A very lucky chappy indeed. Being unconscious is serious…
Car is a mess but the ‘tub’ looks quite intact.
Last week at Silverstone, I was blatting around a damp and greasy track courtesy of the w/e BTCC round. We were all ‘warned’ in the LOT briefing to be VERY careful and AVOID anything painted!!! Still that did not stop 2 ‘tank slappers’ hitting the inside walls…
It’s all to easy to just push too hard… I am quite guilty of this I admit! Next time you are bombing down the straights into a heavy braking corner, have a look at the speed… usually well north of 120 - 130 mph. (and those Honda/Audi boys often add another 20-30 mph to that! F1 guys often hit barriers at this speed… with their CF cars, total strength and fitness, 6 pt harnesses, HANS devices, �3K helmets, and paramedics and helicopters on site!!!
Us… we often just have just standard belts, yet to see a HANS!
I reckon the time is coming to make the latter mandatory for TD’s… the neck is not the strongest bit esp with a 4lb helmet on top of the 7lb head!
Take it easy out there! As is always said, this is not a race and not a F1 talent spotting exercise… It’s just bloody good fun with a bloody good group of like minded peeps!
Sage words Pete - folk need to remember its overtaking by consent on trackdays - I swear that some of the participants were actually racing each other, esp the bmdubs…
Seriously… when I was in the RAF flying Fast Jets about the place, 6-7 G was an everyday occurrence. We wore lightweight helmets… even they were 4 lbs. So pulling 7G, the weight of your head/helmet was about 80 lbs! Thats like walking down the street with Pesky standing on your head!
Doing this for 5 years grew my neck size by over 1/2 to 3/4 inch! F1 drivers have even more!!! All that helps keep the bonce attached to the body in the event of a suddent stop…
F1 drivers have all this neck strength yet wear HANS. ‘We’ dont have either…
I have a bit of problem with neck and shoulder muscles, which I suspect might be due an incident at spa last year… The probelm didn’t occur until a couple of months after the shunt.
As soon as I worked it out… I invested in a HANS… Just wish I had before, would have saved a fortune on physio!
Following neck damage in an earlier life.( stuck it out too far ).I bought a Hans last year and wont go on track without it
Even the entry level one is expensive but so is a broken neck.
If you are going to buy one my recomendation is to go for at least the middle level quality as it is much lighter than the low end one I have. Its more expensive but I guess more comfortable to use.
Was expecting some jovial stick but nobody has criticised it and I note a few others creeping in .
Be sure your belts are suitable and are fitted properly. IE sports seats may have to be modded to get the belts close enough as there is very little distance from harness bar to seat/neck. There are also restrictions on helmet fittings etc.
Be safe guys and galls
Ps Jen at MSAR is well clued on all things Hans http://www.msar-safety.com/
).I bought a Hans last year and wont go on track without it 
