An old Fiat, as a drift car....part 2...DID IT SLIDE?!

Building a FIAT Drift Car  - the Pursuit of Lunacy

By Micheal "Ballin' " Beck

Photo credit: Scrape Yard

Part II

The morning of my inaugural drift event, I didn’t even want to get in the truck to drive to the track. All I could think about was the colossal idiot I was going to look like trying to drift an old FIAT. Why hadn’t I just kept my mouth shut on the podcast? If I hadn’t blabbed to the world I could back out of this and pretend like it never happened, maintaining some shred of dignity........but I didn’t do that. I had not only gabbed about it on my own podcast, I had done it on at least one, if not two others. So I was sort of committed. Podcast problems.

The two-hour drive to Raceway Park of the Midlands was remarkably short. So short in fact, when we arrived I looked for excuses not to open the trailer. “I have to use the restroom on the other side of the park.” “Is this trailer tire low, we should probably address this first.” But it was no use delaying the inevitable: I had to get the car out the trailer to be teched and swap tires.

This stunningly gorgeous RB20DET swapped 280z parked next to me in the paddock

Our trailer has large side doors which the salesman would like you to believe allow the driver’s door of the racecar to swing open past the threshold of the trailer, allowing you to enter or exit the car more easily. That’s a lie. Well, I suppose it’s not a lie if you own a lifted Jeep or an BMW Isetta. Basically the door isn’t low enough for the car door to open fully so you to stumble very ungracefully out the side of the trailer and face plant on the ground. Also, they do a marginable job of showing off the trailer’s contents. By merely opening the side door I could see people standing in the paddock, peering inside with a puzzled look. It’s going to be a long day. I pulled the car out and parked it on the other side of the trailer and changed to the 175 General Tires I had bought on Craigslist earlier in the week. I think I was feeling a bit ambitious while prepping the car thinking the puny Twin Cam would spin the dry-rotted Toyo RA1s at full chat. With the car sitting in the paddock looking about as out of place as Richard Branson at a soup kitchen, I was surprised when someone approached me and called the 43-year-old 124 “dope”.

“This is dope!”

“What’s dope?” “This is dope?”

“Yeah dude this FIAT is dope.”

“Wait… you know this is a FIAT?”

“Yeah, I think this is sick dude, I can’t believe you’re going to skid this. Good luck today man, have fun”

Apparently I had grossly underestimated the drifting community’s penchant for style. To give further credit, the attendees of the O Drift Collective event actually knew what a FIAT was, which is more credit than I can give to many other racing associations’ attendees. “What FIAT is this?” was the most common question I got, followed by “are you going to slide this? Dude, that is sick.” My fears turned out to be completely irrational.

The driver’s meeting was quite quick. Basically they just showed us the sections of the track we were allowed to drift in the morning and in the afternoon. Due to what I assume to be insurance reasons, we were only allowed to drift two sections of the track at a given time, with the sections changing after a break for lunch. The sections consisted of two or three corners with cones to mark the start and finish. You drift the first section and then you taxi to the next. Really the whole drivers’ meeting was quite refreshing: here is where you drift, here is where you don’t, don’t run over anyone and you’ll be fine. Good enough.

I was oddly calm as I approached the first section. I had been out on the track before with a gentleman named Luke who had been on our show earlier in the year. I kind of got the gist of how these things were supposed to work and the speeds at which you have to enter corners. If you’re considering trying drifting for the first time, I think the most important step you can take to prepare yourself is go to an event WITHOUT your car and get some ride-alongs. You’d be surprised the speeds at which you have to take some corners. As I’m preparing to start my section, I look back and see a white WRX behind me. “Is that a camera car?” I say to the starter. “No he pulled the front axles out apparently, he’s here to drift.” Yet another example of the endless style and joie de vivre of drifters.

“I guess we’re seeing how long of a burnout everyone can do. So hit it when you’re ready.” Hit it I did. I was able to get the FIAT to do a burnout through first gear and into part of second with the skinny 175 section tires. After that short lived distraction, I quickly realized my first corner was approaching. I don’t have a 5/10ths switch. I don’t do sighting laps, as dangerous and childish as that may be. So I was hammering towards the first corner as quickly as the little Twin Cam would allow, knowing based on my laps with Luke that I’d probably make it through the corner without understeering off.

