Last season, NHRA, in a safety measure, required all participants in the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to use an Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver.
The device, when used in conjunction with the Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter and Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box, will automatically shut off fuel and ignition as well as deploy the parachutes once the driver has passed the finish line if the driver has not done so already. The system will activate when the car passes a wall-mounted transmitter at 1450 and 1700 feet.
The Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box was made mandatory in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2010 and the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver became mandatory in 2011.
On Aug. 31, 2011, NHRA also announced all vehicles competing in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis were required to have a properly installed and operational Electrimotion Pro Mod Shutoff Controller Kit and Electrimotion Shutoff Receiver.
Dave Leahy owns Electrimotion, the company based in Delaware, Ohio, which manufactures these safety devices.
Last season, NHRA, in a safety measure, required all participants in the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to use an Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver.
The device, when used in conjunction with the Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter and Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box, will automatically shut off fuel and ignition as well as deploy the parachutes once the driver has passed the finish line if the driver has not done so already. The system will activate when the car passes a wall-mounted transmitter at 1450 and 1700 feet.
The Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box was made mandatory in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2010 and the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver became mandatory in 2011.
On Aug. 31, 2011, NHRA also announced all vehicles competing in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis were required to have a properly installed and operational Electrimotion Pro Mod Shutoff Controller Kit and Electrimotion Shutoff Receiver.
Dave Leahy owns Electrimotion, the company based in Delaware, Ohio, which manufactures these safety devices.
When Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers began using the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver there were some growing pains. Back in February of 2010, NHRA temporarily suspended the mandatory use of the Electrimotion Shutoff Receiver, but it has since been mandated again.
“The Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver has been around and has been tested,” Leahy said. “When the Top Fuel cars put them on, they had a few hiccups also. It takes a little bit of time for people to realize when you run the wire from one end of your car to the other; if it (the wire) gets pinched it is going to shut your car off.”
Now, some Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster participants say they are having issues with the new safety devices.
Steve Boggs, the crew chief for the Top Alcohol Funny Car driven by Tony Bartone, was upset with what transpired with the Funny Car during a first-round loss to Kris Hool at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis recently.
Bartone appeared to have the race won until the engine banged right after the 1,000-foot mark and Hool went past him for the victory.
“The automatic shut-off malfunctioned and shut the car off,” Boggs said. “I think this really needs to be looked into by NHRA to see how they either make it more full proof or do something with it.”
Leahy was aware of what happened with Bartone at Indy.
“They did have some wiring issues on the car just previous to that run,” Leahy said. “We fixed that for them and we have talked to their crew guys and we have already sent them a bunch of new wiring. Their stuff isn’t brand-new.”
Graham Light, the NHRA’s senior vice president-racing operations, said no one reported any problems to NHRA’s tech department at the U.S. Nationals.
Chris Demke, who pilots an alcohol dragster, took a neutral stance on the Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box.
“I do not know if there is a solution,” Demke said. “The only thing I look at is everybody has to use it, so everybody has the same potential to have something go wrong with their box.”
Leahy is confident the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver, the Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter and Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box are serving their purpose.
“The radio frequency (that goes to the Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter) is absolutely encrypted,” Leahy said. “I would not design a product that could be hacked by a simple CB radio or somebody sitting in the stands with a frequency generator. It is a considerably higher level than that. Is it 100 percent uncrackable? No. Nothing is.”
According to Leahy, the total cost of the Electrimotion Shutoff Controller and Electrimotion Shutoff Receiver is $700.
“As far as I know, there’s has been no problems with it,” Leahy said. “If there is talk going around about it, I have not heard it. I would say if anybody has any issues with it, they should talk to NHRA and they should talk to me not somebody else. We do not build a 100 percent perfect product, and I do not think anybody in the world does. We stand behind our product and anybody who has had issues with it, we have tried to help them whether it is our issue or theirs. NHRA came to me to design a device, and I did and I think it is an excellent safety measure. It is up to NHRA whether they want it mandatory or not and it is up to the racer whether he wants to take extra precautions to be safe or not. I support it. I do not see any problems with it, other than installation issues I guess I should say.”
Light also addressed the effectiveness of the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver.
“The only failures that we have seen over the course of time since it has been in effect is the installation of the device because it has wiring that goes from an antenna mounted on the car to the device itself,” Light said. “Then of course (there is) wiring from there to the fuel shut-off, to the ignition to set the parachute off. We have seen cases where wire has been crimped in between rounds or something gets dropped on it and it shorts the wire. Those are the sorts of failures we have seen. But, the device itself has been very, very reliable. The reason for this device (Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver) is a final shut-off device. The driver should be shutting the race car off at the finish line before this device even kicks in. If these guys are relying on this device to shut their car off then we have a problem because their car should shut off well before that time. That device should only be used in an emergency. If a driver is unconscious and it pops the blower, but slows the car down to a rate of sp eed where he survives, then I do not care if it blew the blower off. The driver needs to be responsible for shutting the car off plain and simple.”
Tampering with the Electrimotion Shut-off Receiver, Electrimotion Shut-off Transmitter or Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box will result in punishment from the NHRA.
“Off the top of my head, I can’t tell you what the punishment would be, but that is a violation of the rules,” Light said. “The rule is there for a purpose. It is a safety situation and there would be action that would be taken definitely. That is a clear black and white violation.”
NHRA mandated drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Cars use the Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box beginning in late 2008.
The use of the Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box was implemented shortly after Scott Kalitta, a two-time NHRA world champion, died on June 21, 2008, during qualifying at Englishtown, N.J.
Kalitta’s Funny Car, traveling about 300 mph, burst into flames and crashed at the end of the track during final qualifying for the Lucas Oil SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
Kalitta, 46, died a short time after being taken to the Old Bridge Division of Raritan Bay Medical Center in Englishtown, N.J.
Since Kalitta’s tragic wreck, the NHRA has had both Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars race to 1000-feet, instead of the traditional quarter-mile (1,320 feet).
“They (alcohol drivers) had issues with the Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box last year as well,” Leahey said. “This got unplugged and that got unplugged. The Electrimotion Safety Shut-off Box and the Electrimotion Shutoff Receiver are not 100 percent. But, the number of very close calls that have happened and these have stopped something from happening way outweigh you getting beat one time because you pinched a wire and the thing shut you off.”
