11 Gift Ideas For The Track Driver In Your Life [Buying Guide]

If you’re a serious driver, a good pair of driving shoes is an absolute must. Not only do you look like a bad-ass when you walk towards your car sporting these racy shoes, but they make all the difference when you’re behind the wheel, giving you more grip on the pedals, making it easier to heel-toe, and the thin sole giving you better pedal feel.

The RaceQuip SFI Race Shoes have a soft suede leather outer layer coupled with a flame retardant liner and padded ankles. The unique Achilles flex opening in the back of the shoe allows easy foot extension for full-throttle action. The durable construction features a reinforced lace area, double-stitched seams, and a molded rubber sole that rolls up the back of the shoe to provide extra support for your heel while driving.

I’ve worn these shoes during a number of track events, and I found them to be really comfortable, offering great pedal feel and making heel-toe shifting a breeze. It’s worth noting that the toe area of the shoe is a bit narrow by design, so that your feet have pedal clearance in the foot box. As such, you may want to order one half or one full size up from normal if you have wide feet.

Dash cams are great for capturing every moment on the road, helping to protect you in the event of a fender bender by serving as an independent witness and proving that you didn’t rear-end that car, but that he backed up into you. But dash cams aren’t just about safety, they can also be used to capture track sessions, so that you can show your friends how much fun you had over the weekend, and how you really did overtake that Porsche 911 on Turn 12 and put down some record lap times.

The VAVA Dual Dash Cam is a top-tier dashcam, featuring 2K HD resolution for the front camera, and 1080p for the rear camera. And best of all, thanks to the dual-camera setup, you can simultaneously capture footage of the track ahead along with you in the driver’s seat, making for some really cool video. And you can take it a step further by downloading Harry’s GPS Laptimer App and overlaying the data it captures (speed, lap map, g’s, etc) onto your video in post.

Now, you might be asking yourself, why not just use a GoPro? And I actually suggest one further down this page. But while GoPro’s are pretty singular in use, dash cams can be used on a daily basis, making it a smart buy.

It should go without saying, but quality sunglasses should be a requirement for all drivers. Because lets face it, there’s nothing worse than coming around a corner and suddenly being blinded by sun glare while you’re going over 100mph. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that, and definitely wouldn’t recommend it. These Ray-Ban’s are great because they protect you from the sun, and the thin arms make it easy to wear with a helmet.

Ray-Ban’s Aviator sunglasses are one of the most iconic sunglasses models in the world (thanks in part to Tom Cruise wearing them in Top Gun), a timeless model that combines great aviator styling with exceptional quality, performance, and comfort. They’re available in a variety of sizes (55mm, 58mm, and 62mm), and you can choose from a variety of metal frame and lens colors as well.

These Ray-Ban sunglasses come with polarized lenses, which provide optimal visual clarity and 100% UV protection. If the person you’re shopping for has a car with tinted windows, you’ll want to get the non-polarized model instead, as window tint and polarized lenses don’t mix.

It should go without saying, but when it comes to track days, nothing is more important than a good racing helmet, and that’s why they’re required equipment for most sanctioned automotive events. A helmet is one of those things that you hope you never actually need, but just in case you get into an accident, it’s there to protect your brain. Hence the nickname “brain buckets.”

The Conquer Snell SA2020 aerodynamic vented full face auto racing helmet has a fiberglass composite shell, a face shield with tear-off posts, and a Kevlar chin strap. Conquer helmets have a comfortable fit, HANS device mount points, fire retardant Nomex lining with removable cheek pads, and front and rear top venting for improved air intake and heat exhaust. It also includes a soft, protective carry bag to transport it in.

While your existing helmet might look good as new, understand that all helmets have an expiration date, and it’s generally a good idea to replace your helmet every 5 years or so, even if it’s in good condition. The Conquer Snell SA2020 is good through 2030, so you don’t need to worry about it expiring anytime soon.
You can read all about why you might want a SA2020 vs the currently cheaper SA2015 here: Be Weary Of Those Motorsport Helmet Deals: Snell Helmets Explained.

Driving gloves have been around since the 1890s, a necessity in the early days of automobiles given the fact that steering wheels were made from uncovered metal that would get cold in the winter and hot in the summer. These days, we don’t have these issues to deal with, but you still see people wearing driving gloves, because they serve some very important functions, especially when you’re racing at the track.

Perhaps the most important reason to wear driving gloves is because it delivers superior grip of both the steering wheel and gear shift. In addition, they reduce vibrations, protect your hands in hot and cold climates (especially if you have an aluminum shift knob like I do), and also prevent any sweat, grime, or oils from your hands from damaging your steering wheel. Plus, lets face it, they just look inherently cool!

Riparo’s genuine leather reverse stitched driving gloves have the quality and the features you would expect from a pair of quality driving gloves, including soft supple leather, knuckle holes and a snap closure on the wrist strap. The reverse stitching and an improved design allows for additional comfort and perfect grip while maintaining the classic design.

It seems like things on a car tend to break at the worst possible times, and even more so when you’re pushing said car to the limit on a race track. That’s why you always want to have a tool kit on hand, so that if you need to wrench on your car between sessions to fix something, you’re able to do so. After all, you don’t want something minor like a slipped hose or vacuum line putting an end to your track day prematurely when it’s an easy fix.

