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Thread: August FasTrack is out

  1. #61
    Join Date
    May 2003
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    Cumming, GA, USA
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    5

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    Originally posted by gsbaker:
    If it comes to that, Wayne, we will pay for your HANS device and provide a sticker that reads, “This thing sucks.”

    So your contention is that the HANS device is a dangerous rip-off sold by greedy scumbags? Might want to change the FAQ on hour website then...

    While I have some very strong opinons about harnessbelts versus the ones I sell I would NEVER put anything like that in writing unless I was sure I could prove my contention in court.

    I can certainly understand your frustration with SCCA's rule-making processes, but I would hardly characterize making a presentation (biased or otherwise) as some sort of underhanded business practice. It's like a local store owner screaming that Wal-Mart is evil just becuase they have a larger advertising budget.

    For what it's worth, I think the restraint rule is very goofy as written. The basic idea is a good one (making sure the drivers can be extricated quickly), but the rule needs to be written more intelligibly and it doesn't seem like re-writing the restraint system rules is a good way to go in any case.

    Realistically, ANYTHING can end up snagging when you try to get out of a car (I almost got whiplash from a drink bottle tube getting caught during a driver change). I even pay attention to how my shoes are laced now because I've had them catch on things in the cockpit while getting out.

    If we tried to write specific rules govering every possible situation we'd end up with a hundred pages on cockpit configuration. Honestly, the egress rule was the most sensible rule Pro ever came up with and adopting something similar in club racing would be easy to implement and wouldn't add that much time to an annual tech.

    "Strap in, put your helmet & neck restarint on. Now the window net. You've got 10 seconds. Go!"

    Device or no device, if you can't get out of a race car that fast you probably don't belong in one.

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    127

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    Wow...They added 14" wheels to the '95-'98 Eclipse spec line like I told them to. The system DOES work :-) Too bad I bought a Neon instead. Well, not too bad, it's a much better platforn to build a racecar out of, and for now I'm autocrossing it with great success.

  3. #63
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Apex, NC, USA
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    192

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    I routinely practice getting out of my car: thru the right window; thru the left window; head first; feet first; with and without the steering wheel, cool shirt hoses, radio wires, and Isaac connected; AND with my eyes closed. I try to do everything short of knocking out the front or rear glass or flipping the car over.

    I also practice these things at the track. After most practice and qualifying sessions, I'll leave the wheel, helmet, etc. on and crawl out thru one of the windows. I've also found that a good off season activity is to go out in the garage after dark, strap in, have someone turn out the lights, and practice the egress. I even practice locating and unclipping my hand held extinguisher with my eyes closed.

    It is my opinion that everyone should practice these types of things. It is also my opinion that the Isaac was the perfect choice for my situation. If the SCCA decides to not allow the use of the Isaac, I will continue to use it until the Stewards won't let me. At that point, I sincerely beleive that I would unload all of my stuff and move onto one of my other hobbies.

    I don't work for any H&N manufacturer nor do I sell any of their products. But I can't say that I don't market any of their products because I do let people know about my Isaac.

    What's next? Are we going to have an "Official H&N device of the SCCA"? Are they going to restrict us to one manufacturer of suits, shoes, helmets, gloves belts, nets, etc.??

    I suppose I need to make myself a bumper sticker that reads "It's the Isaac or it's the highway".

    - scott gallimore
    ITC #88 Nissan Pulsar
    driver, F&C, starter, race control

    [This message has been edited by sgallimo (edited July 08, 2004).]

  4. #64
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Apex, NC, USA
    Posts
    192

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    Originally posted by Banzai240:
    Guys... I just ordered a new set of harnesses (literelly JUST ordered them) from RacerWholesale... 6-point G-Force with the standard latches for $64.00... You can't tell me that $32.00 a year is going to make or brake your racing budget...
    [Hmm.. Darin, that might be the first post of yours that bothers me. I had the same strange feeling inside that I did when, years ago, my boss's boss returned my United Way pledge card because he didn't feel I was donating enough...]

