1 (edited by skivittlerjimb 2016-06-09 09:24 AM)

Topic: Dropped Packet Racing trailer fire after BFE GP

Hadn't seen this posted on the Lemons forum yet, so posting it here.

https://www.facebook.com/droppedpacketsracing/

The winners of the BFE GP had their Acura Integra catch fire in their trailer and the car is likely a total loss. They had just donated 50% of their Class A and Class B winnings to Lemons of Love and 50% to the newlyweds, Anton and Sophie. Matt Larsen from Dropped Packets has declined the offer from many teams to help them financially.

If anyone has more details on what caused the fire, it'd be great to have the rest of us learn from their misfortune and not have our cars and trailers burn down.

https://scontent-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339434_1185097221525197_4586926484950367961_n.jpg?oh=41a3ce329e1362ed4ca72d4ac919b368&oe=58027024

Bert One - 1981 Volvo 262c Bertone | Ernie - 1990 Nissan 240SX

Re: Dropped Packet Racing trailer fire after BFE GP

We have not been able to determine the exact cause of the fire.   The battery definitely went up in flames.   It was an Optima Yellow Top that had dropped to 10V on Sunday morning about an hour into the race.   We swapped it out for a borrowed battery from the Fay Meyers team that then ran the rest of the day.   The Optima went on a charger for the rest of the day, and was put back in the car to start it and load it on the trailer for the trip home.   

The car had shown some weird electrical issues at a WRL race in early May.    First, a cheap toggle switch worked its way loose and then shorted the system out so the car quit on the track.   We got it back in, bypassed the switch and it ran for a while until the tach would start bouncing and the car would run rough.   The voltage on the battery was low, so we swapped batteries at the 8 hour mark and made it through the rest of the race without incident.   I thought that the issues were behind us, but we saw a return of the bouncy tach on Sunday morning, which precipitated the battery swap.    My mechanics went through the alternator and checked everything out before the BFE race and it seemed to be okay.   There were no problems on day 1, although it was a little touchy on starting at the end of the day.   The battery may have just been bad, but it was really bizarre to have it blow up like that.   I think it was mostly a fluke, but we will consider full on disconnect or battery removal in the future.

The trailer damage is mostly cosmetic.   The trailer belongs to our sometime Lemons teammate Dan Williams, and he is going to end up with the best possible result, as it is getting all new wiring, paneling and carpeting on the walls, along with new cabinets and a rooftop AC unit.   He wanted to remodel the interior of the trailer anyway, so he is going to get it a little sooner than expected.   My teammates Erik and Stacy Nemnich are doing the interior remodel and it should be done by the end of the month.   Here is the trailer after the bad stuff was taken out:

http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/trailer-repair-620x349.jpg

The good news is that the car is probably savable.   If we put the battery back in the front of the car and rewired the kill switch, we would just have to get the brake lights/taillights working and it would be driveable.   The seat and harnesses are scorched and will have to be replaced, but the fire did not get to the fuel lines/sender/wiring.    The first pictures looked awful, but most of the important stuff escaped damage.   

The windshield is broken because a rack of tires/wheels fell on it during the fire.   

http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scorched-acura1-620x349.jpg

This is what a Lexan window looks like when it melts:

http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scorched-acura2-620x349.jpg

Here you can see where the battery was at and the worst of the damage.   The white cylinder is an Optima battery cell.

http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scorched-acura3-620x349.jpg

And here is a view from the right rear.

http://www.wirelesscowboys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scorched-acura4-620x349.jpg

I think we can clean it up, grind/brush most of the back part back to bare metal, repaint it and sort out the tail-lights and bumper and have it ready to race by next year.   I had some pretty emotional moments for the first couple of days after the race.   I have a lot of hours in this car and it has always been a real sweetheart on the track, so it was going to be soul crushing if it had been a total loss.   

Thanks to everyone who sent the good vibes our direction.   We look forward to racing with you again next year!

Matt