Safety System Mandated By National Dirt Racing Sanction For 2017 Season

[CIRF]

I am fully cognizant of the fact hat this is dirt late model forum but I firmly believe that safety discussions encompass all racing genre's and I believe everyone here (at least those with operational gray matter) is concerned and takes an interest in the evolution of safety as it pertains to racing as a whole, and more specifically dirt racing.

I am glad to see USAC making the first move on this particular safety system and it probably would translate very well to dirt late model racing. I've seen this subject hashed and rehashed by racers and dedicated fans alike.

Whadda' ya'll think. Is this system a good idea?



USAC TRACSAFE INITIATIVE AIMED AT QUICKER SAFETY RESPONSE

A USAC initiative aimed at driver safety was introduced during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show at the Indiana Convention Center Thursday.

The TraceSAFE system will launch in early 2017 and will be implemented in the three USAC National Championship Series: Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and National Midgets.

USAC will supply the TracSAFE equipment to teams at each of the series’ national events throughout the 2017 season.* USAC has led the development of this innovative new safety feature with support from Toyota Racing Development.

A light system on the dash and the back of the roll cage of each racecar will serve multiple functions.* The innovative feature incudes an indicator on the dashboard that will light up yellow when the track goes under a yellow or red flag situation.* The system is connected to USAC’s timing and scoring, which will allow for an instantaneous response from race control to the competitors on the track to alert each driver in the event of an on-track incident.

Furthermore, a series of three lights will be located on the back of the roll cage.* During green flag periods, the lights will serve as “leader lights” to indicate to fans the running order position of the car on the track.* If a driver is leading, one green light will be illuminated, two green lights for the second-place running car and three green lights for the third-place car.

As soon as timing and scoring goes under a yellow or red flag condition, the three lights on the back of the cage of all cars will immediately flash rapidly to alert drivers of a full-course yellow flag condition.

Additionally, scan code stickers will be placed on the back of each driver’s helmet to allow medical personnel quick and easy access to the driver’s detailed medical history.

With an objective of safety and decreasing the response time for communication from race control to the drivers, TracSAFE won overwhelming approval from attendees visiting the USAC display.

"TracSAFE is a first for grassroots motorsports as USAC continues to be a leader in sprint and midget racing nationally,” USAC president Kevin Miller said. *“We look forward to the full rollout in 2017 and sharing the technology with tracks and series throughout the country with our universal goal of increased safety for our competitors."

[Stede Bonnet]

That safety device has merit and utility. Another thing I like about USAC safety rules regarding seats is Full Containment is optional. You either run FC or nets on either side or a combination headrest on right and net on left, which I prefer. WoO/LUCAS seem to be fumbling in the dark with their safety initiatives without looking at all likely scenarios with logic, only emotionally charged PC responses. God save us all.

[Josh Bayko]

It's pretty similar to the Racesafe system used in northeast years ago. The Racesafe system had it is issues, but I'm sure the technology availiable to day will make this system far more reliable.

[CIRF]

It's pretty similar to the Racesafe system used in northeast years ago. The Racesafe system had it is issues, but I'm sure the technology availiable to day will make this system far more reliable.

Not familiar with the Racesafe system. What did it entail and what type racecars was it used on?





The only thing I would remotely find fault in regards to what USAC is mandating is the light's may be just a bit too bright if we are to use the picture as an example. I'm positive that can be fine tuned.

I also like the idea of identifying the cars running in the top 3 positions. The only reservations I would have about that would be they running order would only be updated 1 time a lap in most cases. Things change very quickly, sometimes several times a lap and without timing and scoring lines at regular intervals the running order displayed on the racecars could be several positions in error.

[Josh Bayko]

Not familiar with the Racesafe system. What did it entail and what type racecars was it used on?





The only thing I would remotely find fault in regards to what USAC is mandating is the light's may be just a bit too bright if we are to use the picture as an example. I'm positive that can be fine tuned.

I also like the idea of identifying the cars running in the top 3 positions. The only reservations I would have about that would be they running order would only be updated 1 time a lap in most cases. Things change very quickly, sometimes several times a lap and without timing and scoring lines at regular intervals the running order displayed on the racecars could be several positions in error.

The Racesafe system was a big yellow light on the dashboard of every car that came on when the caution was out. It was primarily used in northeastern Big and small block modifieds. When it worked well, it was a good thing. However, with the technology availiable in the early to mid nineties, it had its problems. It would go off all on its own, or it wouldn't go off at all. It would work on some cars but not on others. DIRT legalized two way radios and it went away. Some years later the raceceiver was invented and everybody went to that.

[CIRF]

The Racesafe system was a big yellow light on the dashboard of every car that came on when the caution was out. It was primarily used in northeastern Big and small block modifieds. When it worked well, it was a good thing. However, with the technology availiable in the early to mid nineties, it had its problems. It would go off all on its own, or it wouldn't go off at all. It would work on some cars but not on others. DIRT legalized two way radios and it went away. Some years later the raceceiver was invented and everybody went to that.

Okay, you may have jogged my ever diminishing memory enough that I think I remember what you describe being used by the big block DIRT modifieds at Volusia County back in the 1990's. Florida was the only place we ever got to watch the big blocks.

I'm sure the hope is that the system being implemented by USAC has been perfected to the degree that there will not be any false yellow/red alerts or vice versa. That situation has the potential to be more dangerous than no system at all.