Who Makes RaceQuip Helmets & Where Are They Made?

RaceQuip is a well-known brand in racing safety gear, especially popular for its helmets, suits, gloves, and harnesses. The company is also recognized for having fairly budget-friendly prices. Founded in Columbus, Ohio, back in 1975, RaceQuip has deep American roots, but that doesn't mean all RaceQuip helmets are made in the US. In 2006, it merged with Safe-Quip (a company that produced auto racing safety gear) under Vesta Motorsports USA. Today, RaceQuip is owned by Holley Performance Brands (one of many that Holley Performance owns), after the latter bought out Vesta Motorsports in 2022. Additionally, the official RaceQuip product lineup, including racing helmets and other equipment, is available through Holley's website.

As for the manufacturing part, things get a little bit complicated. RaceQuip said it keeps a portion of its production in the US, running "The Custom Shop" in Irmo, South Carolina. The company's Amazon store does list some RaceQuip helmets as "made in the USA," but not all. This is because RaceQuip also mentioned overseas cut-and-sew production facilities. In other words, RaceQuip is manufacturing helmets and other equipment both in the US and abroad.

Racing goes hand in hand with cars, and racing technology has even made cars better. As such, it's no wonder that a long-standing brand like RaceQuip has SFI-certified products. In case you're not familiar, when something is SFI-certified, it means it meets strict safety and quality standards set by the SFI Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that oversees motorsports equipment.

That said, only some RaceQuip helmets are SFI-certified, because not every helmet (or other equipment) is certified in the same way. For instance, Holley Performance Brands' website lists RaceQuip helmets that have SFI 24.1 certification, which is for youth full-face motorsports helmets used by children and junior racers. The company also has Snell SA2025-certified helmets, the latest official auto racing helmet safety standard from the Snell Memorial Foundation. Similarly, RaceQuip has other SFI-certified equipment, such as racing suits and gloves.

RaceQuip offers FIA-certified equipment too, like racing seats. This adds to the brand value, considering FIA is the governing body for world motor sports, most notably Formula 1, whose innovations influenced cars that we drive today. As for RaceQuip, the company's helmets and other racing gear tick all the right boxes for most motorsport enthusiasts. Just make sure you check the actual certifications needed, since not all RaceQuip helmets automatically have SFI or other certifications.