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  1. #1

    H&N Support Devices

    I've been seeing a lot of discussions on other forums lately, regarding various Head and Neck supports. Since's there's an increasing number of SPDA guys starting up in rally, and road racing, and such, I figured I'd start a topic here.

    With all the great technology going into modern helmets, and rollcages, and other safety devices. The number one critical racing injuries are neck injuries. Which is why these devices are becoming more important, and becoming required in just about every major motorsport.

    Rally America has announced that starting in 2008, H&N Devices will be mandatory. The word on the street is that CARS will follow suit (actually, it's been speculated that CARS could still mandate them for '07 if they wanted). So, I've done a lot of research on this topic in the past week. Before I started I had no idea that there was anything else available besides the HANS device. When I found out the HANS has a $1200 price tag, that's when I started researching alternatives. :-o

    The HANS device is definately the most well known, and the most popular, www.hansdevice.com. It is required for F1, WRC, and NASCAR. It seems to provide the best protection in a frontal impact. However, it is somewhat poor in a side impact. And also, apparently it is notorious for the shoulder belts slipping off the sides of it, rendering it completely ineffective. Since it's rallying that I do, I'd prefer a device with better lateral protection (refer to my Defi crash).

    On the CASC-OR board, there is some discussoin about the ISAAC Device. This one seems to have the best performance numbers of any of the available devices. However, due to it's design, it is not capable of passing SFI certification. Since Rally America has said that only H&N devices with SFI cert. will be allowed, and I can only assume CARS will rule the same way. That effectively makes the ISAAC useless, no matter how safe it is. So it's not an option unfortunately.

    There are 3 different devices all made by the same company: The Hutchens, Hutchens Hybrid, and the R3, www.hutchensdevice.com. These ones get nothing but rave reviews. Unlike the HANS, and the ISAAC, these ones do not rely on the shoulder belts to work. Instead, they have a solid piece that runs down your back, along your spine, and have muliple straps that go around your chest and waist and shoulders. These are definately very good, very safe products. However, they are the most complicated and time consuming to put on and off. They also seem to be the most restrictive. Which is all bad for rallying. Since you are often getting in and out of the car, sometimes with the clock still ticking. If I were running any other motorsport, my first choice would either be an R3, or a Hutchens Hybrid.

    The newest device available is the Leatt Brace, www.leatt-brace.com. It is a completely different design than all the others. Every other device either uses the shoulder straps, or your own body to brace itself, then attaches to your helmet via a set of tethers. The Leatt Brace however, does not. It is more like a very technically advanced neck collar. It was originally designed for motocross riders, and they have just recently released a new model for automobiles. This is the one that I am most inclined to choose. It has many advantages, particularly for rallying. It allows more freedom of movement than any other design. It has MUCH better lateral protection than the HANS. It is also the cheapest by a large margin. This would be a no-brainer choice for me, except for one thing: Out of all the SFI certified devices, this one scored the worst for Neck Tension. It is still well within the safety margin to pass certification and prevent injury, however all the other devices scored twice as good in that one category. And that seems to be the most important category also... :-(


    Has anyone else done any looking into any of these devices? Have any thoughts or opinions?
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  2. #2

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Thanks for the research, Matt!

    I'm thinking more and more about safety and planning for a wreck. ;-) Being that I'm stuck at the moment with a street car, anything that requres shoulder belts,

    It sounds like the Hutchens Hybrid, R3 or Leatt-brace.

    Another key safety factor recommended to me is a race seat with wrap-around head protection to limit lateral movement in an accident. You'll notice that most drivers are using them now, and it's only a small price increase over normal race seats.


    Stephen - I drive Blue Subarus of the rally and track varietals.

  3. #3

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    STeveD wrote:
    Another key safety factor recommended to me is a race seat with wrap-around head protection to limit lateral movement in an accident. You'll notice that most drivers are using them now, and it's only a small price increase over normal race seats.
    I think if you're wearing any of these devices, lateral movement should be limited enough already. Probably the largest benefit of a wrap-around seat is that it helps prevent any foreign objects fromt hitting you in the head.
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  4. #4

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention.

    Because most of these devices are tethered to your helmet. They require your helmet to be modified in order to be installed. This is pretty questionable, some people raise concerns that drilling a hole in your helmet invalidates any safety certification it may have. Many helmets are now available with HANS posts from the factory. I have not seen any helmets with factory attachments for any other H&N device.
    This is another advantage for the Leatt, since it does not attach to your helmet in this way, it requires no helmet modification.
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  5. #5

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Matt, I did alot of reading earlier this year about the same subject. My conclusion at that time was that each system had is benifits and disadvantages. I have been waiting for something better then the hans and although the Leatt Brace may not score as high, it seems like a better all around product. I will be doing more research on this soon. Great topic by the way.
    Ivano D.

    SPDA TREASURER

  6. #6

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Here's an eye opening video to watch. This was the Silver STI driven by Robert Jekoz at Tall Pines this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNeamTQywV4

    Watch it right to the end. You can hear he's in agony while still in the car, and see him holding his lower back after he gets out. That's clearly a compression injury. He's okay now, for anyone that's concerned. But something like that could have been prevented, or at least improved.
    From the performance graphs I've seen, the Leatt-Brace is the best at preventing compression injuries just like that. That sort of compression force is rare in other motorsports. But with all the jumps in rallying, even if you do land on the road, it can still sometimes be hard enough to cause something like that.
    Yup, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards the Leatt...
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  7. #7

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Navigator wrote:
    Matt, I did alot of reading earlier this year about the same subject. My conclusion at that time was that each system had is benifits and disadvantages. I have been waiting for something better then the hans and although the Leatt Brace may not score as high, it seems like a better all around product. I will be doing more research on this soon. Great topic by the way.
    I just had a thought, the Leatt Brace might not be good for co-drivers. The 'front upper member' sticks out from your chest, and might get in the way of your trying to read the notes. But you'd have to try one on to know that for sure.
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  8. #8

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    He went to the hospital after they DNF'ed the rally, but he'd been walking around for quite a while before that. I don't think any kind of H&N device would have helped him there. He hit that rock almost directly under his seat, the entire weight of his upper body compacted straight down his spine. Not much you can do there.

