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| This Bespoke brace serves two functions. One it braces the drivers seat keeping it from failing and two, it transfers side impact load through the entire chassis, preventing the side of the car from suffering from catastrophic failure when enduring a severe set of side impacts. The braces mounting plate dimensions are mandated by the rules and it must be both welded and through bolted to the outside of the B pillar |
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| The plate must have an exterior doubler welded to the door. Note the heads of the through bolts. The doors can be welded shut for safety but the welded area must not be more than 12 inches per door. |
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| All holes in the firewall must be welded shut with steel plate to protect the driver from thermal incidents |
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| All flammable material must be removed from the vehicles interior and impact absorbing foam applied to the drivers door and steering wheel. The vehicle must have working seatbelts |
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| The seat must be firmly strapped to the chassis to prevent failure under severe impact |
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| The hole in the bonnet is not for performance increasing cold air or for aerodynamic reasons but for easy extinguishing of potential fires |
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| Protruding bolts and other pointy things are cut out of the cars interior to prevent injury to the driver |
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| The surrender flag must be placed in an easy to reach location for the driver. Its removal by the driver is the automotive equivalent to tapping out |
Although the act of intentionally smashing your car into others seems dangerous, speeds are limited by the size of arena and the coefficient of friction of the surface .Many venues water the surface to make it slippery limiting both impact speed and making cars move easily in a collision which also helps dissipate crash energy. Thus despite the violence and carnage, Destruction Derby has a reasonable safety record.
In our next edition we will examine how well prepped cars hold up in this arena to gain knowledge of structural performance and to glean ideas on how to build more competitive vehicles.
Do you want to see how our cars faired? Check out part two!
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