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Well, just for the sake of making this a slightly less one sided crusade against open face helmets....
When I first started racing open cars I used a Arai GP Jet open face with goggles and a standard balaclava. I loved it. The feeling of speed, the wind noise, the smells are all more exciting, more involving that being sealed away in the sterile environment of a closed face helmet. It's exactly like the difference between driving an open car or a closed car. If you were that worried about safety and something hitting you, then why would you ever drive an open car in the first place? And if you're of the opinion that open face helmets aren't safe, then I can't see how you could justify open cars either.
And yes I have had stuff hit me in the face, and it hurts. So what, running into a barrier hurts more, but we wouldn't stop racing just because it might happen. I don't think you should criticise unless you've tried it. I have and know that if the car in front runs over some gravel spilled from a trap, and you're in an open car with an open helmet.... well you hunker down a bit and dip your peak a bit. It isn't rocket science.
If you want to go on a safety witch hunt, then try starting with making the historic racers out there fit full roll cages and 6-point harnesses. After all, it was the number of people killed driving in those things that lead to all the safety rules we have now.
Rant over...
Sorry.
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