The product I wanted was a SFI 38.1 certified Isaac. It was not about the merits of the spec, but the likelihood that racing organizations will specify something (and as I have already said, I did not want a $1000 version of the dodo).


Very true. In my case, there was no fire, so I would have been ok. That being said, I was highly motivated to get out of the car since I could see liquid dripping in the rearview (turned out to be the oil slowly coming out of the tank). I would guess that a HANS with the quick releases would be ok (what I will have). I think an Isaacs with a quick release as part of the belt like I described earlier would be even better, as the device would completely detach and make it no harder the exit than just having a helmet. I also plan to practice egress now that I have a HANS, including doing so with my eyes closed. I’ll see if the wife will let me bolt a spare seat to the ceiling for inverted practice

 

It is conceivable that this could be an issue for a driver who had little or no experience. From a practical standpoint, however, most drivers connect it last and disconnect it first as a matter of habit. We have video (analog tape) of a 12 year old driver flipping his Legend, hitting the wall and disconnecting while inverted.

The same could probably be said for drink tubes, radio connections, fresh air hoses, etc.

Absent 38Ds chair on the ceiling, this could be tough to practice.

 

True, but I want to throw something here from my own experience. Last year when I had my shunt at Sebring I was surprised by one thing. The corner workers did not jump the fence and noone came to my car. Instead they were yelling if we were ok from behind the fence. Fortunately we were ok, so I opened the door and climbed out of the car... BUT when I was in the car trying to contemplate what happened, I was actually expecting someone to come to the car immediately and this did not happen. So if you are in a similar situation, then what good HANS is trying to get out by yourself? What if you are stuck, the cornerworkers remain behind the fence like they did in my case and the car gets on fire and you get roasted? Now that maybe not be the norm to what happened to me, but it DID happen!
I would certainly endorse a product that will not hamper my getting out of the car on my own so the ISAAC with the single belt release sounds like a grand idea...

 

For anything on a short tether, absolutely! Good reason to have plenty of slack in the various attachments to the helmet such as Gregg mentioned above. I've thought about the radio wiring before, but not the other stuff.

[edit for spelling]

 

Colin, you're over complicating things again - I'm sure some of the GTC gang can come over to your place and we can simply overturn your car while you're in it. That way you can test your 'inverted escape' methods, and we can admire the non-shiny side of your car.

If you're afraid of scratching up your equipment, then you can use my....

....spare seats.

-Z.

 

Danny, that is quite disconcerting! I would expect the corner workers to try and help. If I remember correctly, you had your shunt in turn one. That is a scary corner to be standing on track but still, I expect someone to come to my aid. I guess the moral is to be prepared to take care of yourself and be pleasantly suprised when someone helps!

 

I don't race, only DE and so far no need for certification. So I went for the Isaac (for a lot of different reasons).

I love the product and its strenghts. I am aware of its weaknesses and worked/practiced to minimize them. My only (big) concern would be if I was unconscious after a shunt.

As Gbaker said with some experience you get into the habit of connecting it last and disconnecting it first so if I am conscious (even if confused) it would come naturally to disconnect the Isaac before the harness (even in rolled over position).

The problem arise if you are knocked out. If they need you to get you out of the car fast (and you are out) the Isaac is a small device that might not be noticed. Say they undo the harness and THEN notice you had an Isaac attached to your helmet... I would not want to be in that situation.

 

The only answer to this is to educate the corner workers about the device. I also have a large "ISAAC" sticker on the targa bar of my car so anyone familiar with the device will expect it when the approach the car.

 

Ok - the current subject matter at hand is about getting in and more importantly, exiting a vehicle that may not be in the most ideal condition.

The following downsides have been clearly discussed:
1. The HANs yoke can be a bit bulky and thus, can easily get snagged on something when a driver seeks to quickly exit a vehicle.
2. The Isaac, while easy to disengage from the harnesses, can cause a driver to get hung up if he forgets to release the Isaac, or if a corner worker is unfamiliar with the unit.

It seems to me that the R3 doesn't have either of these issues. I am in the process of getting setup for one, but don't have the unit yet. Can someone who has an R3 chime in as to the ease of getting in and out of their racecar?

Thanks,
-Z.

 

FWIW- I've wacked concrete walls ...twice ..slamming the rear end/rear quarter panels, while wearing my Isaac. I beleive it works! Not even a stiff neck.
I Also Have the Big Isaac Stickers on the rear windows. I find it very easy to get out and hope the corner workers also find it that easy to pull the pins Or just cut the belts(if nessarry).
Not proud of my excursions, and hopefully learned several lessons.
Just thought I'd share
I like Colin's idea & hope it comes to fruition
I like my Issac!
Bill

 

Why doesn't Isaac just provide 'PULL HERE' stickers for the Intermediate and Titanium level restraints so users with the quick release pins can put them on their helmets? Then the issue with being unconscious is a non-issue, as anyone who reads English can see to pull the tabs.

 

We provide "Isaac equipped" stickers for the helmet, and we thought about including those flags labelled "Remove before flight" that you see on QR pins used on jet aircraft, but didn't want anyone disconnecting before they hit the track.

This subject came up early on, and in talking to professional EMTs we learned that all of them--and I mean all, without exception--would spend may 2 seconds figuring out the disconnect and then just cut the belts.

Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC

 

I'm both a PCA/PBOC participant and an SCCA-licensed cornerworker. I use the ISAAC when driving with no problems--I do have the stickers attached to my helmet and the large ISAAC sticker on my cage. At our most recent Worker"s School, Central Florida Region SCCA brought in the actual Sebring EMV personnel to demonstrate H&N restraint systems. They had examples of the Hans, R-3, and ISAAC to demonstrate how to release them. They are obviously well-schooled in their use. However, more time could have been devoted to the demonstrations, and I will push for this at our next school. I don't know if other SCCA Regions do this or not. I also cannot speak to the "skills" or training of other track EMV personnel. We as drivers should be exploring this issue and ensuring that all EMV personnel at all tracks and all cornerworkers have this training! Just for the record, many PCA events do not use SCCA-licensed cornerworkers for their events or at all corners. Danny, the SCCA workers know what they are doing, and would handle the situation appropriately... good news for those of you attending the Daytona PCA race is that we (Central Florida Region SCCA) will be staffing the corners, so give us a wave at the end of the sessions!