zeroracer (Offline)
#61
10/19/08 5:30 AM
The kill switch thing wouldnt be too hard, some friends and i had this conversation at one time and I believe closed cockpit racing boats use a check ball/tube style kill switch, it would work where if the car inverts past a certain angle say 85 degrees the ball would go up the tube, causing a short in the switch killing the motor
767 (Offline)
#63
10/20/08 1:47 PM
Safety, this is a very tuff issue, because it is not a CHEAP issue. If new seat belts were $100 or a new fire suit was $100 they would be changed out all the time. These items are not cheap. Large teams change there belts ou then sell them to smaller teams. Or look at the fire suits drivers wear. How many of them are wearing IRL related pit crew suits? Several. We need to sind cheaper ways for driver to be safe. Step 2 track safty. I knew the anderson speedway barels would be brought up. Open wheel guys can not stand the fact that when a car goes full throtel into them that it springs back onto the track. Yes this is bad, but the drivers WALK AWAY. I seen way to many stock car drivers severly injured when those barrels were not there. So take the good with the bad. Lets take a look at the burg. Millions of dollars spent redoing the place. How much was put in saftey. Concrete wall all the way around the out side, awsome catch fence mounted correctly, but no safer wall or anything like that to take the blow. No other track in indiana is going to be able to put that kind of money into there facilities. Why do we think things are going to change in the future?
fridaynightracer (Offline)
#64
10/20/08 7:16 PM
Yes i think there could be some safety issues addressed. But the racers know that there is a chance that they could get hurt. That doesnt stop them from strapping in every night. This is racing people expect it to be fast and exciting.Some of these ideas are crazy.
onthegas7j (Offline)
#66
10/22/08 8:21 AM
i use every piece of equipment i can get, have a good impact helmet, good alpine stars dual layer suit that i bought 2 years ago at the start of the 07 season, granted i havent run much the last 2 years being in the marine corps but they have served me well bein that i had a nasty flip last year, i cant aford a hans but i did have one of those generic hutchins kinda deals that gforce makes that was only around 100 dollars and that saved me a lot of headache. but i will never get in a race car again without that head and neck system again... I know everytime i get in that car i could get hurt just like im pretty sure daron knows he could get hurt to, but as racers we understand that and work past it, granted were not gonna do anything stupid to endanger ourselves, and take every precaution possible.
safetyworker (Offline)
#67
10/22/08 9:50 AM
Safety, this is a very tuff issue, because it is not a CHEAP issue. If new seat belts were $100 or a new fire suit was $100 they would be changed out all the time. These items are not cheap. Large teams change there belts ou then sell them to smaller teams. Or look at the fire suits drivers wear. How many of them are wearing IRL related pit crew suits? Several. We need to sind cheaper ways for driver to be safe. Step 2 track safty. I knew the anderson speedway barels would be brought up. Open wheel guys can not stand the fact that when a car goes full throtel into them that it springs back onto the track. Yes this is bad, but the drivers WALK AWAY. I seen way to many stock car drivers severly injured when those barrels were not there. So take the good with the bad. Lets take a look at the burg. Millions of dollars spent redoing the place. How much was put in saftey. Concrete wall all the way around the out side, awsome catch fence mounted correctly, but no safer wall or anything like that to take the blow. No other track in indiana is going to be able to put that kind of money into there facilities. Why do we think things are going to change in the future?
I appreciate your point...and let's expand on it.
Improvements to the track facilities are going to take time. As much as I am an advocate of racing safety, I am also a realist. We need to improve the factors within our control first...then we can move on to other areas. The SAFER barrier was not developed overnight. I wholeheartedly believe someone will come up with a short-track wall package that will revolutionize our tracks. We have some very bright folks in racing...it will happen. Approaching the owner/promoter at your local track about specific areas of concern with an attitude of problem-solving, not confrontation, will go a long way. How can we expect a track to invest in safety if the participants have not done the basics?
BTW, belts are not very expensive...new basic Simpson 5 pt @ $109...top of the line Platinum 6 pt @ $145.
New Simpson Super Sport firesuits (SFI 5) @ $399...not pocket change...and a lot less expensive than a basic emergency room visit and way cheaper than a trip to the Burn Unit. Let's think about upgrading to mutli-layer suits...at least FR undies!
onthegas7j (Offline)
#68
10/23/08 9:56 AM
i have fr undies and alot of guys dont wear em cause they say it gets to hot in the summer but i say hog wash, your life is worth a little bit of sweating for 30 laps plain and simple....
767 (Offline)
#69
10/23/08 1:29 PM
"I appreciate your point...and let's expand on it.
Improvements to the track facilities are going to take time. As much as I am an advocate of racing safety, I am also a realist. We need to improve the factors within our control first...then we can move on to other areas. The SAFER barrier was not developed overnight. I wholeheartedly believe someone will come up with a short-track wall package that will revolutionize our tracks. We have some very bright folks in racing...it will happen. Approaching the owner/promoter at your local track about specific areas of concern with an attitude of problem-solving, not confrontation, will go a long way. How can we expect a track to invest in safety if the participants have not done the basics?
"BTW, belts are not very expensive...new basic Simpson 5 pt @ $109...top of the line Platinum 6 pt @ $145.
New Simpson Super Sport firesuits (SFI 5) @ $399...not pocket change...and a lot less expensive than a basic emergency room visit and way cheaper than a trip to the Burn Unit. Let's think about upgrading to mutli-layer suits...at least FR undies!"
Thanks for posting prices, the ones i was looking at were over $200. I guess the main thing going on right now is the lack of support. Its to the point right now that if you get 20 cars to show up in each class you are doing very good. Less cars, less people, less money to go around. I think everyone understands this. I would applaud any track that would put tires up on the wall right now. Are they the long term answers, no. will they help, in some issues yes. Almost every race track has a pile of tires lieing around. You guys are right some things need to start happening. I would be willing to bet if a track wanted to do a project like this, they could probablly get some free help right here on the board.