COVKARTSPORT . . .

Please scroll right down this page for advice on helmet choice, fitting, care and regulations etc.

COVKARTSPORT HELMET SCRUTINEERING:

Please read the conditions below and note that our scrutineers will impound failed helmets for the duration of the event!

We are now scrutineering helmets to make sure that our drivers, who own their own helmets, are not putting themselves at undue risk! We are not as stringent as the MSA in this respect but, before racing commences (at every COVKARTSPORT event), we will check to see that helmets are in a serviceable fit-for-purpose condition. We will NOT be looking at the accreditation/approval stickers but we will be checking upon the general condition and serviceability of the helmet.

Your helmet must meet the conditions immediately below:

• In order to race in your own helmet you must submit the helmet to our scrutineers at the appointed time before racing commences at every COVKARTSPORT event.
• The helmet must be a rigid full-face (one-piece) helmet.
• The surface of the helmet must show no signs of serious impacts or bad scratches.
• The helmet must have a working visor, properly secured, that will lock in a closed position.
• The visor should not be unduly scratched.
• The helmet must have a strong chin-strap that will secure properly under the driver's chin.
• The lining of the helmet must be secure.
• In order to be scrutineered the helmet must be clean. If you cannot supply your own helmet in a clean state and in full accordance with these conditions then you will have to use one of the helmets supplied by the circuit for our events.
• Please note that there is no extra charge for using a circuit-supplied helmet.
• You may not use your own helmet at any COVKARTSPORT event unless we have scrutineered it as acceptable, at that particular event, before practice or racing commences.
• If your helmet fails scrutineering then our scrutineer will impound your helmet until the end of the event!
• When we check a helmet we are checking for any obvious faults and we are stating that, in our experience, the helmet appears to be fit-for-purpose or does not appear to be fit-for-purpose. We make no guarantees either way! We are not scientists and we cannot subject helmets to stress-tests! We can only use our eyes and our common sense!
• We will accept no legal liability or responsibility for any helmet whatsoever but we feel that we are not doing our duty if we allow our drivers to use unchecked helmets during our events.
• We do not check the helmets supplied by the circuit as that is their duty under Health & Safety Regulations.
• Helmet scrutineering will take place at the same time that you are weighing in.

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IMPORTANT ADVICE ON HELMETS:

(MSA Helmet Regulations are changing in 2010)

1. Scrutineering Information

2. Helmet Fitting & Safety

3. Helmet Care

4. Helmet Decoration

The following advice may be helpful to all racers but, if you join COVKARTSPORT and you do not own your own helmet (and are thinking of purchasing one), the following advice may be very useful indeed!

PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU DO NOT OWN YOUR OWN HELMET ONE WILL BE PROVIDED FOR YOU, FREE OF CHARGE, AT COVKARTSPORT EVENTS.

Section 1.  SCRUTINEERING INFORMATION:

A. All helmets, for kart racing (including COVKARTSPORT) must be rigid full-face helmets in good condition with working (fully closing) visor and have securable chin-straps.

B. If your helmet conforms to the above you may use it at COVKARTSPORT provided that it is in good condition - regardless of any type of safety/accreditation stickers that may be affixed to it and regardless of the age of the helmet. MSA Regulations do not apply to COVKARTSPORT!

C. If you wish to purchase a helmet that you can also use in MSA/FIA motorsport (a good idea if you are planning to progress) then you now need to be very careful as to what you purchase as the MSA helmet regulations are changing from the start of 2010 but, in any case, it must also adhere to section "A" above! The exact MSA regulations concerning helmets can be found in their official blue "MSA Yearbook" issued to all MSA members.

D. At the moment you need a helmet with a British Standards "Type-A" (blue) or "Type-A-FR" (red)  BS.6658: 1985 "Kite Mark" sticker (below) affixed by the manufacturers.

E. British Standards "Type-B" does NOT meet current MSA scrutineering requirements!

F. A helmet with no safety accreditation stickers on it at all will not pass MSA scrutineering.

G. Regardless of the cost of the helmet it will NOT pass MSA scrutineering if it does not have the right stickers on it!

H. From 2010 the existing BS. 6658 "Type-A" will no longer be acceptable by the MSA!

J. From 2010 the SNELL "SA.2005" sticker (below) is the main one that you will be required to have on your helmet by the MSA.

K. The SNELL stickers are tamper-proof and must have been affixed by the manufacturers.

L. Motor Cycle "ACU" stickers (below) mean absolutely nothing in motorsport and are usually affixed by the retailer!

M. Remember, retailers just want to make the sale. If in doubt do NOT make the purchase as retailers are very frequently wrong in their assertions that particular helmets are suitable for motorsport! However, if you purchase from specialist motorsport companies like Demon Tweeks or purchase from specialist exhibitors at the "Kart-Mania" or "Autosport" shows you can usually rely upon their knowledge and advice.

N. To use a helmet in MSA karting/motorsport an MSA scrutineer must have applied the small helmet-shaped silvered  "MSA Approved for Motorsport" sticker (below) which he affixes to the right-hand side of your helmet (usually just below and behind the right ear position) when it is first scrutineered. You do not have to be a member of the MSA to have your helmet scrutineered and the cost, payable to the MSA, is just £1.30.

O. You must never try to remove or cover safety accreditation stickers -  they are all tamper-proof anyway!

P. If you are having your helmet spray-painted be sure that the artist masks-off these stickers. They cannot be removed and stuck back on again and they are useless if they are covered with paint!

