Pre-Race Checklist
03-13-2017, 09:41 AM
#18
Rennlist Member
My issue is That I do not really focus until I am strapped in the car so a pre checklist will not do a lot of good especially if you do not look at it before you enter the car. This caught up to me at Road America last as I forgot to latch the hood pins. I did not make it to turn 2 on the out lap. This year I am using a system that the Japanese use, I saw it on A PBS Special regarding there high speed rail system. After every task repeat the task to yourself verbally and point at the item, whether it be on a checklist or the item itself ( Hood Pins). It defiantly trains your mind that the task was completed.
Try it yourself the next time you set your keys or phone down.
Try it yourself the next time you set your keys or phone down.
03-13-2017, 10:28 AM
#19
In our team we print a checklist on paper and everyone responsible has to sign next to each item they checked (pressures, fluids, hood pins, clean windshield, nuts and bolts, etc etc.).
Car only leaves the pit box when all items are signed.
Car only leaves the pit box when all items are signed.
03-13-2017, 07:29 PM
#21
Don't get me started ....
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track, accident happens, session red flagged, drive back to the pits.
This is of course all complete fiction.
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track, accident happens, session red flagged, drive back to the pits.
This is of course all complete fiction.
03-13-2017, 11:36 PM
#22
Racer
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Southwestern Ontario
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[QUOTE=ir_fuel;14029126]Don't get me started ....
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track,
...sweat your bag off....
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track,
...sweat your bag off....
03-14-2017, 11:23 AM
#23
Drifting
[QUOTE=Quinlan;14029681]
I resemble that remark!
Don't get me started ....
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track,
...sweat your bag off....
All belted up, ready to go. Start the engine. "Damn this is making a lot of noi.... ow crap ... ". Stop engine, unbuckle, remove helmet, balaclava and gloves, fit earplugs which of course won't be seated correctly the first time you put them in since you are rushing it. Put on balaclava and helmet, realise the left ear plug is not seated correctly, remove balaclava and helmet, correct the left one, put balaclava and helmet back on, get in the car, buckle up, realise you put your gloves on the rear wing of your car when fitting the ear plugs, unbuckle, get gloves, buckle up again, realising you are sitting on some of the lower belts, break your back trying to get them back on your lap, tighten your belts, realise your Solo DL has automatically shut off since you weren't moving for a long time, and you can't reach it once you are strapped in, release belts, turn on AiM Solo again, buckle up again, put on gloves, wave in distress to someone in the pit box to close your door since you can't reach the handle, get to the end of the pit lane, enter the track,
...sweat your bag off....
03-14-2017, 11:29 AM
#24
Three Wheelin'
I was at the IMSA test at Sebring last Friday and the 3rd LMP2 car out in the first afternoon session clearly hadn't seen your post....
right after T1 he had a hood in his face.... and then had to puddle around the whole track to the pits to get it fixed
03-14-2017, 12:54 PM
#25
03-14-2017, 06:04 PM
#26
Here's a PSA. About earplugs.
No no. Don't thank me. Please, There is no need for tears of gratitude, it's all in the spirit of being a track family.....
"Place your VERY brightly colored earplugs beneath your helmet, wrapped in your balaclava. They will fall out and alert you to their presence every time."
Disclaimer: this system works *only* if you apply the "mise en place" principle and leave your helmet and earplugs and balaclava in the exact same configuration EVERY single time you exit the car and take off your helmet.
Ps: some of us have asymmetric ear canals. My 2 cents of input is figure out which ear for you fits funny and instead, of inserting the plug the way it *should* go, see if it helps to learn which way it *actually* goes.
No no. Don't thank me. Please, There is no need for tears of gratitude, it's all in the spirit of being a track family.....
"Place your VERY brightly colored earplugs beneath your helmet, wrapped in your balaclava. They will fall out and alert you to their presence every time."
Disclaimer: this system works *only* if you apply the "mise en place" principle and leave your helmet and earplugs and balaclava in the exact same configuration EVERY single time you exit the car and take off your helmet.
Ps: some of us have asymmetric ear canals. My 2 cents of input is figure out which ear for you fits funny and instead, of inserting the plug the way it *should* go, see if it helps to learn which way it *actually* goes.
03-16-2017, 10:25 PM
#27
Ones that've got me at least once, in rough order of how commonly they've caught me out after I'd tightened the belts already:
1. Start cameras
2. Start lap logger
3. Attach HANS tethers to helmet (OK, can be done with belts in place, but still too easy to forget if not checklisted, and makes for embarassing videos)
4. Place gloves within reach
5. Close door (tend to just do a double bunnyhop instead if room)
6. Close rear hatch/door/body panel/window.
7. Ensure external cut-out switch is switched to ON, to power the car. Normally left on, but boy does it otherwise suck to get right out of the car just to toggle that.
