Standards for helmets in motor sport are changing. From the beginning of 2010 some existing helmets will no longer be acceptable. Only helmets bearing one of the following standards may be approved by the MSA:

FIA 8860-2004                        SFI Foundation 31.1A 31.2A

SNELL SA2005                        BS6658 Type A/FR

If you go to a motorcycle store to buy a helmet, you will find nearly all are marked “ECE22-05 EUROPEAN APPROVED”. Japanese manufacturers decided — in the interests of pan-European marketing — to adopt the UN ECE 22-05 standard, which is now required by over 50 countries for road use by motorcyclists.

Beware! A helmet with only an ECE22-05 sticker will not be accepted by an MSA scrutineer.

No single helmet designed to a particular standard can provide the maximum protection in all types of crashes and no helmet can protect the wearer against all foreseeable impacts. To assess their performance, helmets are subjected to a variety of tests, the various standards requiring different test routines to be applied. The ECE tests can be performed by the manufacturer, and each test is carried out on a new helmet. They do not include penetration tests nor flammability tests. By contrast, the BS tests are carried out independently (by the BSI), and do cover penetration and flammability. The tests are performed sequentially on the same helmet, and include a double-impact test — two impacts at the same point on the helmet, to simulate bouncing down the road on your head.

Specialist suppliers such as Grand Prix Racewear. Demon Tweaks and Merlin Motorsport, supply helmets that meet one or more of the standards required for motorsport use, as shown at the top of this page. (You may find other suppliers of suitable helmets advertising in the pages of Motorsports Now!)

Remember that the fit of the helmet is as important as its quality. It should fit snugly with no side-to-side movement; the chin strap must always be under tension, and it should not be possible to remove the helmet by pulling it upwards and forwards from the back. See the MSA Blue Book section C(c) 87-100 for details.

One other safety-related change is being implemented in 2010: the wearing of flame-resistant gloves will be mandatory; they will be inspected at scrutineering in the same way that helmets and overalls are currently. Not such a bad idea when you consider all the everyday things you could no longer do if you suffered severe burns to your hands.

Allen Harris, September 2009