LiveNupe

Why are there red lights inside the cockpits???

Greg Fishman

To light up the dash and instrumentation.

Bill L Seifert

I can't speak for the DP's, but back in my flying days, we used red dash lights because they do not mess up your night vision. Once you get use to the dark, a bright light like white dash lights will lessen your night vision. Red lights do not. Something to do with rods or cones, but I have long since forgotten.

Bill Seifert

1987 944S Race Car

LVDell

It's not so much that you are dealing with rods or cones since ALL color is viewed with cones. What helps is the placement on the visual spectrum of light that red resides on (extreme end....highest wavelength just before infrared). Since cones do NOT respond well in dim light you want a color at the far end of the spectrum unlike a color like lime-green (right in the middle). This is one of the very reasons they went to lime-green fire engines. It is VERY easy to see a lime-green fire engine at night as opposed to the traditional red. Hope that helps.

Long story short? It is softer on the eyes to give illumination at the wavelength of red

Todsimpson

I'm guessing the question is about the red lights you can see through the windshield.

LiveNupe

Tod,
Thanks for the pic. That's exactly what I'm axin 'bout. In your pic, you can see the red lights in the SunTrust car and the red car in the background. When watching the DP's race, the red lights are visible during daytime racing when the cars presumably don't require interior lights to see the guages and instruments.

What gives???

LVDell

Maybe they are on all the time in case the lighting (exterior) changes abruptly?

jrgordonsenior

ROY G BIV is a mnemonic devise to remember the optical spectrum in the order of decreasing wavelengths. Created by Sir Issac newton.....

red
orange
yellow
green
brown
indigo
violet

LVDell

JR.......doesn't everybody know that mnemonic?

rmag

They are actually the cars rear lights. There is just no interior panel to prevent them from reflecting forward. I was wondering the same thing, then heard the announcers mention it once.

David Ray

LOL, but makes perfect sense. But why is the brake light red??

Kurt R

If you look the cars' headlights are also on, they're probably all on the same switch.

What? There's a solid bulkhead behind the driver. Next you'll tell me they can see out the rear window.

Greg Fishman

What? You are confused. They are simply to light up the gauges, nothing more, nothing less.

Veloce Raptor

Nupe, these guys are full of it.

Those lights (only on the DP cars) are on to alert GT cars that they are coming. It is a visual aid to make the car in front of them in a different class aware of their presence.

Bull

+1