Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

RoadRunner wrote:
kalpol wrote:

All this is making me wonder if I should just fix the AC in our car and leave the windows in place.

I pondered that as well, but then I saw a rule that required having the windows rolled down. However, that may have been a track rule not a Lemons rule.

Not to mention the fact that many (most?) cars shut off the A/C at wide open throttle.

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

In the grinch/caltrans  and lemon demo crx we try to run 1.5 hours which works but when you get blackflagged and off course for 30 minutes that was our drivers changes .

From my 5 Lemons races its a craazy race  first race DNF 2nd race 20th 3rd 6th   4th race 40th  and 5th race with 5 blackflags 59 th

If you got good drivers let them drive as long as they can but if theyare getting passed by cars they passed alot they are getting tried and making mistakes and then off course and 30 minute sucks!
Then your walking around the paddock w/ caution tape and a rooster hat on telling everyone your a cock don't drive like me .

Like in desert finishing the race is the biggest part of the race!

Pit Crew Revenge Racing   Rolling chicanelimo,95Lamdspeeder,Gimp Pimp Cadi,300zx Car show kaboom!! 90 Wagovan, mazda v8 Lemons LOGO TATTOO!  Aces 84 Cadi Eldo Briattz I O E WINNER
Class C win with LemonOdy Cannonball Run Whambulance !EX K Captain
Lemons Trophy Truck ShaGuar Baby!

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

FWIW, we were warned in the 2007 CMP event (by a fellow NASA enduro guy) that July heat at CMP + inexperienced + out-of-shape drivers = heat exhaustion quickly.  Therefore we were advised to go ahead and pony up and buy a cool suit system.  We looked into it and the entire system from F.A.S.T. ain’t anywhere near cheap, so we opted for a mix-n-match setup.  We bought the official ‘Cool Shirt’ (it sure ain’t cheap either!) and snagged a similar pump and cooler setup on Ebay.  The main difference was this was designed for medical rehab-type system used at home after knee surgery and the like.  Therefore it uses an AC powered pump so we added a small power inverter in our car to run it and the video cameras.  FYI, the special ‘dry-break’ fittings used on most re-hab cooler setups match the ones used by F.A.S.T so most of those will work with their official ‘Cool Shirt’.

Was it worth it?  HELL YES, it most certainly was.  Our particular setup had a dial to cycle the pump on and off at an interval and it worked for about an hour and a half.  I drove two hours on Sunday and I could definitely tell when all the ice had melted and it was no longer cooling.  While it was working it was great though.  It was worth every penny we paid for sure.  I highly recommend it for other teams if you can afford to buy or build something similar.

After two hours I was completely spent.  To the guy who is planning to run for six hours…especially in the summer of Reno… you are insane my friend.  Your health and safety isn’t worth $1500 in nickels.

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

While A/C would be nice, it's only going to cool the outside of your fire suit.  So I think your still going to be pretty toaty inside.

Now if you had functional a/c you could put the evaporator in a box and pump water pver it like a cool system.  Then you wouldn't need ice.  You will lose some HP to the compressor.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z

30 (edited by kalpol 2009-05-21 12:09 PM)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

Troy wrote:

While A/C would be nice, it's only going to cool the outside of your fire suit.  So I think your still going to be pretty toaty inside.

Now if you had functional a/c you could put the evaporator in a box and pump water pver it like a cool system.  Then you wouldn't need ice.  You will lose some HP to the compressor.

why not just get a cheap Goldstar window unit from Home Depot and a large inverter. Plop the AC in the back and run some flexible hose from the cold air outlet down (or up, depending on how you like to roll)  your suit.

(This started off as a joke and now I am thinking it's not a terrible idea...)

Josh Poage
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

kalpol wrote:

While A/C would be nice, it's only going to cool the outside of your fire suit.

http://jalopnik.com/assets/images/gallery/12/2008/08/medium_2730302690_46bce9e9e5_o.jpg
Punisher Racing just rigged up an AC duct right down the neck of the driver's suit. Worked great- they came in 3rd at Lemons South '08, where it was 98 degrees and swampy.

