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Jan 8, 2008

Formula DRIFT 2008 Focuses on Safety


Formula DRIFT 2008 Focuses on Safety


Long Beach, Calif. – January 8, 2008 – The Formula DRIFT Championship Series has updated their rulebook for 2008 with a focus on safety.

“Drifting is a very exciting sport, but it is inherently dangerous and as the level of the involvement and competition increases, we need to ensure we keep safety as our top priority and we work very hard to ensure the safety of our drivers, crews, staff, spectator, and sponsors,” said Randy Hembrey, Chief Steward of Formula DRIFT.

The major updates and changes in the rulebook pertain to safety in an effort to refine and strengthen the already rigorous safety standards. Some of the highlighted changes include: updated driver’s suit and helmet minimum standards, updated roll cage specifications and eliminated bolt-in cages, and revised fire suppression system standards.

“Formula DRIFT continues to be the pre-eminent drifting series, establishing competitive and safety standards that far exceed our peers. We continue to use real-life operational experience, and the experience of the other sanctioning bodies, as well as SFI to develop our safety standards,” said Hembrey.

Formula DRIFT is an SFI (www.sfifoundation.com) Affiliate Sanctioning Body. SFI is a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for specialty/performance automotive and racing equipment. The benefits include: provision of and authorization for use of Copyrighted SFI Quality Assurance Specifications, assistance in rule book development regarding SFI Specifications, and answering of inquiries from participants.

"We're very pleased and proud that Formula Drift is included on the extensive list of worldwide SFI motorsport sanctioning body members and affiliates. It strongly confirms their commitment to the highest possible level of safety at Formula DRIFT sanctioned events,” said Carl Olson, Motorsports Manager of SFI.

It costs a lot of money to build a safer car. However in motorsport, and especially drifting, hitting walls is part of the sport. Car to car contact happens often. I actually wanted to see a way they can implement a HANS device, but make it possible for the drifters to look out the side of the car. Cars can be replaced, people can not. Money is just money. It is difficult to understand, and be able to follow the safety regulations for lots of grassroots guys , but drifting is progressing beyond grass roots. In World Challenge, our driver crashed his R34 GT-R twice. Both times he walked away shaken, but unhurt.

There will be moans and groans from some people about the costs, but how much cost do you put on your life?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rally drivers and sprint/midget racers seem to do OK with HANS Devices. Why not drifters? The new sliding tether deal with HANS Devices seem to be made for the job!

Anonymous said...

it's hard to explain without trying it yourself. That argument has been brought up repeatedly. The fact is that drifting requires much more head movement than sprint/rally. Not to metion rally is more dangerous anyways. 80+ mph on a single lane dirt road with trees on both sides seems more hazardous to driver safety than a closed parking lot with energy absorabant barriers.

Sean Morris said...

HANS has a new slider that you can add on that allows you to turn your head.

No reason not to mandate a HANS in a professional series, drifting or otherwise.