April 22, 2010 - Yesterday, SFI advised the racing community that Impact suits bearing
3.2A/5 certifications “made prior to 2009 have been constructed with non-compliant materials that, in SFI’s judgment, pose a safety risk to users of those suits.” Impact responded by attacking SFI certification programs (although Impact and the other major equipment manufacturers have agreed to and participated in the development of these well-established programs); by claiming it could not get a fair hearing of the decertification appeal (although Impact asked for and received an expedited appeal procedure); and by claiming that “SFI’s actions have caused racers unnecessarily to question their safety.” It is this last point that requires a very specific response.

Scientific testing just conducted on 2008 Impact 3.2A/5 suits has determined that the
thread melts away in a fire. This causes the fabric to come apart since there is no longer thread to hold the suit together. SFI believes this poses a significant safety risk to the racer involved in a fire. Rather than being constructed with Nomex (heat resistant) thread, the suits were constructed with some sort of unknown non-compliant thread that melts during heat testing. This thread failure is contrary to the SFI specifications that Impact agreed to follow.

The reason that this failure was not discovered sooner is that Impact provided SFI
with Nomex thread samples in order to get their products tested and certified initially.
Manufacturers are only supposed to provide samples of the actual materials to be used in their products. It appears that Impact failed to comply with this procedure regarding thread. Finally, one suit tested failed to have the proper thermal protective properties in the material itself. Again, such a failure poses a significant safety risk. This safety failure by Impact is consistent with a pattern of non-compliance:

1. Last year, SFI discovered that Impact SFI 3.2A/15 and SFI 3.2A/20
rated fire suits produced in 2007 and 2008 were also made with thread
that melted during testing. In addition, these suits were often poorly
constructed, without sufficient protective layers of Nomex material.
SFI ordered the immediate decertification and recall of these
potentially dangerous products.

2. Last year, SFI discovered that Impact SFI 3.3/15 and SFI 3.3/20 boots
produced in 2008 were defective. Their materials failed heat resistant
testing. SFI ordered the immediate decertification and recall of these
potentially dangerous products.

3. Hans Performance Products discovered last year that Impact
deliberately manufactured and sold counterfeit Hans helmet clips and
attached them into the helmets of unsuspecting customers. These
foreign made knock-offs were inscribed with the “SFI 38.1”
inscription. Impact has never participated in this program. These
counterfeiting activities were occurring at the same time that Impact
was manufacturing counterfeit SFI conformance labels and patches.
Hans filed suit against Impact in federal court last year in Atlanta. SFI
intervened and joined in the suit against Impact. That suit is pending.

4. In 2004, SFI discovered that Impact gloves bearing SFI 3.3/20
specifications were made of material that was too light and failed heat
resistance testing. SFI ordered their decertification and recall.

Impact’s press release claims that there “have been no burns or other injuries
reported to Impact by any racer wearing Impact Race Products since its inception.” If
this is true, the avoidance of injuries is due in large part to the policing of Impact
products by SFI.

SFI was heartened when Impact finally admitted its own fault for previously
making non-compliant gloves, boots, suits and helmet clips and acted to address those
problems. SFI holds out the hope of a similar outcome regarding its pre-2009 3.2A, 3.3,
16.1 and 16.5 products, and that it will act in the best interests of the racing community
without further prodding by SFI. However, admission of their fault will not change the
fact that these products remain decertified and that Impact’s participation in all SFI
programs will end June 22, 2010.