Parachute Issue Number 1! (1 Viewer)

[Andy]

To add to Steve's list: Mandate a kill-engine switch, like NASCAR.

If there's anywhere anything can be learned about safety whatsoever, it's NASCAR.

 

[magnethead794]

I love the shutdown area at Pacific Raceways in Seattle. Talk about safe racetracks, here's one for you.

I, for one, can't wait to hear what Tony Pedregon has to say when the NHRA arrives at this oober-safe racing facility.

What scares me more than the top end, is how close the road course is to the trees. If a (sports/LMS/rolex/ect) car was to go over the (probably steel or K-rail) wall, it'd go straight for the trees. A few guys been killed that way.

 

[magnethead794]

To add to Steve's list: Mandate a kill-engine switch, like NASCAR.

If there's anywhere anything can be learned about safety whatsoever, it's NASCAR.

See: Micheal McDowell, Texas Motor Speedway.

 

[Andy]

Why don't these wild wrecks happen at IHRA races?

 

[Spanky]

To add to Steve's list: Mandate a kill-engine switch, like NASCAR.

while an 'engine-kill switch' sounds easy and clean cut and straight forward. these things are often not easy to 'turn off' when things are going wrong. these cars don't have cute little nascar motors in them.

 

[Randy]

As you can see in the picture of Seattle, the road course is at the end of the drag strip, and the road course is banked meaning the end of the strip is like a lauch ramp.

At the division race a couple weeks ago our car hit the net at 60-70 miles per hour when we ran off the end. Since the net is just a few feet beyond the road course, first you hit net then then you hit dirt.

The posts set in cement holding each end of the net had only a couple of hay bails in front of them. No guard rail. It could have been very ugly for my driver, who couldn't see due to the light shining toward the starting line in your face positioned past the net.

Dennis Taylor said of the Friday night session when he ran 5.62 at Seattle "That was the second scariest run of my life!" I wonder where number one was?

RG

 

[Andy]

As you can see in the picture of Seattle, the road course is at the end of the drag strip, and the road course is banked meaning the end of the strip is like a lauch ramp.

At the division race a couple weeks ago our car hit the net at 60-70 miles per hour when we ran off the end. Since the net is just a few feet beyond the road course, first you hit net then then you hit dirt.

The posts set in cement holding each end of the net had only a couple of hay bails in front of them. No guard rail. It could have been very ugly for my driver, who couldn't see due to the light shining toward the starting line in your face positioned past the net.

Dennis Taylor said of the Friday night session when he ran 5.62 at Seattle "That was the second scariest run of my life!" I wonder where number one was?

RG

Like I said, Tony Pedregon is going to be fun to listen to there.

 

[D]

My Top 10 list of potential mandates/ideas. Open for criticism.

1. Chute Launchers (all cars): Propel the chute out, without the delayed propellant of a pilot chute. also gets chute past wheelie bars. Could be implemented immediately?

2. Auto chute releases: body burst panel linkage (all FC) as well as auto release when fire bottles activated (all cars). Could be implemented within 2 weekends?

3. Neutral in reverser/transmission: If engine starts dieseling, clutch is "welded" together (on pro cars) and cannot be disengaged. Neutral allows disengagement. Implementation on all cars is both protective (nitro cars) but also preventative (all other cars)

4. Mechanical pinion brake: If hydraulic main brakes fail, a cable-activated pinion "emergency" brake can be activated to at least help slow the car (all cars)

5. Chassis mounted (secondary) chute levers: If roof buckles but does not come off chassis, still allows driver to release chutes (all FC) could be implemented within 1 week?

6. Front brakes: require front brakes on all competition vehicles (redundant, apply to TF). Mandate minimum 6" wide front tire for nitro cars, 4" for all others, with 18" minimum height. could be implemented within 6 weeks?

7. max fuel line size: cut size (inside diameter) of main (pre-pump) fuel line by 15% with minimum wall thickness, to slow cars down. Could be implemented within 4 weeks? So a fuel line previously 2" I.D. would now be 1.7" I.D. (nitro cars only)

8. Auto Chute release on rev limiter (extension of #2): If data logger detects engine RPM over set speed for 5 continuous seconds OR overall engine-on time over 8 seconds, deploy chutes automatically. Timer activated when motor first reaches pre-set RPM upon launch, after computer is activated.

9. Outboard chute mounting: Require all competition vehicles (other than motorcycles) with top speed over 150 MPH to have 2 parachutes, all others 1. Require single chute as center mounted on rear of vehicle; All 2 chute systems to be mounted on outer edges of vehicle (exclusion of rails, maybe P/S?) and deployed simultaneously.

10. Wheelie Bar guards: In the event of launcher failure or incomplete deployment, a cover (either plastic, fiberglass, or sheet metal) to be placed around wheelie bars on all competition vehicles to help prevent entanglement of the parachutes. Measuring 3 feet wide and 2" longer than the rear edge of the wheel (starting at the point where bars come out from under body), with 25 degree turndowns at sides that are 12 inches long. Mounted so as to be level (using shorter struts in front than back) and directly attached to wheelie bars.

"All cars" being inclusive of any competition vehicle other than motorcycles and JR dragsters.

Sounds good to me.
S/F
D

 

[clwill]

As you can see in the picture of Seattle, the road course is at the end of the drag strip, and the road course is banked meaning the end of the strip is like a lauch ramp.

Attended races at the Seattle track for years, but raced there last night for the first time. When to check out the shutdowns before the first run, and it's every bit of that scary.

The shutdown road ends with a dip and then sharp rise into the banked curve of the road course which would launch you into the Motocross course off about a perfect 25' launchpad. Evel Knievel couldn't design a better one. "Oh, don't worry, we put nets up for the national event". Great, we've seen how well nets work.

The only saving grace is the new layout they're building (see the photo). Will run north-south (no sunset issues with the tree), will be built into the hillside (less noise for neighbors), and will be longer (so I'm told). If they can just push past the final objections of the neighbors and get it done...

 

[supe]

Tomorrows sportsman show will air the piece I had mentioned earlier about the chute launcher.

11:00 am est on ESPN2