Impact Racing Products Decertified by SFI

Discussion in 'Racing MINIs' started by Nathan, Mar 27, 2010.

  1. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Do you have any Impact Racing Safety equipment on your Track car?

    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.
     
  2. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :confused5::frown2::shocked: Let The Buyer Beware. I would anticipate suits and countersuits 'out the wazoo ' over this chacainery(pardon the pun). Profitting at the expense of the customer's physical well being,way to go guys. Nothing is to good for the customer and that's exactly what they'll get, nothing.It's all mind over matter, they don't mind and we don't matter. Good old Nathan, always watching out for us Mini/MA people.:Thumbsup: Jason
     
  3. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Really feel for the drivers who after making what can be a substantial investment in safety gear to now find out that it could be unsafe and worthless unless Impact returns money which one would have to doubt. Without the SFI certification and the loss of customer trust it would seem to be a blow that they cannot survive from....:nonod:
     
  4. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    Sounds scandalous. I think it's Simpson who started that after a row at his last company.
     
  5. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Impact Racing was created by Bill Simpson after he resigned from Simpson Racing due to the controversy and death threats received when NASCAR pointed a finger at possibly faulty seat-belts contributing to the death of Dale Earnhardt.

    Keep in mind Bill Simpson is a real pioneer in racing safety.

    The Impact Racing site does have a short blurb on how they do not agree and will be taking action.
     
  6. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    They don't agree that the tags are counterfeit and/or that the equipment is unsafe? Either/or or both? Guess we'll have to wait and see. Jason
     
  7. N2MINI

    N2MINI MINI of the Month

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    Might be true, but I hope it's not!!! There was a time when Simpson was THE name is safety products..
     
  8. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Yep, Bill Simpson has been one of the most respected people ever in that industry. It's very sad to think he has sunk this low...
     
  9. works4me

    works4me New Member

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    Heh. Very clever. If you look carefully you'll notice that it does *not* say the products don't meet the SFI certifications. There's no way they would imply people can continue to use the products otherwise. Rather, it's saying Impact Racing isn'y paying SFI enough for the certification *labels*.

    SFI's business model clearly depends upon the revenue from the labels. It's an interesting way of getting money from the product companies without making it look like a conflict of interest. But it seems like threatening decertification because someone doesn't buy SFI's product *is* a conflict of interest....???

    The lawyers will have lots of fun with this one....
     
  10. roach13

    roach13 New Member

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    Didn't Simpson's old company have product involvement in the death of Daddy Dale?
     
  11. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Impact Racing was created by Bill Simpson after he resigned from Simpson Racing due to the controversy and death threats received when NASCAR pointed a finger at possibly faulty seat-belts contributing to the death of Dale Earnhardt.


    I would take credit for that inspired bit of literary magnificence, but alas, it would be plagiarism as some other dude already wrote it in POST NUMBER 5!!!! :mad2: :lol:
     
  12. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    Unfortunately the laws of physics were the cause of Dale's death when his car and body ceased to move in one direction while his head continued on it's trajectory.... There is a 99.99% chance that had he been wearing a Hans device he would still be with us today.
     
  13. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    Dale Earnhart Sr

    :nonod: Yes it's called a Basal Skull Fracture. It's very common in blast injuries and in this case rapid deceleration injuries. Car moving forward at high rate of speed hits immovable object. Body of driver well strapped in, is well protected. Unfortunately, head(not well strapped in) continues moving rapidly forward bending the neck and positioning the base of the skull to receive tremendous inertial forces. Result, strong neck stays put with base of skull firmly held by neck muscles. Remainder of skull ,with nice Heavy Helmet continues forward separating base of skull from remainder of skull. If initial speed is high enough,death is instantaneous.(Praise the Lord):sad: Jason
     
  14. roach13

    roach13 New Member

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    What's the point of your post?
     
  15. Steve

    Steve Administrator
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    I hope this hints at the truth.....or maybe I just need to buy a new helmet. :(
     
  16. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    That the question you asked had been answered four posts above your post...

    But I did temper it with a :D
     
  17. minimark

    minimark Well-Known Member

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    One would have to question a company who in an attempt to cut cost, counterfiets SFI labels and attaches them to their products. What other cost cutting measures have they taken??? Can you trust that they manufactured at the SFI standard?
     
  18. ScottinBend

    ScottinBend Space Cowboy
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    This kind of problem raises it's head every once in awhile in the bldg trades, counterfeit hangers, bolts, brackets and such. A company decides it can't afford or won't pay a 3rd party to verify that the product meets the minimum req's. So they apply stampings, labels, stickers still stating that the product meets spec w/o any testing or manufacturing over site.

    UL, ASTM, SFI and others are simply 3rd party companies that develop, publish and maintain manufacturing and performance spec's. They offer their services to any company that wants to manufacture a product that req's some kind of minimum standard. By having their label on the product, the manufacturer has declared that the product made meets the minimum standard set forth.

    Remember sometime ago when some Chinese manufacturers were found to have used "fake" UL labels and such? May still have been some safe products, but no way to really tell.

    If the company actually did apply "fake" labels, that would be the same as re-badging a Snell 1990 helmet with a current 2005 label. No way to tell if it actually does meet current reg's.
     
  19. cct1

    cct1 Well-Known Member
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    Thing is, I can't believe they'd do something like that--especially Simpson. The risk/reward ration is just way out of bounds, especially after what he's already been through. Just makes no sense; if they were knowingly doing this, eventually they had to know they'd be caught. I'm hoping there's more to the story that we haven't yet been made privy too...
     

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