4 replies to this topic

[Speedy27]

A collection of some of my favourite pics from this year's event, which attracted a combined grid of more than 20 Australian and New Zealand-owned F5000's for the first time since 2018. Other highlights included an ex-NART Ferrari 250LM, two Can Am McLaren's from NZ and a few BMW and Ford Supertourers also from NZ.

If you click on the greyed out 'Show more' below the album title, you'll see a link to the event results, which can also help with car ID's.

I hope you enjoy this collection.

 

https://www.flickr.c...177720315980248

[Lee Nicolle]

More than a few open wheel drivers with their head above the roll bar. The M8 is one of them. 

Two problems,, one that some drivers are not very smart and niether it seems are scrutineers. The other that where it is borderline a new modern helmet is making heads bigger and bigger.So where you were just ok you are now just not ok. Plenty of the more 'junior' categories do not seem to have an issue.

Peter,, lovely pics of generally lovely cars. Thank you.

[Speedy27]

More than a few open wheel drivers with their head above the roll bar. The M8 is one of them. 

Two problems,, one that some drivers are not very smart and niether it seems are scrutineers. The other that where it is borderline a new modern helmet is making heads bigger and bigger.So where you were just ok you are now just not ok. Plenty of the more 'junior' categories do not seem to have an issue.

Peter,, lovely pics of generally lovely cars. Thank you.

Hi Lee. Thank you.

After decades of following this sport passionately, I'm not so sure that it's a case of smartness - or the lack of it! I've got to know many competitors over the years and some of them have little to no in depth interest or knowledge of what went on 'back then'. Add to this the fact that many of them are, for want of a more suitable word, optimists - a very worthwhile trait in this game, imo. Remember the old oft-trotted out philosophy that 'it'll never happen to me' - that applies too! The roll bar height issue is also problematic for some people from an aesthetics point of view - you will no doubt have seen numerous pics of historic single seaters from around the world with roll bars extended upwards to the extent that the car looks a little ... peculiar. Furthermore, for quite some years with single seaters, front cockpit bulkheads were visibly not as developed as in newer generation cars - therefore, that 'straight line' can become redundant in a rollover accident. It's a difficult one for sure; I would never attempt to drive anywhere near the limit in any single seater or sports racer where any part of my helmet falls foul of the imaginary 'straight line', but then that may also be a notable part of why I've never raced competitively! I do however - after many years - understand why many people who compete simply do not want to think about things like this, as it is just one of more than a few potential hazards confronted by these people, who, when all is said and done, just want to enjoy pursuing their passion and get on with it. One just needs to hope that we will never be confronted with a tragic situation in which the bleeding obvious becomes much more readily apparent - with hindsight. Take care.

Edited by Speedy27, 09 April 2024 - 09:13.

[Lee Nicolle]

Hi Lee. Thank you.

After decades of following this sport passionately, I'm not so sure that it's a case of smartness - or the lack of it! I've got to know many competitors over the years and some of them have little to no in depth interest or knowledge of what went on 'back then'. Add to this the fact that many of them are, for want of a more suitable word, optimists - a very worthwhile trait in this game, imo. Remember the old oft-trotted out philosophy that 'it'll never happen to me' - that applies too! The roll bar height issue is also problematic for some people from an aesthetics point of view - you will no doubt have seen numerous pics of historic single seaters from around the world with roll bars extended upwards to the extent that the car looks a little ... peculiar. Furthermore, for quite some years with single seaters, front cockpit bulkheads were visibly not as developed as in newer generation cars - therefore, that 'straight line' can become redundant in a rollover accident. It's a difficult one for sure; I would never attempt to drive anywhere near the limit in any single seater or sports racer where any part of my helmet falls foul of the imaginary 'straight line', but then that may also be a notable part of why I've never raced competitively! I do however - after many years - understand why many people who compete simply do not want to think about things like this, as it is just one of more than a few potential hazards confronted by these people, who, when all is said and done, just want to enjoy pursuing their passion and get on with it. One just needs to hope that we will never be confronted with a tragic situation in which the bleeding obvious becomes much more readily apparent - with hindsight. Take care.

As someone who has seen and known people killed and injured in Open Wheel cars, in speedcars it does worry me more. And IF someone is injured it just reflects back on the sport more.And Liability just got even harder and more expensive. And in historics this is even more so.I would love to have a dabble in say that M8. And since I am bigger than many the rollbar will be defenitly too low. And for instance my 6'5" nephew would be worse again. So the rollbar would have to be raised even more.

My classic Supermodified has a 'halo' on top of the cage, been there forever. The period it is restored too the bloke is of a simialr size to me and was forced when being daylighted to fit the halo. Not ideal but just ok. And I have been upside down once though gently.

But some of those cars has the drivers helmet right out the top by 3" .

Scrutineers instead of worrying about the 101 b/s things that annoy competitors do something about this sort of thing. And make it known in the Supregs it will happen

[Speedy27]

As someone who has seen and known people killed and injured in Open Wheel cars, in speedcars it does worry me more. And IF someone is injured it just reflects back on the sport more.And Liability just got even harder and more expensive. And in historics this is even more so.I would love to have a dabble in say that M8. And since I am bigger than many the rollbar will be defenitly too low. And for instance my 6'5" nephew would be worse again. So the rollbar would have to be raised even more.

My classic Supermodified has a 'halo' on top of the cage, been there forever. The period it is restored too the bloke is of a simialr size to me and was forced when being daylighted to fit the halo. Not ideal but just ok. And I have been upside down once though gently.

But some of those cars has the drivers helmet right out the top by 3" .

Scrutineers instead of worrying about the 101 b/s things that annoy competitors do something about this sort of thing. And make it known in the Supregs it will happen

No arguments from me. My sentiments are exactly the same as yours on all fronts, 'just not sure how enforcing this would work in a lot of the cars, especially many of them pre-1974. Have a look at some of the Lola F5000's from earlier years for example - they have no front bulkhead against which to draw the other end of the 'straight line'.