Nhra is tightening up the rules on cameras for this year. Apparently there has been an increase in lawsuits with videos as evidence. I would think knowing exactly what happened is a good thing but I guess if it makes NHRA look bad they want to squash it. The new rules are at the bottom of this link: click here.

Has anyone that uses a camera on a dragster thought about where they’re going to mount it now that it can’t be outside the cage above the shoulder hoop or anywhere inside the cage? Right now I have my gopro hero session 5 mounted on the cage above my head (all metal mounting). The videos come out great and really show how bad I can screw up the finish line .

Here’s a video of me racing my wife from last year, both of us dead on: YouTube link

Typical NHRA, sounds confusing. So I can mount it to look at the rear suspension but not downtrack? Weird.

quote:

Originally posted by 183N:
Nhra is tightening up the rules on cameras for this year. Apparently there has been an increase in lawsuits with videos as evidence. I would think knowing exactly what happened is a good thing but I guess if it makes NHRA look bad they want to squash it. The new rules are at the bottom of this link: click here.

Has anyone that uses a camera on a dragster thought about where they’re going to mount it now that it can’t be outside the cage above the shoulder hoop or anywhere inside the cage? Right now I have my gopro hero session 5 mounted on the cage above my head (all metal mounting). The videos come out great and really show how bad I can screw up the finish line .

Here’s a video of me racing my wife from last year, both of us dead on: YouTube link

Nice video. What is that noise @ 0.10?

I don't know where else to mount it. Maybe a pocket camera. I saw on a guy had one pinned to his SFI 15.

Rear Bar Camera lol. Can we say "Close"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMY-V4KfbXs

Just another reason NHRA is dying a slow painful death..

From what I'm reading, you need one of the small "Session" cams and have it mounted right between the front and main hoops. That way it is neither inside nor outside the cage.

The rules got tough a few years ago with the "all metal" requirements.
I came up with a package deal that included the COBALT CAGE.
I made the 360 degree roll bar mount and attached the cage to it.
We got it approved by NHRA.
This is the only fully rule compatible mount that I know of, if there was another, I have not heard of it.

It is my guess, and just a guess, the single biggest piece of this new rule is they are tired of cameras coming off of the car.

We don't travel to more than 4-6 NHRA events a year, but the ones we go to, there is always a number of cars using plastic roll bar mounts.
A very easy to spot, and clear violation of the rules.
To my knowledge, very few people have been told to remove the camera. I have heard of only one time a guy was busted for a "helmet cam" which has been illegal for a number of years also.

The video being used for "incident" purposes has to be few and far between, for one thing, not that many cameras being used, and how many of those are involved in an incident.

As far as using the camera for "race analysis"?
How do you use it for that if you can not see your opponent?

I have sold quite a few camera mount packages to racers, TD, TAD, SC, SG, etc. Not one person has called me and said the mount failed. I know one TD racer from Kansas that has had his camera on his 230 MPH dragster for at least 4 years, uses it every run down the track. No failures.

So, my conclusion, is if your camera mount was per the rules, it is not the problem. The problem is mostly with the mounts that were NOT per the rules.
If NHRA would just enforce their own rules, they would not be re-writing the rules for 2019.

Per this new rule, our mount can still be used, it will just have to be mounted somewhere much less effective than on the roll bar. It will almost be impossible to make a "universal" mount such as the one we sell now.

Mounting the camera at or below shoulder hoop high will be difficult and the video will be much less usable for "race analysis" LOL

Do I see a challenge? I guess so.

Mike, what does your mount look like? For GoPro?

quote:

Mike, what does your mount look like? For GoPro?

https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbc...6d3d681f&oe=5CD35ED3

Not sure this works.

E-mail me and I can send you some pics or if you are on FB, I can PM the pics. FB PM is the easiest.

My email

macmanmike@aol.com

I’ve never understood why it matters if the camera is pointing at the other driver. It’s not like it matters during the race.

Curtis

Mike's Cobalt cage and all metal roll cage mount are the strongest on the market, you could tow your race car with that thing, so your 6oz GoPro aint goin anywhere.

I agree with the above statement but WHERE do we mount it now?

Maybe on the front A arm looking thru the spoked wheel, or front of the engine/water pump location, engine frame rail. I'm pretty much over the whole GoPro craze anyway, so who cares.

I have one of Mike's mounts inside of my car without the cage. It's a nice piece and love how it swivels.

TD3550 are you hearing the pair in front of us launch at the beginning of the video?

Rules say it can’t be anywhere where it could come in contact with the driver so I would think wearing it in any way is out.

Tony, the session cameras are what we have, but now they cannot be mounted on the cage above the shoulder hoop. They are nice and small and the video quality is great.

Curtis, I think one reason is to prevent the possibility of the driver being able to look at a live feed of the video and use it for finish line driving. It wouldn’t be possible to get any knowledge from it anyway in a fast car since you just don’t have the time.

Cashflow I was thinking about maybe mounting it on the hood scoop or hood scoop tray maybe? Or on the body in front of the windshield.

There are many metal cage mounts available for the session cameras such as this one. Pair that with a tripod mount like this and a properly sized bar clamp threaded for 1/4-20 (allstar makes them) and that makes for an all metal mount as per the rules.

The rules still mandate that the camera not be mount by way of plastic. Not just the roll bar bracket or clamp.

The connection point from GoPro to any mount is still got the plastic GoPro mount involved.

That is why we had to include the COBALT CAGE.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeB4963:
The rules still mandate that the camera not be mount by way of plastic. Not just the roll bar bracket or clamp.

The connection point from GoPro to any mount is still got the plastic GoPro mount involved.

That is why we had to include the COBALT CAGE.

No it’s not. If you read my post and click the links you’ll see. Your mount is not the only way to make an all metal mount. And doing it this way only costs about $30.

The noise when you immediately started backing up. The growling noise@ 0:13. Unless its audio distortion. Almost sounds like hydraulic noise. I don't mean to alarm you but i caught it right away.

quote:

Originally posted by TD3550:
The noise when you immediately started backing up. The growling noise@ 0:13. Unless its audio distortion. Almost sounds like hydraulic noise. I don't mean to alarm you but i caught it right away.

Ah, that’s because I sped up the video when I back up so it takes less time. That part is either in 2x or 4x speed so the audio sounds funny. What you’re hearing is a quick snap of the throttle in high speed before I back up. The butterflies in the terminator weren’t closing all the way and I had a high idle after the burnout so the couple taps was trying to get them to close.

So, Mike, do you make the cage for the Session go pro, to use with your mount?