In a message dated 98-06-29 23:00:42 EDT, AnalogMike@aol.com writes:
<< Someone said that modern seats are frowned
upon - is that true??? >>
They are (frowned upon) within CSRG.....they are considered to be a
performance enhancement (which they are compared to stock seats with no
lateral support). Are they safer, probably?
Another point of contention that was recently debated was roll bars. For
example, Peter Giddings' beautiful pre-war F-1 cars don't have roll bars (as
they didn't when they were raced). But now they are required to have
seatbelts...but that actually makes them less safe....if you roll one of those
old beasts, you'd be better off being thrown clear (like they were in the old
days). Peter prefers to keep them and drive them this way....CSRG (like some
other groups) only "recommends" but does not require roll bars (same for fuel
cells).
These safety issues to some extent go back to the philosophy of the group. If
all-out competition is encouraged, then greater safety measures are probably
warranted. If the objective is safe, gentlemenly competition, with fun being
the primary objective over winning, then concessions can be made if all adhere
to the philosophy. Personally, I prefer the latter, but the sport is growing
and drawing new people, ideas, and philosophies all the time. Discussing and
reflecting on it like this is constructive to the sport, in my opinion.
Regards,
Myles H. Kitchen
1965 Lotus (and I promise to shut up for real now...) Cortina Mk1 #128
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