Well, if they're SA2000 then they should be halfway decent, but I'm sure a $200 close faced helmet is safer.

Either way, they're great for autoX where the helmet really isn't necessary except to lower the cost of insurance for SCCA. Plus the open face is much more comfortable, esp. on a hot day. As far track days.... well it's still probably good enough, since the change of an incedent is pretty low... but if something did happen, well, I'd rather be wearing my close-faces Bieffe.

Oh and Steve: I don't know where the place is... pm Matt or Tyson, I think they know what the deal is on the $50 helmets. Also, I'm not 100% sure they're SA2000, they might only be M2000, since I think it's from a motorcycle shop.

Steve, IF I can get out of work early tommorrow, I can try to run by there, but if not, then I will have no time to run by. I'll let you know if I can get by. Also, One of us will probably be down before the track day again, so we can plan it out a little more. I'll give it a shot tommorrow, what size helmet do you wear?

I agree with Scott. Anthing that gets a SNELL rating is a pretty damn good helmet, and much better than the DOT only ones. In general, the pricer ones have better ventelation, removable liners, cool paint jobs, are the "latest" designs etc...

My full face Bieffe M1995 was about $60 bucks down in Carson 5 or 6 years back. It is called the "Classic" because it is the same shell thay have been making for about 15 years, so their mold costs etc. are long since paid off.

Reasonably priced does not mean it won't protect your head as long as it has a SNELL rating IMHO.

I am looking at some of the Full Face SA2000s in this month's Sports Car. There are a couple under $300... I'd rather get a new reasonably priced helmet every couple years than use and old expensive one unitl the rules force me to get a new one 8-10-15 years later.

Weather for tonight looks OK, Sat gets worse as it gets later, and Sunday is not good. I think Debbie and I are still planning to get out shortly after 5 or so. Saturday looks like it could be wet at the track, so bring your rain gear...

Truckee weather:
Friday : Cloudy skies. High near 40F. Winds light and variable.

Friday night : Mostly cloudy skies. Low 18F. Winds light and variable.

Saturday : A mix of light rain and snow later in the day. High 39F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 30%.

Saturday night : Flurries and some snow showers in the evening becoming less likely toward morning. Low around 20F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%.

Sunday (24 hours) : Snow showers. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper teens.

Sonoma weather:
Saturday : Cloudy with occasional showers. High 59F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Saturday night : Cloudy with occasional showers arriving late at night. Low around 40F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Sunday (24 hours) : Rain. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 40s.

7 3/8 Probably too late now though...

Awesome seminar.

We learned about the different roles of track workers (Flagging/Communications and Emergency response), their protocol for responding to incidents, and heard some free-form Q&A issues about recommended approaches for dealing with, and communicating about, situations.

In the afternoon we observed how the teams responds to different alert scenarios (car runs into barrier w/driver hurt; a 2-car crash), starting with flaggers' signals to the communicators, the communicators language and dispatch of response, and the emergency response team's actions. A big observation for me was how quickly (Thank God) it all happens. There were some mistakes and some steps missed by the scenario participants, but those were learning opportunities for everyone too.

While we didn't learn about the comprehensive set of hand and flag signals we did get to see the process put together in a high-stress situation. I think everyone who runs on a track competitively should go through a session on what these workers do, because I know I have a huge amount of respect now for what they all do.

We watched a demo of the response team extracting someone using the jaws of life tool, and I also got to put on a fireman's helmet & gloves, and use a fire extinguisher to put out a fire - the first time I've ever done that. That bottle was heavy!

Does anyone ever want to be called an emergency hooker? I mean... EVER?!?

Dude, I want that jacket so bad. :lol:

Seriously.

To be handed out at the end of a date?