Helmet Rules Newbie.

[hurricane344]

So booked my first track day in the Cayman at Brands. -

A quick question on helmets - i was going to rent one for the day but due to covid thats not happening, i dont own my own helmet but i do have a very expensive Snowboard Helmet from Ruroc RG1 (same as the pit guys use in F1) - Can i use this ???

I dont really want to buy one in case Track Days are not for me !!! I have read the rules on MSV and not sure if i am or not allowed to use that one !

Cheers

[teeCup]

hurricane344 said:

So booked my first track day in the Cayman at Brands. -

A quick question on helmets - i was going to rent one for the day but due to covid thats not happening, i dont own my own helmet but i do have a very expensive Snowboard Helmet from Ruroc RG1 (same as the pit guys use in F1) - Can i use this ???

I dont really want to buy one in case Track Days are not for me !!! I have read the rules on MSV and not sure if i am or not allowed to use that one !

Cheers

In my experience you would likely get away with it, I've never seen helmets being inspected at a track day.

Whether you should / if its safe, I couldn't say.

[Mr MXT]

You can get an appropriate helmet for the price of a tank of fuel on the Cayman. Seems a no brainer to me.

[CrutyRammers]

A lot of folks use motorcycle helmets which tend to be much cheaper than car motorsport ones. And unless you're going to want HANS hardpoints, absolutely fine as regards safety. What you pay for, largely, is style and lightness, and fireproofing. I'd get a cheap bike one for 40 quid, and if you like it, you can decide to invest in a more expensive one later.

[Pothole]

For the sake of a few quid, what do you think you're getting away with?

ETA: full disclosure - I have 3 helmets in the garage, so outlay would not be an issue for me.

Edited by Pothole on Wednesday 3rd March 11:06

[brillomaster]

I doubt a snowboard helmet will be suitable for trackdays. Motorcross full face helmets are also not suitable.

personally id look at either a Sparco Club X1 or OMP Circuit Evo helmets, both about £80. if you decide that trackdays aren't for you, i see no reason why you couldn't resell it as long as you look after it.

You can even get a motorcycle helmet from Halfords for £30, which will meet required regulations for trackdays
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/motorcycling/hel...

i'd recommend a full face with visor, as if you ever do passenger laps in an open topped car, you'll likely need a full face helmet.

EDIT extract from some MSV guidelines i found:
'Your helmet must be a proper motorsport or road helmet. You will not be allowed out on track with a skiing or skateboarding helmet.'

http://www.msv.com/media/6278754/titp_vital_info.p...

Edited by brillomaster on Wednesday 3rd March 11:10

[FurtiveFreddy]

It's only your head.

As long as you feel safe in it and save a few quid, what could possibly go wrong?

[ReverendCounter]

As far as motorcycling goes, you're usually advised not to buy a used helmet - but in this case, that's what I'd be doing. There are plenty of clean, undamaged helmets on ebay that will be perfectly fine for a track day, plus all of the padding/liners can be removed for a proper cleaning so there's no hygiene issue.

[mmm-five]

Last time I was at Oulton Park, they were turning away people for not having the right helmets...but that seemed to be limited to 'motocross' style bike helmets.

Donington Park track day info said:

Your helmet must be a proper motorsport or road helmet. You will not be allowed out on track with a skiing or skateboarding helmet.

MSV said:

All drivers and passengers must wear a suitable, correctly fitting automotive crash helmet (not off road style motorcycle helmets) and have their legs covered at all times whilst on circuit. In the case of open top/soft top vehicles, drivers must wear full face helmets and also have arms covered at all times

[E-bmw]

Just get a cheapy M/Cycle helmet off ebay/amazon/wait till bike shops are open.

[HappyMidget]

Really surprised FMX helmets aren't recommended, definitely a sport where you are far more likely to land on your bonce than in a car...

