[SCrazy]

Hello all...this is my first post on this forum but I am a Ford guy with an 11 second 3.8 Thunderbird SC, I'm hoping you can help me out with a question.

I help organize a SuperCoupe track day where we rent a track and race shootout style. We break the cars into some classes for racing and our rules state the cars need to be NHRA legal but we've always left it up to the track to enforce the sanctioning body rules.

The event took place last weekend and it has come to the organizers attention that NHRA rules were not being followed. People not wearing helmets under 14 seconds, no cages in sub 11.5 second cars, car missing drive shaft loops, etc, etc.

Since this was a club event tech inspection was basically sign a waver and drive by the tech shack.

My question is when you guys have a track day does the club get involved in enforcing the NHRA rules or to you leave that strictly up to the track. Should we have our own tech? We are not NHRA rule experts as we would expect the track to be.

Your opinions would be greatly appeciated.

Brian

[Grabber523]

NHRA rules state that the ultimate responsibility that the cars are properly prepped for the E.T. or MPH that they will run lies with the owner of the vehicle. It's not the track officials' fault if you're not running a DS loop and catapult your car, understand? Just because it made it through tech without it, doesn't mean you can hold that against them if shit goes wrong. If you need a cage, pass tech without one, and you get killed running an 11.48, it's nobody's fault but your own. With that being said, even on "Street Legal" Drag nights, like the one you're describing, I still have to wear my SNELL helmet and SFI fire jacket, have the DS loop installed, SFI spec everything that's not OEM...etc. If you're going to build a fast car to run at the track, then you need to do it to the sanctioning body's specs (NHRA rulebook is a great resource). As the club event organizer, you can't be held totally responsible for the actions of your members, but the members have to understand racing at the track is a privelege, not a right. And safety equipment, although expensive, is better than a firey death or having the club black flagged for multiple infractions.

EDIT: The NHRA rulebook is $10...PM me an address and I'll let you have mine for the cost of shipping.

[SCrazy]

Thanks Grabber....I do have a .pdf version of the rule book thanks for the offer.

Two things were of concern for the group of us putting this together.

First are we open to personal liability if somebody gets hurt and doesn't have the proper safety equipment (lets just assume that we could have known this and turned a blind eye)?

Second if a car wins a race without proper equipment should we DQ the car if it comes to our intention?

In the past the cars really were "street" cars but this year we had 6 cars running low 11/high 10 and some definately didn't have the safety equipment. We are getting a little nervous.

Brian

[HickRocket1258]

Normally that's the track's responsibility to tech your cars, whether it's a test and tune, private track rental, whatever the case may be but they may have not cared that day. If you feel you can get away with it at the track and not have it, that's up to you. I'm sure most of those guys don't go to the track often, that's why they don't keep up on the safety requirements. There's a reason you sign those waivers, so the track's not responsible anything that happens after you come in the gate.

[SCrazy]

You are absolutely correct about why guys don't want to install the safety stuff. These are car that go to a track a couple times a year and even though it's a 10 second car they still want to be able to put their kids in the back of it when not at the track.

Personally I feel the safety rules are there for my protection and keep my personal car up to spec.

So you think if I'm hosting a track rental type event for my club and I know a car doesn't have a cage and I allow it to run in the 10s. When that car crashes I have no personal liability for not stopping that guy from running? It's 100% on the track or the individual racer to make sure the cars are up to the standards.

Sorry for being so persistant but the group of guys I organize the event with are having a huge debate over this and experience from other people who have done similar events will be very helpful to us.

Brian

[Grabber523]

If you're asking if the track owners, staff, or event organizers would ever be held liable for a personal injury resulting from a lack of proper safety equipment, even if it passes tech? No. Final liability lies with the driver/owner of the vehicle.

[HickRocket1258]

It's up to them really. Once they sign the waiver, anything that happens to the drivers isn't the tracks liability. I would say if they don't want to follow let it be, and if something happens, then well, it's all on them. No one else is liable.

[casper gt]

the thing that's being missed here is the secondary type stuff (ie. an unsafe car crashes into the car their racing & injures/kills the driver of the second car, someone will be held liable for it) that needs to be looked into on a state by state basis.
I've been to special events both with & without tech but my car is legit & I realize that theirs risks involved in racing, so I just deal with it.
if I were organizing an event, there would be tech, but hardcore tech will effect turnout with casual/ammature racers so you need to be prepaired for that.

[SCrazy]

Thanks for the discussions guys...this is definately helping

[saxmanJJ]

Maybe you could make up your own Club waiver form (in addition to the track's) and make the participants in the event sign it?