Topic: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

total noob here:

hosting a team meeting tomorrow morning, 2 weeks prior to the race, any non-obvious topics the vets would have me bring up for discussion - that I am probably not thinking about?

2 (edited by Spank 2018-10-26 09:05 AM)

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

For a 24, you want to sleep in shifts. Have someone rested and able to get in a car if the driver who is out needs to come in unexpectedly. If you are using radio communications, make it clear who is going to be in charge of listening to the pit radio at what time.

If you have the luxury of having a "pit mom/dad" to make sure everyone stays safe and doesn't make stupid decisions, that's a big bonus.

Plan for off-track fuel runs. Who is going to do them and when: the track pumps get crowded and/or run out.

Rag-on-a-stick. Have one or some other plan just in case you need it for your driver to clean the inside of the windshield when it fogs up.

Know that EVEN IF YOU BREAK or are off the track for, say, 8 hours-- YOU ARE STILL GETTING MORE TRACK TIME than you would get if you were entered in a non-24hr Lemons event. So if you all get tired, then STOP. start driving again after everyone is rested.

When the sun is going up / down, the glare is a pain: figure out a way to address it.

The shift where it is pitch black and then the sun starts to rise is a pretty awesome shit to have, according to many.

Some have suggested to put tinting on your rear view mirror to help reduce the glare of the cars coming up behind you with obnoxious led light bars. I swear, those things need to be outlawed on track unless they are mounted on the steering wheel and pointed directly at the driver of the car it is mounted on.

If you don't have a pit steward or dedicated cook who is a non-driver, consider having each team member responsible for buying and preparing 1 meal at a designated time round-the-clock. Helps share the food responsibility. Just make sure not everyone picks Chili as they meal they are going to prepare.

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

Make sure someone in the pits is up at all times.  They are in charge of making sure the next drive is up and ready when their shift comes plus keep track of anything else the driver may need, or if they are coming in earlier or anything like that.  I tried instituting person who just got our of the car stays up the for the following person shift figuring you would have enough adrenaline that you wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, but the moment I got in the car they all forgot that plan and went to sleep on me and I had to shout on the radio when I was on fumes until someone finally woke up.

Another thing to worry about is night vision.  Everyone thinks they see as well in the dark as everyone else but some people have good night vision, some people have ok night vision and some people have bad night vision.  The bad ones are who you have to worry about because they can get out there at night and realize they just can't do it.  This isn't like a mental or fear thing, some people just can't physically see well enough in the dark to race.  Try and see if you can figure this out before the race and schedule peoples shifts accordingly.  I say put your whole team in a very dimly lit room and through tennis balls at their heads.  No idea if it will work but at least you get to hit your teammates with tennis balls.

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
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Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

wow - thank y'all so much for the detailed responses! i will definitely take into account all the stuff y'all pointed out.

if i come up with any related questions i will for sure be back to this thread to ask.

I say put your whole team in a very dimly lit room and through tennis balls at their heads.  No idea if it will work but at least you get to hit your teammates with tennis balls.

- Amazing! lmfao

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

Remind them this is an endurance race and finishing the race matters, not lap times.

Be prepared that some of your drivers may be terrified of the night driving and will come in early.  Have a plan for that.

Have good lights, some good threads on here for what to do and not to do.  LED bars suck.

Have a pit stop plan, who fuels, who holds the fire extinguisher.  I prefer to have the driver going in hold the extinguisher and not be a fueler in case he spills on himself.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

rb92673 wrote:

Remind them this is an endurance race and finishing the race matters, not lap times.

Be prepared that some of your drivers may be terrified of the night driving and will come in early.  Have a plan for that.

Have good lights, some good threads on here for what to do and not to do.  LED bars suck.

Have a pit stop plan, who fuels, who holds the fire extinguisher.  I prefer to have the driver going in hold the extinguisher and not be a fueler in case he spills on himself.

thanks for the reply!

yeah, current plan is to drive the car at like 7/10's hopefully i can keep the team to that (we dont have a tachometer so there will be some guessing involved) .  we have hella lights + stock low beams so we shouldnt be blinding the rest of the field.

for sure we need to practice some pit stops - not so much for time saving - but more for doing it safely and without incurring any unnecessary black flags.  dont want to look like a flock of dodo's at every hot pit encounter.

