SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1543953
STANDING UP FOR SAFETY The Stand 21 Foundation Pushes For Higher Standards By Dan Sanchez It’s unreal to think there was a time when safety and fire suits were not mandatory in automobile motorsports. In the early days of Formula 1 racing, Yves Morizot was one of many European drivers who had visions of becoming an F1 champion. After crashes and fires that left his friends injured, he knew his calling was more important than driving. Morizot began Stand 21 from his hometown of Dijon, France in 1970, and was the innovator of the fire racing suit, fire protective gloves with sewn seams on the outside, and many other innovations that he and Stand 21 continue to create for more than 50 years. The ideas have and continue to come from listening to the input of drivers. From this, Stand 21 develops better safety products while also continuing to push for higher safety standards in all forms of motorsports racing. STANDARD PRACTICES During a recent visit to Stand 21’s California office, Morizot and his two sons showed SCORE Journal some of the differences in the standards between SFI and FIA, showcasing how implementing higher standards would improve safety for drivers and teams in SCORE races. When it comes to helmet standards, the comparison of the current SNELL standards versus FIA standards for club/national racing, and FIA standards for top-tier series racing. LATEST INNOVATIONS With the advent of lighter-weight helmets, Stand 21’s Vision helmet is a carbon fiber design with additional advantages. It features multi-directional air ports at the top to force air down from a top port with a magnetically connected air hose. A camlock-type design makes it quick and easy to remove the visor if necessary, and a new Photochromic visor is also available. Air vents above the chin allow clean air to flow in and down, preventing fogging and keeping dust out. The Vision helmet also features various layers of soft to firm foam, adding comfort around the chin and ear areas. Addressing the issues with fire suits in off-road racing, Stand 21 came up with a new off-road design. “We all know that off-road racing deals with extreme cold and heat, so we created a hybrid made from 221 fabric that is very strong, but also very breathable in the torso and back to control heat stress,” said Christopher Morizot, Head of Sales for Stand 21. The Off-Road racing suit has a chest pocket so a driver can carry his or her passport with them, pockets with zippers on the leges, a floating belt, armholes for better articulation, and stretch panels on the back and thighs for greater comfort. According to Morizot, the suit also has fitted NASCAR bottoms and optional knee pad pockets for use with pit crews. “We also now make a SFI rated jacket that is made from water-repellent and printable fabric, and has pockets,” said Morizot. “It’s fully customizable like the racing suit.” SAFETY WISH LIST Since Stand 21 continues to pursue higher safety standards for all forms of racing, they offered SCORE International their recommendations of which they hope can be changed or added to the current SCORE Safety Standards. These include: Add FIA 8856-2018 standards for racing suits : If a driver from Europe wishes to race, he will have a FIA standard-approved race suit. However, he can’t race in SCORE because he needs to have an SFI-rated suit. SFI / FIA standards for underwear : Nomex underwear add 30% fire protection when used with a racing suit, gloves, and shoes. Moreover, you can add as general information for driver safety to be sure that they do not use nylon personal underwear Add FIA 8860-2018 and 8859/2024 :standards for helmets. Remove SFI 3.2/1 standards and only keep 3.2/3 and 3.2/5 : These can be done over a few years to keep 3.2/5. SCORE can also include 3.4 SFI Rating (this rating tests embroideries and cuffs, which are also tested by FIA 8856-2018, but not by SFI 3.2) SAFETY IN PRACTICE In general, Stand 21 wants teams to look at their safety equipment as one of the most important in their entire racing program. “There’s no reason why anyone would want a lower budget helmet or racing suit,” said Yves Morizot. “It makes no sense to skimp on safety. I would also recommend teams to practice getting out of a vehicle so that it becomes muscle memory if an accident happens. Teams should also practice extricating members from the vehicle. I have lost so many close friends over the decades, and it’s a shame that it takes an accident for changes and improvements can be made. We want to make sure we’re giving drivers and teams the best chance they have to survive and continue to race another day.” SJ Source Stand 21 stand21.com Stand 21 Racing Goes Safer Foundation https://www.racinggoessafer.org