James Hinchcliffe and his stop and go shoes

James Hinchcliffe was the second fastest Firestone Indy Lights driver in practice on Friday at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
While his speed got him a date with reporters after the practice session, it was his footwear that got him some unexpected attention.
Hinchcliffe, a driver for Team Moore Racing, had the word “stop” written on his left shoe and the word “go” written on his right shoe. A professional race car driver doesn’t need any reminders which foot goes on which pedal. Hinchcliffe said the verbage was a result of the rubber on the inside of his shoes wearing down while he was working the pedals in his car.
The pedals are so close together inside his car that his feet rub together. The rubber wears down on his shoes, “which is obviously sort of counterproductive,” he said. To prevent the wear, Hinchcliffe puts white tape on the front of his shoes.
After taping up his shoes, he found a Sharpie and started doodling on his shoes.
“I just played a little joke on some people and put stop and go on my feet there,” Hinchcliffe said. “I’ve been subsequently told to switch it so that they’re wrong to really scare people.”
The creative juices are flowing in Hinchcliffe’s head in regard to his shoes. He is considering having them embroidered with the words stop and go so he doesn’t have to write the words every time he tapes his shoes.
He is also considering using a green Sharpie for go and red for stop.