Something I quickly realized after a couple laps of the track was I was on the wrong line. Even autocrossers or occasional track day enthusiasts will have a general idea of where the fast line is in the corner. If you are anywhere near that line, you’re in the wrong spot. I wasn’t staying wide enough entering a corner and my drift initiation consisted of turning slightly sharper than I normally would on a grip line and mashing the throttle. The car will do a slight skid in this case, but it’s not the correct way to set up a proper drift, I learned.

It’s hard to see, but that’s smoke. Trust me it’s there.

Around lunch time, Luke joined me on the track for a little instruction. Luke opened up my line and fixed my initiation. The key to starting a good skid, especially in a low powered car, is to do what you’ve probably heard of as a “Scandinavian flick”, or quickly turning away from the corner and immediately flicking the car the other way and applying throttle. This “flick” upsets the chassis and makes the car oversteer much more easily. Once I got a feel for the correct initiation, we started working on transitions. A transition is starting a drift in one direction, getting the car to grip, and then initiating a drift in the other direction in two (or more) subsequent turns, such as a chicane. This is extremely difficult. The Fiat, despite its skinny tires and 205 Toyo RA-1s on the front, kept wanting to grip in the rear and push the car off the track when I tried to transition from the first drift to the second. In a car with more power, this would be less of an issue. Luke taught me a handy technique called clutch kicking (which is exactly what it sounds like) can send abrupt power to the rear wheels and mitigate some of the tendency for the rear tires to bite. It’s quite good fun, but, again, my seven years of grip racing experience was hard to overcome: hovering my foot over the clutch in preparation to kick it was a hard habit to begin to form.

I wish I could say after a day on the track that I had a breakthrough moment and was able to effortlessly shred the Generals to bits, white smoke billowing, enveloping myself and the standing crowd in a haze symbolizing my driving prowess. But I was only able to do a few half-decent skids, nothing overly flashy, but quite satisfying. The FIAT had done it, despite all odds against it and my own reservations. While we were waiting in one of the staging lanes, Luke told me the car felt quite a bit like a KA 240SX, which I took as high praise. It was just after 3pm when I put the car back in the trailer, despite having 2 hours of track time still available. The car had been thrashed at its absolute limit for the past 5 hours and I decided not to push my luck any longer. It performed flawlessly.

just incase you didn't see it before....this is an ancient Fiat drifting.  on purpose.  

Though I had an absolutely fantastic time, I think the inaugural FIAT drifting event will be the car’s last. I may decide to attend one more event in October, but I feel the car deserves to be converted back to a grip car and the RX7 can take the reigns as the Ten Tenths Drift Missile.

Michael Beck lives in a world of automotive lunacy. In 2009 when he decided to start autocrossing, he passed on buying a Miata or a CRX and bought an old FIAT 124 with a stuck engine. After somehow successfully turning the old FIAT into a car nearly as fast as a Miata, he decided to build a track day car. Naturally, he bought an old RX7 out of someone’s backyard and through some shady craigslist dealings, acquired a nearly-free LT1 from a police car. Michael is co-host of Ten Tenths Podcast.

Gridlife South: A sleep deprived road trip week in random pictures....

                                                                  Photos by Luis Villalobos, Mikey Bryzzzzinskiski, and my Adam's phone

just so cool in person.  Forsberg, Tuerck, Gitten Jr, Rob Parsens, etc.

Around 13 or 14 months ago, Chris Stewart, founder of Gridlife, and myself, Motorsports Director, flew down to Road Atlanta to see what that place was about... because they asked us to potentially do a Gridlife Festival there.  I rapidly became obsessed with the track, traveling across the country a couple times in the last year to race there, and hopping airplanes too many times to do things to prepare for this event.  All in all, it was a pretty successful first Road Atlanta event for the ever-growing, ever-evolving company we call Gridlife, and we think it built a pretty good audience for a first year thing.  Amazing time attack sessions happened with our TrackBattle series , the third and final round of the year for us. Full sessions of beginner, intermediate, and advanced/instructor groups spent 3 days lapping the amazing facility (with almost NO incidents....maybe they really listened in my drivers meetings, and paid attention to the advice of the workers in grid!), and the drifters put on some of the best shows we've ever seen.  This was the first time drifters (including some of the top pros in the world) were ever allowed to drift the full course, and if you haven't seen the videos, check them out.  Weeks later my Facebook feed is still clogged up with videos of them and the incredible spectacle they put on. 