    As for that spot, it is a very dangerous corner. Thus why it's a double caution in the routebook, has caution arrows on the crest, etc. In past years that rock took out multiple cars. The co-driver was clearly behind in the notes (he's calling right deceptive as they're in the air) and the driver was clearly over-driving the car and didn't slow down when the codriver got off book and didn't slow down when he saw the caution arrows, which are only present at double or triple cautions.

  9. #9

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    RyanHuber wrote:
    I don't think any kind of H&N device would have helped him there.
    It's impossible to know just how much of an improvement an H&N would have had. But I think it would have helped, certainly it would be better than nothing. A conventional H&N, like a HANS would certainly have done little or nothing. Because the tethers only tighten when the head moves forward, or to the side. When the head is pushed down, the tethers do nothing.
    This is a quote from Leatt's website as something it protects against:
    Axial loading: compression of the spinal column due to the effect of force on the helmet
    In that sort of impact, the spine gets sandwitched in between your butt and your head. It's the force of your head/helmet pushing down that causes the injury. The Leatt brace spreads out the weight of your head, instead of pushing straight down onto the spine, it's spread onto a wider area.
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  10. #10

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Is CARS going to recognize SFI 38.1? Last I heard, it was only FIA homologated devices?


    Stephen - I drive Blue Subarus of the rally and track varietals.

  11. #11

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    I've been bugging several people at CARS for years. There is no way they'll ever accept SFI 38.1.

    But the good news is that the FIA is in the process of rewriting their standard. Once that's done, they should be able to accept almost any device which provides adequate protection.
    So I'm holding out until then before I make my purchase.

    BTW, there's a fantastic magazine article here.
    It compares several devices, how easy they are to use, comfort, price, ease of getting in/out of the car, etc. It makes a point of NOT trying to compare safety. Since they are only comparing devices with some kind of approval, so they say each one has already been deemed 'safe'. So the purpose of the article is to find all the differences between each one.
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  12. #12

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    wedge wrote:
    I've been bugging several people at CARS for years. There is no way they'll ever accept SFI 38.1.
    I was talking to someone yesterday and I was told that CARS is a member of SFI and therefore should recognize SFI. Anyone know if they are members or have a link?
    Track Mart Inc.

    Your neck is worth it.

  13. #13

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    I have used a HANS all last year on oval tracks. I have a Defender now. I wish they had been available when I bought the HANS. Much more comfortable. Call J C at trackmart to take a look.
    http://www.can-alignment.com
    http://www.facebook.com/CanAlignment/

    SPDA Race and Time-Attack Scrutineer
    CASC-OR Chief Instructor
    SPDA Race Ambassador

  14. #14

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    CARS lists only FIA and ASN Canada on the Links page.

    http://www.carsrally.ca/CARSRally/Default.aspx?tabid=37

    Helmet, harness, roll bar padding all list the FIA standard first.

    SFI therefore lists CARS as an "Affiliate" on their website.


    Stephen - I drive Blue Subarus of the rally and track varietals.

  15. #15

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    Some good news from CARS released today:

    <quote>NRR I A.7: Head and Neck Restraints –wording modifications
    Rewrite first paragraph: “Each competitor must wear a head and neck restraint system which conforms to FIA standard 8858-2002. It is also strongly recommended (required January 1, 2010) to use homologated tethers that are identified by an FIA 8858-2002 label sewn on them. The head and neck restraint device should be considered as an ensemble which involves the seat, the harnesses, the head and neck restraint unit, its tethers and helmet.”

    Insert new 2nd paragraph: “Effective April 1, 2009, competitors may wear the Hutchens Hybrid device, made by Safety Solutions. (This device has been approved for use by CARS based on projected FIA approval of this head and neck restraint device in 2009.)”

    Original 2nd paragraph retained as paragraph 3.</quote
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

  16. #16

    Re: H&N Support Devices

    After CARS announced they'd be allowing the Hutchins Hybrid, I ordered mine right away. And it just arrived today! Here's a quick review:
    First impression is that it's a nice looking unit.

    A test fit in the car with the belts tightened down, and you really don't notice the device at all. It's like it becomes part of the seat. At first I thought I felt some pressure down on my shoulders from the c/f, but then I realized I was only feeling my harnesses. It really does just vanish, like it's not even there.

    I noticed that SSG sometimes got in the way when trying to close the quick disconnects. Which slowed me down trying to attach everything. But that should improve with practice.

    After adjusting the tethers to fit, I could turn my head and have a full field of vision. I could turn far enough to see the B-pillars. I'm glad now to have the SSG, when I tilted my head to the side, that was fully tight before my helmet touched the rollcage (which has been an ongoing problem in my car). I figure those are a decent alternative to having a seat with the side head supports.

    So those are my first impressions. My first event with it will be Lanark this weekend. So we'll see how that goes!
    2006 OPRC Novice Champion
    2006 OPRC Production 2 Champion

    Right now, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you face him, he will beat you.

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