For any serious racer, safety equipment is a major investment. You buy the best seat you can afford, knowing it’s the most important piece of equipment in the car. But for many sportsman drag racers, there’s a frustrating reality: that expensive, perfectly good racing seat has an expiration date tied to certification.

So, what does that mean? It’s becoming a costly replacement even when the seat itself is still in great shape. Racetech USA has just announced a new option for its popular RT4200HR seat that directly addresses this problem.The company is now offering a new variant of the RT4200HR that comes without the FIA hologram decals. This small change has a big impact. Without the official FIA sticker, the seat is not bound by the sanctioning body’s five-year lifespan limitation.

This is ideal for drag racing classes where an FIA certification is not a rulebook requirement. Racetech states that the seat itself is built to the exact same specifications as the FIA-certified model, offering the same proven safety, construction, and performance.

Racetech’s new release can help provide a financial benefit to racers. Brian Oleshak, Vice President of Sales for Racetech USA, explained the value for sportsman drag racers. He said, “with no expiration date tied to certification, ordering one of our proven RT4200HR seats without the FIA decals builds more value for sportsman racers into their safety investment while maintaining the same standard of craftsmanship and quality.”Adding to the value, this new non-certified seat model is also eligible for payouts in Racetech’s recently announced NHRA contingency program. For racers competing at the upcoming Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, the company noted that the required contingency decals will be available on-site at the NHRA Tech Trailer before eliminations begin.For sportsman drag racers who want top-tier protection without being locked into a five-year replacement cycle, this new seat option from Racetech might be a good and affordable solution. It allows them to invest in proven safety and use their equipment for its entire functional lifespan, not just until a date on a sticker forces an expensive and unnecessary upgrade.