The thing you have to realize about the way the 4 funs are set up using a 4 or 5 point harness is the way they are attached and how the stock seat is used. With my car the race seat and belts are attached to the cage. I am sitting within my cage inside of a car, my cage could get pushed over 4 inches and I am going along with it with my seat and belts. A 4 fun has belts attached to floor and the seat is attached as normal street car seats are. Can you imagine if you were to get hit real hard and the seat let loose on the runner and pushed forward and your belts stayed attached to floor. You would crush your pelvis or midsection.

You're right, if anything happened and the hold on the runner let loose and it would not be a fun experience any longer. I totally see your point, seeing as I was involved in that hard head-on crash two years ago and I am pretty lucky I wasn't (and that the other driver wasn't) seriously injured, and with the wonderful thought of internal agony I am glad none of what you said happened.  I'm going to go on and defend me, myself and my car, by saying I'm a short person, the seat on the runner is as far up as it'll go (maybe one more notch on there it can move up one but...) and then I have the bar that goes from the rollbar across the back of the seat and to the side of the car right behind it, I swear, again, *I* am not going anywhere. Now that's just me, I have NO IDEA about anybody elses car. I am just saying what I know with my tank of a Ford and how I am with that car, that's all.

I wouldn't normally respond to the safety debate but a couple of things that really get me thinking about this class are,
It has become significantly faster than it was when the class started, there are a number of drivers with a great deal of experience that are more than capable of hanlding the higher speeds and avoiding mishaps but there are MORE that are not. I watched that #3 just drive right into 99 with no attempt to miss it or hit the brakes from where I was standing and again he was involved in the Big one that ender their night.
For a class that is supposed to be Fun, 0 contact etc. I think it has got out of hand. If the class continues the fast 5 or so need to move up or move on.
I think if higher safety standards are mandated for next year the claimer rule needs to go, the claimer rule was set in place to keep cost down and keep it fun and still competitive, I didn't work anyway if it did I am sure somebody would have tried to by Marshalls Honda or Miles Nissan etc. but it never happened.

I like the class and there are 20 or so cars out there that are equally competitive and 5 or so that should be running with the 4 cylinders, watching Ashley leading that race was great and compared to the majority of the field 20 or so of them she should have won it, but you get the same charge from the same 3 or 4 cars that dominate that class and although you can argue that IS Racing, it may very well be but it is not 4 fun. Guys with that much speed and experience put the rest of that field at risk as much as the inexperienced driver does. There just needs to be some balance to keep it fun.
Thats my 2 cents.

For a class that was meant to inexpensive and fun it has become too large, and too quick to ignore the need for some basic safety equiptment, argue all the points you want about cost and blah blah blah just get it done.

I got turned into the backstretch wall last year head on and full speed and I have been in enough crashes that I knew I was going to get seriously hurt when it happened, when I bounced off the wall I got hit by another car going full speed that then tore the transmission and right front suspension rigth out of my car and spun me 360, I was still looking around wonder why I wasn't dead yet and I got hit again in the right door and drilled another 50 feet down the track.
Glenn thought I was dead, Terry who was flagging that night also thought I was dead, I jumped outa the car windmillin my arms runnin down the track to tear the kids head off that turned me.
My car was destroyed, left front corner was pushed back a foot, all my suspension on the front was bent and broken, it snapped both cast iron control arms in half, my transmission was broken in half with the diff hanging out, I won't even get into the damage on the rear of the car.
My car is 260 lbs over the minimum weight because of the skeleton built in this thing to keep me safe and it did it's job and the car was back as good as new 2 weeks later. I didn't even take an asprin for pain, I had bruises all over my chest and shoulders from my belts and a couple on my legs from smakin the dash but that was it.

This is what saved my ass

Not a lot of money, just a lot of time and worth every minute of it.

Just something to think about, schitt happens and will happen out there, you may dodge it for years but if you continue to race in any class it is going to bite you one day and you want to walk away from it.
For me it isn't even worth the effort to debate it, don't take the chance..

