on 7/16/01 12:30 AM, Kevin Stevens at Kevin_Stevens@pursued-with.net wrote:
>>> Also, pick up a copy of "Secret's of Solo" from a book store. There's
>>> some good driving technique stuff in there, if it can be applied it'll
>>> take seconds off your time.
>> Thanks! I'll look for it.
>
> "Secrets of Solo Racing", Henry Watts. I'm on my third copy and have given as
> many away.
>
>> Kevin,
>>> Well, I haven't worn my "Race Car Slut" shirt yet, so if your 318 drives
>>> anything like an M3 I'll be glad to hop in. ;)
>> You're hilarious. It's nowhere near 240hp, but it still handles like a BMW.
>> :-)
>
> Send me mail offline if you want to hook up.
>
>>> Cheap HJC *if* you only plan to use it for autocross. If you're
>> interested in
>>> open track events the open-face "M" rated helmets are often not allowed,
>> and I
>>> don't recommend open-face helmets for motorcycle use, either.
>> Hhmm, so the auto helmets(closed face) are automatically ok for motorcycle
>> use?
>
> No. Snell has (at least) two certifications, "M" and "SA". "M" is for
> motorcycle, "SA" is for automobile. Open/closed face helmets are available
> with either certification. The testing for the two is somewhat different, the
> biggest difference I know of being fire testing for the SA cert. I am not
> certain that closed-faced SA helmets are street-legal for motorcycle use due
> to limited visibility. Anyone? Most government bodies go by DOT
> certification, not Snell, and most racing organisations go by Snell, not DOT;
> so you have to check for both.
>
> "M" helmets are deemed suitable by most organisations for autocross presumably
> because the risk of fire is low. In reality, any Snell-rated helmet is
> probably overkill, pardon the expression, for any forseeable autocross
> incident short of falling out of the car and having it land on your head.
> Speaking as someone who once ran over his foot with a car he was operating, I
> don't say this is impossible, but it probably falls into the risk category of
> "insignificant" for anyone courageous enough to get out of bed in the first
> place.
>
> KeS
I think the lay definition of the difference between "M" and "SA" is that
M's are built to take the abuse of bouncing down the road while you assume
all those positions you've been avoiding being found in (at least in public)
since your last high school wrestling class, while the SA is intended to
take repeated hits in the same location, presumably because you are still
strapped into the car, inverted practicing for your next air show, and
smacking the same 2 square inches of the top of your lid. In either event,
any helmet dropped on a solid surface from above 2' is suspect and really
ought to be destroyed. (better it than it's intended contents)
MJ
Miata 391
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