As you can see, we’re hard at work making the Merkur safe. This is a topic that we take very seriously, especially in light of recent events. You may have seen footage of the crash at Sears Pointless, but we actually witnessed it. It’s given us a whole new perspective on what a “safe” race car really is. As such, we’re going above and beyond the minimums of what is required for this type of racing.
The driver of the Cavalier broke a vertebra in his neck, and looking at the violence of the crash you can certainly see how. This led us to the conclusion that a full containment seat is not only a good idea, it’s mandatory. The extra support should keep our head and neck safe, but what about the rest of us? Add a top of the line harness to keep us secured & a 5-liter fire system to keep us not-on-fire and we’re pretty close to covered. Team all that up with a multi-point rollcage, and I’m feeling much safer already.
And that’s why we’re here at Chase Race, purveyor of all things racing, or racey …hmmm. We’ve started by stripping the interior of all the non-essentails to make the cage install easier. Here’s the dashboard removal before:
And after:
The deeper we dig, the more sound deadening we find. Here’s what we found lurking just behind the dashboard:
It’s looking much cleaner in here already. With the dashboard out of the way, we will be able to install a dash bar and locate the front downtubes closer to the firewall. This will increase the “safety cell” for the driver, making it less likely that we will be injured by contact with the cage during a crash.
Over the next few weeks, Doug Chase of Chase Race, will build us a cage of superior strength and quality, keeping us safe for many races to come. After all, racing isn’t just about the thrill of the chase, it’s living to tell the tale.
Those who race and walk away, live to race another day.
…or something like that.