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

Totally agree on fueling, keep the next driver away from fuel, you don't want the driver out there covered in gas.

for lights I recently picked these up for my mgb and they are really bright.  Just needed some light enclosures so to replace the sealed beams in there and they are still aimed and focused enough you can put them in your standard lights and and not blind anyone.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073Z … &psc=1

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
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Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

BoB wrote:

Totally agree on fueling, keep the next driver away from fuel, you don't want the driver out there covered in gas.

for lights I recently picked these up for my mgb and they are really bright.  Just needed some light enclosures so to replace the sealed beams in there and they are still aimed and focused enough you can put them in your standard lights and and not blind anyone.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073Z … &psc=1


oh wow those lights are super intense - need to see if i can find the housings now !  thanks,

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

BoB wrote:

Totally agree on fueling, keep the next driver away from fuel, you don't want the driver out there covered in gas.

for lights I recently picked these up for my mgb and they are really bright.  Just needed some light enclosures so to replace the sealed beams in there and they are still aimed and focused enough you can put them in your standard lights and and not blind anyone.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073Z … &psc=1


one more question on fueling - we have a fire suppression system on order - no idea if it will get in/installed before the race.    with that being said - i didnt plan of buying a second fire extinguisher aside from the one that is currently in the car.....

***is it allowable to take the fire extinguisher out of the car and use it for fire watch during fueling and then put it back in?

10

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

Hella makes some, along with others.  I think they are listed as semi sealed headlights.  Luckily atleast for the h4 (high/low beam units) the halogens use the same connectors and plug right in so its really hard to screw up.

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
Facebook Page

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

waffle_stomp wrote:

...is it allowable to take the fire extinguisher out of the car and use it for fire watch during fueling and then put it back in?

It's not against the rules but it's also not the greatest idea for at least a couple of reasons: First, it's really easy to forget to return it to the car after fueling, which means your car is now on track without an extinguisher. Second, repeatedly removing and replacing the car's extinguisher increases the odds of inadvertently discharging it, at which point you don't have an extinguisher at all and you are done racing until you can find one.

I fully understand that the line of "it's cheap, so just do it" can add up to a lot of money when it comes up again and again, but for a fire extinguisher I'm very much in the "it's cheap, so just do it" camp. Please get a second extinguisher. They're nice to have around even when not at a race.

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

12 (edited by beaker 2018-10-26 02:36 PM)

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

mharrell wrote:
waffle_stomp wrote:

...is it allowable to take the fire extinguisher out of the car and use it for fire watch during fueling and then put it back in?

It's not against the rules but it's also not the greatest idea for at least a couple of reasons: First, it's really easy to forget to return it to the car after fueling, which means your car is now on track without an extinguisher. Second, repeatedly removing and replacing the car's extinguisher increases the odds of inadvertently discharging it, at which point you don't have an extinguisher at all and you are done racing until you can find one.

I fully understand that the line of "it's cheap, so just do it" can add up to a lot of money when it comes up again and again, but for a fire extinguisher I'm very much in the "it's cheap, so just do it" camp. Please get a second extinguisher. They're nice to have around even when not at a race.

On that note, we put out a neighboring car that caught fire in the paddock a couple years ago at NHMS.   Gas-soaked header wrap material caught fire, go figure.  We have 1 extinguisher in the car, 2 in the paddock, 1 of which makes its way with us for fueling.  If you don't have one on the wall of your garage, put it there after the race, and just bring it with you race weekend.  Some day you may be glad you did.

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

This is why it's not such a good idea....this team used the in-car extinguisher and didn't quite get it clamped back in in the heat of battle....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlAa9m2 … Y4uIB8t1Go

While it is funny as hell to see,it could have been much worse.....
It's a 360 degree GoPro,so you can watch the point when things go south......

Enjoy
Mike

45+x Loser.....You'd think I would learn......
5x I.O.E  Winner   1 Heroic Fix Winner   1 Org Choice Winner
2x  I Got Screwed Winner    2x Class C Winner
(Still a Class B driver in a Class A car)

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

On the extinguisher...trust me, you need another one at home anyway so when this "exta" is not in use, put it next to the door to the kitchen.  No wasted money.

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

mharrell wrote:
waffle_stomp wrote:

...is it allowable to take the fire extinguisher out of the car and use it for fire watch during fueling and then put it back in?

