Motorsport Helmet Requirements (Qld)

[The American]

When competing in Western Australia, a helmet complying with AS1698 was the requirement. This included my helmet, which was NOT full face. Full face helmets were recommended but not required for drivers of open top cars, fitted with a windscreen.

Will a non-full face helmet pass scrutineering for CAMS speed events in Qld?

[MattR]

Yes, CAMS is national so same requirements.

Though, personally I will only wear a full face helmet. As a fire marshal and competitor I have seen first hand what a mess can be made to someone's face when wearing an open face helmet, especially if driving an open car like a MX.

It might also be a requirement for MX5 club days to wear a full face helmet.

The other thing to check is the requirement for goggles as they also have to meet certain standards.

[JBT]

From the CAMS Manual:

4.4
GOGGLES & VISORS
Goggles or visors must be worn by drivers of open cars. Those with glass lenses of any kind are not acceptable. Lenses shall be of a plastic material, with high-impact resistance, satisfactory optical qualities and complying with Australian Standard Specification AS 1609-1981, BS4110Z or equivalent international standard.

Note:
Goggles must be configured so as to minimise the entry of dust into the eye from any angle, and be positively retained by an elastic strap behind the head or helmet. Conventional-style glasses are not
acceptable.

If you have an open face helmet or a helmet without a visor in an open car, you will need to wear goggles.

[greenMachine]

From the CAMS Manual:

4.4
GOGGLES & VISORS
Goggles or visors must be worn by drivers of open cars. Those with glass lenses of any kind are not acceptable. Lenses shall be of a plastic material, with high-impact resistance, satisfactory optical qualities and complying with Australian Standard Specification AS 1609-1981, BS4110Z or equivalent international standard.

Note:
Goggles must be configured so as to minimise the entry of dust into the eye from any angle, and be positively retained by an elastic strap behind the head or helmet. Conventional-style glasses are not
acceptable.

If you have an open face helmet or a helmet without a visor in an open car, you will need to wear goggles.

To be clear, MX5s, with or without a hardtop, are classified by CAMS as open cars.

Yet the application of this classification by the scrutes is highly inconsistent. So you might 'get away with' an open face helmet/no goggles, or you might not. Just be aware that if you chance it, you may have to find a replacement helmet/racing goggles at very short notice.

[manga_blue]

I wouldn't drive without a full-face. All sorts of things fly up from the back of the car in front: pistons, rods, pieces of block, gears, ...The windscreen is only one line of defence.

Worth noting that HANS will soon be mandatory in almost every form of competition, so worth swapping to something HANS compatible.

[JBT]

To be clear, MX5s, with or without a hardtop, are classified by CAMS as open cars.

From CAMS Manual of Motor Sport:

1.5 OPEN CARS: Any vehicle which does not have a supporting structure between the upper edges of the front windscreen pillars and rear window (where fitted) shall be regarded as an open car. Where a manufacturer provides a hard top as an option on an open car, this may be installed in compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions, but the vehicle remains regarded as an open car.

[adidistyle]

I recently saw an MX-5 with BOLTED in Hardtop pass scrutineering as a closed car. The driver was allowed to do Motorkhana without a Helmet. I was surprised.

Mind you, I think Motorkhana is defined as a Non Speed event. I am pretty certain that open tops were running without helmets at the MG Nationals last year. I was a bit surprised at that too.

[JBT]

CAMS do not require helmets for motorkhana events. So yes, caps etc. are fine. However, HSCC insists on helmets in all open cars for motorkhana events.
If you are driving a Motorkhana special, CAMS require you to wear a helmet to level B standard.
Khanacross head protection is level B standard.
CAMS Level B = approved helmet (AS 1698 etc.) and no FHR requirement.

[sailaholic]

I got a reasonably cheap snell approved rjays helmet from racer industries on the Gold Coast.


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[The American]

Ok, thanks all. Looks like I'll need to hunt up a new helmet.

[RS2000]

[quote="greenMachine
To be clear, MX5s, with or without a hardtop, are classified by CAMS as open cars.
:[/quote]

Not now if you need tools to remove? - see p6 of latest Cams Scrutineering news

ScrutineersNews_Issue05_2014_15-10-14.pdf

Cheers

[greenMachine]

[quote="greenMachine
To be clear, MX5s, with or without a hardtop, are classified by CAMS as open cars.
:

Not now if you need tools to remove? - see p6 of latest Cams Scrutineering news

ScrutineersNews_Issue05_2014_15-10-14.pdf

Cheers

I am not so sure. I don't see that bolting on a hardtop can be viewed as 'installed to the manufacturer's specifications' - we use catches. That might apply for an MGB or the like, but its application to us is not obvious to me.

I am not a scrute, but this wording is how it always has been AFAIK - that is, there has been no change in the requirements in recent times, they are just restating old news.

I am open to hearing differently from suitably authoritative sources though.

Vehicles with a removable hardtop option are considered as
closed provided the hard top is fixed in a manner that would
require the use of tools to remove it. The hard top must also be
installed to the manufacturer’s specifications.