    For ease of driver changes, we prefer the camlock version which is $115. And no, $57.50 a year is not going to break my racing budget. That isn't the point. The problem is with the SCCA forcing us to spend money to replace perfectly good equipment.

    I really do have doubts about the competence of any governing body that could believe that exposing an incredibly oversized seat belt to the elements for more than 2 years would result in a significantly larger decrease in driver saftey than using and washing a driver's suit for 10 to 15 years would; or racing on 20 year old suspension parts; or ....


    ------------------
    -Scott Gallimore
    -ITC #88 Pulsar

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    st. louis mo.
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    433

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    You know we talk about seat belts,makes me wonder about the belts in my street car,subjected to even more abuse.2-5-10 years old...makes you go hmmmmmmm..mike g.

  6. #66
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Renton, WA USA
    Posts
    1,625

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    Originally posted by sgallimo:
    I really do have doubts about the competence of any governing body that could believe that exposing an incredibly oversized seat belt to the elements for more than 2 years would result in a significantly larger decrease in driver saftey ...


    You need to check the information that is supplied with your belts, as well as the rules for NHRA, and other organizations...

    While I agree that these belts would be perfectly fine to use for the originally specified 5-years, even the manufactures data supplied with the belts shows that they do degrade over a two year period... The SCCA is just reacting to what the "experts" are telling them.

    Additionally, other organizations, like the NHRA, have required a two-year replacement rule for some time... so in reality, the SCCA (in typical form...) is reacting LATE to this trend...

    It's not really worth complaining about, because it's likely not something that is going to be changed... My comment about the money it costs was based on a choice we all have... We can 1) complain, protest, and bitch about it, or 2) Just ante up, pay our money, and go on racing

    I suppose that there is a third option, which would be to try to campaign to get the old rules reinstated, but I tend to believe in matters such as this that it would be a futile effort...

    Don't be suprised if, in the near future, H&N retraints are a required item as well... Just seems to be the way things are going...

    ------------------
    Darin E. Jordan
    SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
    Renton, WA
    ITS '97 240SX


    [This message has been edited by Banzai240 (edited July 08, 2004).]

  7. #67
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Washington
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    284

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    Originally posted by sgallimo:
    I've also found that a good off season activity is to go out in the garage after dark, strap in, have someone turn out the lights, and practice the egress.
    That's a good idea. My wife already thinks I'm crazy for going out to the shop in the off season and sitting in the car making engine noises... Now I'll be sitting in the car, fully suited up, in the dark, making engine noises, then crashing noises, then grunting noises as I extract myself from the car.

    Wayne


  8. #68
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL, USA
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    2,322

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    Fire up the camcorder, Wayne! It's gotta be good for first place in some contest.

    Gregg

  9. #69
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Renton, WA USA
    Posts
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    Originally posted by sgallimo:
    I routinely practice getting out of my car
    Funny... I can honestly say I've never really thought about practicing this... It's a GREAT idea, and you've now prompted me to add this to my list of necessary things to do in my race preparation!



    ------------------
    Darin E. Jordan
    SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
    Renton, WA
    ITS '97 240SX

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL, USA
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    2,322

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    Originally posted by Banzai240:
    Funny... I can honestly say I've never really thought about practicing this... It's a GREAT idea, and you've now prompted me to add this to my list of necessary things to do in my race preparation!
    We are seeing more drivers doing this, especially as more "safety" stuff in the cockpit makes it increasingly difficult to exit in a hurry. The enemy is panic, and if one practices enough, bailing becomes second nature and the chance of panic diminishes dramatically.

    Some drivers go so far as to practice (with the stopwatch running) the worse-case scenario: driver's door jammed, cockpit filled with smoke. So they go out the passenger side with their eyes closed while holding their breath.

    (Yo, Jake. You out there?)

