SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1342270
HOW LEGIT IS YOUR SAFETY GEAR? The SFI and safety gear manufacturers warn of the dangers of counterfeit racing equipment By Larry Saavedra There is a steady rise of counterfeit racing safety equipment which is causing a problem for racers, especially those looking for lower-cost options. “Buyers are risking their lives or the lives of others by putting cost before quality,” says Mike Hurst of SFI Foundation. The non-profit organization was established to issue and administer standards for the quality assurance of specialty performance and racing equipment. A rising trend of counterfeit gear has SFI concerned and the foundation wants to inform teams and racers on what to look for. According to Hurst, the increase of fake and replica safety equipment, sold at deep discounted prices, continues to spill into the free-market online. “Typically we see people selling counterfeit safety equipment online and it’s usually coming from Asia,” says Hurst. “If you buy from a reputable source, that’s your best protection. If it’s from some anonymous source, especially at a very low price, consider that a red flag, and a racer should not cut corners on safety gear. Even name brand safety gear gets counterfeited. It’s a bad thing because you might rely on this gear to save your life.” How To Recognize Counterfeit Gear According to Hurst, counterfeit manufacturers have even gone so far as faking SFI and FIA certification patches that are sewn into the fire suits, gloves and underwear worn by racers. SCORE International’s tech inspectors are trained to identify counterfeit equipment. SCORE’s tech and safety inspectors look for misprint on the SFI label and any imperfections in the spacing of the stitching or lettering. In general, manufacturers of high-quality gear say that counterfeit equipment doesn’t have the quality appearance as the real thing, but the first clue is getting a similar racing suit, gloves, helmet, etc. at a dramatically discounted price. Be forewarned that SCORE tech inspectors can ban racers from competition if they determine any safety equipment is counterfeit. It’s recommended racers do their research on their safety equipment before coming to an event. Fraud Is Pervasive Online According to Hurst at SFI, new counterfeit equipment is also marketed online as “slightly used,” to further fool the buyer into thinking that the deal is legitimate. “If a deal is too good to be true, it typically is,” said Hurst. “Used safety equipment is generally a bad idea, but we see a lot of products that are advertised as used that turn out to be new counterfeit goods.” Hurst recommends staying away from swap meet gear too, because counterfeit goods are easily passed on to buyers through these temporary locations. A smarter idea is to shop directly from manufacturers or reputable retailers such as UPR, Summit Racing, PCI Race Radios, and others. He also recommends to stay away from anything that appears questionable on websites and classified forums. While SCORE rulebooks are clear on what types of safety equipment is allowed and what is not, it comes down to the racer themmself to determine that what they are buying is legit. “Counterfeiters are not very upstanding people and tend to hide. They are off-shore international entities and we go after them when we can,” said Hurst. “Ultimately it comes down to the buyers understanding the problem first.” SJ