32

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

I have the mediocre cool shirt you put in icewater, and put it on before your stint.  It is GREAT for about 20 minutes, it is so so for 20 more and then it's worthless.  But if you driving an hour, at least you only have 20 really really hot minutes.  I bought mine on eBay for like $25 or something.

Jer / Schumacher Taxi Service
2010 Spring CMP I.O.E. winner
2010 Sebring overall winner
1996 Miata, 1991 BMW E30, 1987 coROLLa (retired), 1984 Citation (retired), 1993 Miata (retired)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

MurileeMartin wrote:

Punisher Racing just rigged up an AC duct right down the neck of the driver's suit. Worked great- they came in 3rd at Lemons South '08, where it was 98 degrees and swampy.

I'm sold.

Josh Poage
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

Jer wrote:

I have the mediocre cool shirt you put in icewater, and put it on before your stint.  It is GREAT for about 20 minutes, it is so so for 20 more and then it's worthless.  But if you driving an hour, at least you only have 20 really really hot minutes.  I bought mine on eBay for like $25 or something.

I have something similar, it's a vest with pockets on the inside. I use it outside doing yard work. It has these liquid filled plastic pouches that you put in the freezer for a few hours. Turns into ice, keeps for about 2 hours before it melts. Never tried it for driving.

For the New Orleans race I'm going with a cool suit. 50-something year old farts don't like the heat much.....

35 (edited by GTI-Guy 2009-05-21 02:27 PM)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

MurileeMartin wrote:
kalpol wrote:

While A/C would be nice, it's only going to cool the outside of your fire suit.

http://jalopnik.com/assets/images/gallery/12/2008/08/medium_2730302690_46bce9e9e5_o.jpg
Punisher Racing just rigged up an AC duct right down the neck of the driver's suit. Worked great- they came in 3rd at Lemons South '08, where it was 98 degrees and swampy.

Funny pic, never saw and I was one of the drivers on that team ... that set up was good fun, but it really didn't do much in terms of body core cooling. Also, we really didn't have a good way worked out to keep it in place beneath our helmets, so was more of a small moment of relief thing during yellow flags ... grab the end and air hose your face

I did the last session of the event and was in the car for close to 2 hours ... I was baked and broiled both ... getting out of the car I was feeling the beginnings of hearing loss and vision loss, which is what ya' also call heat stroke.  For what it's worth, in shape, do mini triathalons, yeah, for real heat a cool suit is your best shot, or schedule more driver changes

EDIT - Forgot to mention, we also had a good size water bottle with hose to grab to keep ourselves hydrated, don't underestimate that.  If you're stupid like us, mount the water supply next to the transmission hump so the water can be nice and warm

BARBIE MUST WIN Racing!
BMW 6 Series ... "All Bitched Out!"

36 (edited by WINWAR 2009-05-22 08:27 AM)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

I thought that all glass had to be out of the car?

That "Cool Vest" is a good idea. Saw one that says it works for up to 5 hours for 35 bones. Anyone have a link for one that they know works? Whats a mediocre cool shirt?

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

just to speculate more on the AC unit idea, I bought a little Goldstar window unit a few years ago for $79 for a small room.  It looks like the current draw is less than 5 amps, which is about 550 watts at 110 volts.  As far as I know, the 65-amp Fiat alternator and a beefy inverter ought to be able to handle that. bolted into the back seat area, it would not only help the weight bias but pump delicious cool air into my suit at the touch of a button...

..yeah crazy and I think the cool vest idea is better.

Josh Poage
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

I ended up doing a little over two hours at the end of Lemons South a couple of months ago at the end of the race due to a visit to the judges by a team mate. It was only my second race and the reasonable temps made it ok, but I was pretty well rung out.  As everyone has mentioned, time it so everyone gets time in the car.  This is not the ALMS and it is supposed to be fun.  Let everyone drive and take care of yourself and you car.

