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25 Feb 2001, 01:37 (Ref:66546) | #1 | ||
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I have a question about safety in Rallying.
Last night before the Busch Nascar race was on TV here in Oz they showed a review of the 2000 world rally season...some great action for sure..but I couldnt believe my eyes when on one particular rally (carnt remember which one)..they showed a incar shot of Colin McRae flying along a dirt road...what struck me was his clothing..he was wearing just shorts and a T shirt..and then the next couple of shots Carlos Sainz and Richard Burns were also wearing T shirts. why are they only wearing T Shirts instead of flame proof overalls??? this seems crazy to me because there is a real potential for a fire in any kind of car..sure some stages may be short but that doesnt meen that they can slack off with the safety issue. surely the rules state that flameproofs have to be worn ??? does anyone know the reason for this seemingly lack of safety by these world class drivers ? |
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25 Feb 2001, 18:07 (Ref:66632) | #2 | ||
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Yes, the regulations do state that the fireproof getup has to be worn. However, on the rally in question (the Safari in Kenya) it was a little warm to say the least. The drivers were having to be re-hidrated at the end of each stage, and one one occasion, Robert Reid, Burns' co-driver fainted mid-stage.
At this point, the FIA did the only thing they could, short of cancelling the event, and realxed the rules for that event only. |
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28 Feb 2001, 13:57 (Ref:67178) | #3 | ||
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Thanks Michael ..i had totally forgotten about this thread (oops)
but thanks for the info ..sounds like it was a preety hot rally and I guess that is a fair decision to make but still a mighty dangerous one..maybe they should have used cool suits instead..but how long does that water stay cool in them ???..maybe after a while the water becomes hot increasing the drivers temperature even more ? I dont know but that would be worth looking at I believe as no fire suit is a mighty dangerous thing to be doing. |
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28 Feb 2001, 18:59 (Ref:67216) | #4 | ||
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Hmmm, not sure about this cool suit idea. What if it went wrong, might we get a literally boiled driver??!!
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1 Mar 2001, 02:18 (Ref:67309) | #5 | ||
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Most cool suits I have seen simply run a line off an esky full of ice water. So it totally depends how hot it is, and how long the stage is. Since they are used in events that are 3 hours long, and in 60 degrees C down here in Oz, i couldn't see a reason why they wouldn't be useful in races such as the safari rally...it would work a treat if they changed eskys after every stage.
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2 Mar 2001, 11:35 (Ref:67556) | #6 | ||
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CAMS (Australian motorsport's governing body) recently tried to force all state & national level rally competitors into FIA standard multi layer suits. The rally guys dug their heels in and said no, it's just too expensive and not necessary, so CAMS gave in.
Geez, I wish us circuit racers had that sort of power, I'd be $500 better off! |
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