Cage Design PSA

Driven5 said:

While some cage rules require a firewall brace, many are incorporated near dash level. Especially on older cars not designed for low-offset frontal impacts, consider also adding a forward footwell brace. While it sounds like the driver may have had some relatively minor foot injuries, it could have been considerably worse without that extra bracing.

 Yep, that brace looks like it took 100% of the force of the tire/wheel hitting the dirt berm.

Thanks for the responses and insights. Hopefully I can use it to help avoid becoming either car in that situation. I better understand some of the risk the 924 driver took, as well as better understanding the unpredictability of other drivers... Who may leave room for you by running a 2-wide line through one corner, but then slam the door (figuratively and/or literally) on you coming out of the next. 

One thing I found interesting in the 924 was the backup camera displaying to the driver... While right now we just need to get the car into the minimum raceable condition, namely running and safe, I'll be hanging on to this one for later.

And yes, considering some of the mildly bent metal around that brace, it certainly did the job it was intended for. I think Iansane might have some extra welding to do in the near future

Some additional information:

- This was 11 minutes in to a 6 hour race.

- The Miata is two classes slower than the Porsche (ie, they're not even racing each other).

- The Porsche's driver had never driven at this track before.

- This was two corners after a local yellow flag

The Miata's line wasn't actually that weird, because of that slight right hand kink between 6 and 7, it's popular to exit 6 sort of center, then drift right with that kink. That's not an excuse for contact, but people who are experienced at Pacific do not try passes like that on the outside of the exit of 6. There just isn't the room there.

Back on the real topic of cage design, here's another photo posted by the car's owner. That's an awfully wheel shaped dent that was clearly stopped by the anti-intrusion bars on the cage. We run lucky dog too in a car of similar vintage (at least of the original design), and I'm seriously considering adding those extra footwell intrusion bars to mine.

In reply to Matthew Kennedy :

I was involved with stage rally events and some of the things I saw made me a fan of the intrusion bars.