Autocross Helmets?

[KS1]

Is there any guideline as far as what type of helmet to wear during a race?

[Sponsor]

[WD40]

From the 2007 rule book:

4.3 DRIVER’S SAFETY EQUIPMENT
4.3.1 Helmets
Helmets meeting the following standards must be worn while on
course: All helmets meeting the current or two immediately
preceding Snell Foundation standards (SA, K, or M), or SFI standards
31.1A, 31.2A, 41.1A, or 41.2A are acceptable.
For maximum protection, helmets must fit securely and should
provide adequate peripheral vision. The chin strap must be securely
fastened. Loaner helmets should be available to vehicle occupants
not having their own.

"Current" standard is 2005.
"Two Immediately Preceding" standards are 2000 and 1995.
So, any helmet with a Snell 1995, 2000, or 2005 will work.
(There's also a Snell K-1998, but that's kind of a rare find)
And yes, it MUST be a Snell rated helmet (for SCCA).
A DOT helmet (if thats the only rating) will not work.

If you search the racing forums for "helmet", you'll get several threads on the topic.
I use a Snell M-2000 (HJC CL-31) for AutoCross, and a Snell SA-2005 (Pyrotect) for Road Racing.

[Dcl2049]

Yeah, if you don't plan on going further than autocross then just grab a M2005 rated helmet and it will probably outlast your Focus. Mine's pretty nice and it only ran me about $60 if I remember that right. It came with a clear and smoked visor included. Brand is Gmax.

[KS1]

cool, that's what I needed to know

thanx

[NintendoSkater]

Do you have to buy your own or can you rent them? Maybe it depends.

[SkaAddict]

^
It varies from club to club...usually they'll have a few loaners on hand that you'll have to swap with others. If you're going to be regularly going to track events I'd invest in a helmet, preferably a SA rated one rather than M...autox is fun, but you'll more than likely eventually want to step out of the parking lot and onto a full road course, and most tracks require at least a SA-rated helmet due to their fire-retardant properties (aka, nomex lining.)