Feel the burn, My first AX Options

[peridotian]

So my 19 year old son and I will be trekking down to Marina on Sunday and I am nervous (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon8.gif) because:
1. I have never driven in an AX
2. Neither has my son and he has barely driven a stick
3. I do not have a helmet
4. My accelerator pedal sticks at WOT sometimes
5. I am sure that we will be the slowest car in the field

So as I am cleaning up and tuning the car Saturday, I will take the kid out for several runs around town and let him grind off a few more teeth on my tranny, check my battery hold down, and maybe buy a helmet.

Is there a prize for worst time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap56.gif) of the day?

[Dave_Darling]

Where is a good place to get a helmet. ... Is there a good place locally, or can you get a good deal online? How much can I expect to spend on one?

Don't get a helmet on-line. It must fit to work properly--and you can't check the fit over the net.

Motorcycle helmets are acceptable as long as they're Snell-foundation rated. (M-2000 may be the current standard, I don't think they've got M-05 out yet.) You can get $100 helmets at a motorcycle shop that will pass tech. Higher priced ones will have more features, will weigh less, will look cooler, etc. Some or most of them will be better-designed and better-built than the cheapies, and therefore safer.

Spend as much on the helmet as you think your head is worth. I've got a $100 head... If you are going to the Big Track in the next few years, strongly consider an SA-rated helmet. (GGR does not require SA ratings on the track, but I think SCCA does.) For the most part, you will need to find a Racing Supply store for those.

Get one that fits correctly. An ill-fitting helmet is almost useless in a wreck.

--DD