Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

I agree with you to an extent, Vic.. the crew has to assume the responsibilty of putting their driver in a safe race car.. also, the driver has a responsibilty to himself to check a few things before climbing in the car.. that being said, and realizing that sometimes we are in a hurry to make the call, I think NHRA should have a Tech Inspector in the staging lanes checking chutes and mounting hardware..

During tech at Bristol, I was made to pop my chute and stretch it out on the ground.. it was then inspected thoroughly.. the tech guy then picked up the chute and yanked on it several times, testing it's mounting hardware.. actually broke a piece off my body while doing it.. then watched as I re-packed the chute.. I was a little pissed at this procedure to say the least and I really didn't get.. NOW, I get it.. thanks for checking TECH GUY!!!

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

I'm waiting to see the entirely new back half for all race cars that will be required when they require racers install tail hooks for arrester gear.

NHRA doesn't necessarily need to check parachutes at every pass. But they should be checking the entire parachute system during the tech inspection. We never took the parachutes off of the dragster to pack them when we had it, I don't see too many teams taking the parachutes loose from the car when they pack them, unless they've been damaged. And if they've been damaged and replaced during a race, another inspection of the system should be required.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

Chute deployment and failure have been the cause of a lot of the recent incidents.Don't those idiots in Ca. see the need to review equipment and procedures pertaining to this equipment??????????????????????????
It's terrible seeing and hearing about these people getting killed on a semi regular basis.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

TO START OFF WITH REGARDS TO THE FAMILY. now are they required to change chutes after 2 years like we do belts, or do they change them sooner? i know nothing about alcohol cars. the fuel cars were only using 1 chute. seems strange its mostly the alcohol cars that are having this problem (besides SCOTT we still miss him). i'm not trying to be a smart a@@ about belts im just wondering.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

CNN video interview with racers that knew him.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/07/12/...eo=true&hpt=T2

RIP

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

When I went through tech in Seattle they actually made me back up because they were checking the chutes on all the .90 cars. later in the day I saw they were doing the same thing on the Comp cars. My thoughts are that they need to be replaced on a regular basis. It’s funny how they are really anal about dated belts but you can wear a 15 year old /1 or /5 nomex suit that’s been through a regular washing machine 100 times. I know people that have had the same chute on their car for over 10 years. This is an item that should have an SFI tag and expiration. I looked in the rule book and if I’m not mistaken it looks like there is no SFI specification or expiration period on parachutes. For advanced ET classes they need some regulation or oversight on parachutes.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

thats unbeleavable 10 years how much stain did they go through? they do need to be SFI.............

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

Tail hooks instead of catch nets. I'm all for that.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

I suggested that after the accident at Englishtown and was told it was stupid and too expensive/impractical.I still think it can be done.Someone said all the tracks couldn't comply.They don't have to,the Safety Safari crew can set up and operate the system,which would have to be designed to be adjusted to stop the full range of cars in compitition.
The cost,in the long run,would probably be cheaper than making the insurance company
rich.

Re: Alcohol dragster?
 

We all want to find solutions in our sport for saving lives. However, there is a big difference between the dynamics of an aircraft catching a hook on the deck when compared to a light weight race car.

An F-18 weighs around 35,000 lbs on final approach to hit the deck and the speed is around 145~155 mph. A dragster or funny car is much lighter with terminal speeds exceeding 260 mph. A heavy fighter airplane can run over the cables on the deck and the landing gear squawk switch will deploy the hook automatically.

A lightweight race car at high speeds running over the cables would be propelled off the ground and loose control and would also require the driver to deploy a hook manually.

One problem with sand traps is when the sand gets wet, it will compact creating a hard surface. A better solution would be substitution of the sand with small gravel the same way they do with highway sections that have runaway truck provisions.