[Glazes over five pages of stuff]
Hey, what's up guys?
I don't know if fire suppression rules are changing, honestly, but if they were, I suspect you'd have heard by now. If you already have a system installed, GREAT. However, do everybody on your team a favor and do two things for me personally (and not as an official Agent of Lemons), please:
(1) Regularly check the system pressure, the fittings/valves, and the lines. The system ain't no good if you pull the handle and you have a kinked line because you didn't notice that you mangled it with a ratchet while reinstalling the shifter that fell out in the middle of the last race. It happens on occasion so don't assume it's in ship-shape because you installed it correctly. Check it when you're wrenching in the garage. Check it when you load up. Check it when you unload. Check it before the race session(s). Check it when you get back to the garage
(2) Practice fire egress (This applies to cars without fire suppression systems, too, obviously). If your car is on fire, the best thing to do always is to exit as quickly as possible. The suppression system's job is mainly to buy you time in case you're trapped in the car*.
Fun fact: A professional driver told me that in 20 years of racing, he's literally never practiced fire egress nor does he know another pro driver who has. That astounded me, but it also reminded me that Lemons tries (and probably succeeds?) in many ways promotes a safety culture not found in many other forms of racing. In other words: Do fire drills (even one or two on Friday before a race weekend) and you're way ahead of professional racers in at least one category.
* Every car is different enough that the fire egress will be unique to the car, but if the egress process can include "Pull the fire-system handle" at the same time you're doing something else (Example: Releasing belt latch), then include it. Otherwise, it should be an "as-needed" step only with the driver familiarizing himself/herself with its location (which should be an obvious, reachable place). TEO may or may not chime in with more info on this, but feel free to ask him or any other safety inspectors at races about it.
[We now return you to regularly scheduled classing/BS judging/bench series management discussions.]
Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com