[Fot] Weather at PVGP/Kastner Cup - staying cool

[Duncan Charlton]

I was able to put together a body cooling system for around $325 total.  The zippered mesh Coolshirt vest was the expensive thing (Zoro.com and Shop.com list them for about $255).  It came with dry-break connections on the hoses.  I found a used Iceman 1100 cryotherapy cooler (a small ice chest with an integral pump intended for use by people recovering from surgery) on Craigslist for around $50 (I see them on CL regularly).  The dry-break hose connections match those of the cooling vest.  I opened up the stitching at the bottom of the right pocket of my driving suit so I could run the hoses out of suit with the least compromise to the suit’s protection (maybe it’s just me, but the sight of a man walking the paddock with the hoses hanging out of the bottom of his zipper...).  The Iceman’s electric pump wants 8 or 9 volts so I bought an adjustable output transformer (maybe $10-15) that plugs into a lighter socket that is wired to an on/off switch on the dash.

I never had had any problem with heat while circulating on the track but sometimes in Texas it’s pretty miserable sitting on the grid, especially if the previous group has left a mess to clean up on the track.  The Iceman unit has a flow adjuster with a thermometer in the middle of the hose so there is some control over temperature, although it’s not something I try adjusting while driving since it just sort of flops around on the floor on the passenger side.

The downside is that it’s one more thing to get properly sorted when climbing in the car to race (although because I am less concerned about overheating before the race starts I tend to get situated in the car earlier than I used to during hot weather racing).  Harness tight, steering wheel secure, HANS ready, arm restraints anchored, fire system pin removed, mirrors right, video camera ready, and now, cool shirt plugged in and tested — and the cooler strapped in securely after checking the ice between races!  I blew a race in May because of the last item.  At the green flag I jumped into the lead at turn one (right hander) at Eagles Canyon, out-dragging a 911 in my 1275cc Unipower GT.  Then the engine died suddenly.  The cooler had  shifted left out of its bracket at the apex of turn one and bumped against the nearby master electrical switch.  At least my problem wasn’t that the unit started spewing smoke during a race like it did with another CVAR car (maybe that car didn’t have the input voltage right?)

Duncan

> On Jul 3, 2018, at 6:52 AM, Scott Janzen via Fot <fot at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> I’ve been using a cool shirt and their 6 quart soft bag for years.  It’s amazing, especially handy when you are sitting on the grid in the sun.
> I probably go through 3 pounds of ice in a half hour race.  Unit is wired to a switch on my dash so I just run it as needed.  By the end of a race it’s on all the time.
> Not cheap - however, their customer service is amazing. They once overnighted a bag to me at no cost at a race weekend, and then rebuilt my old one and allowed me to keep both.
> 
> On Jul 2, 2018, at 10:11 AM, Kenneth Knight via Fot <fot at autox.team.net <mailto:fot at autox.team.net>> wrote:
> 
> I just looked at the forecast for the end of the week for PIR and Pittsburg area.  They are indicating T-Storms mid week through Friday.  Looking decent for the weekend.  The Thursday and Friday test and practice days look wet.
>  
> What is the outlook for the weekend, given locale knowledge, of the East Coast weather at the track this coming weekend?
>  
> I had a message that Kas was on the road in Colorado.  I am flying in on Thursday.  Everyone have a safe drive.
>  
> Ken
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