I'm seriously thinking of building a Locost 7 for the Challenge. From those that have, are there any particular safety issues that I should be aware of? I'm thinking arm restraints or window nets would be need at the drags and probably the auto-x.
Looking at the NHRA rules on-line (so they might not be the most up to date) I think they require a 5 point roll bar for any convertable running faster than 13.50 seconds, and the roll bar has to be 1 3/4 " OD x 0.118" if made out of mild steel. As I understand it a full cage isn't needed you run faster than 11.00 or 10.00 seconds depending if the chassis has been modified, but I don't think we'll be breaking into the 10s so I'm not too worried about that one, but I would hope to break into the 13s so I want a good roll bar.
Where they say you need a 6" square plate of 1/8" steel welded to the rockers do they mean 6 square inches of plate (ie: 2" x 3") or do they mean a square 6" on each side?
For the forward stay / support for the rollbar I've seen a lot of Lotus / Locost 7 where the bar meets the roll bar at an angle to go outside the chassis in order to give the driver some should and elbow room and then bends back towards the car to join at the side. When viewed from the side the bar appears straight, the bend is in the horizontal plane. Has anyone gotten any tech grief over this? I didn't find any rules prohibiting or allowing bends in the supports or supports not going straight into the base plate.
I don't want to put the forward bar through the cabin into the passenger foot well as I would like to carry passengers!
One final question: I have heard that the SCCA has banned bike engines from D and E mod, does the NHRA have any such hang ups?
TIA, Thomas
