suit collar and your helmet. It also keeps the helmet liner clean, which matters more than it sounds — the liner is the part that packs down and ruins a helmet's fit, and sweat is what ages it.

Every balaclava here is fire-rated. Most carry FIA 8856-2018, the current international standard; the G-Force and Bell models carry SFI 3.3, and several Sparco and Alpinestars models carry both. Two Sabelt and Sparco models are on the older FIA 8856-2000, which some series no longer accept — check the number against your rulebook.

Two-hole or open-face is the other choice. Two-hole sits tighter and is warmer; open-face is cooler over a long stint. Single and double-layer options both appear, with double-layer offering more thermal protection and less breathability.

Brands: Sparco, OMP, Alpinestars, Sabelt, Bell and G-Force.

You will also need

every one is fire-rated — check the FIA year against your rulebook

About Racing Balaclavas

The cheapest piece of required kit in the store, and the one most often forgotten until scrutineering.

A balaclava completes the fire-resistant layer between your suit collar and your helmet. It also keeps the helmet liner clean, which matters more than it sounds — the liner is the part that packs down and ruins a helmet's fit, and sweat is what ages it.

Every balaclava here is fire-rated. Most carry FIA 8856-2018, the current international standard; the G-Force and Bell models carry SFI 3.3, and several Sparco and Alpinestars models carry both. Two Sabelt and Sparco models are on the older FIA 8856-2000, which some series no longer accept — check the number against your rulebook.

Two-hole or open-face is the other choice. Two-hole sits tighter and is warmer; open-face is cooler over a long stint. Single and double-layer options both appear, with double-layer offering more thermal protection and less breathability.

Brands: Sparco, OMP, Alpinestars, Sabelt, Bell and G-Force.