On that same page you can see the number of skin-downloads you have available. That line reads "Number of available high resolution skin downloads :"
Every time that reaches 0 and you download your next hi-res skin, 1 pound will be taken from your account balance, provided you have it of course.
_Then_ that number at "1" goes up by one - it indicates the amount of times you've been assigned 2000 downloads.
Me too. After enabling high res skins, I raced with people that I raced the day before, and I could see their skin in high resolution without having to delete anything.
Are they separate? I at first thought they were. But when my account wasn't billed and it didn't look like a thing was beging downloaded, I enabled the 512 helmet option.
It was only then that my account was billed the one pound and the skins were being downloaded.
As for the number going on your account page each time you get a skin, I'm not sure this happens. I'm still at "1". I know I've gotten more than one skin so far.
This whole skin thing is pretty unclear. I read what the patch notes said and it still is unclear.
I agree that the developers should write up an FAQ on the skins and make it a sticky.