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If you own any IMPACT RACING products, it will no longer be SFI certified according to this article. Therefore, if your track mandates SFI certified equipment, then you probably wont be able to run if you use this equipment.

This is IMPACT's response on their website:

SFI has posted on the Internet an Announcent that effective April 27 our products will be decertified. Impact is legally challenging this proposed action by SFI. Impact strongly disagrees with the statements of SFI's website. This is a dispute over SFI tags. Our products are certified. They are safe, and we stand behind them.

Here is the SFI article from www.sfifoundation.com

March, 2010

March 26, 2010 - NOTICE OF DECERTIFICATION; NOTICE TO CEASE AND DESIST AND TERMINATION OF ALL CONTRACTS OF PARTICIPATION ISSUED TO IMPACT RACING

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. Evidence obtained by SFI shows that over a period of years Impact Racing has engaged in the production and use of counterfeit SFI conformance labels and patches, and affixed them to Impact products for use in motorsports. Under the Contracts of Participation between SFI and Impact, SFI conformance labels and patches may only be obtained from SFI and no other source. Evidence shows that Impact had counterfeit SFI labels and patches made in Asia and then affixed them to Impact products it distributed to members of the racing community. To SFI’s knowledge, Impact never advised its customers that its products contained phony SFI labels and patches. Impact never advised SFI of its systematic and longstanding practice of counterfeiting and distributing SFI patches and labeling.

Impact has been directed to cease and desist from this practice. SFI has directed Impact to immediately notify all affected customers to remove the counterfeit labeling and to offer the affected customers a full refund of the purchase price. SFI is requesting that all counterfeit conformance labels removed from Impact products be sent to SFI.

SFI has elected not to decertify these products immediately in order to minimize the potential hardships to members of the racing community that have been brought about by Impact’s counterfeiting activities.

SFI has also elected to terminate all Contracts of Participation with Impact Racing effective 90 days from March 24, 2010. Under the terms of the Contracts, either party may terminate the agreements without penalty upon 90 days notice. This means that Impact will no longer be able to participate in any SFI programs after this 90 day period.

SFI has taken these actions in the best interests of the safety and integrity of the racing community. This is in keeping with SFI’s mission and purpose.

For a downloadable .pdf of this notice, please click on the following link: Decertification Notice 03-26-10.

How much do you want to bet it's all about money. How much does Impact (and the end user) have to pay SFI per item that it's tag is put on. Who checks SFI and their testing or are we supposed to just trust them. I personally put more faith in Mr. Simpson who has dedicated his life to safety than I put in some facility that only checks one in every _____ pieces.

www.harleytrikes.com

Ya? Well then would it be a fair question to ask - how much did Impact Racing make off the consumer for SFI tagging that wasn't legit but they put the tag on indicating it was? I'd say you're right about one thing - it is all about the money(as usual).

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

Of course it is about money. If it were an actual safety issue, SFI would have decertified immediately to avoid potential lawsuits.

It sounds like everything Impact currently sells meets SFI specs, the only issue is where the tags that said so came from. It appears Mr Simpson tried to save the racer a few bucks by using his own printer for the labels instead of going through an SFI approved vendor.

"Sounds like" is something I wouldn't put anyone's life on the line for. Show me a guy cutting corners, and I'll show you a guy cutting corners.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

Phil Taylor

home-theater-systems-advice.com

no, but UL is, and holds a crapload of wieght in my industry/profession, Agreed its about the coin, IMO, Imacts products are top shelf ,excellent quality, I dont believe my sanctioning requires the SFI certification on belts ,but does require a manufacture date , I guess Ill have to do some research? the "non profit" makes me grin a bit, because, usually somebody pockets the profit, "yep. looks like were hanging by a string again this year ,hand me the sunblock ,would ya " .

But UL Listed and UL Approved is completely different thing too....

People don't buy Impact because of the SFI label. People buy Impact because Bill Simpson is behind it. I'm willing to bet up until a couple days ago 95% of the buyers of these products didn't know what the SFI label even was...or really care.

www.harleytrikes.com

Fair enough. If you go out and purchase some Impact gear today....March 30th, 2010....it is SFI certified. Something is going to happen on April 27th that will make that gear UNcertified, but as of right now SFI says it meets their specs. The gear will be exactly the same as purchased today, will it be any less safe on April 28th?

In short I trust Bill Simpson a lot more than I would trust any lawyer or "non-profit" group

***SFI has elected not to decertify these products immediately in order to minimize the potential hardships to members of the racing community that have been brought about by Impact’s counterfeiting activities.

SFI has also elected to terminate all Contracts of Participation with Impact Racing effective 90 days from March 24, 2010. Under the terms of the Contracts, either party may terminate the agreements without penalty upon 90 days notice. This means that Impact will no longer be able to participate in any SFI programs after this 90 day period.

