Drivers helmet support 3.A.3 I would like clarification

[Sumner]

The following is the stuff they are talking about..............

     

........ at least I hope so  .  You can see that it is much denser.  Later the other bars in the picture will also be wrapped with it.

Sum

[panic]

Yes, it's a great idea...

for lawyers.

[Sumner]

   

...............Can bars be bolted to the main structure or do they have to be welded?....................

As you can see in the picture mine are bolted and the ones in .....................



................Rusty T's car are bolted in.  See the attached pictures and I'm sorry, but they are cutouts from larger pictures and aren't very good.  I should be over to Colo. in the next couple days and I'll try and remember to take some better pictures.

My feeling is that these restraints are not meant to supplement the structural integrity of the cage, but to keep your head from bouncing around in there and twisting your neck off.  Thus if they are securely bolted to the cage they will be far stronger than your head and meet the requirements of the rule, but I'm not the inspector in tech.  My car hasn't gone through tech, but Phil's has.  Hopefully someone in tech would maybe jump in here with a clarification.

c ya,

Sum
 

[hitz]

  You have to go with your best shot on this. Get as much information, talk to everyone that might be of help, read this forum, read the rulebook, remember the safety rules are minimums, pick the advice that makes the most sense not what you want to hear. When you step in the car, remember you have done your best job to keep yourself protected and concentrate on driving the car and enjoy.

  Harvey

[Bob Drury]

Roadster, I should have added that in the course of the conversation with Mike Manghelli who is the rules committee chair, he assured me that ALL tech members will be schooled on what is and what isn't allowed on the lateral restaint issue, and hopefully there will not be any problems.  I conveyed my concers that someone might tow a great distance only to find  that "inspector B" does not concur with "inspector A and C".  Mike said the intention of the rule is not to disqualify entrants, rather encourage upgrades to the head area, and as long as some form of adequate restraint is installed, no one will be sent home.  I don't like quoting from a conversation with someone else, but I asked Mike to post something on this site in mid December, and I havn't seen anything yet.  He did indicate that the SCTA-BNI site was going to have a question / answer section soon but I havn't been able to access it yet.  If anyone wants to see a copy of the E mail I sent to the committee chairs ( I misspoke when I earlier said I sent them a fax....sorry)  e mail me at lorideorbob@aol.com.  Unfortunately, the reply from Mike was by phone, so you will have to take my word for it or contact him yourself.    Bob

[Stainless1]

How does the fire crew get the driver out when the bars are now capturing his helmet?
Does anyone see a problem here?

But that's just me.

Panic, generally they cut the cage from around an injured driver, if the driver is fine, but trapped, jaws and carbide saw are again the tools of choice.  Cage deformation is likely and probably preferred as it might absorb some of the worst impacts.  Hopefully it won't deform enough to make the limited movement entrapment.  All of LSR safety is either learn from problems or attempt a preemptive strike and hope it works.  Every crash is different, all we can do is build to protect ourselves as well as possible.

[836dstr]

Prior to last November's El Mirage I added supports with SFI padding (actually 2 layers, 1" and 1 & 3/4") bolted to helmet bar. Side clearance from helmet to pad is 1" and is at ear level. Passed Tech no problem. I actually asked the inspector to check it out. Who knows what they might look for this year.

I am concerned that if a HANS or similar device is required that it might make getting into and more importantly, getting out of the car much more difficult.

Tom

[Bob Drury]

If you are looking at buying a hans type device, I think you should look at the R3 manufactured by Safety Solutions.  They do not stick out like a hans, are rated better, are used by most top fuel and funny car drivers, and are cheaper.  Look on racingjunk.com under safety equipment and you will see ads for new ones for around seven hundred bucks...............

[Stan Back]

RoadsterSwap --

The rule's been in effect for over a year now -- with a one-year grace period.  Why in the hell did you wait 'til now to fix yours?

(Don't bother answering me -- I'll be out in the garage where we're redoing the cage in the roadster.)

Stan

[rustyT]

Im with Bob,we checked all the hans type systems and chose the R-3 for a few reasons,the first and most important to me is that the device straps to you and your helmet instead of your seat belts like others,this means when your seat belts are undone,the R-3 is like a very small backpack that comes out with you.I talked to others that had run the Hans device and they said that in the event of a crash they had problems getting the Hans from under the seat belts to get out of the car,with the R-3 I can get in and out of the car without even knowing its there. The other reason ,and its a good one in my mind,is that almost every Top fuel team,Nascar,off road team,etc, choose the R-3 over the Hans.Its like everything,theHans was first and the R-3 was just improved in the areas that needed improved on.
Just my opinion,Phil.