[tom97ss]

Just something i was thinking about on way into work this am.....

At local Dragstrips, they require cages and other saftey features for sub 11 (?) second cars. Based on some of the postings and my own experience (70mph spin into a gravel trap 2 feet short of the tire wall) Do you guys think at some point (unfortunatly maybe when someone gets killed) there will be restrictions placed on street cars as far as saftey equipment,speed..etc... and not just separate groups based on experience? I'm afraid of a kid (nothing personal, i'll be the first to admit to be young and dumb and fearless at one point (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) ) or any body with litttle or no experience in a 300+ hp car really wiping out good in a street belted no roll caged car.....

Just a random thought :leaving:

[Rob Hood]

Both times I attended driving schools at Portland I only had a helmet and factory seat belts, as did my instructors, and I got to 135 easily. I also got to see the faster group wad up a Porsche and a Ferrari at the second school. Neither of those cars had a rollbar.

Safety equipment is great and quite necessary. While the NHRA requires a rollbar for the 11-second club, you can still get in just as much trouble with a 13.5 sec car, since their trap speeds sometimes are just as high as the 11 sec car.

I would think that the recent accident out at Buttonwillow earlier this year would only reinforce the requirement for having a certain amount of safety equipment, to include at least a 4-point rollbar. From a schooling perspective, the rollbars may not have to be required, as not all people who enroll in the entry-level driving schools intend to advance to higher levels of racing instruction or go on into roadracing. In that case, I would think that the school's instructors would ensure that they explain to the student that they are in overall control of the car, and the student is merely operating the vehicle under the instructor's tutelage and approval. (I think this is done already by most schools.) Perhaps if a student is approved to advance to a higher level of instruction, a requirement may be that the student's car have a rollbar (minimum 4-point bolt-in) before participating in the advanced driving course.