Q. Remember, no visible stickers of the correct type will always result in the MSA scrutineer failing the helmet regardless of how much it cost or even if he knows that particular type of helmet normally passes scrutineering requirements!

2. HELMET FITTING & SAFETY:

A. Always purchase the best helmet that you can afford as your head is vulnerable in motorsport!

B. A new helmet should always be a snug fit - just a little bit on the tight side but not uncomfortable.

C. If you put the helmet on then shake your head - the helmet should grip your head and not move around on your head.

D. To put the helmet on: lift the visor first then grip the bases of both chin-straps, put the helmet on top of your head (pulling out on the chin-straps) and pull the helmet down onto your head.

E. Then secure the chin-strap and pull the visor down so that it is closed or in a minimal ventilation setting.

F. Never drive a racing vehicle with your helmet chin-strap undone as your helmet can easily come off during the forces of a multiple roll!

G. Never drive a racing vehicle (even in the pit-lane) with the visor open. Drivers have been blinded by stones and bolts flying off the wheels of the kart /car in front and, with karts and single-seater racing cars, debris can catapult from your own front wheels into your eyes! I can also tell you, from experience, that it is not funny to have a wasp or a bee squashing against your face/eyes or flying about inside your helmet!

H. Any significant bump on a helmet (even dropping it) can result in compromise of the structural integrity of the helmet! Small hairline micro-cracks can occur that do not show through the gloss spray-covering!

J. If your helmet has had a good knock you must either throw it away or return it to the agents/manufacturers for checking.

K. Never purchase a third-hand helmet and only purchase a second-hand helmet if you really trust the person selling it to you and they guarantee that the helmet has never had a significant knock.

L. Never purchase a second-hand helmet if it does not look in good condition and has severe scratch marks on it.

M. Misting-up: Misting-up in cold or wet weather can be a real problem! My advice is to go to a good motorcycle shop and purchase a small aerosol can of "BOB HEATH VISORS - ANTIFOG" spray or purchase a Foggy (Fog City) neoprene insert which has velcro fastenings. Once in place it will stay permanently inside your helmet and fits snugly over the bridge of your nose directing your breath out of the bottom of the helmet rather than onto the visor.

N. For serious wet-weather conditions it is a good idea to use tear-off strips as these do not necessitate your gloved hand wiping your visor whilst racing - this can scratch the visor with the inevitable particles of grit thrown up by the kart in front!  Detachable "Whirly Visors" can also be purchased but these can be a fiddle to attach and detach.

3. HELMET CARE:

A. Look after your helmet and it will look after you!

B. Never ever drop, bump or throw your helmet around - even in a fit of frustration after a bad race!

C. Customize your helmet with individual decoration and your name as this will make it less attractive to someone wanting to steal it!

D. To avoid damage, scratching  or knocks in transit always keep your helmet in a proper helmet bag.

E. Never put your helmet down on its top or its side as this will scratch the high-gloss finish and cause matt patches to appear!

F. When cleaning a dirty helmet remember that there is always grit in the dirt that will scratch the surface or damage the visor!

G. To clean use lots of disposable paper kitchen towells soaked in warm water and soak off the dirt rather than scrubbing it off.

H. Dry gently with clean dry absorbent cloth.

K. Apply a good quality spray-on furniture polish or car polish (no abrasive content) then buff-up for a superb gloss!

L. Take a pride in your helmet - have you ever seen a top driver with a manky helmet?

M. Do not apply stickers or adhesives to lower-priced helmets made of plastic composite materials (eg: BS Type-B helmets) as the adhesives may cause a breakdown in the composites!

N. Visor stickers (along the top of your visor) are a good idea as they can double-up as a sun-visor in very bright conditions!

O. Balaclavas: Most racers wear a balaclava! Regardless of how clean you may be the liner of the helmet will always pick up perspiration and grease from your hair. A balaclava will ensure that your helmet-lining always remains clean!

4. HELMET DECORATION:

A. Individual decoration, particularly your name, can make the helmet less attractive to thieves!

B. There are many companies specialising in helmet spray-painting but this can cost anything from £250 (for a very simple design) to £750 for a Formula-1 type jobby!

C. The cheapest method is to purchase a helmet in a single base colour (white, blue, black, yellow, red) with no design on it at all. Then see if you can purchase some self-adhesive graphics material from your local sign business and they will probably produce your name stickers for you too!

D. Purchase far too much of the self-adhesive vinyl to give yourself the chance to get it right without air bubbles or wrinkles and to repair any of the design that may subsequently become damaged.

E. Never apply pieces that are too big or fat as they will not be able to form properly to the curvature of the helmet.

F. Use a single colour of vinyl or multiple colours - with your imagination the designs are creative, variable and infinate! Designs can be bold and contrasty, relevent to the driver and even funny!

G. Flow your design or use the natural contours of the helmet to frame your design.

H. When cleaning your decorated helmet be careful to ensure that you do not burr-up the ends of the vinyl design.

K. We now have available some small "COVKARTSPORT SINCE 1996" helmet stickers at 50 pence each and small "Karting Magazine" helmet stickers free of charge. See below (approximate actual size):

L. www.covkartsport.com visor stickers are available to all COVKARTSPORT members free of charge.

M. If you want a Union Jack, St. Georges Cross or a any National flag to stick onto your helmet by your name -  a good idea is to go into a general motorists shop and look for them there. I have often found self-adhesive GB plates with a suitably sized St. Georges Cross that can be carefully cut off to use on your helmet.

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Nick Stanley, Covkartsport, 30th December 2008.