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All NHRA/IHRA legal driving jackets will have a patch similar
to the one on this RCI jacket. For brackets and legal class cars
slower than 10.00 seconds it must be a 3.2/A-1 label. For 9.99 seconds
and faster the tag must read SFI 3.2/a-5. |
When it came time to choose a helmet I looked at every possible brand.
There are some really nice helmets out there but I needed something
a little different. Somewhere along the line my skull blew up. I needed
a size 8 helmet. I talked to Jill at F.A.S.T. (Fresh Air System Technology)
about fresh air systems for full coverage helmets. During our conversation
the special size helmet I needed came up and she said they could handle
that part of it too. She suggested the Bell M-2 that came in sizes up
to 8 1/2 and were SFI 31.2 and Snell SA95 approved.
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This is the Bell helmet with the F.A.S.T. fresh air system attached.
As you can see it is compact and the hookup plug and wiring kit
are part of the package. Do yourself a favor on those hot muggy
days and evenings and get some Fresh Air. |
I ordered the Bell helmet; they installed their custom ductwork inside
the helmet and attached the inlet for the F.A.S.T. fan and filter. I
chose the fan that is powered by 12 volts rather than the rechargeable
type. The system on my helmet requires me to simply plug it into the
supplied connector that attaches to any 12-volt power source. The advantages
of the fresh air circulating in the helmet will be many, including no
fogged over glasses or helmet visor, no perspiration dripping in my
eye, better concentration because of the first two reasons, and the
filter keeps fresh air to me. I feel this system will enhance my chances
of winning and that is the purpose of the entire project. F.A.S.T. can
modify your existing helmet or set you up with a new helmet with their
system already installed.
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In these two photos you see the required arm restraints that every
driver in an open cockpit car must wear between their wrist and
their elbow when racing. They attach to the lap belt buckle. The
helmet support (neck collar) and multi-layer gloves all meet SFI
specs and are part of the required equipment RCI offers racers. |
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