Witch Hunt

[hojof1]

What ticked me off was the statement that most if not all our roll bars and head cushion do not meet CASC standards.

I agree that wasn't the best choice of language, but I think it was written that way to get your attention. THe head cushion thing may catch a few people out potentially.

however with any enforcement of any rule be it safety or performance, it's YOUR responsibility to comply and make sure you and your vehicle are within the rules, not the governing body's job to make sure.

do you even know what the rules around head cushions are? it does not take long to go and read up and check your stuff. and again if you have then you shouldnt have to worry.

most people complain when authority comes tapping on their window failing to recognize it was their own negligence that led them to their being a problem.

are you at fault if you buy a motor that turns out to be illegal? "well i bought it from a guy who raced it here so i thought it was ok"....good luck with that

[AVR_Shane]

I have no ill will towards anyone, I am simply stating I see where the concern comes from & I am sure it will be dealt with this weekend & put to rest. I posted the pics to help others see why some would see there could be issues. If you were an official & saw these wouldn't you want to follow up for your own due dillgence?

My USF car with the required bead seat puts me no where near Andrew's level & I ordered a new roll bar from VD after seeing the pics from the Toronto race even though I clearly passed the test I still felt it was better to err on the side of caution.

I would never think that you had any ill will here Steve! And believe me, I do understand the concerns that people in this forum have, and have stated in other threads. I'm also sure that these constant concerns will finally be put to rest after this weekend is done with.

Steve, if our cars had the downforce and speed of a USF, there is little on a F1200/FV chassis that I would be comfortable with.

[hojof1]

I would never think that you had any ill will here Steve! And believe me, I do understand the concerns that people in this forum have, and have stated in other threads. I'm also sure that these constant concerns will finally be put to rest after this weekend is done with.

Steve, if our cars had the downforce and speed of a USF, there is little on a F1200/FV chassis that I would be comfortable with.

you could turn this into a really funny thread with this:

"if our cars had the downforce and speed of a USF..."

and have people fill in the blank.

[grapefarmeral]

First, I must say that car #16 is just a gorgeous car..

If you've ever seen a photo of a Vee or any other open cockpit car rolling or flipping and saw how much the belts can stretch you'd want a bar that was about 2 feet over the top of your helmet. Without getting into politics (enough of that South of the border) it's a good rule and drivers should be happy to comply....

[brownslane]

First, I must say that car #16 is just a gorgeous car..

If you've ever seen a photo of a Vee or any other open cockpit car rolling or flipping and saw how much the belts can stretch you'd want a bar that was about 2 feet over the top of your helmet. Without getting into politics (enough of that South of the border) it's a good rule and drivers should be happy to comply....

Well said. I also agree with everything Greg and Steve have said.

I have watched this thread for a while and I have hesitated in adding my two cents worth. I do not have a dog in this fight. But as a builder and somebody who is a member of the "over-the-wall" club at Mosport let me stress that safety is paramount here; Remember that the broomstick test is for minimum compliance to the rule.

Please remember the terrible forces that are in effect should you ever have the misfortune of hitting anything at the speeds your cars travel at. It really is unfortunate that safety rules need to be enforced at all. Do some people really take their own safety that lightly?

I see the initial complaint having two distinct and separate threads. The first is whether the car is or is not compliant with the minimum requirement. In Steve's two photographs, and based on that photo, the car on the left is not compliant....that is my interpretation. If I were enforcing safety rules I would have concerns about that car/driver combination.

The second thread I see here is the complaint about how this safety rule is being enforced. We are dealing with people here....and perhaps the tech director is trying to achieve compliance by informing rather than enforcing. What I see is a continuation of this approach, by allowing drivers to be informed at the last race, then given the winter to modify their cars to comply. A more draconian approach might have been quicker (ie "fix this before the next race") but what I see is Mike trying to work with people rather than fighting with them; clearly this approach has ruffled some feathers.

Here is another "safety thought". Not only do we need to protect our heads in our cars, we also need to protect our backs. In all my cars I will NOT allow the driver to sit directly on the floor of the car; All our seats have a minimum of 1 inch of closed cell energy absorbing material between the driver and the floor of the car. without that you stand a significant chance of serious back injury in a shunt. I speak from experience; I broke my back at the bottom of T2 at Mosport in a launch. Not fun.

Guys like Mike Nilson and Dave King are tirelessly working for our safety....without payment for the hundreds of hours they volunteer their time. They also pay their way for most of their expenses....and they take our flak when we don't like what they tell us. I have nothing but huge respect for them as I am sure you do as well. I sure would not take on their jobs!

So, from an outsider, I see that some people may need to modify their cars to ensure their safety. Is that really so much to ask? And if the folks complaining here are not affected by this rule, then what really is the problem? Is it the message? Is it how it was handled? Or is it the interpretation of the rule(s)?

This is a great discussion by the way. Any time there is an open and frank discourse over safety we have an opportunity to learn more about our cars, the forces at play, and ways we can all keep ourselves safer.

Thanks, Tom

[Rolling Stone]

To put all of this safety talk/rules etc into perspective...See what your posts read AFTER a serious accident were YOU get injured...crashing,rolling over etc,etc where you get up and walk away is scary but a very different situation...Besides being slow its the main reason I retired.After a close call again at turn 1 at the start of a race in July I just missed a spinning car by inches I decided thats it!!!,without having a bad accident/hospital previously it would not have bothered me as much.Just my 2 cents worth as we all react differently,as previous post has same experience as me major injury scares the heck out of you.Thats why I raised my roll bar 4" wore knee pads,arm restraints,elbow pads and I still got injured,the forces are unbelievable in a shunt,and I agree about sitting on the floorpan too.