8. Close hood pins
9. Remove mobile phone/wallet/spanner other big junk from racesuit pocket. Murphy's law says I'll only notice it when trying to fasten the last of the belts.
10. Remove or secure random loose stuff left in or on the car. Haven't been caught out by that yet, but have once had a near coke-can sized SmartyCam1 break loose of its windscreen mount mid-race (the mounting socket tore out of the cam), making for fun corner entries as it fell into my driver's footwell and then shot forward in every braking zone. I was switching between left and right foot braking to hook it back towards my seat with the nearest free foot before each exit. Never been so happy - some 5 or 6 laps later - to see a safety car end the race early.
Other potentials:
11. Plumb in cool suit
12. Plumb in drink line
13. Plug in, enable and test comms
14. Set up fan air if needed
15. Disable airbag (if street legal car, although I'd not unbelt to do it)
16. Disable electronic nannies (via plug, relay pull, or dash switch if out of reach, and yes, I would unbelt to turn this crap off, if it wasn't already normally off anyway)
17. Complete scrutineering!
I would've added pee, but I've always realised the urgency of that before belting in. Avoiding bad curries the night before might be worth a place on the list too.
1. Start cameras
2. Start lap logger
3. Attach HANS tethers to helmet (OK, can be done with belts in place, but still too easy to forget if not checklisted, and makes for embarassing videos)
4. Place gloves within reach
5. Close door (tend to just do a double bunnyhop instead if room)
6. Close rear hatch/door/body panel/window.
7. Ensure external cut-out switch is switched to ON, to power the car. Normally left on, but boy does it otherwise suck to get right out of the car just to toggle that.
8. Close hood pins
9. Remove mobile phone/wallet/spanner other big junk from racesuit pocket. Murphy's law says I'll only notice it when trying to fasten the last of the belts.
10. Remove or secure random loose stuff left in or on the car. Haven't been caught out by that yet, but have once had a near coke-can sized SmartyCam1 break loose of its windscreen mount mid-race (the mounting socket tore out of the cam), making for fun corner entries as it fell into my driver's footwell and then shot forward in every braking zone. I was switching between left and right foot braking to hook it back towards my seat with the nearest free foot before each exit. Never been so happy - some 5 or 6 laps later - to see a safety car end the race early.
Other potentials:
11. Plumb in cool suit
12. Plumb in drink line
13. Plug in, enable and test comms
14. Set up fan air if needed
15. Disable airbag (if street legal car, although I'd not unbelt to do it)
16. Disable electronic nannies (via plug, relay pull, or dash switch if out of reach, and yes, I would unbelt to turn this crap off, if it wasn't already normally off anyway)
17. Complete scrutineering!
I would've added pee, but I've always realised the urgency of that before belting in. Avoiding bad curries the night before might be worth a place on the list too.
03-17-2017, 07:52 AM
#28
03-17-2017, 01:51 PM
#29
What about this one?
Sitting on grid. All cool except just notice that window net is not up. Well OK except when its been removed from rear anchor. (This is the older type that has a metal rod at top that sits in a bracket on rear pillar behind drivers seat.) Possible to thread it through from driver's seat all strapped in...NO. Solution -gesture wildly to grid worker / rev engine / etc in hopes they notice you and have time to come over and get it set.
Sitting on grid. All cool except just notice that window net is not up. Well OK except when its been removed from rear anchor. (This is the older type that has a metal rod at top that sits in a bracket on rear pillar behind drivers seat.) Possible to thread it through from driver's seat all strapped in...NO. Solution -gesture wildly to grid worker / rev engine / etc in hopes they notice you and have time to come over and get it set.
03-17-2017, 05:25 PM
#30
Another thing I normally do is call my wife a little before the race and then again afterwards.
She knows to keep the conversation light and just wants to wish good luck. Afterwards she wants to know I am safe and how I did.
When she tells me the dog is sleeping by the front door waiting for me it gives me a positive image of home and helps me to focus on the race.
She knows to keep the conversation light and just wants to wish good luck. Afterwards she wants to know I am safe and how I did.
When she tells me the dog is sleeping by the front door waiting for me it gives me a positive image of home and helps me to focus on the race.
Umm.....I wouldn't call my wife before a race if you paid me. That's just asking for a diversion from getting in the right mindset. Luigi, you must be newly married
I know you fockers miss being called a cheater.