It seems that the Blue Sky kits make up the majority of the cars in competition. Many if not most of them seem to be running front wheels that are 16" in diameter. In every case I've seen with standard rollbar and 16" wheels, if you were to draw a line from the top of the roll bar to the top of the front wheel as in the illustration that accompanies rule 4.4, most of the drivers head is above the line. Which of course means that in the case of a rollover the driver is essentially unprotected. It just seems strange that the most common car around is in violation of the rules. At the races I've competed in, the inspections have been done by volunteers from local sponsoring companies and they only know what is on their inspection sheet. I haven't seen a car fail yet. Also, if asked about rule 4.4 in particular, most teams with that car just say that it came as a kit so they assume it complies with the rules. I have also asked if they put any support under the bodywork in the nose to make it a structural rollover support but the answer has always been "no".
Since I built my car from scratch, I went out of my way to be sure it was in compliance of all the rules. I had to do the rollbar twice to get it high enough to raise that imaginary line above my helmet. I expect such hassles are common among those with scratchbuilt cars. Anyway, just an observation. Your comments are welcome.
This is one reason that there are not very many (usually none) of the Blue Sky Design cars/bodies racing in the NW. We make them raise the roll-bar so it is high enough and that will not work if you use the canopy that comes with it. You can put on a halo that sticks out in front of the roll-bar but then it is very hard to get in and out. Structural support just along the top of the nose area by the knees with a small halo makes them legal but most that I have seen on the internet are not even close to following the Electrathon Rule 4.4. Sorry Mark.
That does help a lot as I said above, but there is usually still a problem unless you modify the 'kit' roll-bar as well. With a DOT/SNELL motorcycle helmet nearly all drivers have to raise the top of the helmet up so it is above the roll bar to be able to see over the tall nose. Some NW teams that have used these, cut out the plastic dome under the canopy and replaced it with a flat piece that is fiber glassed in or otherwise attached so that the thin body still has some structural integrity. Then they can lower their head enough to be legal and still be able to see to drive. But then it is harder to get in and out of and for some larger drivers they could not get out in the 20 seconds.
It seems if the teams put a double roll bar on it could fix the problem of violating rule 4.4, they just have to make sure the front hoop in infront of the drivers helmet, it would also allow them to keep their head in the same spot.
Because of the unfortunate fatal accident in Cedar Rapids several years ago (2005?), Iowa enacted its own rules regarding roll bar construction. Not only does the roll bar have to protect the driver's head in a roll-over, but must also protect the driver's head against frontal impact in case the car runs under something (guardrail, truck, school bus, etc.). That rule almost rendered all Blue Sky cars illegal for any competition in Iowa. The team from Milton, Florida wanted to go to Iowa to race, so they added the front (steel) roll bar and the longitudinal aluminum bar to make their cars legal (see pic in Archer321 post above). That was a very creative solution to the issue. The point is, it is the responsibility of the race team and its mentors to make sure that a car conforms to all the safety rules, whatever and wherever they are.
The Blue Sky cars are popular because they let a team with little or no fabrication skills assemble a competitive car. It is their simplicity that makes them light, reliable and durable. However, the kit is just the basis for a race car and there are areas that have to be addressed; the roll bar is one of those areas. With a Blue Sky Aerocoupe you have 3 choices: 1) Find a very short driver. 2) Raise the roll bar height and cut the canopy to clear it. 3) Add an additional roll bar in the area of the front axle. It can still be inside the body and canopy, but it raises the "line" above the driver's head.
After their trip to Iowa the Milton team decided to leave the additional bars in place because it made the cars legal wherever they chose to race. It's a good thing they did because the following year the first Emerald Coast 120 was held at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The safety inspection at Five Flags is very detailed and stringent. They go by the "letter of the rule" in the latest handbook every year and there is no "let it slide". The cars in the top two posts would never make it on the track...
Part of the problem we have found is that often a car is designed so that the driver sitting in the pits is well below the rollbar and front support plane but when they start to drive they lean forward to make the car go faster/to see better/etc. Like if you look at the picture above of Nitroagro it looks like his helmet is above and in front of the rollbar but in picture just sitting he is well under the needed plane. In the NW we point a furled black flag and yell and if they pop forward again we pull them over to talk to them. After that they are done for the day--same as lowering glasses to see better when it rains.
