In the race car industry, drivers are constantly taking extraordinary risks as they zoom down the raceway at incredible speeds in pursuit of that lusted-after trophy, record, etc. In light of the mightily high stakes involved in this sport, car designers and mechanical teams place a lot of priority on the safety issues in such cars; this attention has given rise to a wealth of different technologies of wide use, not only within the racing field.

The single most important safety mechanism inside a race car is the racing harness, and a driver is effectively investing all their hopes for surviving a crash on this device, as well as their own talent and driving skills out on the track, of course.

Many different kinds of racing harnesses have been developed over the years, and as successive accidents in the industry took place more and more lessons were learnt about what makes a truly quality racing harness. At this point, the sophistication of such harnesses is considerable.

Of the many differences that exist between racing harnesses and ordinary car seat belts the most significant is the fact that the former is bound to the car’s subframe or frame, and is not bound to the seat itself such as is the case for normal cars. Safety on-board for the driver is majorly increased through this sole innovation.

In the race car industry, it is common to see harnesses incorporating 4 or more straps; 6 straps is at this point basically the most common set up. As mentioned above about the cause for safety advances, it was the death of a famous racing driver–Dale Earnhardt in this case–that prompted the industry to make the leap from the 5-point to the 6-point harness. The additional strap on the 6-point harness is located between the legs.

Racing harnesses may have a variety of different straps, but another difference that characterizes them is the fastening mechanism in particular. Their composition and their method of fastening can change drastically from one race car to another, and in most instances are quite distinct from the ordinary seat belt latches used in standard vehicles.

Just like every other part of a race car, the harness locks need to represent a perfect balance between toughness and lightness: not at all a simple thing to do. In this quest, Carbon Fiber has been found to be among the most convenient and dependable materials for harness locks, and the material is currently used by many major manufacturers in the field.

A harness must be practically impossible to open and unlock while driving, a major safety concern indeed: the cam lock buckle is one of the most ideal models in this aspect. When you factor in the rotational locking mechanism to this design, there is hardly a chance at all that the harness could come undone while operating the vehicle–a great relief to the driver and the whole racing team. Finally, they are usually made to be shockproof and dust proof, further minimizing the risk of anything going awry.

A curiosity of the racing harness industry is that several of the lessons learned and the technologies advanced have been put to use in other contexts, such as the aviation industry (both passenger and military). In fact, the main racing harness manufacturers also provide major airplane manufacturers with seat belts.

Byron Jonas knows that the racing harness is an important part of race day safety. Which is why, as is the case with all his race gear, he only buys from GMP Racing Products