Notice of decertification; .....issued to impact racing

[Twentyover]

From another board`I read

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


Doesn't mean the product doesn't comply w/ SFI requirements, but they been using bogus tags

[David Pozzi]

That's amazing!
Bill Simpson was a driver who raced at Indy for years. Hard to believe he would be involved in something as shady as this. It must be that SFI charges per label? So they could sell more products and not pay the fee I guess.
David

[Tiger]

OUCH! thats bad!

[James OLC]

That's amazing!
Bill Simpson was a driver who raced at Indy for years. Hard to believe he would be involved in something as shady as this. It must be that SFI charges per label? So they could sell more products and not pay the fee I guess.
David

My understanding is that is the case (SFI charges per label) and while putting a fake certification label on a certified product doesnt really compromise safety it's some of the other issues that I am suprised by:



MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The SFI Foundation, which sets safety standards and certifies equipment such as uniforms and helmets, announced Friday that it has terminated contracts with Impact Racing and all of its driver suits, arm restraints, shoes, gloves, socks, underclothing, helmet supports, and driver restraint systems will be decertified effective April 27.

The announcement comes while SFI and HANS Device creator Hubbard/Downing Inc. are suing Impact, owned by renowned safety pioneer Bill Simpson, over the use of counterfeit HANS helmet clips put on Impact helmets. The counterfeit clips had both HANS and SFI logos.

“Under the Contracts of Participation between SFI and Impact, SFI conformance labels and patches may only be obtained from SFI and no other source,” the SFI news release said. “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.”

NASCAR requires certain safety equipment to have SFI certification. Any drivers using Impact gear will have to change providers following April 27.

According to documents as part of the lawsuit, which deals only with clips and not uniforms, HANS alleges that Impact Racing bought counterfeit clips from China-based Richard Hung Enterprises for $8.90 a set – compared to $41.25 for the real clips – and were sold at a price of $52 a set ($13 below the HANS retail price).

In a deposition filed with the case, Simpson said while he did not dispute the clips were counterfeit, he never authorized anyone to engrave SFI or HANS markings on the clips.

Also in his deposition, Simpson said Impact made $52,000 in profit in 2008.

The bolding is mine - the article is from here (http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Bill_Simpsons_Impact_Racing_products_losing_certif ication.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter).

[Satatic]

Yeah some guy on the assembly line thought the scheme up.

[CarlC]

Wow. The hits just keep coming.

I wonder why SFI did not immediately yank the cert. It leaves them with a liability window.

[jfaria78]

I also heard that they were not making SFI-20a suits right. A couple guys got their arm pits burned real bad in funny cars last year becuase the stiching was not staggered between layers of nomex. Also heard he is making his stuff in China now... I personally don't like impact all hardcore stuff I have for drag racing is DJ or Deist.

James

[Twentyover]

Impacts response (note ot won't let me copy text)

http://www.impactraceproducts.com/

another comment from an SCCA racer in SC

"SFI are a bunch of crooks, kinda like a safety equipment mafia. SFI's board is comprised of the actual manufactuers of said products, so if you invent a product superior to a current SFI approved offering, your very competitors are the ones holding your fate in your hands, they have little to no creditablity (sic) in my opinion. I knew the guy who orginally invented a foam fire system for race cars, but the members of SFI would not allow him to even particpate in fire system test. While SFI lables themselves a safety company , they more resemble a monapoly (sic) to me. This is not the first time Simpson had had had to take it up th butt with SFI, his Simpson belts were blamed for Dale Earnhardt's death, when most close to the sport claim it was Dales' practice of wearing his belts loose, and installed incorrectly and his open face helmet as cause of death, Simpson was unjustly made to be the scapegoat, as a result he had to sell off Simpson and create Impact.

I also watched as SFI did not alow certification of the Issac head and neck restraint system, while it proved to be a better system for side inpact, in which the Hans did not fare well and the Hutchinson system handled a very private settlement with a Busch driver a few years back when it cause him to lose a testical. (sic. And Sick)

Make no bones about it, SFI is not about safety, it's about product monopoly. You can not have a board comprised of the people making the products be the very jury to decide the fate of new products and manufactuers."

Do your own research, make your own decisions

[Twentyover]

INDUSTRY: Bill Simpson, SFI Come To Terms
Written by: Robin Miller
Date: 04/01/2010 - 08:51 PM
Location: Indianapolis, IN
A U.S. District Court Judge approved an agreement between IMPACT Racing and SFI Foundation on Thursday that enables Bill Simpson’s safety company to give his 2009 and 2010 racing products a seal of approval.

SFI Foundation, the organization which sets the minimum performance standards for all forms of racing equipment, announced last week it was decertifying all IMPACT gear (excluding helmets) after a complaint from a former employee.

But, following Thursday’s hearing in Indianapolis and testimony from Simpson, SFI agreed that no counterfeit SFI conformance labels were used on IMPACT gear made in 2009 and 2010.

So the decertification was lifted for these two years but still in affect for years 2005-2008.

Simpson, a pioneer in motorsports safety on all levels, addressed the charges last week. “IMPACT would never knowingly do something like this because I’ve spent 50 years building a good reputation and, besides, it made absolutely no sense,.

“I’m just glad we can get back to the business of racing safety.”

Attorney James H. Voyles was pleased with the outcome. “We settled it, at least initially, and we’re going to work with SFI on those other years in question.”

This whole thing started when former IMPACT manager Darren Swisher produced an affidavit, charging that IMPACT hired an Asian company to produce phony SFI labels for seat belts, arm restraints, fire suits, uniforms, shoes and underwear from 2005 to 2008.

Last week Simpson scoffed at the notion his company would risk its operation for something so inexpensive. “Why would I do something like that to save a couple thousand dollars?” he said.




Sure sounds like someone at SFI was fishing for money, and found a PO'd previous employer to support them

[MonzaRacer]

Yeah I bet this was same guy selling SFI labels/stickers few years back at swap meets in Indy. Always wondered if those were on up and up, didnt really figure they were. My buddy bought a few, ink comes off real easy and they dont destroy them selves like regular SFI labels, at least on hard parts.