roll cages and fibregalss cars

TimOz40 · 05-16-04, 06:02 PM

I was racing my clubman at our local track yesterday and was witness to a most disturbing accident. As a Lotus Elan owner it was even more upsetting.
Turn one at Eastern Creek, we take at 205km/h (128mph). A Lotus elan hardtop lost control and rolled over, then slid on its roof for about 100 metres. The f/glass body was all but destroyed. The driver, however, climbed out of the upsidedown car with a few cuts and scrapes from the windows and doors being ripped off and thrown around. This car had a roll cage fitted. And certainly saved the driver from who knows what!
Seeing this crash hammered home the fact that it CAN happen, and fitting a roll cage is a very sound investment.

Howard Jones · 05-17-04, 05:02 PM

Again I say. DO NOT FORGET THE FIRE SYSTEM! The "Big one" can get a LOT worse.

Lynn · 05-19-04, 09:33 AM

Tim,

Talk about synchronicity, just yesterday the guys at the Hot Rod shop where my car is being painted were berating me because the car only has a roll bar. Their contention is that the roll bar alone doesn't provide enough protected area in the cockpit. They conceeded that one person might be able to lay over, but if two people were in the car one would be seriously injured. They believe that there ought to be a front component to make more of a cage. An example can be seen here in Bill Mussara's car.

Lynn

Ian Anderson · 05-19-04, 11:56 AM

I remember out in Zimbabwe a number of years ago this was discussed amongst the racing fraternity.

It was mainly aimed at Single seaters (Formula Ford and Formula V) but also progressed to "Fiberglass" bodied cars.

Take a straight line between the top of the roll bar to the top of the front tyre. The drivers helmeted head had to be a minimum of 2 inches below this line.

The theory was that if you went up side down you would slide up in the seatbelt / harness to lose the 2 inches.

Reality is in a 40 without a total roll cage and only the roll over bar behind your head probably does not offer sufficient protection in a roll over. ?BUT with the 40s width and low center of gravity this should not happen often and then only in race conditions where ususlly a fill roll cage is mandatory.

Ian

TimOz40 · 05-19-04, 05:34 PM

Lynn,
I have to agree. In the area of safety, why comprimise. I've only been upsidedown in a car once. It had a full cage (Twincan Ford Escort 1971) and my girlfriend (now wife of 13yrs)and i walked away without a scratch! My RF is getting a cage.