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The race car industry is one that implies constant risks for drivers as they careen down the track at unfathomable speeds for most drivers, taking on significant personal risks in order to achieve a much-coveted trophy, title, etc. Due to the high stakes game of race car driving, safety issues have taken a central role in this sport activity, giving rise to all sorts of technologies, many later implemented in other contexts.

The racing harness is perhaps the most significant safety mechanism inside a racing vehicle, and race car drivers effectively invest their hopes for survival on their personal driving talent and the integrity and functionality of their harness.

Over the years, a great variety of harnesses have been designed and implemented in racing vehicles without a specific kind being standard in all; as more accidents took place and more safety lessons were learned, harness manufacturers learnt ever more information about what constitutes a truly reliable and effective safety harness in a race car. By now, harnesses are quite sophisticated devices thanks to all those many lessons.

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.

Despite however many straps a racing harness may have, one of the major distinguishing features of racing harnesses is the kind of fastening mechanism that is used. The composition and method of fastening of the harnesses can be quite different from one vehicle to the next in racing, and are pretty much always radically different than ordinary seat belt latches in commercial vehicles.

The necessity for a perfect balance between sturdiness and lightness is in this case (as with all other components of a race car) a driving factor, and it is no simple accomplishment. In the search for the perfect material in this regard, Carbon Fiber has received a lot of attention and is currently utilized by several principal manufacturers.

Making it very difficult to open or release the harness during operation of the vehicle is one of the most important aspects that a quality harness needs to exhibit: among the most reliable in this sense is the cam lock buckle. When a rotational locking mechanism is added to such a lock, it is practically impossible to unlock while driving, thereby ensuring greater safety for drivers. Furthermore, these models are usually dust proof and shockproof, which reduces the risk of potential complications even further-and in the field of racing, complications always need to be kept well at bay.

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