Glad you didn't get hurt and your car is fine, but there's another quick
lesson therein. You might have had good reason not to do this, but when
you're on fire, punch your onboard extinguisher and DRIVE TO A CORNER
STATION. Or just drive to the station even if you don't have an onboard
(which you should). Even if you have to take a turn or two, it's much
faster for you to drive right to them than to get your butt out of the car
and put it out yourself or wait for the folks to do a 200 yard dash over
to you schlepping a big bottle.
In the heat of the moment it's hard to remember to do that. Like
everything else, practice makes perfect. Just reminding yourself during
practice "if I was on fire here, I'd drive there" is all you need to do it
right when it happens. I know that sounds like one too many things to
think about since fires are relatively rare, but there's only a few things
that go really badly wrong with these cars, and fire is on the top of my
list as one I want to do something positive about.
It's also easier on the corner workers.
-----Original Message-----
From: BillDentin@aol.com [mailto:BillDentin@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 8:51 AM
To: vinttr4@geneseo.net; fot@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Blackhawk race weekend
In a message dated 06/16/2003 9:43:17 AM Central Daylight Time,
vinttr4@geneseo.net writes:
> Bill Dentinger -- the Tornado was again the star of the paddock
>
Amici:
I don't know about that, but I think I had one of the HOTTEST cars
there!!!
I know in the Saturday morning practice session it had 18" flames coming
out
of the carb holes in the bonnet. I am no longer the most agile person in
the
world. I wish I had a video of all 265 pounds of me trying to get out of
my
seat belts, out of the car, open the bonnet, and put out the flames with
my
fire extinguisher. Seemed like it took an hour and a half, but in fact I
beat
the corner workers, who had to watch for oncoming race traffic to get to
me from
their station across the track. 51 cars in Race Group TWO, on a 1.95 mile
track. We had the fuel pressure set too high. My overflow catch tank
filled
with race gas. My carb weep tubes split and gas poured onto the header.
Talk
about excitement. I can't believe how little damage there was. Must have
been
more burning fumes than raw gas. Don Brick and Bob Wismer helped me
replace
the overflow fuel lines and clean up the fire residue. We had the car
re-teched and they let me out for the afternoon Sprint Race. I was
gridded 32nd, and
finished 13th, including a new personal best BLACKHAWK lap time.
Blackhawk is freshly repaved, and faster. SCCA and Midwestern Council
racers
are setting new records each time out.
I agree...it was a great weekend. On to MOSP0RT......
Bill Dentinger
PS
Word to the wise. Fire Extinguishers need to be 'tested' from time to
time.
Just because you've never used yours, doesn't mean it is still good. I
test
mine every winter (along with about two dozen company units). I'll tell
you
what....when you're on fire...you're glad to have one that works.
Seem's to me I heard my wife say that once.
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