[hurricane344]

Thanks - All good info and clears up a few things - mainly that i didnt realise how cheap these helmets are, without looking i assumed i was in for a big spend ( my snowboard lid was over £400 from memory).
The reccomendation of going for a full face with visor makes sense also as i do have a friend that tracks his caterham and will probably get a ride with him sometime .
Right- Off to the online shops to do some research !

[F355GTS]

Take a look at Hedtec for genuine motorsport helmets 👍

[NGRhodes]

HappyMidget said:

Really surprised FMX helmets aren't recommended, definitely a sport where you are far more likely to land on your bonce than in a car...

They are not recommended for cars as the airbags going off can force the extended MX style chin upwards.

Edited by NGRhodes on Wednesday 3rd March 13:38

[HappyMidget]

NGRhodes said:

HappyMidget said:

Really surprised FMX helmets aren't recommended, definitely a sport where you are far more likely to land on your bonce than in a car...

They are not recommended for cars as the airbags going off can force the extended MX style chin upwards.

Edited by NGRhodes on Wednesday 3rd March 13:38

Makes sense I guess, should prob look at getting a new helmet at some point then. My FMX lid wasn't turned down last time I used it to drive the pace/camera car for operation pacemakers European record, though I guess being a Straightliners event they prob aren;t so up to date on MSA car guidelines

[Trackdayer]

OP I have a couple of lightly used helmets here you're welcome to have for free if you can collect.

Large size, Midlands area

[LennyM1984]

I bought a new Motorcycle helmet off either eBay or Amazon for about £30 (helmet hire was £20 so it kind of made sense). I've used it for 3 or 4 years now (so 15+ trackdays) and it is fine. It's obviously not the same quality as a £400 helmet but it has all the relevant approvals to make it safe for a motorcyclist.

Where you notice the cheapness is in the padding materials and the ventilation. It's fine for 20 minute track sessions with the visor up but I wouldn't fancy wearing it for hours on a motorbike.

I'm actually planning to upgrade this year and replace it with an open faced helmet but that is simply due to the ventilation/comfort rather than the functionality itself

[Zumbruk]

F355GTS said:

Take a look at Hedtec for genuine motorsport helmets ??

Seconded. I'm very pleased with my Hedtec.

[944 Man]

I wouldn't consider wearing a snowboarding helmet for track days, and I have championed 'bike' helmets here for 15yrs, and scotched the endless "bike helmets are inferior to 'motorsport' helmets' " nonsense.

Unless you are comparing Arai with Arai or Shoei with Shoei (at sensible price levels), then most 'good' motorcycle orientated helmets are the equal of motorsport orientated helmets. Take Sparco lids for example: they look the part but they are made by Yes helmets, whose bike lids are meh!

Ignore any made-up pub waffle about car helmets being designed to resist repeated impacts (ie strong/superior) whilst bike helmets are only designed to slide on the floor (ie weak/inferior). High on prejudice and low on fact nonsense, repeated by wallys who deride motorcyclists as 'Power Rangers'... The origin of this was probably a mixture of the SNELL Institute's testing regime (repeated strikes) and the presumption that untested bike helmets would fail, with the made-up / prejudiced reasoning that it is because they're made to resist sliding and maybe one bump... SNELL lost the plot in 2014 and you do tend to hear this rubbish less now, but it is usually repeated by someone on threads like this.

The EU forced testing to their lower standard (ECE22:05) on us, which isnt great, but quality helmet manufacturers didnt stop making the best lid that they could because the standards were lowered and you can still identify what would have been a BS6658-A lid from the ACU Gold approval sticker that it will carry.

TLDR: any ECE-marked helmet will probably be more than satisfactory. Look for fit and lightness. A bike helmet with an ACU Gold sticker will be very good. There is no need to buy a 'motorsport' helmet for track days: no benefit whatsoever and many are inferior helmets.

[mmm-five]

Wasn't one of the supposed differences around fire resistance/proofing? i.e. it was mandatory on car motorsport helmets, whereas it was not mandatory bike helmets?