****IS IT JUST ME OR IS 90 DAYS FROM MARCH 24 ACTUALLY JUNE 22?*****

However, I am like you. If they really thought someone would get hurt, then they would not want to be held accountable by still certifying it. On the flip side, there are probably some that are legit, so they didnt want to decertify those immediately so the racer could still race. If someone did get hurt, they could come back and say that it was a fake patch and they had this lawsuit open and not be held accountable.

Also, how many track officials have come to your pit and inspected your suit for SFI tags? As a driver it is our responsibility to make sure we are as protected as we want to be. That is why some guy's wear balaclavas, some dont. Some wear nomex underwear and socks, some dont.

However, Impact was not lowering their prices because they were not paying this fee. They had the same price and sold it as though it went through SFI inspection so we the racer would feel more comfortable about purchasing it.

It seems a little strange on both parties. My guess is that it would pass the SFI test with flying colors because Impact would not want to be sued for not having equipment that met the standards they said it did.

Fair enough. You trust the lesser of 3 evils a lot more - assuming the non-profit is evil and the SFI certification did nothing to help promote safety for the racing industry and try to keep manufacturers honest in their business practices to protect the consumer - allbeit for a couple of dollars.

I'll stick with the evil that didn't try to cheat their way through to profits.

Funny species this man-kind.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

I guess that my reasoning is that I consider most lawyers to be blood sucking scum.

I have no doubt that SFI has helped promote safety, it's just that I would bet a very large sum of money that Bill Simpson has done more and cares more about the racers safety than the entire staff of SFI put together. Even SFI has not come out and said that the equipment does not meet specs...only that the label was printed by someone that they didn't get a kickback from.

One thing for sure is that I would like to know more about this non-profit group SFI. Who created the foundation and who oversees it? How do they determine what meets their approval and what doesn't? How much is their operating budget, how much do they charge per label, how many employees do they have and what do they make? How much of their "income" is spent on R&D....etc, etc, etc.

All legitimate questions.

Many people have a vast mis-understanding of what a non or not for profit business is. Rest assured there are plenty of taxes being paid by the people who sell the legitimate SFI tag/label, as opposed to the counterfeit label - or so the SFI statement would allude to.

And you're right, not one person has said the equipment is not safe, although it was indicated that SFI could not legitimately tell you if it is or not, based on counterfeit labeling, thus their de-certification process. I guess counterfeit is just a term we need to accept. Well, not we, but you and whomever else paid for something they weren't really getting. I won't bet, but will instead keep my money to use towards legitimate, legal, business practices.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

maybe, I just feel like arguing today?, no really, in simple conversation fassion , Im no lawyer, but, im sure one could explain the major differeance in "Listed "or "Approved",In some court case, a master of "words and interpretation" could lie or smell his way through a loophole, collect some money, and win a case, For the drivers sake on this board , A majority of them that have the balls to straddle a torque tube are not the simple Sam, brain dead , personalities some presume they are, Honestly if you dont understand/ or never heard of sfi ratings by now, listen up, or just go back to demo derbys

All of that info can be found here:

http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/953/953243714/953243714_200906_990O.pdf

Phil Taylor

home-theater-systems-advice.com

Member of this message board since 1997

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/industry-bill-simpson-sfi-come-to-terms/

Please provide link to where Bluteam ever made such a statement or admit this is just more Patrick Grant being a Richardhead.

Please acknowledge the fact that your statement that you never argue or start poop on "other" message boards was false or admit this is just Patrick Grant telling more lies. For the record - since making the false statement, you are 4 for 5 in threads on Hoseheads. I've been keeping track for you.

Please report the facts as they are - this rescinding of the SFI de-cerification does not apply to equipment dated 2008 or earlier(roughly the time that the poop started to hit the fan - or in other words - the time that the questioning of said safety gear started to come to light.

Please acknowledge the fact that the late great Hawker and all his experience and wisdom still cannot ante up - be it race car, poop box, finishing order, or now - even safety gear.

So you go ahead and bring on the attacks with your false reporting and lies almighty Patrick Grant. I find it troubling that you would attack a situation that raises questions about a safety certification process. Makes me want to get on an airplane that you've worked on. uh huh. Wait - are you even working? Sure you are. LOL

To recap - lifting of the de-certification of Impact racing Products by the SFI Foundation applies only to products manufactured AFTER the product certification started to come to light. If you own anything pre-2009, looks like there's still an issue.

And I find no joy in anything relative to this subject of SFI and Impact Racing other than the fact someone had the balls to bring a potential safety issue to light.

Have fun Patrick.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.