NEWS

02/02/2010

The following are the MTRA rule changes for 2010: Roll Bar Padding SFI 45.1 fire retardant padding is required (minimum thickness (.750) ¾” [19mm]) on roll cage tubing which is within 18” [457 mm] of driver’s helmet area above his shoulders. An exclusion is approved for the area behind the headrest on vehicles equipped with seats featuring head and shoulder restraints.

Back Up Lights All vehicles must be equipped with a bright LED type light (red, yellow or clear) mounted on the rear of the frame. This light must illuminate anytime vehicle is placed in reverse and must be activated automatically by the gear shift lever.

Wheel Restraint Systems All vehicles must be equipped with a system which will restrain each wheel in the event of a spindle or other axle component failure. Minimum specifications for known systems are as follows: Cable Tether Type - 3/8” Cable in choker configuration - 5/8” Clevis - 3/8” Mounting plate on king pins - 3/8” Rotor bolted (3/8” bolt minimum – all bolt holes on hub must be used - 8 bolt minimum) or welded (360 degrees) to hub Fixed Disk Type - 3/8” Rotor plate bolted (3/8” bolt minimum – all bolt holes on hub must be used – 8 bolt minimum) or welded (360 degrees) to hub - Minimum Two capture points 180 degrees on center with minimum 55 degrees of coverage around perimeter.

Crossover Relief Valve An external crossover relief valve is required on all vehicles equipped with orbital steering. Unit may bolt directly to orbital valve or be remotely mounted.

NOTE: Pending is a review of the ¼” minimum Lexan rule for tire debris protection. This rule is being researched to assess when and why this was increased from the original 1/8” minimum. If data does not exist to support the validity of this change it will then revert back to the original 1/8” minimum. If this change was voted upon and approved, a change back to the 1/8” minimum will require a membership vote. This change is being considered in order to achieve parity between MTRA and FELD rule books. The conclusion of our findings will be forwarded to everyone as soon as our research is complete.

Discussion of any of these issues may be conducted on the MTRA forum here: http://forum.mtra.us/forum/thread.aspx?thread=37421 The updated MTRA Rule Book and Tech Inspection Sheets will be posted on the MTRA website within the next few days and may be found here: http://mtra.us/rule-book/

08/01/2010

The annual general meeting of the MTRAE will be held on Saturday 30th January, 2010 at:
The Talbot Hotel
New Street
Oundle
Northamptonshire
PE8 4EA
Email:-talbot@bpcmail.co.uk
t: +44 1832 273 621
f: +44 1832 274 545
email: talbot@bpcmail.co.uk

Directions can be found at:
http://www.thetalbot-oundle.com/findingus.htm

The meeting will commence at 10.00 am sharp.
There will be tea and coffee upon arrival and also a hot buffet for lunch.
Please can you advise me ASAP if you are attending as I will need to place the order for food etc., prior to the day.

Rooms are available for the night, before or after, should you require one. Please contact the hotel direct for more details.

Kind Regards,
Lisa Morris.
MTRAE Secretary

14/10/2009

In line with the emails to members and the posting on the MTRA forum, the MTRAE will require wheel tethers on all certified trucks from the 1st of January 2010.

The Board of the MTRAE will release a specification by the end of October, giving all truck owners a minimum of two clear months to fabricate the required restraints.

The only objection received was from Drew Thornton, and his was not an objection to the rule, for the dating and notification of said rule.

Karl Swallow Nigel Morris Directors MTRAE

02/09/2009

Proposed changes to rules 39 & 40 relating to fire suppression equipment used on MTRAE certified Monster trucks.

It has been drawn to the attention of the board that the fire suppression systems used in the UK monster trucks should be inspected annually and not bi annually as per the current regulations.

This information has been brought forward by the MTRAE's chief tech inspector Dave Ogden, who also proposes a change to requiring that the systems be filled with ARFFF. ARFFF being a specific form of the AFFF foam for use with methanol fuel.

The rule would stand, as written, with the exception of the changes to the rectification period, and the ARFFF.

This proposal is being posted to the MTRA forum, http://forum.mtra.us/ and unless a majority of current members object to this change it will become a rule on the 1st of November 2009 in good time for the 2010 vehicle certifications.

Karl Swallow Nigel Morris MTRAE Board

28/08/2009

It has come to the attention of the SFI Foundation that parts of a head and neck restraint system certified to SFI Quality Assurance Specification 38.1 have been counterfeited, have not been tested, and could present a serious safety related problem. Please review the attached press releases.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this matter, please contact HANS Performance Products.

CARL V. OLSON Motorsports Manager SFI Foundation, Inc.

