13/04/2004 12:18:36 Ralph First question to the experts! In order to attend a track day a MSA approved crash helmet is required. I believe that motocycle shops are no longer allowed to sell helmets that conform to BS - they are only permitted to sell ECE 55/02 helmets. It is my understanding that MSA does not accept this standard for use in cars. Is this correct? I have also been told that the MSA will accept helmets with a Snell SA95 or SA2000 sticker under the lining. Is this correct? Are these helmets available from motorcycle shops? Ralph

13/04/2004 13:01:32 Neil My understanding is that the MSA will not accept motorcycle helmet standards. I bought a snell 2000 approved helmet on the understanding that it was approved for use by the MSA. The snell sticker is in a much better place under the lining than the BS which is on the outside and wears off:confused:

13/04/2004 13:01:33 Rob Bell [QUOTE=Ralph]First question to the experts! In order to attend a track day a MSA approved crash helmet is required. I believe that motocycle shops are no longer allowed to sell helmets that conform to BS - they are only permitted to sell ECE 55/02 helmets. It is my understanding that MSA does not accept this standard for use in cars. Is this correct? I have also been told that the MSA will accept helmets with a Snell SA95 or SA2000 sticker under the lining. Is this correct? Are these helmets available from motorcycle shops? Ralph[/QUOTE] Okay, here comes the first reply Ralph! LOL You are quite correct regarding the current situation regarding helmets (which only came to my attention at scrutineering at Silverstone last week). It appears that the ECE standard is superceeding the old BS standards for 'cycle helmets - HOWEVER the ECE specifications are NOT listed in the MSA Blue book for admissible helmets for motor sport. :( It may be that the MSA will move to alter their regulations with respect to ECE 55/02 - but until that time, you will be better off not purchasing a helmet so specified. The MSA do accept Snell SA95 and SA2000 helmets. However, a word of warning: the SA95 helmets will cease to be acceptable after next year. ALL helmets with pre-SA95 stickers are now TOO OLD and should be discarded. Chances are, if you are buying a new helmet, that it will actually have a holographic SA2000 sticker inside it - so not too much of a problem from a practical point of view. So in summary, if purchasing a helmet for track days/ motorsport, you need to purchase a helmet that shows one of the two following stickers:[center][size=4] [b]BS 6658 - 85 Type A SA2000[/b][/size][/center] Hope this helps clarify! :D

13/04/2004 17:04:56 Ralph Thanks, Rob. That cetainly does clear it up. Ralph

13/04/2004 18:48:23 ChalkyWhite Hi Rob et al, I purchased my Caberg helmet from a cycle shop conforming to the UN ECE 22.05 legislation, as specified by MGCC in the "Driver and Passenger safety" section of the Silverstone Track Day Guide. The strapping features the E3 symbol. The exact wording in the guide read; [i][color=red]"Drivers and passengers must wear a crash helmet that complies to MSA standards (BSI 6658 Type A or UN ECE 22.05)"[/color][/i] Silverstone scrutineers allowed me to use the helmet for that day only, but not again at Silverstone. I'm now concerned that at future track days I will not be able to race, and I cannot take the helmet back to the shop for obvious reasons now it's used. Perhaps I can claim back the cost of helmet hire with MGCC until such time as the MSA does infact recognise the ECE standard?!! ;) What's your opinion, oh knowledgeable people? Cheers, Tony

14/04/2004 09:21:13 Rob Bell :D LOL Okay - you spotted our deliberate mistake there Tony! Dave had the opportunity of re-writing the MGCC track day guide and instructions for Silverstone - and in that original version was included the ECE 22/05 as an acceptable standard. Dave had no reason to doubt this inclusion - especially as it was so specific a reference and given the provenance of the original's author - so it remained in. Oops. At the vast majority of tracks, the ECE standard will be fine - it's just at the major circuits with motorsport scrutineers that you are likely to run into problems: Silverstone and Brands specifically. Therefore if anyone plans to buy a new helmet, ensure that it is MSA recognised (BS 6658 type A, Snell SA2000). For those of you with ECE 22/05 helmets, we'll deal with this on a case by case basis - and we'll do our best for you... :) Watch this space!

18/04/2004 22:18:38 Dave I was really sorry to hear about this problem at Silverstone. As Rob says, I left the reference to the EC standard in the track day guide thinking that it was good information. I should have checked, as I had only heard of the BS standard. :o