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

In our first race at CMP in 2008 our main goal was to get all drivers in the car before it broke, so we all did 20-30 minute stints at the beginning.  If you want to win..dont do that strategy.   But in CMP 2009 spring race we stayed in the car for a full fuel run.  Our fuel lasted about 2-2.5 hours.  On Sunday I drove from 12-4.  I didnt really have any issues and if I had a little more padding, then my tailbone would have hurt so bad.  during my 4 hour stint, we had a red flag(toasted BMW) for 15-20 minutes which gave me a chance to rest.  I had to make 2 pit stops for gas(1 full tank and 1 splas'n'go).  AT CMP the gas stops, we were allowed to stay in the car in 2009, unlike 2008.  If the rules say no driver in the car at fueling, then it is a no brainer to swap drivers then.

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

kalpol wrote:

(This started off as a joke and now I am thinking it's not a terrible idea...)

Lemons in a nutshell.

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

Are there any rules for water dripping onto the track, during racing.
I was thinking that maybe we would run a air duct on the passenger side of the car and just load that side with about 190 lbs of Ice to get a better weight balance and keep the driver cool. He could also have ice to suck on to keep him cool while he's driving. I know it's crazy but I do have a "Cool Seat" concept in the works.

Team: V-Ram/Altamont Team: Knights of the Round Track/Reno/Buttonwillow/Thunderhill Team: Death Mobile/Sears 2010/Thunderhill/ChumpCar  Spokane/ MSR Houston/Buttonwillow/Sears. MRolla Project /Reno
http://stickfigureracing.blogspot.com/

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

Bender/StickFigureRacing wrote:

I know it's crazy but I do have a "Cool Seat" concept in the works.

Too bad helmets cast from ice don't offer much crash protection.

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

Looks like someone beat me to it!


http://jalopnik.com/photogallery/LNO09B … 1008628861

Josh Poage
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2009 Yee-haw It's Texas
Prison Break Racing - 1986 325e #27 - 2010 Gator-o-Rama
Poage Ma Thoin Racing - 1981 Fiat Brava #09 - 2011 Heaps in the Heart of Texas

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

i did 1 hour on saturday in New Orleans and it was perfect. i did a 2 hour stint on Sunday and I came out of the car because of a spin. I just lost my focus. I would say 1.5 hours is the tops.

Our best driver does 2.5 to 3 hours (full tank of gas) only because he is in really good physical shape and is an experianced driver.

hope that helps.

It's a Miata, get him........

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

weaksauce wrote:

i did 1 hour on saturday in New Orleans and it was perfect. i did a 2 hour stint on Sunday and I came out of the car because of a spin. I just lost my focus. I would say 1.5 hours is the tops.

Our best driver does 2.5 to 3 hours (full tank of gas) only because he is in really good physical shape and is an experianced driver.

hope that helps.

that is the reason Jason put the barbie miata in the wall, he was tired and had been in for over an hour. You lose judgement and reaction time slows.

Team Lost in the Dark
Winner " I got screwed" and "Jay's dream car"
2012 Gulf region champs

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

We ran 2.5 hours stints in NOLA which was a tank of gas.  All of our drivers are in good shape.  But, drive until you get tired and then come in - mistakes happen when you get tired.

47 (edited by sbarton 2009-07-15 08:21 AM)

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

We are making a homemade cool suit for our Lemons car with a really big cooler. 


DIY Cool Suit

Kinda cool.  wink  Making your own cooler with pump would save a lot of $$. 

I think the shirt with only one tubing would be too innefficient.  The cool shirts uses 4.   

Parts Needed:
28 Qt Cooler $15
360gph WM Bilge Pump $18
RC Battery Connectors $5
Dry Disconnects (2) $16 (~$8ea)

-Scott

Scott Barton

Re: Drivers Stint: How long in the thick of it?

I noticed at Reno that on the first day (my first time road racing) that after 35 minutes I was pretty wiped out dealing with all the traffic and heat. However on Sunday when it was a bit cooler and I'd had all night to run the track through my head I was in the car from before 10 until after 12:30 with a half-hour mechanical break from 10:30 till 11 and felt fresh as a daisy when I got out. I think half of the preparation for long driver stints is physical and half is mental. If either one isn't working at 100% it's time to come in and let one of your co-drivers take the wheel.