Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

I have been preaching to folks for years. The Dragster/Funny Car cage is probably responsible for more head injuries and/or deaths than any other part of the race car. The reason is that it's proximity to the drivers head is just a few inches, and being strapped into that tight location keeps your head in between 6 bars to bounce off of! In NASCAR, there are no bars anywhere close to the drivers head. They contain the drivers head as part of the seat construction (which is heavily padded and will give or flex if impacted by the driver. Look at it like this...your head hitting that bar, is like someone with that bar hitting you in the head...NOT GOOD either way.

In my opinion, a horizontal 3-4 inch wide padded band should go from the front bar around behind the drivers head and back out to the front bar on the other side. Kinda like what you see in a NASCAR seat. It could be mounted as such to allow the drivers line of vision just over the top of the pad

Wade Mahaffey

http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...ageproblem.jpg

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Wade, perhaps a rule change should be required to add the additional padding as current the current Pro's do.

http://www.ispseats.com/sitebuilderc...g.w180h227.jpg

http://www.jerrybickel.com/safety-eq...oundHeads3.jpg

http://www.ispseats.com/sitebuilderc...g.w180h137.jpg

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Probably not the right section for this discussion as this is more of a dragster issue but as it's already started, all the padding in the world isn't going to help when the belts are loose. It is common for the dragster guys to intentionally leave their belts loose so they can get their head outside the cage to better judge the finish line. Go up to top end some time during eliminations and you will regularly see drivers leaned forward with their helmets way past the front hoop. If you put the big pad in place and restrict the driver view even more, I bet they will be leaving the belts looser yet. Not remotely saying it's OK, just good luck on policing this issue, no one thinks they are going to crash and everyone want an advantage when it comes to winning.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

I agree with Jim.
Seen it happen and I also wonder why they take such risk.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Incredible photo Wade. I hope people do not wait for a rule change to take action when needed.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

From the photo, the foreword section of the cage is keeping his head from kissing the wall. Not a good trade off in my opinion.

It's not just a dragster issue, either. Funny car cages show up in GT cars with front wheel drive conversions and the /SM cars, too. All the SG and ST cars have them.

Dale

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

looking at other pics of that car crash it appears for some reason the front wheels jerked upward and that caused the car to get out of shape---while moving around the WHOLE *** end of the car from the back of the trans rearward the frame broke apart--- not sure if welds broke or the crash caused that separation but it appears the driver might of had his belts too loose also--he definately looks to be ahead of the rollbar but definately not totally behind it--FED 387

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Padding is a requirement in the rule book.

ROLL-CAGE PADDING
Roll-cage padding meeting SFI Spec 45.1 mandatory anywhere
driver’s helmet may come in contact with roll-cage components.
See General Regulations 4:11.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

I dont think it is a padding issue here its more of the shape of the area that is padded-- a large flat/blunt surface or a small 2 inch round/sharp tubesurface--- the contact point on the round tube is probably 1/2 inch to maybe 5/8 inch whereas the flat padded area contact point is more likely many square inches(8-10)

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

The problem with most new style dragsters is convenience. These guys are buying big cars for resale value. There is no need for a 24" wide dragster. Anyone who knows me knows I am a big ol boy and I fit well in a 23" wide car. There is no reason a 200# guy needs a 24" car. These 24"-26" cars are big even on me. My dad crashed his comp car in Memphis in 01 and it was a 20" cage and again he is not exactly a small guy with a 20 suit on he was in there pretty good. the car rolled several times hitting the cage directly on the track several times. Did he get his bell rung yes did he have injuries like the guy in the pic no. No accident is the same but I don't think that we would be getting the broken hips, legs, ribs ect if cars were built to fit like the old days. But the short answer to your original question I personally think fc cages are extremely effective if built properly.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Pictures can be deceiving and impacts create insane forces, but it appears that there is way too much room inside that cage. It also looks like he has moved a lot further forward in the car on impact than he should have. It's difficult to see the padding on the other bars of the cage as well. IMO, funny car cages, as with any other piece of safety equipment, are only effective when designed and used the right way. When I am strapped in my car, I cannot move my upper body forward at all. Leaving your belts loose is just giving you a running start toward severe injuries.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

More than a dozen years ago while I was sitting in an airport lounge waiting for a flight, I had a lengthy conversation with the late Jim Deist. Jim was convinced we had it all wrong when it came to roll bars (period). His point was a driver's helmet could easily come in contact with the roll bar hoop, simply because the hoop is too close (to the helmet). He elaborated on the normal stretch in a belt/harness in an accident (its a lot), even when they're cinched tight. A funny car cage only made it worse, even with all of the "padding" in the world. Basically, the driver's head gets rattled around in a crash in such a case and that's why people die or have serious head injuries. Jim was a pretty smart Kat and I suspect he was right.

Anyway, I no longer have a dog in the fight (race cars), but I think it's very important this gets hashed out. It would be nice if the powers at NHRA were listening....

Wayne

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

You are so correct.

I had my car built for me. 19 inch. with a dragster hoop not a funny car hoop that everyone runs now. There is no way that my head could come close to hitting the front bar, that's why NHRA does not require you to pad that bar.( it appears that his belts were not tight enough) Some of the cookie cutter cars can fit two young drivers at a time.

Greg ( just my opinion)

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Just a few that know first hand what the cages can do are John Force and Connie Kalitta. They have both lost drivers from head injuries. Mr. Deist RIP was right on in my opinion. There's excuses and reasons not to engage and bring about corrective action, and action requires effort, and to each his own. When I think about a race car crashing expert....I think about NASCAR. Who crashes more than they do....we should take some notes!

Wade Mahaffey

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

I agree 100 pct. with you Wade we have seen it first hand. I don't know why doorslammer drag cars aren't built like a stock car I bet if it was the other way around they would be a couple deaths a year.

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

Regardless of size, if you can't get your butt thru a 18 in bathroom door ,you surely don't need a 24 wide cage, otherwise ,skip McD

Re: Funny Car Cage...Safe or not?
 

I have a 25.4 chassis in my Stocker. Designed and built by me and I feel very safe with the bar placement and padding arangment.

http://youtu.be/34KdfIG2USI

http://youtu.be/LBnbszKCjvw