[DeTomaso] 'Racing' Safety

[Darryl Johnson]

Mike, two points on these safety issues. First, the more difficult older
harness latch with a single lever or hook is  now frowned upon by some race
organizers like the Mojave Mile. In fact if you run with these then you must
use some type of breakable (small zip tie works) latch to keep the unit
closed. They've had several issues with the old style latches coming open
simply by brushing by them with gloves on, etc. The CAM lock versions are
more preferred at least in the events that MKM sponsors. I changed my old
latches out for the new "cam lock" versions in order to pass "tech" easily.

Second, I have a full roll cage in my Pantera and again most of the
sanctioning bodies that I run with require the roll bars to be covered with
an SFI (fire retardant) foam cover. Mine are foam covered with an SFI rated
plastic coating. These are required anywhere around the drivers head even
WITH helmets. The best part is on the street I still have them covered to
avoid the situation that has been related in crash situations.

Darryl

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 10:53 PM
To: JDeRyke at aol.com
Cc: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] 'Racing' Safety


In a message dated 11/18/11 22 46 22, JDeRyke at aol.com writes:


> For racing, the particular series
> you want to go play in may have more stuff for you to add in their Tech
> Regulations, but belts & an extinguisher will very likely keep you safe on

> the
> far more dangerous public streets & highways.
> 

Excellent advice!

Part of the problem when making decisions on safety equipment is in 
deciding what kind of car you want to have. While it's easy to automatically

default to say, "FULL ROLL CAGE!", that ignores the inconvenient reality
that a 
full roll cage is positively LETHAL on the street (and in fact is outlawed
in 
some European countries).

The very thing that makes them excellent in a track car makes them 
completely unsuitable for use on the street--their supreme hardness. On the
GT40 
forum, I read a story of a poor fellow in the UK who was pottering around in

his Lotus Super 7 replica, got involved in a minor shunt, and his head 
exploded like a melon when it struck his roll cage. Had he not had the cage,
he 
probably would have had minor injuries (if any), and now he's dead.

If your car will ONLY be a track car, then by all means, go for a cage. But 
if you will ever run your car without a helmet on, then a cage is a very 
bad idea indeed.

Some sort of roll bar is the best compromise for a dual-purpose 
car--something that will improve the structural integrity of the car and
decrease the 
chances of the roof caving in, but something that will never, EVER get 
anywhere near your head.

My GT350 clone and Pantera both have roll bars, and I feel much more 
confident on the track because of them. Neither of them extends forward
anywhere 
near my head. Instead, if I were to hit anything, it would be the (padded) 
headliner bow. While that wouldn't be any fun, it would certainly be a far 
sight better than whacking my head on a piece of thick steel tubing.

Mike
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