Landracing Forum
Tech Information => Technical Discussion => Topic started by: desotoman on March 26, 2010, 03:48:37 PM
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Might want to check this out if you use Impact Racing products.
Tom G.
http://www.sfifoundation.com/
http://www.sfifoundation.com/DecertificationNotice03-26-10.pdf
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Very Sad. I would really like to know the Whole Story but it sure does not look good for Bill Simpson.
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Didn't something like this happen when Dale Earnhart Sr. died?
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NO.....!.....
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The main issue is if the products were originally certified as safe by SFI. Applying counterfiet SFI stickers on untested
products is lower than whale poop. SfI must get a payment on every sticker as they do if you want to get their latest
chassis spec changes [$35].
Simson was busted a few years back for employing several undocumented workers.
JL222
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Sad story. I heard about it from National Speed Sport News, here: http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/node.php?id=2991 (http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/node.php?id=2991)
That company is toast. Nobody will ever trust them (especially with their lives) again.
I notice that Bill Simpson's Wikipedia page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Simpson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Simpson) - has been edited to include:
SFI Decertification
"SFI Foundation, Inc., has issued a Notice of Decertification; Notice of Cease and Desist, and a notice terminating all Contracts of Participation to Impact Racing. Effective April 27, 2010, all products manufactured and/or distributed by Impact Racing pursuant to SFI Specification Programs 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1, and 16.5 are decertified."
An earlier paragraph on that page addresses the Earnhardt controversy:
"Simpson Performance Products was involved in a great deal of controversy in the February 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt. There was a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not a seat belt manufactured by the company had malfunctioned. NASCAR's investigation into the crash in part blamed seat belt failure. Simpson received death threats and bullets into his house, which led to his resignation in July 2001. Simpson sued NASCAR for $8.5 million defamation of character suit. Simpson withdrew his lawsuit with an undisclosed settlement."
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Posted today.
Tom G.
March, 2010
March 29, 2010 - UPDATE ON IMPACT RACING PRODUCT DECERTIFICATION
On Friday, March 26, 2010, SFI filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana against Impact Racing, LLC, based upon evidence SFI has received regarding Impact’s manufacture and use of counterfeit SFI conformance labels and patches. Such actions by a manufacturer directly violate its obligations to the SFI program. SFI took similar action when it joined in Hans Performance Products’ lawsuit against Impact due to Impact’s manufacture and use of counterfeit Hans helmet clips. In that case, Impact counterfeited the clips and inscribed an SFI rating on the clips without SFI knowledge or approval. As in the Hans clip case, SFI is asking for another Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction against Impact. SFI is also seeking monetary damages. Please see SFI’s web posting of March 26, 2010 for more details on the basis for SFI’s position. At this time we do not know the exact extent of these counterfeiting activities, but through the litigation process we hope to learn all the details. During the years that Impact was using the counterfeit labeling, it was also obtaining authentic patches and labels from SFI. At this time SFI does not know how many products have counterfeit labels and patches and which ones have authentic labels and patches. Therefore, it was unfortunately necessary to decertify all the products manufactured by Impact pursuant to SFI specifications 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1 and 16.5. Please note that Impact helmets are not affected by this decertification.
It is important to keep in mind that any such use of counterfeit labeling is in violation of the SFI specification programs. Whether it involves counterfeit helmet clips or counterfeit labeling, such activities can undermine the integrity of the product ratings system that exists in motorsports. This system depends upon trust. If this system is damaged, all of motorsports can suffer the consequences. Manufacturers that agree to the SFI specification programs must meet rigorous and strict requirements. Those stringent standards are in place first and foremost to promote safety and product reliability. Racers and sanctioning bodies must have confidence in a manufacturer’s representation that its products are in compliance with SFI requirements. The conformance label is a manufacturer’s solemn statement to the racing community that it followed the rules in bringing its product to the sport. When this trust is violated, the racing community suffers. The level playing field for other manufacturers becomes uneven. Sometimes the consequences of a breach of trust are severe and can hurt innocent victims. This is why it is so critical that manufacturers follow the ratings system at all times.
SFI will continue to update the racing community as more information becomes available.
For a downloadable .pdf of this update, please click on the following link: Impact Decertification Update 03-29-10.
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SFI PRESS RELEASE - Response to the Impact Racing Press Release of April 22, 2010
April 22, 2010 - Yesterday, SFI advised the racing community that Impact Racing 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.
SFI PRESS RELEASE
April 21, 2010 - SFI issues the following press release. Please review this carefully:
1. Impact Racing has withdrawn its appeal of the decertifications of its products bearing SFI 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1, and 16.5 specifications manufactured in the years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The decertifications of these products are now permanent.
