Is it time to replace your race suit? Let’s get you track-ready. FIA Fireproof Underwear: What You Actually Need Under A Race Suit
Underwear is the cheapest layer of a race kit and the one that quietly fails scrutineering. Not because people buy badly, but because they buy sensibly and get caught by something genuinely counterintuitive: within one brand’s range, some items carry the FIA approval and some do not.
The Sparco RW-4 range on our shelves proves it. The long sleeve top is FIA 8856-2018. The short sleeve top, at five and a half pounds less, is not. Same range, same brand, same shelf. So the rule everyone needs is that the approval belongs to the item, not the range name, and that is where this guide starts.
Approval is per item, not per range
Here is the whole Sparco RW-4 underwear range as it sits on our site today, with the approval exactly as each listing states it. Read down the right hand column.
| RW-4 item | Approval | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Long Sleeve Top | FIA 8856-2018 | £75.60 |
| Long Johns | FIA 8856-2018 | £68.40 |
| Socks | FIA 8856-2018 | £26.40 |
| Open Face Balaclava | FIA 8856-2018 | £38.40 |
| Short Sleeve Top | Non-FIA | £54.00 |
| Shorts | Non-FIA | £45.60 |
| Single Layer Balaclava | Non-FIA | £36.00 |
Two things fall out of that. The non-approved short sleeve top at £54.00 costs more than the approved socks at £26.40, so price is no guide at all. And the pattern is not random: the approved items are the ones that cover you, long sleeves and long legs, while the short sleeve top and the shorts are not homologated. That reading is ours, not a line we are quoting from the standard, but it is what the shelf looks like and it is a useful way to remember it.
So when your regulations call for FIA underwear, do not buy on the range name. Open the listing and read the approval line on that specific garment.
What the standard is for
FIA 8856-2018 is the same standard that covers race suits, and it covers the layers underneath as well. The FIA’s own account of it sets the requirement for underwear, socks and balaclavas at a minimum of five seconds, against twelve seconds for the suit itself.
Those seconds are the point of the whole garment. The suit is doing the heavy work; the underwear is buying the extra time underneath it, and it only does that where it covers you. That is also why the material matters more than the fit: an approved base layer is a Nomex or equivalent fabric doing a specific job, not a gym top.
One thing worth saying plainly, because we sell both. A non-approved base layer is not a con. It is a comfort garment, often better at moving sweat, and completely appropriate at a track day or a test where nobody is asking for homologated underwear. It is simply not the thing to wear to a scrutineer who is.
The four pieces
A complete FIA underwear set is four items, and people routinely buy two of them and assume they are done.
Long sleeve top and long johns. The two big ones, and where most of the protection sits. Approved versions cover the arms and legs fully.
Socks. The one that gets forgotten, because boots feel like enough. Approved socks start at £25.20 with the OMP First and they are the cheapest way to complete a set properly.
Balaclava. Open face or full face depending on your helmet, and this is another item where the approval varies within a range. If you wear an open face helmet, an open face balaclava is the one that works with it.
Buy them as four and you have a set that matches your suit’s standard. Buy three and the fourth is what somebody asks about.
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Karting is mostly not approved, and that is normal
Our karting underwear is a different proposition. The OMP KS range, the Sparco kart balaclavas and the junior items are largely listed as Non-FIA, and they are priced accordingly: a kart balaclava from £9.00, a KS long sleeve top at £55.20.
That is not a gap in the range, it is what karting underwear is. The karting protective clothing standard, FIA 8877-2022, is the one that governs kart suits, gloves and boots, and we cover it in the glove and boot guides. For the layers underneath, your class regulations are what to read, and for most club karting the answer is a comfortable base layer and a balaclava that fits under the helmet.
Where a kart driver does need approved underwear, the car items work perfectly well, and several are listed for motorsport, karting and mechanic use on the same product.
Bundles, and what they save
If you are starting from nothing, the professional bundles are the tidy way to do it, because they put a matched, approved set in one box instead of four decisions.
| Bundle | Approval | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|
| OMP First Professional, white | FIA 8856-2018 | £174.00 |
| OMP First Professional, black | FIA 8856-2018 | £180.00 |
| Sparco RW-4 Professional | FIA 8856-2018 | £183.00 |
| Alpinestars Race V3 Professional | See listing | £230.28 |
Worth doing the sum before you dismiss it. Buying the Sparco RW-4 pieces individually, the approved long sleeve top, long johns, socks and open face balaclava come to £208.80. The bundle is £183.00. So the set costs less than the parts, and you are not left wondering whether you have missed an item.
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Common questions
Do I actually need fireproof underwear?
It depends entirely on your class. Some UK club regulations require FIA 8856-2018 underwear, some do not, and some require it only in certain disciplines. Read your own regulations first, and if the wording is unclear tell us the class and we will read it with you before you spend anything.
Why is the short sleeve top not FIA approved?
We can tell you what the listings say rather than what the standard says: across the Sparco RW-4 range the long sleeve top, long johns, socks and open face balaclava carry FIA 8856-2018, while the short sleeve top, the shorts and the single layer balaclava do not. The approved items are the ones that cover you fully, which is a sensible way to remember it. Always read the approval on the specific garment.
Is a bundle cheaper than buying the pieces?
In the case we checked, yes. The four approved Sparco RW-4 pieces bought separately come to £208.80 against £183.00 for the bundle. It also removes the risk of getting three items and forgetting the socks, which is the most commonly missed piece.
What do I need for karting?
Most of our karting underwear is listed as Non-FIA, which is normal for the discipline; karting's own FIA standard, 8877-2022, covers suits, gloves and boots. For the layers underneath, read your class regulations. If you do need approved underwear, the car items cover it and several are listed for karting use as well.
Open face or full face balaclava?
Match it to the helmet. An open face balaclava suits an open face helmet, and a full face one suits a full face lid. Both exist in approved and non-approved versions, so check the approval line on whichever you choose.
Can I wear it under anything, or does it have to match the suit?
They do not have to be the same brand. What matters is that each garment satisfies whatever your regulations ask for, which for a UK club car race usually means FIA 8856-2018 across the suit and the underwear both. Mixing brands is completely normal.
What we would buy
If your regulations require FIA underwear and you are starting from nothing, buy a bundle. The OMP First at £174.00 is the sensible entry and the Sparco RW-4 at £183.00 undercuts its own parts. You end up with a matched, approved set and no gaps.
If you already have most of it, the item to check is the socks, because they are the one people skip, and approved pairs start at £25.20. After that, look hard at your base layer top: if it is a short sleeve one, it is very likely not homologated.
And if your class does not require approved underwear, buy for comfort and enjoy not paying for a standard you do not need. Just know which of the two you are buying.
Final thoughts: read the garment, not the range
That is the whole lesson from this one, and it is the only piece of racewear where we see it catch people out this consistently. The range is under racing underwear, with the karting layers in their own section.
This completes the set alongside the suit, gloves and boots guides. Ring 0115 9893488 with your class and we will tell you exactly which four items you need and what they come to.
