Quote Originally Posted by irondragon View Post
Seems to me that while SCCA has been debating the need for mandatory H&N devices for a while, the current urgency derives from NASA's decision to require them.
It may be that NASA regrets that decision, but this is not the year for SCCA to follow it.
That is an excellent summary of the current situation. NASA had absolutely nothing to gain by their decision, and should have followed SCCA's lead.

]First, there seems to be a lot of disagreement on just which devices will be acceptable.
There are quite a few out there but evidently only one acceptable to SFI.
If SCCA determines that SFI is the standard to follow, then that should be made known along with an encouragement to all H&N device providers to get their products in compliance.
But don't shut out all but HANS, because the others haven't done it yet.
This just stifles development. Given some time, the serious providers will deal with SFI. Then there will more and better devices to choose among.

Second, for very real economic reasons, this is just not the time to do it. We are all in favour of safe racing. No one is AGAINST the concept of preventing injuries.
But a many of us are FOR a lot of things, and safe racing is just one of them; also included are the availability of $$ to spend on racing in the immediate months to come.

Fact is, while racing may drive some of us to irrational economic behaviour, there is a finite amount of money that each of us can spend in a year.
The 2009 season looks to be one that is short on $$.
So the idea of a mandatory expenditure of $600-800 on a bunch of questionably needed neck hardware just means that for some drivers there will be a couple of events for which there is no entry money. Not the year to mandate new expensive gear.
Let's wait a bit and take a look at what is really needed and what might become available to meet the needs.
Bill Miskoe
Bill,

Agreed. This is the same logic that drove the establishment of RSI, and it came in large part from sanctioning bodies--including SCCA. Since RSI acts as an umbrella organization with certification based on performance only, it covers all the test criteria while leaving drivers with a complete choice of all products that meet industry standards.

With an RSI mandate there are no tradeoffs; no sacrifice of safety, no limitation of choice, no conflict of interest and no money changing hands. It's almost too easy.

(http://www.racingsafetyinstitute.org/Head%20and%20Neck%20Restraints.html)