I know the rules changes for FSAE and FH for 2018 were not, in some people's opinion, very significant. However, there were a couple that are safety related and the tech inspectors/scrutineers will be looking at very, very carefully.
The first change relates to the material used for the head restraint padding. For many years (since the 80's??) the material call-out for the padding has been very poorly defined. Most teams have chosen material that was much too soft. For 2018, T5.6.2 now specifies that:
The restraint must:
- Be padded with an energy absorbing material that meets either SFI Standard 45.2, or is listed in the FIA Technical List No. 17 as a “Type B Material for single seater cars”, i.e. CONFOR foam CF-42 (pink) or CF-42M (pink). (It should be e.g. CONFOR foam, not i.e.. CF-42 is an example and is but one on the list. But it is readily available.)
Sources for both materials can be found by looking on the web.
SFI 45.2 is a USA material and can be purchased from a number of sources including BSCI (Roll Padding.com), who are great supporters of FSAE and also supply the Standard FSAE Impact Attenuator.
The Pink CONFOR CF-42 or CF-42M foam is what Formula 1 uses for the head restraint padding when the ambient is below 35 degrees C., and has many sources in the USA, the UK and Europe.
The second change involves where the sub-belts are mounted and how that webbing is routed from the mounting points to the driver. In both the FSAE and FH Rules, drawings, courtesy of Schroth, have been added to illustrate where the sub belts MUST be mounted, and it does say "must" in the Rules.
Then T5.5.3 has been added and says:
"All anti-submarine belts must be installed so that they go in a straight line from the anchorage point(s) without touching any hole in the seat or any other intermediate structure until they reach:
- The harness release buckle for the 5-point mounting per T5.5.1
- The first point where the belt touches the driver’s body for the 6-point mounting per T5.5.2a or T5.5.2b without touching any hole in the seat or any other intermediate structure."
In other words, it is specifically no longer acceptable to bring the sub belts forward, wrap around the front of the seat and back to the buckle!
Please people, install your belts correctly and use the correct head restrict padding! We want all of you to return to your girl friends, boy friends, spouses, partners, siblings and parents in the same condition you arrived at the competition.