It's not against the rules but it's also not the greatest idea for at least a couple of reasons: First, it's really easy to forget to return it to the car after fueling, which means your car is now on track without an extinguisher. Second, repeatedly removing and replacing the car's extinguisher increases the odds of inadvertently discharging it, at which point you don't have an extinguisher at all and you are done racing until you can find one.

I fully understand that the line of "it's cheap, so just do it" can add up to a lot of money when it comes up again and again, but for a fire extinguisher I'm very much in the "it's cheap, so just do it" camp. Please get a second extinguisher. They're nice to have around even when not at a race.


yep - had the meeting today - and we are definitely heeding yalls warnings - we are going to get at least one more extinguisher (dedicated to hot pits). Thanks for the input! rather learn the lesson here than on the track!

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

BigBird wrote:

This is why it's not such a good idea....this team used the in-car extinguisher and didn't quite get it clamped back in in the heat of battle....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlAa9m2 … Y4uIB8t1Go

While it is funny as hell to see,it could have been much worse.....
It's a 360 degree GoPro,so you can watch the point when things go south......

Enjoy
Mike

a) WOW lmfao
b) i'm just impressed they caught this on camera. 

glad no one was hurt --> I've learned my lesson - thanks for sharing!

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

As I understand it, the fire suppression system is only really there to give you a few more seconds to get out of the car in the event it is on fire and you are in danger. It might put the fire out.  The handheld is designed to put a fire out. 

It doesn't hurt to have both in the car. Many teams have both.  Make sure you have a metal mounting bracket.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

If taking the whole before-race stuff about planning food, buying food, packing food, cooking food, etc. off your to-do list entirely seems appealing, drop us a line. A friend of ours with lots of food-service experience is flying in to be our pit-side caterer. She'll feed your whole team dinner Friday through lunch Sunday -- including a midnight snack and coffee on Saturday -- for $50/head. (Maybe cheaper if enough people sign up, thereby dividing her plane ticket cost across more people.) She does this for many West Coast races, feeding a dozen teams, and is fortunately joining us this time in HOU.

(Use that link to the left to send me an email if interested. Just need your team name/car # and quantity of people. Bring cash race weekend and you're set.)

ONSET/Tetanus Racing, est. 2008.
Guest drives: NSF, Rocket Surgery, Property Devaluation, Terminally Confused, Team Sputnik, The Syndicate, Pit Crew Revenge, Spank, Hella Shitty, Sir Jackie Stewart's Coin Purse, Nine Finger Drifters, Salty Thunder, Panting Polar Bear, Vistabeam, Hangar 13, and Escape Velocity.
74 races so far.

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

I don't know how your team is organized (shared ownership versus arrive and drives etc), but being up front with the team on how and when any race-weekend costs (gas, parts etc) will get reimbursed is generally appreciated.  You may be in the car driving when someone needs to go fill gas cans, or you're tied up wrenching and you need to send the less-mechanically inclined individual to the parts store.

-mike

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

rb92673 wrote:

As I understand it, the fire suppression system is only really there to give you a few more seconds to get out of the car in the event it is on fire and you are in danger. It might put the fire out.  The handheld is designed to put a fire out. 

It doesn't hurt to have both in the car. Many teams have both.  Make sure you have a metal mounting bracket.

I know a guy who took out their extinguisher when they put in a suppression system. They had an electrical fire because the battery came loose in a convertible at high speed. The suppression system may have gotten it out once, only part way or the fire re-lit. Either way, he still needed a fire extinguisher and didn't have one any more. All this happened before he could get the car slowed down and got out.

It's good to have both.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z

Re: team meeting critical topics i'm probably overlooking

waffle_stomp wrote:
BigBird wrote:

This is why it's not such a good idea....this team used the in-car extinguisher and didn't quite get it clamped back in in the heat of battle....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlAa9m2 … Y4uIB8t1Go

While it is funny as hell to see,it could have been much worse.....
It's a 360 degree GoPro,so you can watch the point when things go south......

Enjoy
Mike

a) WOW lmfao
b) i'm just impressed they caught this on camera. 

glad no one was hurt --> I've learned my lesson - thanks for sharing!

to funny you can see the safety pin floating around in front of it