I thought I already posted this, but can't find it. I may have posted this in the forum section for the BoD when I was on the board, but now can't access it.
I have a concern that the 5 year age from manufacture date limit on helmets is too short. While I recognize that helmet materials harden with age meaning they don't protect as well, it is yet another expense in this sport and could be adjusted to save competitors some money.
The issue with this is that, when you buy a helmet online or from Cycle Gear, you have no control over when that particular helmet was manufactured. The date of manufacture could be 2 years old already, meaning the helmet only has a 3-year life span for CMRA competition. It's not impossible that you could buy a helmet already at the age limit if it has been sitting on a shelf for years. I've also seen riders using helmets which are not SNELL approved on track, so we aren't checking these thoroughly enough in the first place.
I recommend increasing the helmet age to 7 years. This would allow for a 5 year life assuming the helmet is already 2 years old. This, to me, seems more reasonable.