What 250 Pounds Buys You In Race Kit
Sparco Slalom boots | OMP Sport gloves | OMP First balaclava | OMP First socks | All FIA 8856-2018
Put together a basket of the cheapest FIA-approved race kit across every category and the total is £986.40. That is the previous guide in this series. This one is the specific answer to a different question: with £250 to spend on race kit, what can you actually buy?
The answer is the four items on this page. Boots, gloves, balaclava and socks, all carrying FIA 8856-2018 approval, for a total of £248.40. It is not a full kit, but it is everything in a full kit except the suit and the helmet. This guide covers what each item is, why these four specifically come in under the ceiling, and what the remaining £738 of a complete circuit kit covers.
- Total for a complete FIA 8856-2018 soft kit basket at £250: £248.40, with £1.60 to spare.
- The basket covers boots (£108), gloves (£78), balaclava (£37.20) and socks (£25.20).
- The cheapest FIA race suit (OMP Sport, £333.60) is already £83.60 over the full £250 budget.
- £248.40 is exactly 25.2% of the total £986.40 needed for a complete FIA circuit racing kit.
- All four items carry FIA 8856-2018 approval. All are instock as of October 2026.
The £250 basket
| Item | Product | FIA approval | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boots | Sparco Slalom Racing Shoes | FIA 8856-2018 | £108.00 |
| Gloves | OMP Sport Race Gloves | FIA 8856-2018 | £78.00 |
| Balaclava | OMP First FIA 8856-2018 Balaclava | FIA 8856-2018 | £37.20 |
| Socks | OMP First Calf Length Socks | FIA 8856-2018 | £25.20 |
| Total | £248.40 |
All items verified instock at GSM Performance, 28 October 2026. Prices include VAT. Every item in the basket holds FIA 8856-2018 approval. Total is £1.60 under the £250 ceiling.
The four items above are the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 approved product in each of their categories. There are cheaper options in some categories but they do not carry FIA approval. The OMP New Rally Gloves are £9 less at £69 but they carry ISO 6940 fire resistance, not FIA homologation. The Sparco RW-4 Single Layer Balaclava is £36, £1.20 less than the OMP First, but it is non-FIA. If the basket had to be exactly FIA 8856-2018 across all four items, £248.40 is where it lands.
What £250 does not buy
The two items not in this basket are the suit and the helmet. The cheapest FIA 8856-2018 race suit in stock at the time of writing is the OMP Sport Race Suit at £333.60. That is already £83.60 over the full £250 budget before anything else goes in. The cheapest circuit racing helmet, the Sparco Stealth RF at £404.40, costs more than the suit.
Adding the suit and the helmet to this basket brings the total to £986.40. The £248.40 in this guide covers a specific 74.8 per cent of the remaining spend: the four items that go on your hands, feet and face, all in FIA-approved kit, with £1.60 to spare from the £250 ceiling.
Garreth’s view on this split: the soft kit items in this basket are also the most durable part of a circuit racing setup. Suits carry FIA approval dates and are sometimes superseded by regulation changes. The boots, gloves, balaclava and socks in this basket will typically outlast a couple of suit purchases if they are looked after. Getting the soft kit right the first time is not a waste of money, it is the part of the kit that pays for itself over time.
The boots: Sparco Slalom
The Sparco Slalom at £108 are the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 racing footwear we stock. They are low-cut racing shoes, a style that is sometimes called a race shoe to distinguish it from the high-ankle boot shape you see on drivers in higher-formula championships. For most UK club racing series the Sparco Slalom will pass scrutineering on the approval, but some championships specify high boots or a specific ankle height. Check your series regulations before ordering if ankle coverage is a specific requirement.
The next option up, the OMP Sport Race Boots at £116.40, are also FIA 8856-2018 and add £8.40 to the basket, still comfortably under £250. The OMP First Race Boots at £141.60 would push the total basket to £282, over the ceiling. At this budget, the Sparco Slalom or OMP Sport are the choices.
Cameron asks for foot length and width before any footwear order goes out. Sizing across manufacturers does not line up with normal shoe sizes, and a race boot that does not fit correctly is uncomfortable after a few laps in ways that affect both focus and car control. It also does not do the protective job it was built for.
The gloves: OMP Sport Race Gloves
The OMP Sport Race Gloves at £78 are the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 race gloves in stock. The Sparco Land Race Gloves at the same price are the other FIA option at this level. Both are standard class taxable and both hold the same approval. The OMP Sport is what goes in this basket because it is the one we have most experience fitting across different hand shapes.
