Solo Helmet Requirements for 2010
Due to conflicting memos from the National office, Mike Rogers has been trying to get a confirmation on whether Snell M95 helmets are legal for solo in 2010. Here's his report from the SowDiv meeting:
OK, I have an answer, but not direct from the SCCA office.
At the divisional meeting, the Solo Steward didn't have the answer, but the RE from Texas region is active in their Solo program and either he or their Solo chairman called the guy I sent the email to. I must not be the only thickhead, the SCCA guy is probably buried in questions.
Once you hear the answer, the wording is clear, but not so clear without the explaination, at least to me.
The wording in the Solo rulebook is "the current Snell rating and the two previous." Snell has decided to allow the manufacturers to continue to build M2005 helmets into the physical year 2010 while starting to build M2010's, making both M2005 and M2010 "current" at the beginning of 2010. Using that definition, the "two previous" are then M2000 and M95.
When the memo was sent out by the SCCA office, they thought the Snell M2005 would end Dec 31, 2009. They decided not to change the Solo rulebook for 2010, but instead extend the M95 helmets one more year. If the rule had said "the latest (or most recent) Snell rating and the two previous" then the M95 would be gone. Texas region bought twenty new loaners based on the same memo we used to buy ours.
So for 2010, as I understand it, our tech folks should accept M95, SA95, and K98 or later Snell ratings.
Now wasn't that easy?
And from the National office:
Hi, Mike,
Sorry for the delay. Lots of e-mail to catch up on and the office has been closed for weather.
The Solo Rules have said the current Snell standard plus the previous two standards. When the M2010 standard came out, the previous two normally would have been M2005 and M2000.
After several concerns from members, I contacted Snell. The M2005 standard is not going away and will be current with the M2010 standard. I brought this to the attention of the SEB and a revision was presented to the BOD. Since M2005 is not going away, the M2000 and M95 helmets are still good. Snell has never had 2 standards current at the same time before. It's not easy to determine the two standards are still current. I also thought that it would not be a big deal since the Solo Rules helmet requirements have been the same for quite a while (current plus previous two). The backlash from the membership warranted a deeper look into the Snell standards and what they really said.
I do realize the awkwardness and apologize.
Doug Gill
SCCA Solo Competition Manager
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