Caution to racers

[95cobraR]

The current professional race car driver flys to the next track in his private jet while the crew takes care of preparing his car, hauling it to the track, and being sure the car has the lastest and best in safety equipment.

The pioneers in this sport did it all. They preped the car, hauled (or drove) it to the track, and sorted it for the race. The had very little safety equipment. In fact, many wouldn't even wear a seat belt (they thought it was safer to be thrown from the car in an incident rather than die in the fire).

I just read this quote by Ed Lowther, a noted pro driver for Ferrari, Shelby Cobra, and sprint cars: "We raced on weekends and buried our dead the following week".

[95cobraR]

"No risk, no fun".--- Michael Schumacker (seven time World Champ)

"Life is too short to drive a slow car"-- Bruce

My best excuses for driving slow(er):
I didn't pass you because you were faster.
I was running too much downforce for this configuration.
I was on old tires.
It was cutting out.

P/S What is racecar spelled backwards?

[ac427cobra]

Originally Posted by 95cobraR

"No risk, no fun".--- Michael Schumacker (seven time World Champ)

"Life is too short to drive a slow car"-- Bruce

My best excuses for driving slow(er):
I didn't pass you because you were faster.
I was running too much downforce for this configuration.
I was on old tires.
It was cutting out.

P/S What is racecar spelled backwards?

Cute one doc!!

[RheacerDave]

"Make sure you have a good fire system. AFFF Electric."

I still have a 10 lb halon in my car and a spare in the trailer.
I know AFFF is great for putting out a fire, but I'm concerned about
1) getting out of a burning car with slick shoes
2) sitting too close to a flame with a damp suit on. (ever see a poached egg?)

Just hope I never use either one.

[95cobraR]

Originally Posted by RheacerDave

"Make sure you have a good fire system. AFFF Electric."

I still have a 10 lb halon in my car and a spare in the trailer.
I know AFFF is great for putting out a fire

I think I'll clarify some of this for new guys but would like help from others.

AFFF (or cold fire) is a foaming water based fire system. Some say it's expensive, messy, doesn't spread out, can suffer from thermal shock, but it is NOT toxic.

Halon 1211. It is used in hand held extinguishers. It's very effective but very toxic to the human lung. It is also ozone depleting. I think it comes out of the bottle as a liquid.

Halon 1301. It is not as toxic as 1211. It is small and lightweight. It is a gas.
I use this presently but am studying other options as my system is due for a refresh (it's getting old).

CEA-614. Halon substitute, no quench, requires twice as much as Halon.

Dupont has a new product. It's being tested (SFI) now. It's claims sound favorable.

I like NASCAR's system: they use two types on the car; one in the cockpit (non-toxic), one on the engine/fuel tank with automatic triggers (toxic but effective, doesn't enter cockpit).

Whatever you use, be sure it is secured to the car properly. If they fly away during the incident, they don't work very well.

I plan to re-engineer my fuel pumps. I use electric. It concerns me that in an incident the fuel pumps could continue to dump racing gas on the fire (if I'm knocked out). NASCAR does not allow electric pumps. They require the old-fashion mechanical pump (when the motor is killed the pumps stop working).

[tgentry]

Phil Hill has said that in the old days you would look around the drivers meeting at the first race and know that not everyone there would be alive for the last race.

The "good old days" weren't always good.

Remember when sex was safe and racing was dangerous?

[Stavesacre21]

Originally Posted by 95cobraR

Caution:

If you are upside down and on fire you may be going a little too fast!!

Words of wisdom my friend...i'll try my hardest to keep upright, and...well, not on fire

[RheacerDave]

I plan to re-engineer my fuel pumps. I use electric. It concerns me that in an incident the fuel pumps could continue to dump racing gas on the fire (if I'm knocked out). NASCAR does not allow electric pumps. They require the old-fashion mechanical pump (when the motor is killed the pumps stop working).
Another good point. How about the next-to-free inertia switch in the trunk of all late model Mustangs. I have one just above the electric pump in my trunk. I guess the rear panel would be a better choice. Not sure how hard it has to be jolted to work... not work.... you know, cut power.

[FCorkran]

They don't necessarily have to be jolted all that hard (can you tell this isn't going to be a precise specification?). My wife was returning from the grocery store in our '93 SHO. As she wipped around a bend on our road a 24 pack of Pepsi slid across the trunk and banged the side where the switch is mounted. I got a phone call that the car had "just died".

The point is that while I would use one for safety if I weren't running a mechanical pump, a rough offroad excursion or spin (or maybe "incidental contact") could trip the switch during a race. The older ones had a large metal ball in a magnetic 'V' to maintain the switch in the on state, when mounted on the side they would seem to be more sensitive to fore/aft and vertical forces than side/side. The newer ones are much smaller so may well be of a different design/sensitivity. I've heard of but never experienced the switch being tripped by someone bumping into a car in a parking lot, owner comes back to find the car mysteriously won't start.