One of the best parts of each Road Atlanta trip this year , for me, has been getting to spend it with a different group of buddies.  This trip, Rambler's Racing Team, a bunch of my closest track friends , piled in trucks and left from my house in Chicago.  We bombed south all night, and arrived the next day around noon.  Long nights on road trips are almost impossible to forget, yet I'm glad we had some legitimate photographers with us to take weird and random pictures.  Instead of a million pictures of the cars, and smokey drift party, etc, here is a sampling of the completely sleep depriving and unique week we had, being a part of Gridlife South.  This was a really special week in my life, and I keep hearing people say similar things. That, to me, is the mark of a successful event.  You should probably go on a road trip with your buddies soon.  Start setting it up right now. 

we crammed Luis and Dil's civics with tech shed, time attack, and sponsors banner stuff, and loaded them on the trailer. 

Shae being all soft drinkey

loudest. Car. Ever. 

Dil Wang

 "hi, i'm Chris Sullivan.  You've probably seen my magazine pics. I'm kind of a big deal"

Dil and his brother Ashar took an ancient rad land cruiser down a few days early and had a good ole time.  Tail of dragon pic? 

check straps. Always

wtf was that ?

View fullsize

ohhhhh.  That.  The spare (stupid thing leaked anyway) flipped down, dragged the ground, and exploded at 70 mph. Tire rack got a replacement to me at the track ASAP. That replacement went missing for 24 hrs , being rolled around paddock.  Dan Devries , tech inspection guru staffer, general breakfast beast chef, and drinking buddy, saved the day and found it Sunday. If that spare could talk. ...   

ricers

tough guys Chris and Shae

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

laffin about Waffles or something

black and white tough guys, for more emotional emotions

ricers

mikey being perpetually happy on track weekends

 "yo Adam how far down do those attachments swing?" ....."boutthis far"

 "whatcha thinkin about?"

only 4 min of sleep I got on way down

BRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

insane K swap Fit

drift "grid" was in the long straight. We'd release cars from there.  We'd also take super lame photos. 

austin brushing his teeth at 3 am.  Sweet

cell phone concert pic 

 "hey Waka , want to be my first selfie? Cool"

liked that last terrible cell phone pic? Here's another!

happy people

ryan tuerck's car is lit I guess

strap work. Always

levi and Ballard were tired

chill Dil

Chris Ballard doing something

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAÀAAAAAAAA

 "sure grant, I'll take your stinky dirty clothes home while you fly in Luxury"

strap checkin

this chicken sucked

locked key in truck.  Crap. Totes conquered that though. With skillz

another BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP shot

a Dil Vid!

mico?

Building a Fiat Drift Car

Building a FIAT Drift Car - the Pursuit of Lunacy.....By Micheal "megabux" Beck

Part 1

Frankly, I used to find drifting a waste. A wantingly destructive motorsport, marginally edged out in it’s idiocy by NASCAR and county fairgrounds figure-eight races. Purposefully ruining tires and shredding bumpers on cars with build costs eclipsing the price of my house to no real productive conclusion seemed asinine. It’s incredibly difficult for me to admit it most times (ask any of my co-hosts), but I have to swallow my pride, as bitter the medicine may be: drifting is epic. The combination of Gridlife and riding in a drift-spec GTO at an O Drift Collective event at Raceway Park of the Midlands lead to my 180. It is the embodyment of fun that is missing from most motorsports. While I know Formula D is not without it's drama, local events exist purely for the enjoyment of drivers, photographers, and spectators alike. It lacks pedigree, it lacks ego, it lacks entitlement. And I have to do it. Now.

Those of you that listen to our show (Ten Tenths Podcast) are aware that I am in the process of building an 86 RX7 that’s LT1/T56 swapped, but unfortunately it’s not close enough to completion to run this year. While the merging of the two wiring harnesses is quite well documented, the original RX7 wiring harness appears to have been previously owned by by Edward Scissorhands. As a result, much wire tracing needs to occur along with sorting out a tune., so it will continue to sit in the corner of the garage until winter comes when I’ll have time to work on it again.

If I want to try drifting this year, that leaves the previously mentioned FIAT.......and I do plan to drift this year, because I am impatient and a lunatic. I Googled “drift FIAT” and it turns out (surprise) it’s not a thing. I think I’m the only person in the history of the motorsport that thought a 124 COULD potentially drift and the only one stupid enough to try it. I’m not enough of a madman to think it’s going to be a good drift car, but it’s remarkably similar to a Miata and technically makes a bit more power, so I don’t really see what I have to lose.

