If you allow racers to skip safety stuff, a lot of them will. It's the wrong attitude but unless you tell some people that safety items are mandatory, they won't do it. The thing about it is even if you have the safest car, you are likely to get involved with the most dangerous (worst engineered) car on the track.
I think the idea was for people to get the taste of racing, and then move up to the roadrunner class, but if people are staying in that class because they can race cheap, with no safety items and are getting the cars going as fast as the regular 4 cyl class that is not good.
Don't get me wrong, Barrie used to have the JYD (Junk Yard Dog) class. Those cars you just rolled the windows down near the bottom and then smacked the glass with a hammer. Take it out and race. But that was also like 1986 or something...
All just my opinion of course and not intended to offend four fun people.
Thunder6 I agree, this is my first year racing and I am in four fun for 2 reason. 1. I am new and trying to get the feel of a car and the track. 2. it is cheap.
I spent about $800. to buy and build the car. I wanted the roll cage but did not want to sink the extra $700 into it. With that said my car did have a beefed up centre support with an extra bar.
If roll cages were mandatory I would have had to spend the extra $.
In any case I think all drivers need a place to start. It just would not be safe for someone to just jump into a 4 cyl RR or a Thunder car without knowing anything about how to handle a car or navigate one around the track.
Don't get me wrong, Barrie used to have the JYD (Junk Yard Dog) class. Those cars you just rolled the windows down near the bottom and then smacked the glass with a hammer. Take it out and race. But that was also like 1986 or something...
Even into the 90's. I had a street stock in '92. the cage on the drivers door was rebar and we just threw the gas tank in the trunk. I don't even know how secure it was back there. I do remember the tech guy shaking his head and telling us to make sure we finished painting it by the next week.
Peanut Butter, while I appreciate that people need a place to start, and most racers never have enough money, doesn't matter whether you are racing 4 cylinders or Super Lates 🙂
The brutal reality is that I would try to make my car as safe as possible.
A decent cage kit for your car is $385 from CSC. That one has front hoops which I would highly recommend. A less complex cage kit is available for $231. Plus welding, if you don't have the skill or equipment.
You should buy the best helmet and firesuit you can afford. Even a SFI 3.2/A5 suit is only rated for 9 seconds in a fire. My suit cost a lot of money but it is well worth it. You don't want to ever have to deal with burn injuries.
I do not know the rules for the class, but a fuel cell and a proper aluminum racing seat are awful good ideas too.
Just friendly recommendations for you and others who are just starting out.
Thunder6: I agree. Your recommendations are just about the same as Barrie's Division. No racing seats or front hoops allowed in the Four Fun's at Sunset. We will have to see if Wes will change things for next year.