ADRL To Implent Automatic Safety Shutoff Device Beginning At Norwalk

On Wednesday, the American Drag Racing League announced that it has purchased the Electrimotion RF Safety Device – which is designed to automatically kill the ignition and fuel system and deploy the parachutes on a race car – and will have the system in operation beginning at the next scheduled event at the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags V at the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Sept. 23-24.

“After looking into all of the available options and discussing with the NHRA their success with the Electrimotion RF Safety Devices, we have decided to implement this device,” ADRL Director of Technical Services Chris Bell said. “The transmitters have been ordered and are scheduled to be delivered for our upcoming race in Norwalk. We strongly encourage all of our teams and drivers to contact Electrimotion at www.electrimotion.com to purchase the receiver that easily mounts inside the car. We are all deeply saddened by what happened Friday at Rockingham. Extreme Pro Stock driver Bert Jackson was a great driver and an incredible person, and we will continue looking into everything to ensure that our drivers are as safe as possible.”

The RF Safety Device, already in use in the NHRA following the tragic loss of Scott Kalitta in 2008, is the product of Delaware, Ohio-based Electrimotion, founded by Dave Leahy. The automatic shutoff system utilizes two transponders placed beyond the finish line, and once a vehicle equipped with the Safety Device enters the RF field, the safety box is wirelessly activated. The system can be disabled by turning off the 12v power on the vehicle, keeping the parachutes from deploying on an aborted run.

At this time, the use of the RF safety Device is recommended by the ADRL, but not mandatory. Beginning with the 2012 season, however, all racers will be required to have the device installed and functional.