FEATURE : ON-TRACK SAFETY produced before 01-Jan-2013 – along with undergarments , gloves and balaclavas produced before 01- Jan-2016 – do not display the FIA hologram , while the listed products above manufactured after these dates have been produced with the FIA ’ s hologram labelling system . The FIA have decided to limit the validity of clothing without a hologram by the following dates : l OVERALLS with the old labelling ( without an FIA hologram ) will not be accepted after 31.12.2022 l UNDERGARMENTS , GLOVES , BALACLAVAS , and SHOES with the old labelling ( without an FIA hologram ) will not be accepted after 31.12.2023 l This limitation will not apply to socks as labelling for socks has not changed . Please note , the regulations for clothing for national events in the UK have not changed . Overalls and other protective clothing regulations can be found in Section ( K ) regulations 9.1 and 14.3 , respectively .”
If you are considering buying new clothing and might race under FIA rules , please check that your potential purchase has the latest labels with holograms . Furthermore , although the above changes currently do not apply yet to MSUK National events , experience tells us that the MSUK usually adopt all FIA changes in due course . Consequently , it would be wise that if you intend buying any new clothing for UK National events , that it also has hologram labels .
And finally … Below are safety items without a time expiry , but which still need to be checked before the season starts : l all safety apparel ( overalls ; gloves ; balaclava ; socks ; underwear ) is in good condition with no tears , holes or oily patches l fire extinguisher and electric killswitch pulls are free and working correctly l electric fire extinguisher battery is OK l roll-hoops are at least 5cm above the driver ’ s helmet ( note : it is not permissible to achieve this clearance just by welding a simple extension to the top of the existing roll-hoop , as the hoop has to be a continuous tube with no joins ).
Be careful where you park
Retiring gracefully
If you are unfortunate enough to break down during a qualifying session or race , there are a few things to bear in mind . Paul Lawrence reflects on 50 years of watching races .
The chequered flag comes out , you cross the line jubilantly , cruise around the slowing down lap and return to the paddock to re-live the excitement with friends and rivals . Just perfect ! But , of course , it ’ s not always that simple and it is inevitable that some races will end well before the chequered flag is unfurled .
A chap called Don Truman was a renowned clerk of the course at midlands tracks in the 1980s and 1990s and he traditionally delivered a nononsense drivers ’ briefing before racing started at his events . Is his gruff voice , he ’ d always finish his briefing with two pearls of wisdom : “ The black bit is yours and the green bit is mine . If you park it , some other b ***** will find it !”
This was , of course , from an era when safety cars and red flags were less prevalent . Cars that has failed would often be left trackside until the end of the session or race , presenting the possibility that they might be hit by another errant car .
Truman ’ s warning was designed to remind every driver that if their car was failing , they should do everything they could to get it to a position of safety . That principal holds true today , as much as 40 years later . However , it is now more likely that getting a car out of harm ’ s way will avoid the need for a safety car or red flag .
But just where is a position of safety ? Well , most tracks have various points where a car can readily be put out of
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