The Preparation

First thing’s first: the car currently has an open differential. The limited slip for a 124 is an incredibly rare part that costs about $1500. The whole car cost less than a month's rent on a studio apartment in Manhattan and I’m too cheap to feel inclined to drop that much on a diff.   Luckily, there happened to a welded diff sitting on the shelf from a long-disassembled 124 that ran track days eons ago.  Out came the driveshaft, a quick pull of the axles and a swap the diffs. Really quite simple

.

The car currently had a fiberglass lip under the wrong grille that houses the front brake duct intakes. Otherwise it performs no real function than to make the car look a bit more aggressive and to make loading it on most trailers exponentially more difficult. Obviously, drifting involves many agricultural excursions and fiberglass doesn’t tend to do well with direct impacts; it had to go.

With the front lip gone, I had originally planned to remove the brake ducts. But again this is drifting: the unofficial motorsport of zipties, so strapping them to the sway bar seemed more appropriate.

I’ve never run a rear sway bar on this car very much. In tight bends it picked up the inside rear tire and spun all the power away. The car only has 140 hp on a good day; I can use all the help I can get. Losing a bit of grip in the rear by lifting a tire could be just what I needed, so the bar was reinstalled.

With the car put back together, I bolted up a set of 5 year old Toyo RA1s to the rear and took the car for a test run to see if it would even spin the rears or if that old, rusty diff was as destroyed as Bobby Brown’s septum. Last year when I ran this exact same setup I was snaking all over over the tight go-kart track we use for time trials; I just couldn’t get the power down and the rear was wanting to step out more times than Tiger Woods.  Thankfully not much had changed and I was able to get the car to step out in second gear… this might just work.

Stay tuned for Part 2 to see if Michael’s Ludacris plan actually pans out…

Michael Beck lives in a world of automotive lunacy. In 2009 when he decided to start autocrossing, he passed on buying a Miata or a CRX and bought an old FIAT 124 with a stuck engine. After somehow successfully turning the old FIAT into a car nearly as fast as a Miata, he decided to build a track day car. Naturally, he bought an old RX7 out of someone’s backyard and through some shady craigslist dealings, acquired a nearly-free LT1 from a police car. Michael is co-host of Ten Tenths Podcast. He likes to tell girls he meets at bars he’s an automotive journalist and photographer.

Spec Racer Ford? Those little Can Am looking things? What are those?

James Chartres has been racing Spec Racer Fords for a while, and asked me if he could contribute to Tracktuned.  We love enthusiastic racers who want to spread their knowledge to other track rats, I of course said "YUP!  Trackday people don't know what Spec Racer Fords are...maybe write about that!"  I've raced in the same rungroups as SRF's many times with SCCA, and they are tiny, hard to see, and fast little buggers.  The thing that strikes me most about them is the incredibly close competition between most of the pack, every race, everwhere.  Its a really cool class, and one of the longest running in the SCCA. Somewhere, every weekend , several hundred of these tiny little cars are battling it out.

James regularly writes on his site, kangamotorsports.com, and we look forward to hearing more from him here!  

Meghan Frolli photo

By James  Chartres

Spec Racer Ford (SRF) is a class suited to racers looking for affordable competitive wheel-to-wheel road racing. Most people think that racing is expensive but classes like Spec Racer Ford and Spec Miata provide a low cost of entry and economical running costs. Spec Racer Ford is SCCA's largest class with over 870 cars built. Large fields ensure that there is always someone to race wheel-to-wheel with whether you are in the middle, back or pointing end of the pack. This makes the class a good place for beginners and hard fought competition at the front to win.

Meghan Frolli photo

History of the class

The class was created to be a low cost competitive sports racing class and it is still very affordable to this day, with a 30 year old chassis still able to run up front with brand new cars. The racecar originally started as a Sports Renault in 1984 using a 1.7-liter Renault engine. In 1994 the cars were upgraded to Spec Racer Fords (SRFs) with a sealed 105 horsepower 1.9 litre Ford motor coupled to a 5 speed transmission. In 2013 the third generation (Gen3) upgrade was introduced to the class with the first official season beginning in 2015. The Gen3 uses a sealed 135 horsepower 1.6 litre Ford motor and reduced the weight from 1670 pounds to 1560 pounds, with driver. The Gen3 and Spec Racer Fords run alongside each other as separate classes until 2018.

