[Fot] HANS Device

[Bill Babcock]

That's an interesting perspective, and certainly logical. The only  
thing that doesn't bear up in my experience (which is certainly  
subjective, and unsupported by statistics available to me) is that the  
majority of nasty accidents seem to happen in the mid pack at vintage  
races. And Vintage cars generally don't have anything leading edge in  
their safety equipment. A mild steel rollcage constructed like those  
of the late 60's, shoulder belts, fire suit, a good helmet and maybe a  
HANs device. I'm sure you don't think that's anything like what saves  
lives in F1, or Indycars, or Nascar, or drag racing, or virtually any  
modern race car.

Sure, the stuff isn't cheap, but by and large it's a long-term  
investment. Anyone that thinks this fairly minimal level of protection  
makes them invulnerable has a few screws loose to begin with. Or has  
never been in a serious racing accident in a vintage car and come away  
lucky--because that's really all it is. Nothing in my car or on my  
body saved me from being killed by that Corvette that T-boned me at  
Watkins Glen. Just luck. Didn't hit the wall until most of the speed  
had been scrubbed off. Didn't roll over while he was pushing me  
sideways. Just luck.

The "keeps new people away from the sport" argument plays equally well  
with not letting people race a clapped out H prod rabbit in Vintage. I  
don't think the idea of vintage racing is to have the cheapest entry  
point available in racing. I think that's karts.


On Jan 16, 2009, at 9:07 AM, William G Rosenbach wrote:

>>>> Henry Morrison wrote:
> I think that when you get a guy in a car with all the safety equipment
> on, he
> thinks he's bulletproof and will probably take chances not taken by  
> the
> guy
> who is perhaps racing with a lap belt as his only safety device.
>
> I tend to agree with Henry. It was pointed out in, I believe a PBS
> program on automotive safety; if you take two identical cars, give  
> one to
> a person who is told "anything you do in this car, no matter how  
> minor,
> will kill or seriously injure you"; and the other car to a person  
> that is
> told that "no matter what you do in this car, the safety systems will
> protect you from any injury in any situation"; those two cars will  
> not be
> operated in the same fashion.
>
> In the real racing world, where a driver is paid to operate a  
> vehicle on
> the razor's edge at all times, where there is something tangible to
> someone 'on-the-line' at all times; there are no safety equipment
> standards that are too much. In Vintage Racing, even though anything  
> that
> can happen, could happen, there is nothing truly 'on-the-line', we are
> there for fun, not glory & prizes; and should be able to exercise
> restraint and good judgement. Still, there are those who cannot do  
> that.
> They are the folks who are certain that they and their car can clip  
> the
> apex of the hairpin flat in fourth having never lifted or braked. They
> know who they are and should make the investment. Equally important is
> that others know who the crazies are, so as to stay out of their  
> way, and
> not to get wound up with them. If we keep heading for the completely  
> safe
> world, we will soon be driving in 'Bear Proof Suits'.
> http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=bear+proof+suit&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&co
> p=mss&ei=UTF-8
>
> Mandating greater costs to racers keeps new people away from the  
> sport,
> and trying to keep up all the mandates can eat up some racers' annual
> budget quickly, keeping them off track. A couple of years of paying  
> not
> to race, and they are gone.
>
> Eat right, exercise, die anyway.
> Bill