In a message dated 7/9/01 4:48:24 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
rlmarcum@citcom.net writes:
<<
I just wonder what your opinion is on the vast number of cars we see in the
publications showing the drivers's head above the 2" requirement (per SCCA
regs) if not over the top of the roll bar? I often wonder why no tech
inspector asks us to sit in the car to check for this diminsion?
>>
This is easier to judge on the track by the corner workers. At tech drivers
tend to compress themselves into a position that complies. It may not be the
position they actually race in. We do get calls from the workers and then
notify the drivers.
We can't catch them all and if a driver really wants to be unsafe we can't
stop him. You can only do so much and the 2 " rule is an arbitrary number
anyway. Just a common sense guideline I would say. Why not 4" or 1"? Each
driver should assess the value of his neck and the amount of comitment he
wants to make to protect it.
The sometimes adversarial relationship between mechanics or drivers and the
tech inspectors often creates an environment that circumvents simple
solutions to safety issues. I want tech inspectors to help crews make cars
safer. I don't believe black and white regulations always help to do this.
Some new (and not so new) drivers need more help than others. Tech should
help those who need and want it and only reject those who defy any resonable
level of cooperation.
Jack Woehrle
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