Some of you know me. I write race reports that sometimes get published in
Victory Lane. (Does Flash Racing Ltd. ring a bell? See page 29 of the July
issue.)
A few weeks ago we ran the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and had a great time.
I did have a slight brush with FIRE. We all say, "It ain't gonna happen to
me." Well it might. I'm sending out the last section of my race report so you
all can think about some issues. We all learn from others.
To set the stage, I was driving a friend's Formula SAAB (kind of like a Formula
Vee with SAAB 96 running gear and drive train). The forward carb and float
bowl cover loosened up, leaked some fuel out the side until it found an
ignition source. The fire crew responded so quickly that there was no damage
to me or the car (the fiberglass engine cover was not even damaged). Yes, we
were very lucky. Here are my post-weekend reflections.
LESSONS LEARNED
1. If you are driving an unfamiliar car, spend a few minutes
focused on the safety gear. How does the belt system unlatch? Does the lever
move to the left or the right? If it's a camlock, does it twist or is it the
"punch" type? How does the steering wheel detach? Can you get out with the
wheel in place? Will your arm restraints cause problems exiting? If it is a
closed car, what do you need to do to get out? How does the window net come
down? Could your HANS hang up on the doorframe? How does the Master Switch
shut off? How does the electric fuel pump shut off? How do the various helmet
attachments disconnect? How would you activate the fire system? From now on,
I will practice getting out of the car quickly a few times. (It took me a
second or two to figure out that the latch opened in the opposite direction
from the one in my car.)
2. The Saturday following that race weekend, I listened to Dale
Earnheart Jr's press conference on his fire after crashing the Corvette at
Infineon Raceway (my home track). Yes, Little E and Flash now have something
in common-We were both on fire that Sunday. And, yes his was MUCH worse than
mine. You will remember that he was burned (second degree) on his chin and
legs. He was burned there because he didn't use a balaclava or nomex bottoms.
He did have a nomex top on under his driver's suit because he couldn't find a
tee shirt to wear. He said, "In the past, I rarely wore the fireproof
underwear because it was too hot under my multi-layer driver's suit. I will
always wear fireproof underwear in the future."
Flashy gave me a new multi-layer driver's suit for Christmas.
The rating is such that I "don't need to wear the fireproof underwear
underneath it." Bull Shit, I will always wear the underwear, no matter how hot
is.
Little E also said that he couldn't see how to activate the
on-board fire system because of the flames-See Item #1 above.
Dick Ryan 650-312-4022 (24022)
Director of Risk Management
Franklin Templeton Investments
One Franklin Parkway 960/4
San Mateo, CA 94403-1906
Fax 650-312-5830 (25830)
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