NEHA

How long are they good for to hillclimb with?

We have no expiration date rule. The seat just needs to be in good appearing condition.

This could change someday if we see other USA racing sanctioning bodies start imposing the 5 year FIA life limit and we choose to follow suit, or we begin to see age related issues that we feel could significantly compromise safety.

Talk to Randy Lajoie at Speedway Expo this March - He owns Joie of Seating, and makes the best seats mortals can afford - and he has crash tested more safety equipment than any of us have ever owned.
Talk to him, or go to his seminar - and see if you will ever use a seat without shoulder support or back bracing again.

(He once woke up in Halifax Hospital {Daytona, Fla}, all stove to goat shit. He is watching TV, and trying to get his bearings - sees a horrendous crash on TV, thinks "shit, I hope the guy ain't dead" - "OH< SHIT - that's me!)

After seeing Lajoie's seats last year at the Expo I decided I want one for me.

This would be fine...



Havent got it yet but maybe this spring.

After bending my cheapo Kirkey seat in the crash at Ascutney I bought a Lajoie seat. It's comfortable and I'm not worried about it failing. It was expensive but the wife said she would rather I spend money on stuff that makes me safer rather than buying more speed. The seat bending was scary. I didn't have it installed perfectly but it still should have held up better. Also I'm not saying all the Kirkey seats are junk but if you buy their cheapest model you're going to be wishing you had spent more in that instant before you hit the tree!

I have a Kirkey Intermediate Road Race, custom made to measure. I would reccomend it to anyone - IF it is correctly mounted. And the design and construction are light-years ahead of the old Kirkey "economy" seat. Seat fit is very important. I'm one of those who appear to be bolted together out of spare parts .. so I need a custom, or have to alter/"foam" a standard seat. Kevin is one of those lucky guys who is a standard "off the rack" size - which is why Lajoie makes standard sizes at all. There were about a dozen measurements for my Kirkey - and it is so comfortable, I can fall asleep in it with 7-way Impact harnesess pulled tight. Lajoie has a rig that measures you like the gizmo at the shoe store measures your foot.

Note the doubler panel in the shoulder area, the reinforcing ribs and contouring, and the (custom extrusion) welded edging.



http://www.kirkeyracing.com/related/Rel ... 0Guide.pdf

What is the ballpark price on a lajoie seat? No prices on his website.

I see numbers like 1200-1800 bounced around. Not sure. I would expect there is a fairly wide range since he sells both pre-made and custom fitted seats and a number of options.

sachilles wrote:What is the ballpark price on a lajoie seat? No prices on his website.

I paid $1500 a couple years back. The nice Kirkey full containment seats are around a $1000. The cheap seats start at about $100.

$1500 was a lot but I've hit trees a couple times now and I really want to live to see my kids grow up.