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Be very about changing rules since the Alfa club has a very good history when it comes to safety. Safety starts with drivers with a good attitude first and that means driving safely. AROSC is a sports car club, not SCCA club racing. I think drivers coming to Alfa club events expect that there won't be any contact or accidents or aggressive driving, unlike what you see at your local regional SCCA demo-derby events at Buttonwillow.
Vintage racing gets by just fine with roll bars and I see no reason why our race group needs to change anything. If anyone really thinks that they need a HANS device, then they are running with the wrong organization, IMHO.
I was at the Long Beach Grand Prix in 1976 (I think) when they ran the first real "vintage" grand prix. Juan Fangio drove an unrestored W-196, Dan Gurney drove a BRM, Dennis Hulme drove a F2 Cooper, Carroll Shelby a 4.9 Ferrari, and a bunch of other drivers. All of the cars were in original unrestored condition and none of the drivers were wearing seat belts and many were using their original helmets (Fangio). They drove really hard and fast, and Gurney won, but Fangio set the fastest lap on several occasions.
But they didn't drive like today's drivers do because today, drivers know that if they crash, they can survive with all of their safety equipment. In other words, cars and safety equipment DO affect a driver's behavior. Adding safety gear doesn't necessarily make people drive safer.
The current AROSC safety rules have worked just fine and provide adequate safety. Safety is primarily an attitude. Dale Earnhardt's belts did break and were not properly installed. How a Hans device could have saved him with his body rotating and his head hitting the steering wheel is beyond me. The key point here is that everyone should install their belts to the manufacturers specifications.
The Alfa Club will lose members if it ups its safety requirements needlessly. Don't fix things that aren't broken. Not all things are 1962 Sprint Veloces!
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