SRT Vert on a race track, do I need a roll bar?

[SFYellow]

Hey guys, I looked through the history and could not find any related info to the question. I also looked up on the Viperdays.com and while it states that all cars have to have hard top or roll bars, I was wondering if the "hoops" behind our seat considered to be roll bars for the track events such as Viperdays?

 

[Venomiss]

This is in the rules and regulations.


1.6 Eligible Cars
Entry into VDI will be limited to invited marques. All Viper RT/10's, SRT-10's and Corvettes must run with a hardtop, a roll bar or roll hoops provided by VDI. This is a safety and insurance requirement.

 

[mike & juli]

Nope, the hoops behind our seats are NOT considered roll bar hoops. To be on a track, you need an installed rollbar, OR a hardtop. Do you have a VIPER??? If SO, you can PM your VIN# to the moderators to upgrade to VIPER OWNER...and call 1-800-998-1110 to JOIN THE VCA!!!! ViperDays would be awesome as a member~! Good Luck on your track days! ~juli

 

[3SRTsandGTS]

Traditionally at ViperDays events, the Chief Tech Inspector will install approved roll hoops in the car. I don't know where, but I would assume acceptable roll hoops could be purchased so that you are all set.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

Nothing that can easily be installed at the event would be considered a rollover item. It takes a lot of hours to install a rollbar that is approved and they probably don't carry one around all the time.

 

[1BADGTS]

Not to mention try selling the car with a certifyed rool bar installed

 

[SFYellow]

Thank you guys. I guess in this case my days of track fun is over. I don't want to modify this car and invest money for something that I might use few times a year at the most.

 

[JonB]

Hey guys, I looked through the history and could not find any related info to the question. I also looked up on the Viperdays.com and while it states that all cars have to have hard top or roll bars, I was wondering if the "hoops" behind our seat considered to be roll bars for the track events such as Viperdays?

Not only are they NOT approved rollover protection, (and no bolt-on 'hooplet' exists for sale ANYWHERE.) The OE can probably be hit really hard with a baseball bat and knocked clean off the car!!

If you plan to do things that can invert you, choose an AutoForm hardTop or Roll bar
(Online Shopping - Home thanks) That top is still the ONLY SCCA and VRL certified SRT hard Top

 

[JonB]

Thank you guys. I guess in this case my days of track fun is over. I don't want to modify this car and invest money for something that I might use few times a year at the most.

Not So ...........Viper Days (in the past 2 seasons?) has had rental tops!

Many SOB clubs dont REQUIRE a hard top or roll bar.

DO BUY 6-PT HARNESSES, Regardless !!!!!!

 

[Tom Sessions]

I cant say for sure with the new owners of viper days. But oin the past if you were a new student in the green or blue run group I would install roll hoops in place of the stock pieces.They are made from 1 3/4 .125 wall roll bar tubing.The insurance company allowed them to be use on the track.If you were a advanced driver sorry you had to step up to a real roll bar.I would like to thinmk the new group that bought viper days will still allow this.I did have a customer that took a set to SCCA in the south east region and they approved them so he could run his vert on track . So ther is hope.
Tom

 

[rcl4668]

Here's a pic of my 2008 vert with the Autoform rollbar and six point harnesses Jon B mentioned:

The rollhoops still have a very stock look and allow the convertible top to be closed. The rollbar is SCCA-approved but I do not believe it satisfies NHRA regulations. I ordered both items from Jon B at Partsrack who gave me a good deal. The way I look at this is it is certainly key equipment for track days but even for the street, SRT has made it clear on the warning label of the car that the standard roll hoops do not qualify as rollover protection.

In short, I highly recommend getting the Autoform rollbar.

/Rich

 

[GR8_ASP]

Get both!

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ShadowLight]

Anyone know what NASA's rules on Vipers are? I have seen Kai's SRT-10 vert run, but he has the roll bars.

 

[Snakester]

Here's a pic of my 2008 vert with the Autoform rollbar and six point harnesses Jon B mentioned:

The rollhoops still have a very stock look and allow the convertible top to be closed. The rollbar is SCCA-approved but I do not believe it satisfies NHRA regulations. I ordered both items from Jon B at Partsrack who gave me a good deal. The way I look at this is it is certainly key equipment for track days but even for the street, SRT has made it clear on the warning label of the car that the standard roll hoops do not qualify as rollover protection.

In short, I highly recommend getting the Autoform rollbar.

/Rich

That's the first thing that I thought about when reading this thread. Because Autoform has been making Viper rollbars for years now. What came into my mind was the story (and video) of this guy who called himself Torquenstein, who was running in the 2004 Gumball 3000 race when...

The Viper was driving down an old two lane Moroccan highway. Tork was going about 140mph until he came upon two rather large and unsuspecting dips in the road. They were not visible until the first impact which caused the rear end of the Viper to shoot off the ground and bottom out.... the second dip caused the Viper to go airborne and upon landing it catapulted into the ditch. The viper spun over a small ravine climbing uphill, which forced it into a multiple cartwheel motion, it landed upright with only the cabin remaining and a portion of front end still existing. Fortunately the IMV film crew was following the Viper and was able to rush to the scene within seconds of the crash.

The Viper filpped multiple times and the rear section of the car was ripped off, but both the driver and occupant survived the accident without massive injury, and the Torq owner credited this achievement to the Autoform rollbar installed prior to the race.

If I ever move on to a Gen III/IV Viper convertible, then I'm definitely going to pull out the cosmetic roll hoops and get a real rollbar. As you can see from the pics above they look essentially stock, and should allow SRT-10 Viper convertibles to participate in most track racing events, along with adding 6-point belts.

 

[Canyon707]

I installed the Autoform roll bar and 6 point harness. I could not beleive that the stock hoop was as cheap as it can get. It looked like thin wall conduit and weighed about a pound or two. The Autoform roll bar made the car stiffer in the middle. Still could not take it and drag race it. at Infineion Raceway in Sonoma. The next item will be a hardtop.

 

[CCBrian]

Sorry this is an old post put what about the Coupes? I remember meeting a guy out at Reno-Fernly VRL a few years ago in an 06 FE Coupe-he lived in Las Vegas, who had DC install a roll bar already? Is the coupe set-up a roll bar? In the parts catalog it is call a roll over hoop right in the description, but that does not mean much. I know Jon B said get a 6 point, but without a cage, how smart is that. I can imagine rolling over seated upright with a Hans Device/six point harness at a track day and rolling the car. In a race car, you always want your helmet BELOW the roll bar-what if there isn't one? Would the regular seat belt/air bag combo be safer since you could in theory have your torso go to the side in a roll over where the roof is compromised as opposed to stuck in an upright position where your head becomes the roll bar?

 

[Leslie]

I am at that point in my track car (Z06), a lot of the HPDE run groups are requiring race seats if you use 6 pt harness, but if you do seats you really should have a roll bar/cage.