Essentials

For some of you this will be the first time you have competed in a motorsport event. Often over looked are some of the essentials which you will need when running your car. These may seem obvious when sitting in front of your computer but can often be over looked when packing to go to an event.

Some of the essentials you will need are:

• Tank Tape - Sometimes referred to as gaffer tape. You will need several rolls of each colour. Black and white are always needed not to mention you will also need the same colour as your vehicle and if you are using and marketing boards you will need the same colour as these. To view our range of tank tape please click here.
• Tessa Tape - A sturdier tank tape that is widely used in the motorsport industry. It is roughly three times the cost of tank tape so use sparingly. Our range of Tessa tapes can be viewed by clicking here.
• Zip Ties - Again you will find that you can never have too many of these. Most teams will take around 100 of each for a small, medium and large size. To view the tyraps and accessories for these please click here. Another tip is to use proper flush cuts and not normal snips. Flush cuts will prevent any sharp edges of zip ties from shredding your hands into pieces.
• Tyre Pen - Sometimes these are referred to as paint pens. These are used to mark your tyres. Usually you will put the position and direction of each tyre on the wall of the tyre making it easier to mount your tyres on the right corner each time you remove them. When running multiple cars it is common to also put the drivers initials on them. Different colours can also be used to signify different drivers or sets of tyres. The whole range of tyre pens we offer can be viewed by clicking here.
• Pedal Tape - Also known as grip tape. Pedal tape has a very abrasive surface and is placed on the pedals. It allows the drivers foot to grip the pedal better reducing the chances of their foot slipping from the pedal.
• Dual Lock / Velcro - It's often useful to have a type of tape which allows you to temporary fix objects such as ECU's etc. It's worth having a couple of metres of either of these in your tool box.
• Master Switch - These often can develop a fault so worth having a spare. Also worth while to have a few spare keys, you can never find it when you need it.
• Fluids - Take enough engine oil, coolant, gearbox oil and brake fluid to replace the whole system at least three times.
• Cleaning Fluid - Your car will get mucky. The paddock area at Silverstone has a lot of lose gravel/tarmac/stones plus tyre marbles and general dust. Even taking the car down to scrutineering will cause the car to need a clean. Take plenty of polish. Prolong Waterless Wash and Shine can also be a useful product for cleaning dirty marks.
• Fasteners - It is always a good idea to take a few spares of each fastener you are using as these can become damaged whilst one event.
• Rain light - These do occasionally become damaged or faulty, although this is rare. It is worth having a spare though.
• Lock Wire - Available in a variety of different thicknesses. You may also wish to get some lock wire twisters if required.