Meghan Frolli photo

The Racecar

The Spec Racer Ford is a custom built single seat, open cockpit sports racer with a steel tube frame chassis and three-piece fiberglass bodywork resembling a 1960s and 1970s Can-Am car. The racecar uses a rear engine, rear drive configuration with adjustable lower A-arm and rocker suspension. The braking system features vented discs with specification pads, independent master cylinders and adjustable brake bias. Safety is well covered with roll over hoops, ample crush zones and an integrated fire suppression system. The car uses a combination of Renault, Ford, Subaru and inexpensive custom components. The modular nature of the components allows for fast repairs with a minimum number of parts. An example is the uprights that are interchangeable front left to rear right and front right to rear left.

Meghan Frolli photo

A True Specification Class

The class provides a level playing field for competitors with large fields providing lots of close racing action. The equivalency of cars is achieved by using a strict rule set and specification parts to keep cost down and minimize modifications. This eliminates the need for a motorsport arms race, as each competitor doesn’t need to have the latest go fast or trick part to keep at the front, resulting in a true specification (Spec) class.

Meghan Frolli photo

The specifications components include a sealed engine, transmission, and rebound adjustable coilover Penske or Koni shocks with set spring rates. The drivers seat is also controlled with a centrally located seating position. A movable pedal box assembly accommodates adjustments for different driver heights. Even the location of ballast weight and the weight range of body sections are specified within the rule set.

Loggy Yo photo

Allowable modifications include car livery, data logging system, steering wheel and set-up adjustments within the prescribed limits. By limiting the modifications and preparation costs, this class emphasizes driver ability over spending. Since the cars are so equal it is possible to simply rent a car and still win the race.

Meghan Frolli photo

Benefits of Spec Racer Ford

Spec Racer Ford has many benefits that make it attractive for all types of racers. Although a brand new purpose built racecar can be expensive the large number of cars provide for a great second hand market allowing new competitors to get involved. The cars also tend to hold their value over time with second hand Gen2 cars priced at $10-15k and recently upgraded Gen3 cars in the $35-40k range depending on condition, spares, and data system. The affordability of Spec Racer Fords and low maintenance requirements make them suitable for teams or privateers.

Spencer Seim photo

The Spec Racer Ford and Gen3 have tremendous trackside support with a network of Customer Service Representative (CSR) throughout the United States that attend local and national SCCA events to provide help, spare parts, preparation and even rental cars for drivers. This level of trackside support means you don’t have to scrounge for spare parts and your race weekend won't be ruined because you can’t find a specific part, even at the more remote tracks. The other great thing about SRF is the community always willing to help a fellow competitor and providing lots of new tips for new racers. What are you waiting for?

Meghan Frolli photo

About our Author........James Chartres

Age: 34  

Born: Adelaide, Australia

Lives: San Jose, CA

Track days experience =2010-2012 Datsun 240z

Road Racing

2013 Skip Barber Race School for Competition License

2014 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford - Rookie Season

2015 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford

2015 Racing Drivers Club - 4hr Illgen Enduro

2016 SCCA San Francisco Region - Spec Racer Ford racer

Kangamotorsports youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/kangamotorsports

Safety on track=one compromise or another?

                                                          By Christian Shipp , Photos supplied by author 

Everyone loves a Type R a little.  I think Christian has had 3 of them....

Perry Bennett photo  

Before we get into the meat of the content here, an introduction is needed.  Who is this guy?  I'm just another automotive dork who's too dumb to completely quit motorsports.  If you're on The Forum That Shall Not Be Named or a couple other car forums, you've probably seen me posting during my ~15 years of autoX, DE, and club racing experience.  I'm not a TrackTuned "contributor" in the classic sense of the word but I regularly harass Adam with ideas for articles/shows and occasionally an analysis of what gets posted; this is one of those times... think of this as a counter-point and expansion to his Harness Bar Article. 

