Re: Collector Tether Question
 

I am amazed at how many people are making jokes about this rule. This really isn't about NHRA making a couple of bucks. It's about the people standing on/behind the starting line, getting injured and the SUING them. That's the bottom line. YES they were/are racers. For a couple of bucks we can attempt to fix the problem. I have witnessed several header "deployments" including one of our own. They were all "accidents", because everyone checks their, bolts, welds, etc. right? A couple of companies are paying you back with LODRS contingency, on a fairly cheap item all made by/for the racers.

Debbie Moses

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

To answer the question on the extension for the slip-on collector:

I called NHRA and they said one tether will suffice but it will have to go from the Primary tube to the extension.

I would just order a kit that was long enough to accomplish that length and if you run without the extensions, wrap the cable up; it's still there and will not let them get away from the car and "being there with the NHRA-accepted tag" is what matters.

Hope that helps. They are required so it is just a matter of figuring out what you need and deciding on what tether kit is right for you.

Jok Nicholson

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

Debbie,

The problem that most of us have with this rule is that we can fabricate the entire car, but must not be smart enough to assemble our own tether cable and clamps. We are being forced to have to pay for something that we can make ourselves. I don't have a problem with safety items, it's how they are forcing racers to rely upon others to have to purchase this item. All we need to do is breakout the engraver and place a logo on each piece of the tether and we are good to go. That's the only thing in my opinion that the vendors of this device has over the majority is a means of carving a logo on a piece of metal.

Sean

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

The problem that I see is that this got dumped on every racer as opposed to the facilities. Some tracks have 'burn out boards' behind the burn out area to avoid anything flying off of slicks into whatever is behind them. How many of you have been hit by a rock? I've even seen them fly into hoodscoops and into engines. Greg Dreher has his side window blown out by a rock, they spent the next half hour picking up the crumbled glass out of the staging lanes before the race could procede. Someone left a wrench on dragster at Woodburn, it fell off during the burnout, shot out from under the tire and broke a girl's leg. Are we going to have tethers for wrenches that you forgot to remove from your car also? This isn't a header problem, this is a track issue. Forget the tethers, mandatory back boards at tracks is a no brainer and would fix the problem.

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

who has product liability insurance

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

mtsp,

I would think every company has to have a means to protect themselves in case the "lawyers get loose" (maybe Lawyer Tethers next :-).

We have it on our NHRA-accepted tethers and other products.

I think everyone cringes when the words "liability, insurance, lawyers, etc are brought up". It's a risky sport and "stuff happens". The tethers are just trying to make it happen less often.

Be safe out there!''

Jok Nicholson

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

I guess you assume that people are only losing them on the burnout? Way more lost going down the track than doing the burnout.
Chuck

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

Yes, but if you lose it going down the track, it doesn't get 'shot' out from under the tire because the tire surface speed and vehicle speed are more or less synchronized. In the burnout box, you have a static vehicle and a 150MPH tire surface, more or less a baseball pitching machine. More often than not, when you see a down track part fall off, it just slides to a stop. The bad down track incident that seems to cause the most damage is driveshaft failures. Regardless of the extent of driveshaft enclosures, I've seen some big chunks fly off and sometimes into the guy in the other lane.

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

Driveshaft tether should be mandatory. Seen more of them come out from under cars than collectors.

Re: Collector Tether Question
 

Tony Fillipone had one go thru his windshield a few years back that came off the car in the other lane while going down track