External camera mounting via suction cup on a race car - yay or nay?

mikecolangelo

mikecolangelo

Well-known member
I'm looking at buying a GoPro video camera to capture my racing exploits on film :rolleyes:

I'm entertaining the possibility of mounting it on the roof via suction cup. Is this allowed in Conference racing?
 
O. Installation of camera equipment, camera mounts and/or camera
accessories is permitted, PROVIDED that all equipment be secured in
place and checked for safety at technical inspection.

Mike, this is all I could find in the Comp Regs. Page 45 Section 1108. This doesn't really help with a difinitive answer though.
(We have been known to have picked up a few remains of some cameras that got kinda seperated from it's intended purpose.)
Maybe give your Tech Inspector a shout.
 
Personally, I'd investigate other camera options. The mounting hardware works fine, but the wide angle lens makes anything more than a few feet in front of you appear to be far off in the distance. Essentially, you get a great movie of the hood of your car, but everything else appears to be miles away.

Possibly the NON-wide angle lens model gives a better result.

If you're convinced you want a GoPro, I'd sell mine with extra cards, batteries and charger damn cheap!
 
mikecolangelo said:
....I'm entertaining the possibility of mounting it on the roof via suction cup. Is this allowed in Conference racing?
Click to expand...

Well, the suction cup for the GoPro is supposed to be good for up to 200 MPH of wind speed (I ASSUME that's WITH the camera on the mount). You sure you won't exceed that :)

The $299 GoPro isn't that expensive if it comes off... but of course, $299 IS $299.. !!!

If you really want an outside mount, I'd look at lipstick style but, they are more money.

If you want to read some reviews on the GoPro by guys who know how to abuse them......

http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39437&highlight=pro+cameras

NOTE the "cold weather" comments
http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36678&highlight=pro+cameras

http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31717&highlight=pro+cameras

Among the lipsticks, my personal fav. is the VIO POV 1.5 complete with steering wheel on/off button.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/605494-REG/V_I_O__POV150_POV_1_5_Digital_Helmet_Camera.html

Certainly more money then GoPro but lots and lots of mounting options.
 
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Thanks for the replies!

Lynn: I can always mount it on the rollbar. But, I'll see what tech says on Saturday.

Dave: Do you have the GoPro HD or the regular version? Supposedly, the HD (High Def) is much better in many respects.

Richard: I'll breathe off the throttle on the front straight so my car stays under 200 :) I'd love to get a ChaseCam but that's almost $1000. Not that $300 is cheap... We'll see.
 
Dave is right Mike, you should mount as far forward as possible if you have the wide angle go-pro unit. Maybe on the fender or side of the car? I personally have never tried the suction cup because it is 300 bucks after all, but they do say it works.
 
Wes, we had a big bore running at Mission on a Conference weelend and his camera was mounted on the outside of the car, on a bracket, right rear.
He was meatballed and had to come in and remove it. (I think it had something to do with protruding past the body work/potenially hazardous in side to side racing)
 
Lynn Rimmer said:
.....He was meatballed and had to come in and remove it. (I think it had something to do with protruding past the body work/potenially hazardous in side to side racing)
Click to expand...

LOL, I've seen many cars with the camera mounted on the front fenders and sticking out past the body work especially in SOVREN. No problems.

Did the Black Flag station have him remove his rear view mirrors at the same time??? :)
 
Nah, didn't have any to begin with. LOL And Sovren, SCCA, CACC, etc.......different ways of looking at things. (Some will say it's a rose some will just say it smells funny.)
I'm just sayin' it may or may not fly. (hopefully not literally)
 
Hey Mike ---

I received a GoPro HD camera for Christmas, but had to wait for my son to arrive from Maui to learn how to use it. I have it mounted on the roll cage and judging from some testing we did, the pic and angle is going to be very good. Will be trying it out Saturday at Pacific...I like the idea of some foam padding around the roll cage for vibration dampening. Will see how it all works out!

Bill
 
Bill Bonsell said:
Hey Mike ---

I received a GoPro HD camera for Christmas, but had to wait for my son to arrive from Maui to learn how to use it. I have it mounted on the roll cage and judging from some testing we did, the pic and angle is going to be very good. Will be trying it out Saturday at Pacific...I like the idea of some foam padding around the roll cage for vibration dampening. Will see how it all works out!

Bill
Click to expand...

Awesome, Bill!

Let me know how it works out for you. I'll see you this weekend.
 
Mine is mounted right on the center body section of my CF, and despite the vibration the video is always very clear and steady. They are amazing units, but I'd still be nervous about the suction cup deal. If you check their weboste they have a shot of a wide angle unit mounted in a Miata, and it shows both the driver and the track. Odd angle, but it shows the versatility of the camera.
 
Not that we do everything the same, but the Secret Car Club of America requires a two points of attachment to the car & camera. I would argue a suction cup violates the "secure" intent. :)

9.3.12. CAMERA MOUNTS
The mounts for video / photographic cameras shall be of a safe and secure
design. The body of the camera or recording unit that weighs more than
8 oz shall be secured at a minimum of 2 points on different sides of the
camera body, neither of the attachments may be elastic or plastic. If a
tether is used to restrain the camera, the tether length shall be limited so
that the camera can not contact the driver. Helmet mounted cameras are
prohibited regardless of size, weight, or location of camera on the helmet.

You could argue the GoPro is under 8 ounces, but as an open wheel guy, I wouldn't want someone's loose camera bouncing off my head like Massa's spring incident.

tim
 
I think the argument is that the GoPro is very light. I actually wasn't comfortable using the suction cup until a friend told me about a hillclimb car at Knox Mtn that crashed and when the corner worker retrieved the bumper/spoiler the GoPro was still attached and intact.

Anyway at the Edmonton Indy race I ran the Go Pro outside the car in the qualifying race with no issues. See picture below.

4taomv.jpg


Still not sure I want to be the guy who's camera flies off but vacuum can be a powerful force.

Anthony
Calgary AB
 
Hero Cam Testimony

My friend Richard and I shared his Spec Miata last year, at the annual Knox Mtn Hillclimb in Kelowna.
We experimented with quite a few different mounting options. One in particular was very funny.
He wanted to see how close we were getting to the edge of the cliff. I decided to show him during one of my runs...:smile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64sdIj3u4p0

Later we used our collected data for our adventures in the Targa Newfoundland. We did not mount the camera/s outside the car there. But I am sure we did take out a few cones.
 
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