A personal favorite of mine was Christian's ground-up build of a '91 civic EX ITA car. I desire to own this car so much. -Adam

The problem with on-track safety equipment and the key item to be mindful of is that it's ALL a compromise.  Every single thing you change, add, remove, or revise is a compromise.  Added a roll bar to your street/track car?  Awesome... except now it's a risk or a hassle on the street.  Added 5 point belts?  Awesome except how's that work with your airbag?  Removed your airbag? Well, did you get a H&N Device?  Left your airbag in?  Well, how's that work with a helmet?  Went Full Retard with a 6+ point cage, harness, H&N, and a window net?  Well, how's that impact your speed of getting OUT of the car and what about that fire suppression system?  My point is that on-track safety becomes a balancing act of improving your odds of not getting hurt, meeting the sanctioning or organizing body's requirements, as well as doing it in a way that leaves you with enough in the bank to actually get to the track.  It's a dizzying array of variables so where do you start?

My recommendation is that you start with analyzing what you're driving (top speed, cornering potential, and existing safety items), figure out what you'll be using the car for most of the time (street, DE, autoX, TT, wheel to wheel, etc.), and then start trying to identify what sort of crash is most likely.  Try to play a game of "what could go wrong" while anticipating the potential outcomes.  If this is primarily a street car that sees occasional DE use then it's likely that the stock 3pt belt and airbag are going to be the best blend of track and street safety equipment.  If you've got a car that's more or less a dedicated TT or wheel to wheel car, then a full cage/seat/belts/H&N/ fire system is the direction you should target.  

Here's the hypothetical breakdown for *me*:  I've car hopped quite a bit the last couple years but I'm unlikely to have a top speed at most tracks more than ~130mph unless I'm at Daytona.  Cornering is relatively high with ~1.2g on street tires.  Given the speed and g-loads, this is shaping up to be a case where a full compliment of safety gear may be on the table... except it's predominantly a street/autoX car with occasional track use thrown in. Layer that with an on-track approach that I refuse to do 10/10ths in an un-prepped street car and it means, to me, that I'm perfectly fine with stock safety gear.  The multi-point harness that I use for autoX gets left behind as does my fire suit, gloves, and H&N because I simply don't feel I need it for casual lapping days. Unless I'm running a wheel to wheel prepped car in a race, the most likely crash is me versus a concrete wall, tire wall, or dirt berm.  Car to car contact is possible but unlikely if I'm paying attention.  A rollover is possible but I like to think that I've got enough experience to straighten the car out before I go off track.  

Racecar engine. Cavalier dashboard .  Christan and his regular Co driver Nelson Antunes took this zo6 to solo nationals last year for his first trip there. 

Where things get murky is in between area.  What if you, like many motorsports enthusiasts, have The Track Car.  It's a car that's still registered/tagged, driven to events, and maybe even used to commute periodically or on nice weekends.  With only track safety in mind, a full-tilt cage approach makes the most sense... but what about on the street?  I can't speak for everyone but having a cage near my head on the street scares the hell out of me and can easily turn a fender bender into a brain blender that results in substantial head trauma.  The solution here is, in no small part, dependent upon your appetite for risk.  Are you more willing to take additional street risk in exchange for less on-track risk?  Perhaps it's vice versa?  It's my opinion that there's no easy answer here but splitting the difference between street and full-tilt track by going with a 4 point rollbar, harness, & H&N is probably the smart move.  If the rollbar is behind the driver/passenger, it keeps you reasonably safe on the street while enhancing safety on track with only a minimal impact to egress time.

Mr Shipp has driven with the ultra successful Hong North Lemons/Chump teams many times in their MX3s

b16, ac, and too big of tires.   

One final item, and please understand I'm not jumping on the Jabaay Bandwagon here, but harness bars:  They're truly awful.  Seriously, don't run one if you ever plan to crash into something.  There are way too many pics and stories out there of folks who've run a harness bar and had it fail in a crash.  I'll also make a shout out against the use 4 point harnesses in applications where you can hit stuff.  I've seen and heard of too many folks submarining under the lap belt and either being seriously injured or killed.  As someone who uses a 4-point belt for autoX, I'd never consider running it at the track.  The risk there for injury/death is simply far too great.  Do yourself and your family a favor, if you've got this stuff take it out of the car or be very careful when and how it's used... you don't want to wind up being a cautionary tale for novices during next year's Driver's Meeting.

I understand and appreciate that this isn't the stuff that we all want to spend our time thinking about and it sure isn't as sexy as new suspension (hat-tip to my buddy, Marc Osgood, for working small miracles and getting my MCS' into the mail yesterday) but we should all be evaluating our safety gear and risk appetite annually. By acknowledging the risks and planning for their eventualities you place yourself in a position to influence their outcome!

christian's current mode of money disposal, "the Roller Pig" STI.