helmet visors

[woodyracing]

I've been told by a scrute (750mc) that i cant use my blue iridium visor because people cant see my face.

any thoughts ?

anyone else use iridium or dark tinted visors?

[Richy_Rich]

Never heard that before.

I was thinking of getting a tinted visor for sunny days, surely safer/better than sun glasses?

[Ian Sowman]

Normally not being able to see Woody's face would be a good thing - but the issue here is marshals being able to check that the drivers eyes are open quickly in the event of an accident.

[woodyracing]

oi cheeky

but loads of people race with dark or iriduim visors..

[ss_collins]

AS I said on the Vee site read Q11.

[woodyracing]

will do, soon as i get home.

[Richy_Rich]

Sorry, what's the Vee site?

Perhaps, it's a new rule to stop the age old tactic of sticking comedy 'wide open' eyes on your visor, then having a sneaky 40 winks while you race?

[ActiveMS]

Not sure. I raced with one last year and no scrutineer ever mentioned it? This year I have a darkened one, just not coloured.

[ianpearson]

This must be some sort of joke, I've used an iridium visor for the last four seasons, never had a comment. Is there a refernce to it in the blue book? Was this said to you this season? Dark visors are responsible for saving accidents, esspecially this time of the season when the sun is low. Did they make you remove it or did they let you race with it? I'd be interested to know more about this as i'll be intending to use my gold visor in two weeks time

[woodyracing]

formula vee has its own forum on the veecentre site.
I posted on ten tenths to get a wider audience.

someone in vee had a dark visor yesterday.

[woodyracing]

It was the same guy, he mentioned it last week at Mallory and this week at Donington. He let me race with it but suggested he might not in the future. Made a reference to something about glass being visible in both directions, ie windscreen in closed cars and helmet visor for open cars.
He mentioned that marshals cant see my face in an emergency, fair point but that should be my choice to take that risk.

[Ian Sowman]

I've just looked at a great Paul Sands pic of Justin Dawkins passing Peter Daly at Silverstone, and Justin's visor isn't clear. I think the key here is what the regs/blue book say.

[woodyracing]

or maybe the scrutes interpretation of it.

[ActiveMS]

There could be something about glass, but of course visors are plastic. So as said above it could be open to interpretation of a rule somewhere. There are so many being used from F1 down to FVee, you would have thought someone would have picked up on it before.

[Chris Y]

Originally posted by woodyracing
He mentioned that marshals cant see my face in an emergency, fair point but that should be my choice to take that risk.

This is an old issue, and I've heard lots of stories about these types of visor before (I think I might have mentioned it to you at Mallory, Woody). Basically, the Blue Book does say something about tinted visors being a no-go, but a lot of scrutineers ignore this because there are too many helmets sold with this type of visor.

In reality, the scrutineer who first checked over your helmet and gave you the little sticker (for a quid!) should have warned you about this, or possibly not issued the sticker unless you had a clear visor.

I'm afraid your point about it being your choice to take that risk is not valid. You could also say that it's your choice not to run a rollcage, but the regs are there for your protection. In the event of a crash and neck injury, rescue crews will not want to run the risk of damaging your neck further by opening your visor to see if you're still breathing. Therefore, the rescue crews insist that visors/windscreens offer clear view in and out, so that they can do their jobs properly - that's why such regs are in the blue book.

My advice would be just to change your visor. You can't argue this point with all scrutineers, just like I couldn't argue the point that red insulating tape on my front headlights was ok. (scrutes insist you don't have red tape on front lights, in case it looks like you're driving backwards - go figure.)

[Richy_Rich]

Pretty much sums it up then.

[ss_collins]

Chris Y - Roll cages believe it or not are not mandatory for modern saloon based cars... read L20.14.1 section d) post 1960 saloons - only reccomended.

Red tape utter rubbish that! I always run red tape on the golf - scrutes are strange often.

No Q11 states that only clear or nuetral density? visors are allowed.

[woodyracing]

ive seen people with clear visors and jet black sunglasses..

[Old Ropey]

Ive used a black visor, blue cara coat and for the last year a red LLC one, both in karting and cars. Ive never been told that I couldnt use it, and haven't heard anything so tell be they are not allowed this year, so ill be turning up at croft for the 1st round with my red llc and nothing else!!

[Ian Sowman]

Surely a car would be advisable OR?

[goforit500]

A racesuit is mandatory - It gets bloomin cold at Croft...

[P1-Paul]

What do they do in F1 (didn't a certain 3rd place BAR driver have a Blue one in MAL). I think they just like to be awkward!!! Shine a torch in their eyes and see if they like it........

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Chris Y
red insulating tape on my front headlights was ok. (scrutes insist you don't have red tape on front lights, in case it looks like you're driving backwards

According to my race results recently, I do that all the time!

[Sheila M]

I think you'll find that the reasoning behind non-tinted visors is so that you don't get the flag colours mixed up.

[verglas]

my guess is that you have come across yet another 'jobsworth' scrute, they do exist and you just have to learn how to play the game with them, no matter how irritating it might be at the time. There was an interesting thread here last year about some poor guy who had horrendous problems with a roadsports Triumph that was taken exception to by the powers that be in the scrutes dept. Consistency? Forget it!!