Military. " Over the last decade,
we've worked closely with OE
military vehicle builders and the
United States military to develop
seats that can attenuate high-
energy impacts," says Robbie
Pierce, owner and CEO of Impact
Racing & MasterCraft Safety.
"Whether it is environmental
conditions or man-made roadside
explosive devices, the testing
and the subsequent knowledge
we have gained from working
with these types of extreme
environments have carried over
into our race safety products."
Lightweight = Added
Strength
Desert racing vehicles like the
Unlimited Trophy Trucks, are
achieving higher speeds but at the
cost of the added weight of larger
tires and improved suspension
systems. So saving weight in
other areas like seats, is essential.
Racing seat manufacturers have
adapted to using lighter weight
options, but still provide the added
strength needed in this harsh
racing environment. Many seats
are manufactured using fiberglass,
carbon fiber and Kevlar to reduce
weight, but yet still offer high
strength and impact absorption
qualities. "Carbon-fiber products
offer excellent strength-to-weight
ratio, enabling suppliers to offer
very strong products that are
also light in weight," says Debbie
Bishop, VP of marketing for
Simpson Performance Products.
The lighter the seat, however,
the more labor intensive the
manufacturing process is, and
is thus, one of the reasons for
a higher cost. "We offer both
fiberglass and carbon-fiber seats,"
said Caswell of Sparco. "The
MASTERCRAFT SAFETY'S 3G RACING SEAT
FEATURES THE COMPANY'S SUSPENSION
SYSTEM THAT REDUCES LATERAL FORCES
AND PROVIDES OPTIMUM HIP AND TORSO
CONTAINMENT FOR USE IN DESERT RACING.
WWW.MASTERCRAFTSAFETY.COM.
CORBEAU'S PRO-SERIES SEATS CAN BE ORDERED
IN A KEVLAR, CARBON KEVLAR, OR CARBON-
FIBER SHELL TO PROVIDE AN EXTREMELY LIGHT
WEIGHT DESIGN.
WWW.CORBEAU.COM.
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