I'd like to agree with you but some of those guys are dumber than dirt. Maybe they don't realize the helmet is junk or all they saw is the check and a box full of free helmets but shit lids are out there.
Well this and they have more funds. Every crappy helmet issue I have ever seen was a result of the rider having a lack of funds or being too cheap to spend $ on a good one. I just don’t see this type of mentality permeating thru the Motogp paddock.
I've seen riders with plenty of money buy cheap gear. Hell, I see it every weekend. Is it a huge issue in the GP paddock? No. But I'd absolutely bet it's an issue to an extent.
“I'm 25, I'm fucking dumb as dogshit, I haven't done anything at school, so I cannot even go to get a normal job even if I wanted that" https://www.motorsport.com/us/motogp/news/redding-post-motogp-future-moto2-wsbk-1047663/3129484/ “So I thought, f**k this, I need to do it before I leave the paddock this year, I need to get it down.” https://www.foxsports.com.au/motors...p/news-story/de31d2e4cc7f93dcd30d8370efe86c00 These don't look like the things a person in the know would say or do....
I've made sure that my helmets always meet way more than one standard. ACU, ECE, Snell and I always try to get one with a Sharp 5 star rating.
I guess I’m limited to thinking more about myself and the racers I hung out with and raced with. Not one would even think about running an outdated helmet let alone a crappy one. Even thou most of the date thing is a liability issue rather than a true lack of protection issue. I always got a brand new helmet at the start of each year. Sometimes I had to get another one mid season.
You see it at the club level. Sure a pro racer might be dumb but I seriously can't believe someone at that level would take the risk of putting any old bucket on their head. Are airbag suits required? I'd bet no but every racer wears one. Aren't there FIA patches already required on nomex undersuits and race overalls? This just seems like the same thing.
I've seen club racers do it. I've seen pros do it. I've see GP riders do it. No I will not be getting into a name the brand pissing match...
For club guys and track day riders the bigger issue is fit. An arai that is too big is just as bad as an ______ sh*t helmet. I know, I used to buy a too large lid until I actually had it professionally fit....went down one size.
Same here. Got measured and went down a size. Amazingly enough it was snugger but was just as comfortable with no pressure points and was quieter.
I wonder if the pros I saw wrassling with HJC liners flopping in their eyes and leaky visors actually chose them because "Gee, this helmet is safer than anything else" or "Gee, these guys are paying me more than anyone else"?
OMRRA did do that. They made a rule that stated the helmets all had to be either SNELL or ECE and production date had to be within 5* years of current race date. No other standard applied. No DOT, not SHARP, etc. Those two. Period. If you race in 2019, your helmet had to have certification of 2015 or newer. They checked it at gear tech on race day. They kept a compliance list at tech with just about every helmet manufacturer and model that published specs. Even if you had a brand new in box helmet that had the 2010 rating, you couldn't use it, as it was not compliant with the rule. You all (WERA) make the rules, why could you not do this? Not saying you have to, but not understanding why you couldn't? *It was in synch with how frequently SNELL updated their stuff.
I may have misunderstood, but it sounded like there wasn't a system in place. After re-thinking, I'm guessing that even poor protection helmets (the skull bucket equivalent of cheng-shin) can pay the SNELL fee.
Snell buys the helmets to be tested...no "specials" that way. They have a rather extensive test program. There is a debate on what their criteria is versus others but that's a different matter.