The Wera Tool-Check Plus Metric Bit Ratchet Set consists of 28 high-quality bits and 7 metric sockets, a ratchet and a bit driver, and even an extension, all in a nice and compact case that you can toss in a backpack when you’re headed to the track. Or simply toss it in your glove compartment, since you never know where or when you may break down. Yeah, it’s seriously tiny.

You might even want to get one for yourself if you don’t have a decent tool kit of your own, so that you can tackle any small fixes that might come up around the house.

In keeping in the same vein as the tool kit above, it’s super handy to have a portable air compressor pump on hand, so that you can air up your tires if you notice that they’re running a little low, whether at the track or just around town. After all, we’ve all experience that time when you get in your car in the morning and see the dreaded low tire pressure light flashing on your gauge cluster. And typically, that light comes on when your tire is really low.

Most of the gas stations near me have either gotten rid of their pumps or now charge for air, so having an air compressor of my own has proven to be really handy. This unit from EPAUTO has a digital display showing your tire pressure in real-time, and it’ll even automatically shut off when the desired tire pressure is reached. Seriously, how cool is that?

Unlike other portable air compressor pumps you may have used in the past, this one is really quiet, so it won’t wake up your neighbors. And with a 9-foot power cord (which plugs into your lighter), you’ve got plenty of room to reach your tires. They also sell a 12-foot extension cord if you want more room to work with.

If this air pump isn’t the right one for your special person, check out our list of other great options.

Earlier in the list, we talked about using a dashcam to capture sessions on the track, while also pulling double-duty in your normal day to day, just in case you get into an accident and need proof of who was at fault. But with a dashcam, you’re limited to footage from inside the car, as they weren’t designed to be hung off of your fender or roof. But the GoPro on the other hand, it’s a waterproof action camera that was designed to handle whatever you throw its way.

The GoPro HERO9 Black is their latest action cam, with improvements across the board, including a brand new 1.4″ front-facing color display, a larger 2.27″ rear display, a new image sensor that can shoot 5K video and 20-megapixel photos, 30% more battery life, next-generation HyperSmooth 3.0 video stabilization with in-camera horizon leveling, and an ultra-wide detachable lens option. What does that mean for you? Amazing footage like never before.

What’s great about a GoPro is that you can throw on a suction cup mount and slap it anywhere on your car, whether it be your fender, roof, trunk, wherever, allowing you to capture video from a unique point of view that you really can’t do with traditional cameras. Slice this footage in with your dashcam footage, and you’ve got an exciting video that will get people pumped.

For all the details on this latest GoPro check out our full review: GoPro Hero 9 Black: More Everything.

While there are no speed limits on a racetrack, it’s a safe bet that you probably drive a little fast in your day to day travels as well, right? After all, if you didn’t have that need for speed, you wouldn’t spend your weekends at the track in the first place, and you’d be content driving something boring like a Camry. And it’s even worse right after a track day, when you’ve still got all of that adrenaline pumping and aren’t really thinking about how fast you’re going. “Sorry officer!”

The best defense is a good radar detector, and the Escort MAX360C is as good as it gets. Not only does the MAX360C give you all-around 360° protection with directional alert arrows, great range, and both radar and laser detection, but through the on-board WiFi connection, it can alerting you to the latest ticket threats in real-time, getting crowdsourced information from a community of over 3.5 million drivers using the ESCORT Live app.

In addition, the MAX360C will alert you to red light and speed camera locations, speed limits, live traffic updates and more. And its GPS intelligence, IVT filtering, and AutoSensitivity come together to eliminate false signals. So if this detector goes off, you’d best slow down, because there’s a cop hiding up ahead.

For a look at a wide range of the best radar detectors out there check out our buying guide: 13 Best Radar Detectors For Cars.

While people living in southern California can track their cars year round, those of us in other climates have to hang up our racing suits come winter, with Mother Nature putting an end to our racing season with cold weather and such. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get your racing on, as there are some great racing games that do a great job of simulating the experience.

There are a ton of great racing games for the PlayStation 4, but Gran Turismo Sport is definitely my favorite of the bunch. You can race from over 140 high-performance vehicles on 19 real-world and historic GT locations across 27 layouts, and the graphics are so realistic, you’ll swear you’re actually there. If you’re an Xbox One owner, Forza Motorsport 7 is the game you’ll want to get, and it offers more than 700 cars to choose from, as you drive across 30 famous destinations and 200 ribbons.

Either way, these racing simulators are a fun way to get your adrenaline rush while you wait for the white stuff outside to melt and make way for warmer weather.

If you’re looking to give more of a visceral experience, a high performance driving school is sure to get their attention. Over the years, I’ve done the Bondurant High Performance School, BMW M School, Team O’Neill Rally School, and a few others. While the fundamentals of each school are pretty similar, each is unique with regards to the cars you’re drive, the tracks you take them on, and the length of the program.

For example, at the Bondurant school, you’re driving a 717-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody, while at the BMW M School, you rotate between a BMW M2 Competition, M4 Competition, M5 Competition, and M8 Competition. At the Porsche Experience Center, you have your pick of the litter depending on which experience you book, including one where you get to drive the Porsche 911 GT3 RS! And at DirtFish, you’re hooning around in a Subaru WRX STI, kicking up dirt and flying through the air.

Pricing depends on the school and program you choose, ranging anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars for a few hours of driving instruction to several thousand dollars for multi-day engagements with maximum seat time. But regardless of which one you go with, they’re going to be a blast!