HANS FINDS COUNTERFEIT ANCHORS – LAUNCHES FREE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM Contact: Andrea Walker Marketing Manager HANS Performance Products 5096 Peachtree Road Atlanta GA 30341 Tel: 1-888-HANS-999 or 770-457-1046 Fax: 770-458-6118 marketing@hansdevice.com www.hansdevice.com HANS FINDS COUNTERFEIT ANCHORS – LAUNCHES FREE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM Atlanta, Georgia (August 19, 2009) - HANS Performance Products has found counterfeit Post Anchor parts on a helmet purchased from Impact Racing Products. Preliminary investigations suggest that counterfeit parts may have been supplied with other helmets provided by Impact. “We are seeking the source of the counterfeit anchors and to establish how widely they may have been distributed,” said HANS CEO Mark Stiles. He continued, “It is extremely possible that counterfeits may have been installed on other helmets, either factory-fitted by a helmet manufacturer or by racers installing replacement parts during equipment changes.” The only counterfeit parts identified so far look like HANS’ current “Professional” Post Anchors, which are designed to offer robust durable service – these have a “teardrop” shaped head to the “post” and an aluminum base engraved with HANS, SFI and FIA markings. Other Post Anchor designs, such as the similar current “Standard” version, which have the same teardrop post but a simpler black plastic base, and older designs which had a round shaped head to the post, do not seem to have been counterfeited. Stiles said, “If racers want to check their Professional Series Post Anchors, one quick test is to touch a magnet to the post. The posts used in all our designs since July 2005 are magnetic. The posts on the counterfeits we have seen are not magnetic.” He continued, “Our earlier designs used a non-magnetic material for the post, so a non-magnetic post is not necessarily a counterfeit, but it is a reason why a racer should contact us for more information.” The link below shows what to look for when testing the Post Anchor. https://system.netsuite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=2634&c=337809&h=d02ae9a6a725bbdbb4f2 To ensure all racers have confidence in their safety equipment, HANS is implementing a program to replace any counterfeit Post Anchors free of charge. Details of the program, other information and program updates are available at hansdevice.com, or by calling HANS direct at 1-888-HANS-999, or contacting one of the 200 authorized North American HANS factory trained dealers nationwide. The HANS Device is the #1 choice for performance, #1 for vision and #1 for winners. Details and information about HANS Performance Products are available at www.hansdevice.com or by calling 1-888-HANS-999 or 770-457-1046.

COUNTERFEIT HANS POST ANCHORS – TRACKSIDE UPDATE Contact: Andrea Walker Marketing Manager HANS Performance Products 5096 Peachtree Road Atlanta GA 30341 Tel: 1-888-HANS-999 or 770-457-1046 Fax: 770-458-6118 marketing@hansdevice.com www.hansdevice.com COUNTERFEIT HANS POST ANCHORS – TRACKSIDE UPDATE Atlanta, Georgia (August 21, 2009) – HANS Performance Products has been trackside the past few days investigating the counterfeit HANS Post Anchor problem reported earlier. COO Gary Milgrom has been focused on circle track racing, while Sales Director Howard Bennett has been at the drag strip. “I must have seen about 150 helmets and exchanged over 50 sets of counterfeit anchors,” said Milgrom. He continued, “On the whole, I’ve not had to touch any Simpson, Bell, Arai or Stand21 helmets – they’ve already been fitted with genuine HANS Post Anchors.” Simpson, Bell, Arai and Stand21 have had substantial long-standing relationships with HANS Performance Products. They are among the 200 authorized dealers throughout North America that receive direct factory support. Bennett said, “We’ve had a lot of support and thanks from crew chiefs, teams and racers for putting safety first. To ensure all racers have confidence in their safety equipment, we’re continuing our program to replace any counterfeit Post Anchors free of charge.” Details and updates are available at www.hansdevice.com, or by calling HANS direct at 1-888-HANS-999, or contacting any of the company’s dealers. The HANS Device is the #1 choice for performance, #1 for vision and #1 for winners.

18/06/2009

It is with some sadness that we need to announce the resignation of Glenn Ramsden from the MTRAE Board.

The board received an email from Glenn yesterday in which he very eloquently explains his reasons. Glenn you will be missed, and the remaining board members hope to be able to call on your experience from time to time. The following is taken from Glenn's email.

"It perhaps comes as no surprise but I am having to give up my position on the Management Team of the MTRAE. As I described when elected, I would give it a reasonable shot and as expected my other workload is far too onerous to allow me to do justice to this important post.

I must apologise for not performing as well as I could have but my event work commitments along with my recent operation means that I could never help the MTRAE members properly. I know that they deserve much better than the third rate standard that I have recently produced.

May I wish everyone the very best of luck with monster trucks in the UK, I am always on hand for advice should you need it."

28/02/2009

For details of the items discussed at this month directors meeting log into the MTRA members forum.

All members should be receiving email updates from communications director Glenn Ramsden.

If you are a member and have not been receiving these emails please contact one of the board members. Glenn Ramsden Karl Swallow Nigel Morris

02/02/2009

- MTRA STATEMENT - It is with heavy hearts that we must announce that we have lost a member of our MTRA family.

George Eisenhart was injured in a non-racing accident at an event in Wisconsin. He received immediate attention from the medical team on site and was then transported to the University of Wisconsin hospital in Madison.

We received word from the hospital early Sunday morning that George did not survive his injuries. Review of the incident shows that George accidentally stepped in front of a moving vehicle in a fashion that did not provide the vehicle’s driver adequate time to react. The situation did not happen as part of an actual competition portion of the event. The “on-track” activity was over and the vehicles involved were simply returning to their designated parking areas. This is a general workplace accident in which the extraordinary happened under what would previously have been considered ordinary conditions. All of us at the MTRA send our deepest condolences to the Eisenhart family and all the parties involved. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend.

Sincerely, MTRA Board Of Directors contact@mtra.us ** Media requests should be directed to MTRA Communications Director Rich Schaefer at 314-503-7016. **

January 25th, 2009 - By MTRA Staff