gums

I'll bet he drove flat out, the whole time.
That's how they drive.

multi21

Yea that was me. The MS suit alone was worth .3 seconds a lap, helmet .1 and shoes .2 seconds. Hate the game not the playa.

azbanks

So what is on the approved clothing list according to the RL racing masters?

According to some posts in this thread,
https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...kends-ago.html

a driving suit and full fire gear is a good idea for any racing or DE event. According to this thread, they make you look like a douche. So which thread is correct, this one or the fire thread?

Ritter v4.0

Yes.

KaiB

All grins aside, this place can be intimidating at times. This is a safety issue and snooty comments could indeed hold a guy back from purchasing nomex over, say, speed mods when the time comes.

Just sayin' you know.

Hope yer fast....

Veloce Raptor

In races, Nomex/CarbonX is mandatory, and with good reason. There is much more opportunity for vehicles to collide, there is much higher anecdotal evidence of vehicles catching fire, etc.

In DE's, it is a personal choice. As drivers progress with their skills & start adding things to their cars, such as seats, harnesses, roll bars, suspensions etc., extra safety gear such as HANS devices, full cages, fire extinguishers, etc become "must do's" IMO, because the risk of going off track & hitting something and/or rolling the car in a DE is still high, especially as folks show up with higher & higher HP cars. As for wearing a driving suit in a DE? On one hand, it is a great idea. On the other hand, especially for us in hot climates and who are getting in and out of many students' cars throughout the weekend, it becomes an uncomfortable idea at best. Some may disagree with me, but IMO the risk of a fire in a DE has proved to be relatively low as compared with the risk of a collision or rollover.

As a result, I will rarely if ever wear Nomex at a DE. YMMV.

KaiB

Great answer Raptor....

Now, where are my string gloves....

Bob Rouleau

I wear Nomex only when I have to (racing). Otherwise, I'd rather be cool since I rate the danger posed by a loss of concentration due to dehydration or overheating is a greater risk than fire at a DE. Besides, wearing full race gear for a DE in a relatively stock car makes you look like a poseur

J richard

I feel a bit silly in a mostly stock car at a de in a suit just like I feel silly in a stripped racecar in jeans and t shirt...

multi21

As said above, in a race car, everything is mandatory, fire suit, HANS, nomex, etc. But the person of interest in this thread was wearing a fire suit on a track parade lap during lunch where it's lead follow at 50 MPH (it was supposed to be until he thought he'd blow by others).

For a DE, I never wear a fire suit.

Potomac-Greg

I've gone full circle on it. I used to smirk at DE guys wearing their bunny suits. But if I was ever to drive my SRF at a DE, I would always wear the nomex, but I can't say exactly why. All the arguments for wearing street clothes in a street car apply to a DE in the race car. It would just look silly being on track in blue jeans and a sweatshirt, in an open cockpit race car.

quickxotica

Above perspectives about nomex, etc in a Race setting vs. DE are valid. However, in the past 10 years I have seen 2 cars burn at DE. One was a 944 turbo and the other was an aircooled 911. Neither as a result of driver error. As an instructor I jump in and out of at 4 different people's cars at each DE. I don't know whether one of those cars may have a loose oil fitting, or a fiberglass bumper that offers no protection for the fuel tank. It may be a 1/million chance that there could be a fire... but I would feel irresponsible subjecting my wife & daughter to the risk of me being seriously burned when that risk can be so easily reduced by the simple precaution of wearing a suit, etc. Same reason why I wear a HANS whenever I can (i.e. if car has harnesses).

Lady Luck doesn't care that it's "just a DE."

multi21

Because it's a proper race car, not a street car.

Marc Shaw

The car does not care when it crashes if it is a DE or a race
The car does not care when it rolls over if it is a DE or a race
The car does not care when it catches fire if it is a DE or a race

Crashing at speed in a DE will hurt you just as much as in a race


While the risk of contact may be greater in a race, the risk of a crash (with or without a fire) is likely greater at a DE due to a less experienced driver and less experience driver's around them.

I have worked in a burn unit and would never wish that upon my worst enemy.

I started wearing Carbon-X unders at DE's years ago (under street clothes so I would not look like a poseur - not ideal I know but better than nothing) and now that I do more open track events than DE's, I wear a full Nomex suit - even though I do not race.

The roll bar and HANS were added a few years ago and, yes I wear the HANS at DE's - I don't care what people think anymore.

I just started instructing and, if I continue to do so, I will get an R3.

Be safe and don't worry what other people think of you.

Marc
p.s. I don't wear the Nomex suit or HANS on parade laps though.

Potomac-Greg

You definitely see more HANS's at DEs than nomex suits.