2. The decertifications are based upon a number of the affected products being non-compliant with SFI specifications concerning labeling and construction. In addition to the presence of non-compliant SFI tags and the absence of DOMs on products, 3.2A/5 suits made prior to 2009 have been constructed with non-compliant materials that, in SFI’s judgment, pose a safety risk to users of these suits.
3. Impact Racing is permitted to maintain the certification for products bearing SFI 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1, and 16.5 specifications manufactured in 2009 and 2010. SFI’s investigation of the labeling and construction of these products is ongoing. Impact’s participation in the SFI specification programs ends June 22, 2010.
4. Any Impact product with SFI specifications 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1, and 16.5 without a date of manufacture (DOM) is deemed to be a decertified product unless the manufacturer has provided the product user with proof that it was manufactured in 2009 or 2010. This proof must be presented to track officials upon request. Impact believes that its products made in 2009 and 2010 have the DOMs affixed to products to the extent mandated by SFI specifications.
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We need to know all the names of the owners and excretetives of impact [low life] racing so they can be hooted out of any future racing business.
Any bets on that's what there planning?
JL222
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Seems to me that if anyone who purchased decertified products through a distributor (IE: Summit,speedway,RPW,etc,etc) should be able to get a full refund from them if not from Impact themselves.
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wow..!.... this turns a new light on in this situation...... man.... its disheartening to hear that a reputable manufacturer of a safety product has been defrauding and endangering racers who support there products for years..... Just as bad is the overseeing organization has know of defective and unsafe products for 6 years..... wtf.!....
kent
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wow..!.... this turns a new light on in this situation...... man.... its disheartening to hear that a reputable manufacturer of a safety product has been defrauding and endangering racers who support there products for years..... Just as bad is the overseeing organization has know of defective and unsafe products for 6 years..... wtf.!....
kent
Kent, I seem to agree,,,, from what is in SFI's statement,,, they "seem to" admit they knew of unapproved thread and material going as far back a 5 to 6 years,,, why is this only coming out to the racing public now ? If it was in fact a safety issue, they should have made public this info right away.
I feel bad for any racers that have any equipment from Impact that is effected by this decertification
Charles
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Sometimes is takes time to get enough evidence to build a compelling case. Unfortunate the racers, but necessary for legal proceedings.
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If you want Bill Simpson's side of the story go to the Impact website www.impactraceproducts.com
interesting
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Very interesting,,, there is a whole lot more to the story than we will ever know.
Who would still wear an Impact Suit ?
Even if Impact prevails, I am afraid the damage to there credibilty may not recover.
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The safety equipment designed and manufactured under the supervision of Bill Simpson saved my butt more than once. If he says it is good, then that is good enough for me.
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Saw a crew chief wearing an Impact suit yesterday during the nascar race. Must still be good enough to wear sitting on top of a pit box :evil:
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Actually the whole team was still wearing Impact. I was in a big fire in a late model stock car. I was involved in a wreck and my dry sump hoses were tore off the block. Car went up in a huge ball of fire while I was still moving. I was wearing Impact at the time and only suffered minor burns. There is some good reading on Impact's website.
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Actually the whole team was still wearing Impact. I was in a big fire in a late model stock car. I was involved in a wreck and my dry sump hoses were tore off the block. Car went up in a huge ball of fire while I was still moving. I was wearing Impact at the time and only suffered minor burns. There is some good reading on Impact's website.
Did your suit have the non -nomex thread and the sub-standard material?
I wouldn't believe a word those low lifes said, if I knew they were telling the truth.
JL222
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On yesterdays “Wind Tunnel” program they mentioned somewhere around 150 (cant remember the exact number) competitors were not allowed to race at a drag race event in TX unless they had replaced the non-compliant safety equipment. In the end I think only about 7 could not buy, borrow or find the safety equipment to race. All I have ever used was products developed by Bill Simpson, but now after that trust has been broken I will never use his stuff. Tony
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JL222, please read your statement and comment again for us. I reside in the dimwitted slow universe; is it his lying mouth, your deceiving ears or your brain that is causing you the conflict and grief?
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JL222, please read your statement and comment again for us. I reside in the dimwitted slow universe; is it his lying mouth, your deceiving ears or your brain that is causing you the conflict and grief?
Brain :-D...No conflick and no grief from me,but there is plenty of grief from sellers of inpact products and lots of conflick and grief from racers sponsered by inpact.
JL222
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I wouldn't believe a word those low lifes said, if I knew they were selling the truth....
Joe :)
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:cheers: