USAC Racing Forum

Thinking of purchasing!!
What are your thought,do you have to spend a $1000.00 to be
good??
Does it have to be a Hans to be good?
Used or new??
Good idea or not necessary ??
Money is an object!!!!
Driver is 70 lbs. Senior Honda & 160!
Any input,just started thinking and looking!!!

Thanks!!!!!!!!!  Scott Brown
                        Griffin Brown #4

hi mr brown i just purchased a head and neck restraint this year from meyer motor sports after a very scary crash and it has been the best money ever spent cost was 650 and it fits the quarter midget cars much better than the hans i think i also like the fact that its held in place by the shoulder belts.but call jon meyer he is very good at getting you into what you need  thanks ;)

I would also recommend the Head and Neck device from Safety Solutions that Jon Meyer sells. The Hybrid Pro looks like the best system for QM use.  www.safetysolutionsracing.com

My only problem with any of these devices...and this is my opinion only...is that we don’t have a way to keep the kids in a fixed position while seated in the cars. I think this affects the ability of these devices to work 100% but they are better than nothing.

The other safety issue that I see that should be number one on everyone’s list is the use of soft walls at ALL quarter midget tracks. If your track is talking about getting soft walls then step up and donate all you can. We made that big step at NWOQMRA this year and they have been the best improvement at that track in years. DONT put it off another year....you will be glad you did..just ask ANY NWOQMRA member.

We are going to be going with the D-Cell device for AJ.

Eric...if you need a way to keep Ross in a fixed position in the car check out one of these: http://www.joieofseating.com/.  ;)

My son uses the R3 from safety solutions. Very similar to the Hybrid that Mr Rankine talks of. It connects to the driver and does not totally rely on the belts as a Hans does.
He has been upside down very hard and no neck pain at all. I have seen alot of these in the last year and Safety Solutions will custom size it for you if need be. I love the soft walls but I have control over what my son wears. They run right at $575 plus shipping. I would not let money be an issue for the safety of your child.

I also purchased a Hybrid Rage (First cousin of the R3) through Jon Meyer. What a great investment. My youngest son uses it in Lt.160 and Lt. A. He has noticed how it helps on an impact. One of the advantages I like with the Hybrid Rage is that it can be updated as my driver grows. For a much cheaper fee than replacing it. I will be able to have it updated for his size all the way up to an adult size. Next time we are at the same track I can show you how I worked with the chassis to help solve the problem that Eric mentioned.

Dale Hall
Columbus, Ohio

I bought the Hybrid also through Jon Meyer and have found it to be a great item. I think ALL quarter Midget drivers should have one,,,,,,,,my son wears his around the house some times........he is a freak.

hybrid  john meyer.

We run the Hybrid so when he grows we will just change the webbing and it's not near the cost of buying a new one. My son has had his for almost a year and has put it to use many times and never complained about his neck. Parents need to stop and think about safety of their kids,why spend all your money on cars and won't think of the most important part of that car your driver!

We are getting two new cars and they will be modified for our seat belts to ensure even better safety. The fifth belt we added at the begining of the year by USAC was put in place to hold the belts down where they belong which also makes the head and neck work properly.

The soft wall system is a good thought but the walls we have came in contact with seems to flip these cars more frequetly which makes the head and neck that much more important.

Andy Myers.

To all our .25 Quarter Midget Friends. A Head and Neck Restraint is something all of us should have for our kids from Rookie all the way to the big cars! My son wore one starting with Novice when we were QMA and he was 7 years old. People thought I was nuts to have him wearing it because "they don't go fast enough especially in novice to need one". Actually you can get a Basel Skull Fracture under 30 miles an hour! When we got into the sport a very close friend who had been racing for many years put me onto Safety Solutions Products.

Anyone who has seen my son race recently knows that he has taken some nasty hits at Xenia Miami Valley last year being T-Boned then a car flipping over us and especially the bad hit he took at Columbus at the last Generation Next Race. That crash took out our motor, rear axle, all the rear radius rods, panyard bars, both rear shocks and left bird cage! He was wearing his R3 Carbon Fiber Unit and raced 3 races later in LT 160. Yes his ribs hurt but from the video, the R3 did what it is supposed to do. Kids are taking hard hits and we need to be responsible handlers and protect them!

I am a firm believer in the devices (R3, Hybrid, D-Cel. Hutchens Device) and yes I rep for them but  I am on an Emergency Squad 50-100 hours per week and don't want to ever have to call one for any of our kids! Call me at (440) 227-4945 and I can help your child be safer while racing! Our website is currently having issues! I will explain differences between all of the products we have available to keep our kids safe!.

i watched a video from a race we ran in columbus. we were involved in a wreck where we were simply spun out. another car hit us in the left rear tire causing no more than a bent rim to our car and my driver was not shook up in any way. we was able to slow the dvd down frame by frame to see the accident unfold. thats when we discovered his head snapped at what looked to be a 90 degree angle when we were struck from the side. we were amazed that happened, we didnt even know it happened. so even the small wrecks we have in .25 racing could be damaging now? later? who knows. we now have a hybrid and i feel so much more at ease.

Watching the film slowed down to frame by frame can be scary.  We too watched a wreck when AJ hit a car that spun right in front of him.  At speed the wreck looked like nothing and there was no damage to either car, partly due to "Rookie" speed.  However slowed down you could see the other kids head snap out of the car at pretty much a 90 degree angle.  Even at the slow red plate speeds, the violence of the wreck was scary.

It does not take much of an impact for the head to snap at 90 degrees or greater. I remember many times this season I have been at various tracks and handlers brush off a wreck for the simple fact of "they want to race and the kids are fine". We all need to take a step back and realize how much we spend on tires and motors to GO FASTER! What about the safety gear? Why is it the last thing we spend money on? Can you put a price tag on your child's neck or back? Not in my book.

Look into a head and neck restraint BEFORE you really wish you had bought one. There is no price you can put on your child's safety and so what if they don't finish first. There is always another race on the schedule.

Glad to see people are thinking about safety and looking into the devices. If you want to see scary footage of crashes and necks snapping, I have a video that was done by Safety Solutions that makes you really want to pull out the credit card and order one TODAY! It is a one time expense that has a life time positive result! You throw out tires and motors, you can't throw out your child's neck or back and order a replacement!
 

I can just drill my current helmet correct???

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ordering soon!

mr brown if you order from jon meyer im sure he will help you mount the rings properly and explain everything to you thats what he did with my sons r3.thats the nice thing about buying from a racer and not the big box places thanks

We always ran QMs with the standard neck collar.  The problem with a HANs in a QM is it only protects the head moving forwards and backwards.  If you do not have a seat in the car that will keep the head from moving side to side a HANs is not a good idea.

We use a HANs now with our 1000cc Mini-Sprint.  It works incredibly well.  The car has a great seat in it that keeps the drivers head from moving side to side....and of course the HANs protects the head/kneck from moving front to back.

If you are going to go with a HANs or a HANs like device in a QM make sure you have a good seat in the car or some other method of protecting the drivers head from being thrown side to side.

Noah's joie seats should be arriving any day for both of Noah's cars, but I'm not real crazy about how the left head panel is slightly bent to the left (vs. straight forward like the right side). When we ordered, we were told that you can now get both sides straight forward, but the rep didn't recommend it. Not sure why....but maybe it impedes visability. Now I guess we need something to make sure his head can't snap towards the left.

If anyone chooses the HANS device, we have them in stock and ready to ship. Free shipping and we'll install the anchors free if you're in the Indy area. Call Performance Racing Products at 888-917-4777 or visit the site, www.freemanracing.com.

Thanks!

Thanks David, great to know. ;)

FYI to anyone considering LaJoie seats, Noah's arrived & the 1st of 2 have been installed. The bending outward of the left head panel isn't as pronounced as I had seen on another driver's car. We're very pleased with the seats. 

My son uses a Hutchens Device. Mid way through 2008, I bought it against my better judgment, but I am so happy that I did. This fits him extremely well inside of a quarter midget. This year he has taken a couple of nasty hits in Sr. Crash and a roll over. He hated it at first, but now he won't race without it. The tethers are a little snug and it does limit his ability to turn his head, but not too bad. However, this helped with another problem. Since my kid has a rather large head for a 10 year old, his adult size helmet is a little heavier than the youth spec ones. The left tether prevents his head from moving as far to the right on a long 160 race and he doesn't get nearly as tired as he did last year. This is something that we noticed only 3 races into using it.

When I spoke to the folks at Hans, they made a statement that was pretty clear to me. They said "Let's make one thing clear, there is no such thing as a bad head and neck restraint and if all that you can afford is a Hutchens device, I will give you Safety Solution's phone number." They did and I bought one.

I don't think that we should be allowed to let our children race without a head and neck restraint. I really feel that it should be mandaited.

If I had it to do over again, I probably would have purchased the R3 hybrid, but I am very satisfied with our Hutchens.

Don't let anyone tell you that your child won't be able to drive as well with one of these. Last year we won five out of 8 Lt 160 mains with it and this year we won six out of nine.

Excellent food for thought, Vanderpool. I'll have to look into the systems you've mentioned. ;)