2007 NCC Driver Schools

[SharkD]

From a discussion on Bimmerforums:

This just came up last night at our meeting.
For us, equal will mean equal. Same brand seat, left and right, same belts, left and right. Same harness mounting points, left and right. I'd like to have our wording read, equal or better for the instructor. No instructor has to get into a car that he or she does not feel comfortable in. It doesn't matter if that student sits on the grid all day waiting for an instructor. Our admissions policy will be in black and white.

Steven,
exactly equal restaints and seats is pretty over the top - what is the rationale for being this strict?
It would seem that you could trust the tech steward to assess comparable safety without mandating exactly the same. Heck, lots of instructor cars won't pass this test.

Our tech consists of a few volunteers who are also students. Our schools are relatively small and we really don't have anyone that knowledgable. Nothing is cut in stone, but as you can see, equal has various interpretations. Maybe at the next DEC conference it could be spelled out in black and white?

Steven, is this really the case for the 2007 NCC schools? If so, I agree with Bruce that the interpretation is too strict. (Had I known that this would be a topic of discussion, I would have driven the 5+ hours to attend the meeting.)

In my case, I have two different-brand race seats in my E30, (a recaro and a corbeau) and I was planning on buying a 5-year FIA cert 6-point Schroth for my driver's side and a 2-year SFI cert 6-point G-Force for the passenger side (to replace a pair of 2-year old 6-point G-Forces). I don't see why I can't provide equal protection with different brands, so long as the certifications are up-to-date (a much more important factor than brand, IMHO).

[1996 328ti]

don't see why I can't provide equal protection with different brands, so long as the certifications are up-to-date (a much more important factor than brand, IMHO).

I don't know how it will worded.
We need to be able to define equal. In plain black and white. I knew I should have stayed out of that one.

Currently our admissions policy doesn't officially talk about seats.

Cars must be insured, street-legal, quiet, and must have passenger seats. Functional, securely attached lap and shoulder belts are required for both front seats. The front seats must have equal restraint systems available (e.g., if the driver has a five-point harness, the passenger must have a five-point harness as well). Performance-enhancing modifications and R-compound (racing) tires inhibit learning and are strongly discouraged. If roll bars or cages are installed, they must be fully padded above the level of the front door window sills.

I believe the concern is that a student can show up with a nice, adjustable Recaro and the instructor gets an aluminum shell bolted to the floor. They are both racing seats. People have different interpretations of being equal.
Nothing is set in stone and the wording will be fair to the driver and instructor.