simes43
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| posted on 17/12/08 at 09:34 AM |
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Are you advocating the use of extra safety/protection equipment or the sad nonsense you hear from time to time that because it is club racing
accidents dont hurt?
Over the last two seasons we have had at least three fires, numerous broken bones, drivers actually hitting armco with parts of their
bodies.........................
Spend as much as you can.
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viparacing
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| posted on 21/12/08 at 02:25 PM |
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I tried on as many helmets as I could get my hands on before I bought my current one. Each manufacturer seems to make them a slightly different shape
and fit. Personally I liked the Arai GP5K best (good safety ratings, comfortable and the price didn't seem ridiculous - lets face it you only
get one head!)
I ended up buying all of my gear (helmet, suit, boots, gloves, nomex etc) from Demon Tweaks at the Autosport show (before my first season of Locost)
and they were happy to discount it all for me. In the end they paid the vat. I'm not sure if their margins are as big at the moment but there is
definitely deals to be had.
Vicky
Locost 71
www.viparacing.com
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RK
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| posted on 22/12/08 at 12:04 AM |
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I raced downhill mountain biking for years, and went through at least one, sometimes two helmets per season. They have to FIT. If not, your life is
miserable (cause it can move around), and obviously less well protected if you crash.
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pointy
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| posted on 22/12/08 at 04:55 PM |
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Hi,
Last year at Mallory Park I had what can be described as a minor tap against the hairpin wall, the damage to my locost was Nose cone, Steering rack,
slight kink on the chassis, with a large hole in the Radiator, together with a few minor other bits...All of which are in the process of being
repaired. The 2 bruises incurred where the straps pulled tight together with the injury to my neck, for which I am having weekly physio on, will in
time heal ready for next year.
My wife who heard the bang while standing on the other side of the banking said " She went cold as she knew I had, had an off", so upon
her insistence we have bought a new helmet with Hans Posts and a Hans device which was over £750.00 for the pair, which means I won't compete
for the whole of the season, however I will be safe (as safe as motor sport can be) when I do race. Basically (in my long winded way) I am saying buy
what you can afford but never go cheap thinking it can't happen to me, cos one day it might.
Andy P
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MK9R
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| posted on 22/12/08 at 11:06 PM |
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cheers all, i reckon i'll end up with a GP5K, purely because when i bought my bike helmet the Arai was the best fit
Cheers Austen
RGB car number 9
www.austengreenway.co.uk
www.automatedtechnologygroup.co.uk
www.trackace.co.uk
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procomp
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| posted on 23/12/08 at 09:41 AM |
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Hi
Don't get me wrong here i am not for a moment suggesting that cheaper products are all you need to buy. But where do you draw the line. If a
helmet has passed all the tests with flying colours that the others have and is sold cheaper purely due to the company selling it has less over heads
to meet. Dose it make the product a load of rubbish.
There are many discussions currently going on in many forums regarding HANS devises and how they will save your life. But when doing some research you
also hear that theres as much chance of it doing you some harm in certain circumstances. Then theres the guys who spend on a HANS and a new expensive
helmet believing they are safer. But are still sat in a fiberglass seat with inadequate support with brackets that are likely to cause serious injury
to the body in an accident. And have a roll cage around them thats too close to thier heads and attached too the chassis with 2 8mm bolts of
inadequate shear strength in a NON approved MSA mounting desighn. Meaning that your HANS device and expencive helmet are of no real benefit in a
majority of accidents.
So where do you draw the line ?.
Cheers Matt
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Custardtart
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| posted on 23/12/08 at 11:45 AM |
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Sorry if this post is slightly off topic.
I try and look at safety in terms of "acceptable risk" and I recognise that the levels of acceptable risk are different from person to
person. For me it's acceptable to race my car but for others, simply racing at all is an unacceptable risk. I'm not sure I would think it
an acceptable risk to race in the old GP cars that had fuel cells surrounding the drivers, no roll protection or seat belts but fortunately people
like Fangio/Moss etc did.
Again, for me it's acceptable to race without a HANS device although I'd like one and I would/have raced without a full roll cage.
To come up with what is acceptable is a personal thing as I've said and I tend to review the risk levels constantly and weigh them up against
costs/ family/likely hood of accident occuring/severity of injury occuring as a result of accident etc.
If one day I have an accident and the injuries could've been prevented by better saftey equipment then I will hopefully see that I took what I
believed was an acceptable risk and not blame anyone but me.
I do however think it's important to weigh up what is acceptable to each person as we all have a choice wether to compete or not and people need
to take more resposibility for their own/others saftey when on track. Sadly, alot of people seem to abdicate this responsibilty to the Stewards/rule
makers/trackday organisers etc and then seek to blame them when things go wrong.
They're only noodles
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