[MatthewAMEL]

Originally Posted by jesusmetal777

Congrats on the new ride! I'm actually planning to do Skip Barber 3/26 & 3/27 at Sebring down by you (shipping the wife and kids to Universal Studios for a couple days while I drive down for the HPDE).

I noticed it was you who posted Schroth's email in that other thread about having no current plans to develop the 4-pt Quickfit for Gen6. Do you think they will change that tune, and/or have you seen any similar products from other manufacturers?

I'm curious, when you had the Focus, was it for track only or did you drive it on the street regularly? I'm still wondering about potential consequences of installing a 4+pt harness in a street driver that is occasionally tracked...whether the harness restraint will reduce the airbag's ability to prevent neck injury.

Nice avatar by the way...I played through Fallout 4 last winter. Working through Doom now and waiting for Skyrim to come out on the Nintendo Switch.

What group are you running Sebring with? I run with SCCA and Chin.

I'll be at Sebring with Chin on 3/25-26. Maybe we can meet up.

My Focus was DD/AutoX/Track car. I swapped wheels and brake pads for events.

I had a Schroth QuickFit Pro in the Focus. It was a 90 second removal/install. It uses the LATCH points in the back seat as anchors. It's one of the reasons I keep bugging them about a version for us.

Uh...Fallout. A personal obsession. Been playing since 'Wasteland' back in 1988. It's possible I have gone overboard with it.

[ericedelman]

After going to track days for around 6 years and competing in One Lap of America each year, I've come to a few realizations.

I'm not a great race car driver. At best, I could be considered a talented novice. Since I'm 46, I probably won't get a lot better either. I'm not that great of a mechanic either, although I own a lot of tools.

If you feel that you want to use a HANS device, set the car up properly. That means a proper race seat and at a minimum a harness bar, better would be a cage. And, 5-6 point harnesses that come from behind the race seat to connect to the HANS. ANYTHING ELSE is going to be a compromise.

Factory cars are very safe with multiple airbags and seatbelts that have significant engineering and crash testing behind them.

HPDE events are pretty safe. All the cars are going in the same direction. Nobody is texting. Most people are on their best behavior. We even get hand and arm signals. Tracks are generally designed with safe runoff areas.

I've gone full circle for tow vehicles, trailers, and spares. Now I'm perfectly happy to drive to the track, have an easy day or weekend, and drive the car home in one piece.

As a newbie, I think you should buy yourself a good comfortable helmet, gloves and maybe shoes. You can add from there after you figure out if you like going to the track.

Originally Posted by jesusmetal777

I'm planning to track my ZL1 in the spring at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, but first completing a 2-day High Performance Driving course at Skip Barber (using their vehicles, which would be my first time on a track, ever).

What do you guys recommend, if anything, for additional safety equipment when tracking? When it comes to safety I prefer to err on the side of caution. Is it worth it to invest in a head+neck restraint and/or a 5/6 point harness? HANS device, hybrid, or R3? I've read 4-pt harness are not allowed by some clubs?

Or is the airbag and OEM seatbelt sufficient?

This thread from earlier this year talks about some of the safety mods that can be performed, anticipating the 6th Gen Recaro seats will not be harness-friendly. I prefer not to install a harness bar, so as to keep the backseat functional, but if a 5/6 point harness is recommended and the only way to get it, I'll do it.

[jesusmetal777]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

What group are you running Sebring with? I run with SCCA and Chin.

I'll be at Sebring with Chin on 3/25-26. Maybe we can meet up.

How could we not meet up if we'll both be at Sebring on the same day?! I'd love to pick your brain about your club memberships as I know literally nothing about them. Looks like there is a Chicago chapter of SCCA. The Skip Barber HPDE is supposed to be at Sebring 3/26 & 3/27 (ahem), but I spoke to SB yesterday and I guess there's a wrinkle in their agreement with Sebring. I am told it should be ironed out within a few weeks so hopefully I can register for 3/26 & 3/27. I already booked airfare and hotel at Universal for my whole family!!

Originally Posted by ericedelman

Factory cars are very safe with multiple airbags and seatbelts that have significant engineering and crash testing behind them.

As a newbie, I think you should buy yourself a good comfortable helmet, gloves and maybe shoes. You can add from there after you figure out if you like going to the track.

THIS ^^

I might look into OminouSS' recommendation of a motorcycle H+N device as a cheaper backup, but I would be very satisfied if I could one day consider myself a talented novice. I'm almost positive I won't be tracking my car more than a couple times a year. Primarily so I can enjoy more of the car's capabilities without landing myself in jail

After the first time I took the ZL1 out on the expressway, I was like...

[DFW1LE]

Originally Posted by ericedelman

After going to track days for around 6 years and competing in One Lap of America each year, I've come to a few realizations.

I like your One Lap car avi. Did you ever run across Chuck and Lance Mallett?

[Corner carver]

Originally Posted by MatthewAMEL

What group are you running Sebring with? I run with SCCA and Chin.

I'll be at Sebring with Chin on 3/25-26. Maybe we can meet up.

My Focus was DD/AutoX/Track car. I swapped wheels and brake pads for events.

I had a Schroth QuickFit Pro in the Focus. It was a 90 second removal/install. It uses the LATCH points in the back seat as anchors. It's one of the reasons I keep bugging them about a version for us.

Uh...Fallout. A personal obsession. Been playing since 'Wasteland' back in 1988. It's possible I have gone overboard with it.

You can never have enough fallout!

[Corner carver]

Originally Posted by ericedelman

After going to track days for around 6 years and competing in One Lap of America each year, I've come to a few realizations.

I'm not a great race car driver. At best, I could be considered a talented novice. Since I'm 46, I probably won't get a lot better either. I'm not that great of a mechanic either, although I own a lot of tools.

If you feel that you want to use a HANS device, set the car up properly. That means a proper race seat and at a minimum a harness bar, better would be a cage. And, 5-6 point harnesses that come from behind the race seat to connect to the HANS. ANYTHING ELSE is going to be a compromise.

Factory cars are very safe with multiple airbags and seatbelts that have significant engineering and crash testing behind them.

HPDE events are pretty safe. All the cars are going in the same direction. Nobody is texting. Most people are on their best behavior. We even get hand and arm signals. Tracks are generally designed with safe runoff areas.

I've gone full circle for tow vehicles, trailers, and spares. Now I'm perfectly happy to drive to the track, have an easy day or weekend, and drive the car home in one piece.

As a newbie, I think you should buy yourself a good comfortable helmet, gloves and maybe shoes. You can add from there after you figure out if you like going to the track.

Good advice I plan on taking