As hill3 suggested I am posting this new topic for everyone to read and post ideas and comment on. Before I start I am not going to suggest anyone should follow any recommendations that I make, or even that I am suggesting anyone else is not safe enough, that is for you as drivers and competitors to decide...
As it came up, I suggested that perhaps racers do not look enough into the safety aspect of racing. I am guilty as the next guy (or girl) of this... I started racing this year with an older model SFI 3.2A1 suit, no gloves, no boots and a Bell Sport 3 helmet. As I said I'm not really comfortable with this setup, as the suit is maybe SFI rated for about 5 seconds. Even an SFI 3.2/A5 suit (double layer) is only rated for about 9 seconds (I'm going by memory here guys so correct me if I have made an error).
So my question to you is this. If tomorrow a check showed up in the mailbox for you, free and clear money to spend on racing, you opened it and it was for say $500.00, how would you spend that money? Would you consider purchasing safety related items? Or speed parts to make your car better? Are you comfortable with your level of protective gear? And what if anything would you consider purchasing? Have you done any research on safety gear and protection from collision or fire?
I don't sell any sort of equipment, and I'm not trying to frighten anyone. I just want to know what other racers think about this topic and encourage others to think about this and the choices they make every time they strap in.
I am going to be 100% completely honest
that 500.00 would all be spent ont he car to make it faster...and it would never enter my mind ot buy fire-safe boots or anything. My helmet is fine as it was 400.00 new just 4 years ago and my firesuit is just one of those cheapy ones...i wear runners and no gloves as well. I have brand new belts and window net that i got this spring because the old ones were long overdue for replacing, but i can honestly say that safety is not usually on my mind when it comes to making purchases....
Yeah my helmet was $440 + and the shield was another $60 for fog free light smoke tint. I went all out on the helmet, you only get one squash...
It would definetly be spent on safely equipment first. What good is a fast car, if God forbid, you had a mishap on the track and did not survive do to lack of proper safety equipment. Your safety should always come first then the car.
Having been in a couple of hard wrecks in the last few years,I try to stay current on the safety stuff.I think what one needs to remember is that you only get one chance to be ready for a bad wreck,you don't usually get another.Also,people tend to take things for granted,such as how you're going to wipe,ah,your nose,if your hands are burned in an accident...