The Meru Safety brace joins just 6 other brands to be approved for racing.
The Meru Safety Carbon Ascent is now approved by the SFI Foundation, Inc., making the device the first FHR with a built in shock absorber approved for racers. The SFI approval comes on the heels of successful crash testing at the Cape Facility in Indianapolis.
The Meru Safety Carbon Ascent is the first FHR to move concussion prevention to the forefront. In crash testing the Meru team has been able to make a nearly 80% reduction in forces through the head, taking several hundred pounds off your brain, and were able to do so without sacrificing neck safety.
The Ascent Carbon Brace works with Meru Safety’s patented shock absorber design. In a frontal or reverse impact the inertia damping system (IDS) helps dampen the speed at which the head comes to a stop. A shock absorber connects to the hinged back plate on the device which allows the back plate of the device to move back and forth slightly. Speed sensitive valving detects large force impacts and stiffens to slow abrupt movements while maintaining comfort in normal driving conditions.
The Meru Carbon Ascent is made from aerospace grade carbon to achieve the lightest weight possible with the added hardware, and a tether system familiar to other FHR devices which allows the brace to control the head’s entire movement forward in an impact. The Ascent Carbon Brace connects to any helmet with threaded mounting points and is available to use for anyone with a 5 or 6 point harness and is comfortable in a variety of different seating positions.
In a 70G impact the Ascent was able to reduce the force from the back of the head through the eyes to just 53 lbs which is a major improvement in concussion prevention.
Meru Safety is the product of longtime racers and motorsport enthusiasts AJ & Scott Burns. Both having raced motocross and then joining the auto racing world as midget and sprint car drivers, AJ & Scott both know first hand the problems of safety and concussions that drivers deal with. Meru aims to make the inherently dangerous sport of auto racing safer through its cutting edge grouping of protective equipment. The Ascent Carbon is Meru Safety’s first head-and-neck restraint which upends current concussion prevention standards, and we have several more safety products in development. Since 2016, Meru Safety has developed, patented, and procured technology to improve the safety of racers in all automotive racing sports.
AJ Burns, Co-Founder of Meru Safety states: “We are so excited to finally get these braces in drivers hands. We are a company made up of racers who’ve experienced concussions first hand so we sought out to solve this problem. 6 years of research and development later and a brilliant group of people working on a common goal has got us to the starting line. Now the goal is to get these braces in drivers hands and continue to work on making even better technology to make racing safer.”
The first release of Ascent Carbon braces will ship with SFI certification in early March with the Meru team pursuing FIA certification for late 2023. Meru Safety will run a recertification process for its braces once FIA approval is complete. The brace retails at the price point of $1250 and Drivers who are interested can apply for the driver support program to be considered for driver discounts on the brace.
As a team Meru has set out to develop and produce the world safest FHR and do for the head what their predecessors have done for the neck. If you’re going to purchase a frontal head restraint, use your head and choose the brace who sets out to protect your brain.
To learn more information about the Carbon Ascent or to request a dealer or media packet visit them at www.meru-safety.com.
