Race Belts

[gsa612]

If you buy a set of RCI "platinum"belts (same price as reg.) there good for 4 yrs.You have to send them back at 2 years to have them re-certified,no charge just pay shipping.I have done this twice, got the same belts and hardware back (marked them).The only thing was a new date sticker sewn on.So if NHRA and/or SFI claim the webbing to have a 30 mo.service life, how can the belt be re-certified for extended service beyond that....gsa612

[Tim Kish]

I'm sure it is far more prevalent in roundy-round cars as I've seen more of them where they pull the motor in the fall and push the car out behind the garage. A buddy was a tech guy at the local circle track. First night out every year he said he'd climb in more than one car, put his foot on the seat and rip the belts out by hand, give them to the owner and send them home. The rulebook can't distinguish between a climate controlled garage and sitting in the yard with the windows down.

[Lenny5160]

Originally Posted by Tim Kish

The rulebook can't distinguish between a climate controlled garage and sitting in the yard with the windows down.

Key point here...

[Rory McNeil]

...And yet, every time I take my old "expired" harnesses to a swap meet, it is always a local round track racer who buys them , to use in his circle track race car. You know, the kind that are regularily crashing into each other, concrete walls etc.... I guess their rules makers deem 2, 3, or 4 year old belts totally acceptable.
Also would be curious to hear NHRA or SFIs reasoning for the need to send my thick steel bellhousing (scattershield) back for recertification every 5 years. It can`t be due to damage from the sun, as they are hidden under the firewall, and are painted (Lakewood), or anodized (McLeod), and I don`t drive my race cars on salt covered snowy roads in the winter. They must be made from an inferior blend of steel than the 80 year old bridge I drive over twice a day going to & from work!

[older racer]

long time ago, I asked NHRA official about the two year rule, seems it was based on seat belts in jet fighters, they replace them every two years. boeing builds a plane and they don't replace seat belts every two years. in general aviation, there is no seat belt rule. I remember being around spray planes with 20 year old belts, never replaced, yet they held up in a turn over. I witnessed that. also, bellhousing rule is same boat.

[Fireofficer5]

Lee Shepard and Darrell Gwynn are the reason.

[Jeff Stout]

Originally Posted by Tim Kish

I'm sure it is far more prevalent in roundy-round cars as I've seen more of them where they pull the motor in the fall and push the car out behind the garage. A buddy was a tech guy at the local circle track. First night out every year he said he'd climb in more than one car, put his foot on the seat and rip the belts out by hand, give them to the owner and send them home. The rulebook can't distinguish between a climate controlled garage and sitting in the yard with the windows down.

For 2018 roundy round racers in AZ can only have belts no older then 5 years. Even in Bomber class. Its contagious

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Fireofficer5

Lee Shepard and Darrell Gwynn are the reason.

No....From what I remember Darrell did not use his arm restraints when he crashed in England while demonstrating the car to a potential buyer and Lee Shepard was not wearing his harness during a Goodyear tire testing session. The wind caught his chutes when he ran a full 1/4 mile at the end of the testing day instead of his usual 60 ft and 1/8 mile passes. and the chutes spun the car sideways. It threw Lee through the windshield at approx. 180 MPH. Several have died over the years for not wearing all they should during simple testing. Don Carlton of Motown Missile and Rod Shop fame did not wear his helmet and crashed while tire testing hitting his head on the roll cage. I could go on and on but you get the idea....WEAR YOUR SAFETY EQUIPMENT even if you are just testing.

[Steve Stasko]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

No....From what I remember Darrell did not use his arm restraints when he crashed in England while demonstrating the car to a potential buyer and Lee Shepard was not wearing his harness during a Goodyear tire testing session. The wind caught his chutes when he ran a full 1/4 mile at the end of the testing day instead of his usual 60 ft and 1/8 mile passes. and the chutes spun the car sideways. It threw Lee through the windshield at approx. 180 MPH. Several have died over the years for not wearing all they should during simple testing. Don Carlton of Motown Missile and Rod Shop fame did not wear his helmet and crashed while tire testing hitting his head on the roll cage. I could go on and on but you get the idea....WEAR YOUR SAFETY EQUIPMENT even if you are just testing.

Lee Shepherd's wife posted this on Yellow Bullet a few years back...

Hey, y'all. Reading all the comments about Lee's death makes me realize that rumors, reliable sources or not, are just not always true. He was doing 60-foot clockings that day, but he was world champ and had previously been in an end-over-end crash in Englishtown, NY, so he would have much more concern about safety than most others. He had his seatbelts on, and tight, and his helmet was on as was his fire jacket. Stories abounded about all those not being done, but they were. Alston installed the seatbelts which were made from sub-standard materials and broke under the force of the crash. His helmet was badly cracked on his way out of the car and there were fibers from his Simpson jacket embedded in the paint on the roll bar, he hit so hard. There was nothing he could do to get the car back under control on his way down the track with the crosswind, so he pulled the chute and the car turned instantly to the right and began to flip end over end, ejecting him early in the crash. He was killed instantly, leaving a huge hole in not only the racing world, but also in the world of those who loved and cherished him in his personal life! I know all this because I am his widow and wanted to let anyone who is interested know the truth. Thank you all for the kind words....

As for Don Carlton...Don absolutely had his helmet on at the time of his accident. I know a few people who were there that day, Don's crash was caused by dehydration, and possibly having a heat stroke. It was not a tire test, but a Chrysler sponsored test.

[Tim H]

Thank you Steve for the Lee Shepherd details. I am not on Facebook and had never heard what I felt was a credible account of his crash.