Before your first rally, you will need some kit. In basic form, this means helmet, overalls, gloves and rally boots as an absolute minimum. Fireproof underwear and balaclava are also recommended and, in many series, obligatory. An increasing number of rally drivers and co-drivers use a HANS (head and neck safety) device, designed to reduce the risk of neck injury in certain types of accidents, and it's certainly something you should seriously consider no matter what level of rallying you are planning. How much you spend is really down to you, but a budget of anything between about £750 and £2,000, and maybe more, is not unreasonable to cover good quality kit. Our advice is to buy the best kit you can sensibly afford. We hope you will never need it, but if you do, you'll be glad you didn't skimp. Racewear suppliers can be useful sources of advice about race equipment and make sure you check about longevity, as things like helmets and overalls have a well-defined legal life. You'll find supplier ads in most of the motorsport drivers press, but there's nowhere better to start than the advertisers. If you're planning to run the car yourself, you'll obviously need a lot more than this: mechanic's gear, tools, spare parts, wheels, jerry cans, trailers and service van, the list is almost endless and not one that we can fully cover here. Not strictly equipment – but you do need to find a competent co-driver / rallying navigator – he/she is not a sack of potatoes sitting in the spare front seat. If you aspire to greatness your partner in the car has to be good at their job too.
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