I (like so many before me) would like to Drag Race my car & Road Race my car. This having been said, I would also like to install a Roll bar/cage. i was recently looking at the requirements for SCCA membership and the Requirements for Saftey Equipment. When I noticed that a roll bar (at some point or another) will be needed.

My Question:

Will the NHRA legal Jegs 8 Point Roll Bar work or be acceptable for SCCA use? And if not, why?

Thanks in advance.....

 

Im not sure. but I dont think it will work for SCCA. I think SCCA wants there to be a support that runs down your windshield corner to the floor. All cars that I have seen prepared for roadracing have a bar overhead and runs down the side of the windshield to the floor. Most drag setups Ive seen seem to give you a bar across the door, but nothing above your head infront of you (just behind).

Anyone know for sure?

 

First off, let me ask you what you mean by SCCA Road Racing. Are you talking wheel to wheel in competition or just some open track days? If you're talking wheel to wheel, a normal NHRA approved cage won't do. You will need, as auto-xer suggests, bars that follow your roofline and go down your a-pillar to the floor, as well as across your windshield between it and the roof. I would highly recommend getting a rulebook for the road racing class you want to run in and get a cage built to those rules. It's not that expensive.

OTOH, if you just want to have fun on a road course at open track events, it's very likely a standard drag racing cage would be just fine, as most of the clubs don't require any type of cage at all.

 

Actually I am referring to Test & Tune open track type stuff, or a club day where they let you run single file w/ no passing. But no actual competition, I just want to go out to a track and race. But I use SCCA as more of an example than a definite club in mind. The real reason for the cage is that while most clubs do not require a cage, Out here in California, ALL high performance driving schools do, or you could of course rent their cars to drive @ $500 a day! And unfortunately no club will let you run with them without having gone to a school, and for good reason, I am not upset about that one bit. But all of Schools & tracks require some cage type of cage but none of them go into any detail as to what type of cage. As for the SCCA GCR, I am going to purchase one, I was just hoping that someone would have the answer and save me the time and money. Thanks anyway.

 

I dont know where you are in CA, but just going out on a road course for FUN driving versus RACING, you do not require a cage or bar anywhere that I know of unless you have a convertible.

I have T tops and no bar/cage, but I do not race either, I just go out on a course "single file" with passing in some zones, the more advanced the group the more lenient the passing rules.

 

I am in Southern California, check the Willow Springs Webpage, or the Button Willow Web Page. They both want a roll bar, even if you are not a convertable.

 

I sure didn't know that, the NCRacing guys were planning on Buttonwillow recently, and I didn't hear anything about a bar.

Buttonwillow is a fast track though, so I suppose it might be adviseable, just incase. I went sideways a bit over 100 MPH at THill, but don't think I was anywhere close to flipping, flat ground, lowered car, and not enough grip on pavement to turn it over.

 

I suspect you're looking at the various "race" sections for SCCA and the Willow Springs track. Yes, if you want to race, you'll need the right car for it, and it will include a rollbar requirement. But if you haven't run on a road course before, or want to do what most folks call "open tracking", you won't need a rollbar, on those tracks. Here's the Buttonwillow example of what I'm talking about - http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/clinic.htm - I couldn't find any references on the Willow Springs site.

I've looked at the rules for many clubs, and don't know of any of them that require a rollbar in a hardtop car, unless they're actually racing.

FWIW, here's the tech sheet for the NCRC, pretty typical of the requirements you'd have for any of the open track days: http://www.ncracing.org/docs/tech.html

Dave

 

This is pretty typical now, and even still some are supprised at this requirement, but for sure on a hard top or even T bar car it seems pretty rare unless your really racing.

 

It's been years since I road raced in SCCA sanctioned events, but if you want to know what they require, maybe you should read the rule book? No matter what is the minimum required, it would be nuts to run without one in a car as fast as an F-body. I would say that as a minimum you need a six-point bar, 5-point harness, and a good helmet.

Most of the time you won't crash, and even if you do you will usually not be seriously injured. But a good roll bar provides significant protection and I wouldn't be without it on a racetrack. But you pays your money and you makes your own choices in this as in anything else

Just IMHO, YMMV.

Rich Krause

 

Check into Autopower. They are made from 2" dia. material.

Drag race cages are not acceptable for roadracing due to the lack of strength due to smaller diameter steel used. Many open track type events will accept them, though. But, if you decide you really enjoy roadracing, you don't want to have to rip it out and do it over again.

BobC

 

The Cage/roll bar I had my eye on is the Jegs 8 point. It is made from 1 3/4ths mild steel. But you have all for the most part answered my question, thank you.

 

SCCA does have specific rules for how the cage must be built, where the bars go etc, and what size the bars are for your weight of car...

NASA rules will be similar if not the same.

 

I have not raced Willow yet, however, it tends to eat cars of the inexperienced. My race group does the last turn at 120-130mph, and if you make a mistake there, you may end up in the pit wall. I'd pick Buttonwillow or Thunderhill as my first track experience instead. These are much more forgiving tracks.

 

I live right by Willow Springs, they do not require you to have a cage for HPDE events, or club events. If you are a serious race car driver (in a points race), then yes they do require that. I have many friends that have done HPDE events and closed events, neither of which have a cage in their cars. I plan to attend the next HPDE up here ... with no cage in my SS (although my Z28 will have a purpose built cage for safety reasons).