Have you got big boobs? A smaller waist? A bigger waist? Have you got a body that doesn’t resemble a typical adult male? That’s a shame, because you almost definitely won’t find a race suit that fits you then.
After decades of motorsport action, well-fitting, comfortable race suits seem like one of those things we should be getting right by now. For many female competitors, their options are limited to two suits, which probably need dozens of adjustments made anyway.
Amy Riley, an endurance racer from Devon, didn’t get into driving until she was 31 when she happened to see a Facebook advert for a competition. In her first time on a racetrack, she won, beating dozens of other competitors, some of whom owned their teams.
“I’ve loved cars since I can remember,” she told me. “I was that kid where I could tell my mum what car it was just from the headlights – I was just obsessed. My dad, through his work as a car salesman, got us a trip to the British Grand Prix when I was 6, and that was the first time I saw any racing.
“I’m 35 this year, so when I was young in the 90s growing up, there weren’t really any women role models in racing – driving, engineering, you just didn’t see it. I never thought it was an option for me. My family weren’t wealthy so I couldn’t go down the karting route, so I put it to the back of my mind; I was a petrolhead and that was that.”
When she did finally venture into motorsport as a competitor, Amy was rapidly discouraged by the lack of consideration when it came to race suits. Heading to Grand Prix Racewear in Silverstone (a supplier which boasts over 30 years of experience), she found two female-specific suits. A black one, and a white one.
“All of the men’s suits I had previously tried just didn’t fit. Women are shaped differently. If it fit my upper body, it was too tight on my hips. If it fit my hips, it was massive on my upper body.”
It was a similar story for Jordine Crooks, who spends her time balancing a full-time nursing job, studying for her Masters degree, operating on multiple motorsport committees, and competing in rallycross alongside her husband, Todd. Just in case you doubted her credentials, she also won Motorsport UK Volunteer of the Year in 2020, when she was praised after rallycross “developed greatly with the tireless work from Jordine – a popular member of the motorsport community”.
Like Amy, she bought her race suit in person, cleverly choosing not to blindly trust the vague sizing guides on websites like Demon Tweeks.
“It was a case of trying on as many different brands and styles as I could find for the fact that I’m only 5’2, and unfortunately do have boobs. It ended up being a black Sparco that fit the best. Meanwhile, Todd has got a lovely black and yellow one – that’s nice for him and all, but I didn’t have that choice.
“I really ought to buy a new one, but I can’t be bothered with the hassle. I just don’t want to have to go and stand and try on 20 different suits to find the single one that barely fits – it’s exhausting. On the other hand, I took my husband to buy a new suit last year, and naturally, the first one he tried off the shelf fit perfectly.”
It’s not just the suits that are an issue; on the face of it, manufacturers haven’t even realised the extent of the problems. In the majority of racing disciplines, competitors must wear fireproofs when in the car. The suits tend to be flame retardant, but that extra layer of protection is undoubtedly needed.
According to the February 2023 edition of Revolution, Motorsport UK’s magazine, there is “no mandatory requirement for other flame-resistant underwear”, but “they are recommended for all competitors” in national events. Similarly, balaclavas and underwear are not necessary, only recommended, for all circuit events.
For most racers given the choice of wearing equipment that could stop them from receiving gruesome injuries in a fire, they would take it. Motorsport is safer than ever before, but it’s not quite that safe.
Amy spends up to an hour at a time in the car when she races at GT4 level. In the past, it’s been a Lotus Elise or a McLaren 570S. No matter the car, it always gets hot and uncomfortable, so what she needs is supportive clothing. And what have manufacturers failed to take into consideration? Fireproof sports bras.
“The FIA updated some regulations last year, so some international competitions require all fireproof underwear,” she explained. “It’s a start but it was only last year; women have been in motorsport forever, so how did it only happen in 2023?
“The sizing on the one fireproof sports bra I found (and there was only one) was just the basic extra small, small, medium and large; there’s no accounting for actual bra sizes. I’m a 30G so I have fairly big boobs – how do I know if any of them will even fit me? Women come in different shapes and the manufacturers have clearly put no thought into that.”
She decided to save her money, so when she does get the opportunity to race, she wears a standard sports bra.
“Obviously, the race suits can protect you up to a certain temperature in a fire. In that scenario, the elastic in your sports bra could melt, even if the flame isn’t actually touching you. It could fuse onto your skin and be horrific.
“That was a thought that crossed my mind, but I just didn’t have an alternative. I didn’t want to wear a regular underwire bra while racing – that would be ridiculously uncomfortable. I just try to not think about it when I’m on the track.”
With race suits and fireproof underwear being such major safety concerns, you would be forgiven for thinking that maybe manufacturers simply prioritised safety in other areas of equipment provision.
Jordine used to use a HANS (head and neck support) device when rallying; it hooks around the back of the neck, continuing down over the shoulders. In theory, when you brake, energy is transferred to the torso, shoulders and seat instead of the neck.
“It was awful,” Jordine stated with a wry laugh. “When you’re sat in a navigating seat, all it does is squash into your collarbones and bruise the top of your boobs. Because of that, I’ve gone into a Simpson this year, which is supposed to be a lady-specific design in that the straps are longer so it’s meant to sit under your boobs. It doesn’t. Thankfully, it doesn’t cause the same bruising or discomfort, but it still doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. All it does is draw attention to this [gesturing to her chest], which it obviously never would for men.
“Even trying it out at the Autosport show was a nightmare. It was one of those, ‘It’s made for women, let’s give it a go’, followed by a whole lot of adjustments. They didn’t have a seat or helmet to help you figure out how it would feel when you’re actually going to be in a car. Now, I’ll wear the Simpson all day, I don’t take it off my suit. As soon as you sit in a seat, the whole position of it shifts, so that’s another problem. They’re all still designed for men, aren’t they? It doesn’t matter what the label says. That’s the basis of it all – men.”
There appears to be an inescapable cycle with manufacturers: they don’t see the demand for female safety equipment, so they don’t bother producing it. Women then see that they haven’t been accounted for, so nothing changes.
Amy outlined this issue: “I know manufacturers will be led by profits, and they’re only going to make something if there’s a market for it and it’s profitable. Women have been an increasing presence in motorsport for the last few years; it’s not like, all of a sudden in 2024 you’ve got women competing for the first time. There are women out here, and I don’t know how we’ve just been getting by with being forced to use what’s available to us.
“I feel frustrated and just completely overlooked, like women are an afterthought a lot of the time, not just for manufacturers but for the stockists as well. It’s like they just think, ‘Oh shit, maybe we should stock a female suit too’. I want to make it clear that I’m here, I matter, and I need this stuff to go racing. It’s not like I can go down another route – I have to get the race suit, so why can’t I just do that?”
With continuing initiatives like F1 Academy encouraging young women to start racing, it will be a brutal reality check when their inspired viewers realise they only have a choice of two suits. You know it’s bleak when those options don’t even come in pink.
