International Model Drag Race Association Forum

Oz,

It doesn't have to be big...just logical. The shaft will not be shot out like a bullet from a gun. So, the original ruling is fine for safety. Its about minimising risk, and they've got the shaft thing covered (literally ).

I do not see how I couldn't have been more clear on this rule when I first posted it, ("The IMDRA has implemented a Drive Shaft Cover for all Drive Shaft driven cars. This rule has been put in place and made MANDATORY for the 2009 season. The Drive Shaft Cover must be made of no less than .030 thick lexan and must cover at least 75% of the drive shaft. Must be attached with screws. ") Thats all we ask of you, How hard is that to understand??? Come on people, this isn't rocket science, it's not a 12 page collage essay, it's a piece of lexan covering a drive shaft.

Yes "Mandatory" means you must have it. SO If you have a drive shaft driven car and it does NOT have at least a .030 thick lexan cover, you do not race, until you put one on.

So once again if you have a drive shaft, it must be covered......with NO LESS THAN .030 thick LEXAN and must be attached with screws.

I don't know how to make this anymore clear
I posted it on here in the simplest and easiest way to understand it.

So are we CLEAR???

This is my own personal rantings.

No, Mark, it is not clear!!!!

You need to define 75% coverage!!! The rule needs to be more specific.... 75% of what? The length? The circumference? A combination of both? What is the maximum distance the cover can be from the shaft? Your first post is a poorly worded, ill defined specification. Please clarify and keep in mind that the specification needs to cover all foreseeable configurations and not just existing cars.

Mark, I don't think the problem with the members is understanding it, we all understand what you are saying, but we just think it is a STUPID UNWARRANTED rule.

Jim Eich

Check out the "driveshaft" in my Eric Johnson car..........the front piece is attached to the motor shaft with a set screw and the rear piece is attached to the pinon shaft, also with a set screw. How on earth this is a danger to anyone is beyond me. As I mentioned in a previous post, maybe common sense would dictate we limit our safety efforts to the "dogbone" type true driveshafts and leave the u-joint couplers well enough alone.

If the BoD deems it necessary to provide risk free racing to participants and spectators alike, we will soon be competing with 6 classes of feather pillows powered by gravity.............

Rules are a necessary part of our sport.........let's try to keep them sensible boys.

raindood

Mark
Don't take this personal. But your last post sounds like you think we're a bunch of idiots. I'm sure we all know what manatory means. Maybe it was just the way this whole thing was presented to us.

Bobby D.

Dumb,very dumb.
Prostocks and promods or funnycars shouldnt be included
Joe

Ok, Yes Bobby D I thought my last post sounded that way too, I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I know everyone on this site is very smart and can understand what the rule meant. I just didn't know what they were talking about, now with pats post I see what he(and the rest) mean.

The Drive Shaft Cover:
It hast to cover at least 75% of the shaft in length, a 100% is preferable . But also wrapping around the top and sides. Like in an upside down "U" shape(Like in the pics i first posted). Basically cover the drive shaft so it cant come out the top or the sides(and everything in between). Some cars are open on the bottom, some are not.....like rainmans. So he (rainman and cars alike) would need to make his attach to the bottom plate of the car and wrap over the top of the shaft(or stub or whatever you want to call it) to the other side and attach to the bottom plate. Like in a upside down "U" shape. Other cars like mine(A-51 or ladder style) would half to do the same upside down "U" shape cover and attach it to the side rails.
As far as how far away, we were trying to leave that up to you cause of the different style cars out there. But seance you asked, make them with in a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch from the shaft. The closer the better.

I know this rule sounds dumb and unneeded, It is needed. These cars turn ridiculous RPM's not only in the pits where everyone is standing around but also on the track. These shafts are directly attached to the motors/clutches, so that means they spin what the motors are spinning. That means 40,000 to 90,000 RPM. These shafts are not rated for those RPM's.....by a lot. That's just the ones that come off of the off road trucks. Who knows what the aluminum home made super lite ones are rated at, no matter how long or short they are.

BTW why shouldn't funny, pro mod and pro stock cars have them??? When your in the pits putting a tune on your motor (like every nitro guy does) do you have the body on????? Didn't think so.

I hope this clears things up???

Mark

You make some very good points. I do not race under IMDRA rules, and do not race an inline car but can see your points. How I am reading this that, what you feel is a simple single rule change, has upset a lot of people. I do not know how many other rules that have been made directly by the BOD of IMDRA. But the feeling that I get is that there are a lot of unhappy customers, could this and other rule changes have been discussed with a group from the competitors that this is affecting before it was introduced.

IMDRA collects membership fees from the competitors each year, to race and have unified rules. When the members are given new rules without any discussion they will always be upset.

To me this one simple rule could be just another straw on IMDRA's back, that could now be feeling the strain and maybe about to break?

Question, what ever happened to the other organisations that had control of drag racing in the States, if they have disappeared, could this also happen to IMDRA

Just one final thing maybe you should run Spell Check over your last posting.

I did and always do when I post. Also If I do not know how to spell a word I Google it.
I know I'm not the best speller in the world but I always check my postings. I did find one thing that actually was not spelled wrong but wasn't the right word I was looking for.

If anything else is wrong then myself,spell check and Google are wrong.

Thanks for the tip.