Tag: #safetyfirst

Keeping your helmet shield (visor) completely down and locked while driving a race car is the single most critical defense against catastrophic facial injuries, blindness, and fire inhalation. 

Keeping your helmet shield up might be tempting, but doing so at speed introduces massive, unnecessary risk for life-altering injuries. Whether you are a track day enthusiast or a seasoned racer, closing and locking your ballistic-grade visor before hitting the track is a safety protocol that cannot be compromised.

The Eyeport Firewall: SA-rated racing helmets feature tight eyeports, but a raised visor leaves your face completely exposed to instant, high-pressure flash fires, flying debris, blinding wind and chemicals. A locked visor acts as a literal firewall, giving you the precious seconds needed to activate your fire suppression system, stop safely, and extricate yourself from the car.

Why is this important? Extreme speeds and mechanical component failures go hand-in-hand right in front of or behind the driver.

  • Engine Failures: If a supercharger blows or an engine lets go, metal shrapnel, burning oil, and fuel can spray directly into the cockpit.
  • Chemicals and Oil: A lowered visor keeps these materials out of your eyes and, in the case of open cockpit circle track or sports car racing, you can utilize visor tear-offs, but only if the visor is down to being with. When oil or grime smudges your view during an endurance stint, peeling a layer away restores instant visual clarity.

Ballistic Debris and Rollovers: Racing speeds introduce other kinds of risks that a helmet shield is designed to protect against.

  • Dust and Debris: Even at speeds of 5 mph, if wind enters the helmet, it can instantly impair driver’s vision. Combined with fine dirt or dust, together they act like high velocity sandpaper, potentially causing irreparable damage to the eyes. When parts on the track impact the car or cockpit, it can be considered a ballistic strike. These are especially critical for open cockpit or race cars without front windscreens. 
  • Windshield Breaches: While most race cars have windshields, a heavy impact from a loose wheel, hardware, or trackside debris can instantly shatter the screen and enter the cockpit at high very speed. Your helmet and shield are all that is protecting your face and head, at that point. 
  • Structural Integrity: In a rollover, vehicles can slide and tumble over great distances, and in land speed racing, it can even be miles. Modern helmets rely on a locked visor to complete the structural loop of the helmet shell. This prevents the helmet from warping or flexing inward under the immense, repeated forces of a violent crash.

Takeaway for All Racers

Whether you are chasing a personal best on the drag strip, aiming for a record on the salt flats, or fighting for a podium on a circle track or road course, a down and locked helmet shield is the only acceptable visor configuration. Protect your vision, secure your helmet’s integrity, and give yourself a fighting chance by keeping your shield closed.

At Mayeda Motorsports, we encourage racers treat safety gear more than a compliance checklist. In a vehicle fire, your hands are your most vulnerable assets to manipulate the controls and extricate yourself quickly.

Here is why investing in premium, high-rated gloves is a necessity for every racer:

SFI & FIA Ratings

  • Certified protection: SFI and FIA ratings guarantee materials comply with and pass strict laboratory flame resistance tests
  • TPP breakdown: Thermal Protective Performance tests measure exactly how long a fabric resists blistering heat, protecting your skin
  • Counterfeit danger: Cheap, unrated knockoffs melt directly into the skin during a fire

Why You Should Exceed the Rulebook

  • Rules are minimums: Race series rules state the baseline protection required, not the maximum safety available.
  • Buying time: Higher-rated gloves feature advanced, multi-layer aramid fabrics that buy you crucial extra seconds in the event of a fire
  • The escape-time window: Those extra seconds mean the difference between unbuckling safely or suffering life-altering burns
  • Smart upgrade: If your class requires an SFI-3.3/1 glove, upgrading to an SFI-3.3/5 gives you significantly more protection and time

Gearing Up? We’re Here to Help

Do not compromise on the tools you use to steer, shift, and win. Invest in the highest level of protection your budget allows. We’re here to help you with access to the most cost-effective SFI- and FIA-rated racer safety systems. For more info, visit: https://mayedamotorsports.com/product-category/gloves/

The newest head neck restraint from NecksGen is available!

*REV X Lite- New from NecksGen

The REV X Lite is NecksGen’s newest style of head and neck restraint / frontal head restraint. It’s Made in the USA from a carbon fiber composite material, the new REV X Lite adds an extra element to driver comfort. The X strap system holds the device securely in place while driving, and also helps keep it where you want it while getting in or out of the vehicle. The straps are easily adjustable to make personal fitment easy, and the double adjustable tactical buckle in front is easy to use. The vertical chest straps have some adjustment to fit men and women both easily.  

Quick release helmet hardware is included!

Currently available with accommodations for 3″ wide belt guides that work with 3″ or 2″ wide shoulder belts.

With many racing sanctioning bodies now requiring a minimum 6-point harness, it’s time to make the step up to increased driver safety. Contact us for options that include both SFI and FIA certifications.

Going on now through February 28th, our line of Necksgen SFI-38.1 head neck restraints are on sale! If you’ve been looking to add a head neck restraint to your personal safety system, or looking to upgrade to the better engineered, lightest, and most comfortable HNR available, now is the time.