DoubleXL240Z
New member
I think I could outfit at least 5 or 6 people with full single layer nomex, balaclava, gloves and goggles for the cost of one dry break system.
your mileage may vary
your mileage may vary
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Pit Fire Incident at VIR????
- Thread starter krysdean
- Start date
betamotorsports
New member
I've worked fuel on pits stops at SCCA, and NASA races and I don't care what the rules say. I wear full Nomex (underwear, suit, shoes, balacava, gloves) and a full face race helmet with the face shield down. I'm also thinking about full length splash apron for my next fueling assignment.
This thread sure gathered a lot of interest in a short amount of time.
Keep in mind that a dry break system is not all you need. The system needs to be vented and to have a proper overflow system. Not to mention that even w/ these there still can be lots of fuel spilled. I don't need to tell you to look at any Nascar stop & you'll see fuel spilled, you've all seen it. And those guys have the budget and training to see that it doesn't happen.
On the other hand, the only pit lane fire I've seen in lots of enduros w/ fuel stops was due to a car being left running & the fuel spilling on the exhaust (2008 Summit 12 hour). Fuel needs an ignition source. Instead of mandating dry breaks what about mandating that the exhaust & the filler be on opposite sides of the car. No more expensive to engineer & build.
An interesting thing I've seen is that many sup's don't require a balaclava, only gear as a driver would wear. But even w/ a helmet & suit, the bottom of your chin is exposed and guess where the fire comes from - below.
Fueling is dangerous, we'll never get around it.
Keep in mind that a dry break system is not all you need. The system needs to be vented and to have a proper overflow system. Not to mention that even w/ these there still can be lots of fuel spilled. I don't need to tell you to look at any Nascar stop & you'll see fuel spilled, you've all seen it. And those guys have the budget and training to see that it doesn't happen.
On the other hand, the only pit lane fire I've seen in lots of enduros w/ fuel stops was due to a car being left running & the fuel spilling on the exhaust (2008 Summit 12 hour). Fuel needs an ignition source. Instead of mandating dry breaks what about mandating that the exhaust & the filler be on opposite sides of the car. No more expensive to engineer & build.
An interesting thing I've seen is that many sup's don't require a balaclava, only gear as a driver would wear. But even w/ a helmet & suit, the bottom of your chin is exposed and guess where the fire comes from - below.
Fueling is dangerous, we'll never get around it.
I think dry break systems are a non starter for our series, too much money involved for the gain (if any) in safety. I would like to see all crew members involved in fueling in NOMEX (single layer should be OK) eye protection, and balaclava, that, IMHO, would make the most sense both financially and from a safety standpoint. Although I would like to see some of the newer fire extenguishers avaialble, their present day cost is probably prohibitive. I also received an e-mail with regard to "wicking" on NOMEX, although NOMEX is fire proof (or at least retardent), it will act as a "wick" for gasoline and fire, so an apron wouldn't be a bad idea for the fueler/s either. The pit road officials also need to do a better job of making sure we abide by the rules we already have. Most of this stuff needs to start with the competitors though, I trust the owner/drivers in the ECR series to err on the side of safety, and I would rather see voluntary change rather than a new rules package.
Krys Dean, ECR Chief Steward, South
Krys Dean, ECR Chief Steward, South