One thing Cameron checks on gloves before an order goes out is the palm width, not just the glove size. A glove that bunches at the palm changes the steering feel noticeably over a session, especially over a long race day. Sizes vary between manufacturers and a glove labelled medium is not the same fit across OMP, Sparco and Alpinestars. For a first pair, getting the palm width right matters more than the brand choice.
Balaclava and socks
The OMP First FIA Balaclava at £37.20 is the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 balaclava in stock. It is a full-face cut, which works with either an open face or a full face helmet. If you are running an open face helmet, the Sparco RW-4 Open Face Balaclava at £38.40 is also FIA 8856-2018 and designed specifically for open face use, at £1.20 more. For this basket the OMP First goes in on price.
The OMP First Calf Length Socks at £25.20 are the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 approved socks we stock. Garreth’s position on socks and balaclavas at the entry level is that there is no meaningful reason to spend more unless you have a specific preference. They do the job they are specified for. At this end of the basket the money is better saved toward the suit and the helmet.
One thing to be clear about: the socks in this basket are not a full FIA underwear set. Some championship regulations require FIA 8856-2018 tops and long johns in addition to socks. If your series requires a full underwear set, the Sparco RW-4 Long Sleeve Top (£75.60) and Long Johns (£68.40) are the cheapest options at GSM, and they push the basket to £392. Check your series regulations before ordering.
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Beyond £250: what comes next
The remaining spend for a complete FIA circuit kit is the suit at £333.60 and the helmet at £404.40, a combined £738. Both are covered in the complete FIA kit guide, which goes through exactly where that money goes and why each item costs what it does.
The entry-level FIA race suit (OMP Sport, £333.60) and the entry-level circuit racing helmet (Sparco Stealth RF, £404.40) are not compromises in terms of the approval they carry. The FIA fire protection standard on a £333.60 suit is the same as on a £900 suit. The 8859-2024 approval on the Sparco Stealth RF is the current car racing standard, the same as helmets at ten times the price. What the extra money buys is construction quality, materials and comfort over a long race day, not a stronger homologation.
Garreth’s view on the order of spending: get the soft kit right first, because these are the items where fit really matters and where you will notice a bad choice over a full race session. The suit and the helmet come next and both are items where Cameron or Garreth will want to run through your measurements before the order goes out.
Related guides on this site
The complete FIA legal kit guide covers all six items in a full circuit racing basket with prices and the total, including the suit and helmet that do not fit in the £250 ceiling. The affordable FIA race gloves guide and the affordable FIA race boots guide are also in this series and go through all the options in each category with prices and approvals on each one.
Can I race in FIA events with just the four items in this basket?
No. A complete FIA circuit racing kit requires a suit and a helmet as well as the boots, gloves, balaclava and socks in this basket. The four items here cover the soft kit category. The cheapest FIA 8856-2018 suit is £333.60 and the cheapest circuit racing helmet is £404.40. Check your specific series regulations for the exact standards required.
Is there anything cheaper than the OMP Sport Race Gloves that is still FIA approved?
The OMP New Rally Racing Gloves are £69, which is £9 less, but they carry ISO 6940 approval, not FIA homologation. ISO 6940 is a fire resistance standard but it is a different certification from FIA 8856-2018 and will not be accepted where FIA approval is specified. The OMP Sport Race Gloves and the Sparco Land Race Gloves are both the cheapest FIA 8856-2018 approved options at £78.
Does the Sparco Slalom boot count for series that require a high-ankle boot?
The Sparco Slalom is a low-cut racing shoe, not a high-ankle boot. Most UK club racing series that specify FIA 8856-2018 footwear accept the Slalom on that approval without specifying ankle height. Some higher-formula series specify a boot with specific ankle coverage. Check your series regulations or call us and we can check the relevant rulebook with you.
Do I need FIA underwear on top of the socks in this basket?
The socks in this basket are FIA 8856-2018 approved. Whether you also need FIA-approved tops and long johns depends on your championship regulations. Some UK club series require full FIA underwear sets; others do not. The cheapest full FIA underwear set at GSM (Sparco RW-4 top and long johns) adds £144 to the basket. Check your series regulations or ask us before ordering.
If you want to check what your series requires before ordering, or get Cameron to go through measurements for a glove or boot size, give us a call on 0115 9893488. We can pull up the relevant regulation and confirm the right size before the order goes out.