It has become significantly faster than it was when the class started, there are a number of drivers with a great deal of experience that are more than capable of hanlding the higher speeds and avoiding mishaps but there are MORE that are not. I watched that #3 just drive right into 99 with no attempt to miss it or hit the brakes from where I was standing and again he was involved in the Big one that ender their night.
For a class that is supposed to be Fun, 0 contact etc. I think it has got out of hand. If the class continues the fast 5 or so need to move up or move on.
I think if higher safety standards are mandated for next year the claimer rule needs to go, the claimer rule was set in place to keep cost down and keep it fun and still competitive, I didn't work anyway if it did I am sure somebody would have tried to by Marshalls Honda or Miles Nissan etc. but it never happened.

I like the class and there are 20 or so cars out there that are equally competitive and 5 or so that should be running with the 4 cylinders, watching Ashley leading that race was great and compared to the majority of the field 20 or so of them she should have won it, but you get the same charge from the same 3 or 4 cars that dominate that class and although you can argue that IS Racing, it may very well be but it is not 4 fun. Guys with that much speed and experience put the rest of that field at risk as much as the inexperienced driver does. There just needs to be some balance to keep it fun.
Thats my 2 cents.

As far as I remember, I thought that the Claimer rule already has been abolished because they wanted us to start putting in cages and racing seats in this year for preperation for next year... Maybe I was the only one at the drivers meeting or I have selective hearing... haha I don't know, anybody else remember being told this? Becuase I do... it was the night where the pictures of the cage and the seat mount were shown to us... Anybodddyy?

I know that the 4funs have gotten faster, and the need for saftey steps up a bit. There are the crazy drivers, that shouldn't even leave four fun because they are a danger to everybody else (like the 3 you mentioned, I DREAD having him in a heat with me or remotely close to me on the track...). And the crazies are part of the reason why I want to move out and up. I'm done racing fourfun after this year. Bigger and better things for me. 😉

I do want to Win. Maybe they should've called the race after that second redflag... at least I was still in the lead. 😉 I knew I wasn't bound to stay in the lead, that's just what happens. But hey, it's my third top ten in a row. I don't care 🙂

Someone was asking as to where the Paramedics from the ambulance went to after making good and sure that Bob Mercer was taken out in the ambulance,?????????????????/  Well someone that "THINKS" they know "BETTER"  and that they took way too long in making sure that he was handled very carefully FIRED THEM AND BANNED THEM FROM THE TRACK....    The last features were run with only "FIRST AID" people handling the reins.  As for the person mentioning about the car removal????  The cars could not be moved until the Driver was deemed to be okay, in case he happened to pass away in the process. Thank GOD is was okay and is back home again.  Hope to see you back soon Bob and running again.  With only driving a four fun car for a short time, I have seen the need for batter cages and far more important better seats. They need to be seats that can have neck supports fastened to. That is what happened several times since the class first started. They need to follow the thunder cars and late model cars for safety.

Don

I tried to read between the lines but not sure I am getting it. I did hear the ambulance crew had been told they were done for the night but they chose to sit in the stands in case they were needed.

I really get the feeling you have some solid information on this and tried to explain it in a encrypted way but it really isn't that clear.

- The crew removed Bob from the car and made sure the outside ambulance took him away?
- Somebody that thinks they know better chose to fire them because they didn't just yank him out of the car and took too long (with the reading between the lines part there is only one person at the track that could fire somebody)?
- They were told to leave the track and never allowed on property again (this seems to of happened to other people too)?

With all this talk of safety I would like to know what the hell is going on here. I can prepare my car as best as I can but I really want to know we have a ambulance crew ready and waiting plus I was under the impression you can't run unless they are there.

All I am asking for is some answers. I am not slandering anybody nor starting a smear campaign although I do suspect with your post Don you may be the next person asked to leave the property.