    Extreme? Maybe, but it's easy, takes very little time and is absolutely free. Best safety investment you can make.

    ------------------
    Gregg Baker, P.E.
    Isaac, LLC
    http://www.isaacdirect.com

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Bridgewater, MA USA
    Posts
    1,300

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    May have been mentioned above...SCCA Pro requires 15 seconds or less for full removal of yourself with 100% of your gear on and strapped in. They time it as part of your Annual.

    AB

    ------------------
    Andy Bettencourt
    ITS RX-7 & Spec Miata 1.6
    New England Region R188967
    www.flatout-motorsports.com

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
    Posts
    2,555

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    Originally posted by Wayne:
    That's a good idea. My wife already thinks I'm crazy for going out to the shop in the off season and sitting in the car making engine noises... Now I'll be sitting in the car, fully suited up, in the dark, making engine noises, then crashing noises, then grunting noises as I extract myself from the car.
    Don't forget to have a few beers before trying to extract yourself from the car. Not because you drink and race (I'm sure you don't), but because after a hard hit you'll be dazed and groggy so you'll HAVE to simulate that too. Your wife will like that explanation.


    ------------------
    George Roffe
    Houston, TX
    84 944 ITS car under construction
    92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
    http://www.nissport.com

  13. #73
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Houston, TX USA
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    Originally posted by gsbaker:
    We are seeing more drivers doing this, especially as more "safety" stuff in the cockpit makes it increasingly difficult to exit in a hurry. The enemy is panic, and if one practices enough, bailing becomes second nature and the chance of panic diminishes dramatically.
    Amen to that.

    That's why the military trains and trains and trains.

    That's a lot of the secret of martial arts - do the same thing without thinking or panicing.

    When I went sky diving we had a 6 hour ground school that was actually 1 hour of information and 5 hours of repetition.

    As you said, you want to be able to do things w/o thinking so that even when your mind say FIRE!, your sub-conscious says "pull fire handle, pull pins, disconnect belts, drop net, open door, and GET THE HELL OUT."


    ------------------
    George Roffe
    Houston, TX
    84 944 ITS car under construction
    92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
    http://www.nissport.com

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL, USA
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    2,322

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    We owe readers an update on this...

    To review, the August Fastrack included an interpretation of GCR Section 20.4 which incorporated head and neck restraint devices in the definition of "harness." Some read this to mean that the Isaac system would be banned from SCCA Club Racing, even though it is on the approved list for SCCA Pro Racing.

    Please be advised that the BOD has not adopted this intepretation. Also, it is our understanding that the 2005 GCR has the language of Section 20.4 unchanged.

    Furthermore, I had the opportunity to meet with Kurt Weiss, Chairman of the CRB, and Jeremy Thoennes, Technical Manager, Club Racing at the SAE conference in Dearborn two weeks ago. As they do not speak for the BOD they could not offer a final Club position on this matter. However, it would be accurate to say that they are acutely aware of the fact that Section 20.4 is worthless with respect to the subject of H&N restraints. More important, they are also aware that the objective is getting out of the car, not getting out of the seat.

    In summary, all Isaac products are accepted (if not encouraged) for use in the SCCA, and we expect all Isaac products to be viewed favorably by Club Racing in the future, it's just a question of how the wording is handled. Section 20.4 may be rewritten, a section for H&N restraints may be added, or a "Bail" requirement may be added.

    If you have strong feelings on this subject, now would be a good time to let them be known.

    Happy Holidays.

    ------------------
    Gregg Baker, P.E.
    Isaac, LLC
    http://www.isaacdirect.com

    [edit: spelling]

    [This message has been edited by gsbaker (edited December 16, 2004).]

  15. #75
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
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    Guys and gals, please be heard.

  16. #76
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Des Moines, IA
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    E-mail the Club Racing Board at [email protected], CC to Board of Directors at [email protected].

    Jarrod

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