Ok...ACU helmet and E accreditation? Just looking at the FE site and it states that all helmets at their events need to be ACU marked. But, my lid(s) do not have this sticker (which is readily availability from ebay BTW) The helmet I have used all year at track-days does not have the ACU sticker and has never been checked. So, what is requirement/standard (for the track or track-days)? :Bookworm: What's the scores George Dawes?
Having just done 4 days with FE I can confirm that not a fuck was given about your lid.. Just make sure you have drivers licence, track insurance for Spain (essential) and EU health card....good to go
If you go racing your helmet must pass scrutineering. One of the things checked is that it has the appropriate ACU "Gold" sticker with double line outline. Trackdays are not racing. It is down to the individual track day organiser (TDO) whether they do any form of scrutineering / equipment check, and to what level this is done. There is no law stating that any check MUST be done, but the track owner may ADVISE that certain checks are done, for example: single piece leathers or two-piece leather that zip together all the way round. Should the TDO make any check, it could be argued that should any incident occur where sub-standard equipment was allowed out on track the TDO becomes liable. Draw your own conclusions!
Even for racing, it can be the right EEC number as many lids dont have them these days As said tho, if its an issue buy a clump of them for a tenner
That's kind of what I'm implying. I have just purchased a new lid for TD's only. I have bought it from Germany and no ACU sticker. I'm assuming if I bought the same lid from a UK outlet it would have been/may have been "regionalised"? Is there a list of ACU approved lids? Is one standard a reconised equivalent to the the other, should a check be made?
IIRC, the EU laws on helmets have been adopted/agreed to be in use in the UK, so whereas previously your helmet had to have a BS sticker (either blue or green) to be in used in the UK, it may now also have the relevant ECE R22/05 regulation number on it instead. The ACU sticker is a UK-only additional as not all ECE/BS approved helmets are approved for racing by the ACU in the UK. The ECE R22/05 may either be on the helmet itself in the form of a graphic and/or inside the helmet as a sewn in label. See Shoei's site for an example: SHOEI Europe But again, trackdays are not racing and it's down to the TDO as to what "rules" they want to impose and whether or not they actually check them! When we raced at Assen they looked for the ECE label on the helmets at scrutineering and we were given a KNMV sticker on the helmet to show we could race - their equivalent of the ACU. I had some trouble as mine (an Arai Astro-R) did not have the ECE label (but was ACU Gold!) and they eventually looked it up in a book (which I presume was a reference book like the ACU rulebook) and it was listed in there as approved.
Thanks Antonye, seems as in many areas there appears a lack of knowledge and an inconsistency. It would perhaps be useful if TD organizers amended the wording to include the E standards? Or if ACU maintained a database of approved helmets as a reference? Anywho, here's my saucy new lid... :Bag:
I doubt there are many helmets these days that are not ECE compliant... my understanding is that these tests are somewhat basic! The BS tests had two levels - green and blue. The green stickers signified a lower testing standard compared to blue, but were still approved for road use. There were quips that you could tie a saucepan to your head to get a green BS sticker, and I think there was some truth in it! The UK has introduced the SHARP test rating which measures over specific tests such as impact and abrasion, and you can see the list of helmets here: SHARP Helmets - THE HELMET SAFETY SCHEME The government actually provide some pretty good information these days about bike gear, and you can find an online copy of the flyer here: http://think.direct.gov.uk/assets/pdf/dg_195215.pdf You'll still get a few imports coming in to the country (especially MX helmets for some reason!) but the EU has made the market in Europe a lot fairer on prices, and also the ECE R22/05 makes it easier for helmet manufacturers to make one helmet for all of Europe which helps keep costs down as it's only one set of certification required.
