I notice a trend recently to let the S2000, SLK, Boxter, Audi TT out on track with their little factory hoops. Personally, if (when?) I get assigned one as a student, I am NOT getting in the right seat of the car. I know everyone says they are "structural", but that's not my issue. I want SOMETHING over my head. The likelyhood of needing that rollover protection is pretty slim, but in the event we were to need it... enough said on that.

I have a Miata... yes, a convertible..., but I have a HDHCDD roll bar and I am under it. I personally have too much to live for to get in a car without a structural roof or roll bar over my head.

What are other instructor's thoughts on this? I've seen many instructors get into these cars, including friends of mine, and it scares me a little for them. It's everyone's own personal decision, but I wouldn't feel safe in a car where I didn't have *something* to hit the ground BEFORE my head in the even of a rollover.

People that may own the cars mentioned above... If you are going to track your convertible, why not put a bar that will help save your head in a rollover? I don't understand NOT putting one in.

 

6'-4" slacker = r00f over my head and/or cage around my head.


Will
-who would hate to dig grass and rocks out of his helmet.

 

I wouldn't get in one either. It's funny - I didn't think about this stuff so much when I first started instructing. I'm becoming a bit more cautious as I develop experience.

 

And as another 6'4" slacker, with a cage around my head(almost literally), I wonder if the cage would really hit the ground before my head.. oh well, hopefully I will never find out.

 

I second that statement.

 

I have a hard enough time getting myself comfortable under a bolt-in cage in a fully-enclosed car. Those cute little roll hoops will do nothing for them. Anyone who goes on track with them in a convertible needs to get his/her head examined.

 

On the First Settlers PCA application I sent in this week, it had a checkbox which said, "Can you instruct in a Boxster Y/N". I presume this lets (smart?) instructors bail out of hopping in the right seats of one of those deathtraps.

I am not an instructor (yet?), and *I* check out any car that I'm getting into. My rule of thumb: The level of safety equipment *must* be consistent with the "level of speed" of the driver. Frankly, I would be OK in an open car w/o roll protection driven by a novice ... on touring laps

 

As far as i know, no one makes a cage for the S2k yet, I'm you could get one built, but it would require cutting the car up behind the seats and what not.

 

when(if?) I get a S2K, I plan to put either a mugen or sp00n cage in it.

yoshi - who's short enough to be way under the h00ps, but still prefers extra protection

 

From what I understand, the mugen and spoon bars arn't much of anything.. Most track events are leaning twards SCCA Solo 1 legal rollbars.. Speedtrial has made this a requirement.

 

I want one bad....but there is not one made yet to SCCA specs...I think the mugen and spoon would pass but the car needs to be stripped inside...not doin that...there is talk on the S2000 board now about this very issue....and there are people working on a solution....Shane

 

As many of you know, my late Civic ended up wrong side up after a fairly violent rollover. The car had a bolt in Autopower cage that was welded in with a extra doorbar on each side. The force of the impact bent the unibody car making straightening it a losing proposition. Initiatially, I thought the car might be savalvageable. When I cut out the cage, the car 'sprung'. The cage was keeping the car from twisting more. The bottom line is that the cage worked. I am sure that welding it in made a big difference. For those who didn't see the pics, the roof caved in down to the level of the cage, even though it was a structural roof. BTW, I see structural roofs of cars crushed in my line of work a lot. I am a Fireman. Would I drive/ride in a car driven to the limit on the track without rollover protection? NO WAY!

 

Yep, I've been on the receiving end of some negative comments about putting a 6-point in my "brand new car", but, As far as I'm concerned, the track use is the main reason I bought the car. In the case of almost every roll-over I have seen, where a cage was in the car, the cage has, almost certainly, made the difference between Life and Death for the occupants. I have seen a few cases where the occupants walked away from a cageless car after a roll-over, but they were considered extremely lucky. Yes, a cage adds weight, can be a lot of work to put in, and may cramp your style for street use, but in a primary track vehicle, I now consider it a neccesity, and tend to feel naked without it. Remember, none of those people who rolled their cars were planning on doing it. I realize I am risking my life by taking my car out on track at high speeds, but I'm at least going to do my best to minimize the seriousness of my injuries, should an accident occur, and possibly save my own life by putting a little bit of time and money into being prepared. If I can afford to buy the car, and pay for access to the track, then I should be able to afford the drop in the bucket to prepare the car correctly.

 

All very well said. I did the first two track events in my Civic without a bar. My instructor at the time strongly recommended I get one if I planned on continuing. Granted I only have a Autopower 4-point, I still feel safer than the folks on the track with nothing.

John - who's planning a future in Solo 1, which means a full cage

 

Speaking of Miatas and Hard Dog rollbars...I helped a buddy of mine install one on his 93 today. I was really impressed with the quality of the product and how well engineered it is. So hats off to Hard Dog.

I did see (at a NASA event at VIR North) two S2000 owners with proper rollbars installed. It looked exactly like what you'd see from Kirk or Autopower, but as I recall it was made by some S2000 enthusiast.

 

Anyone read the rules for the Open Track Challenge? http://www.opentrackchallenge.com Its kindof a condensed version of OneLap but with more track time and less driving in between.

They are requiring rollbars in open cars, but none in closed cars with street tires. These cars are running for time on course, with no passing rules, for many laps in F1 qualifying-style format. No instruction or license is required to enter, only evidence of prior open track events. I don't know about you guys, but I don't see this event going through without a scary incident or two. I'm a little surprised OneLap does the same thing, there have been some big wrecks there but thankfully most of them have been in cars with cages already.

I can see open events with instructors, but timed events with no licencing I think should have a minimum 4pt and harness, along the lines of solo1, at a minimum.