Roll protection amnesty extended
The amnesty for approval or homolgation of roll protection, mainly in H & C single seaters and sports racing cars, has been extended to 1 September.
When a club or promoter takes out a MotorSport New Zealand permit for an event, they normally specify the safety schedule (from the MotorSport Manual) competing vehicles will meet. That then becomes a condition of the permit.
An historic event may just require vehicles to meet Schedule AA, which covers pre-1978 cars, but normally both AA and Schedule A are specified as a minimum. The permit may also specify a class schedule like Formula Ford’s F.
Safety components on pre-78 cars under AA require T & C Approval but not homologation. Schedule A components require homologation and those under F, for example, are under a blanket homologation where the class polices its own cars. Cars should have an appropriate certificate in their car logbook.
At H & C meetings and clubsport meetings, the roll bar requirements for pre-78 and some post-78 single seaters and sports racing cars have not always been enforced. Indeed, it seems it has rarely been enforced.
Six months ago the sport’s Executive decided that the safety level on the permit should be enforced.
1 July was set as the deadline for approval applications to be lodged with MSNZ. Some car owners have applied, many have not ‘got around to it’ or are ignoring the deadline.
Obtaining approval for a pre-78 car is quite straightforward. Contact your nearest technical officer; they will inspect the car.
While the issue is primarily focused around historic pre-78 cars, it also flows into post-78 cars used in clubsport competition. The roll protection in these cars must comply with Schedule A, which requires roll protection to be made from a particular diameter, wall thickness and steel. A technical officer can help a competitor through this process.
Competitors may be disappointed and frustrated if they arrive at a meeting only to discover they cannot compete because the roll protection in their car does not have an approval or homologation certificate.