GT3 Techno

I was wondering the same thing... why didn't he push the button in the middle of the dash. There was certainly no fire around it when he stopped the car. I guess the only thing he wanted was to get out quickly !

IcemanG17

Glad he got out!!! Odd he didn't push the fire button?

J richard

Having just put out a fire myself (our flatbed laser cutter flamed up and caught the foam core composite sample on fire )in a 10x20 ventilated shop, the acrid air was enough to knock the breath out of you, and you could barely see, not that the smoke was thick but the vapor in the air burned. That black smoke off the carbon fiber is nasty stuff.

cello

With all the Porsches "on fire" footage that followed, ....

am I the only one that thought that most want Porsche to emulate Ferrari's engine placement and displacement, not their pyrotechnics??

rlm328

He may have hit the extinguisher button. If it was halon and he was going to fast, it may have got sucked out.

Derek@TRG

A good friend of mine, former TRG co worker works at Magnus told me the fire system was activated from the cowl button(base of the windshield,drivers side), the cabin of these cars only have 3 nozzles and they are all directed at the drivers feet/legs.

blzkrg

Hello all,

John potter here. While I think this is only my second post, I have been a long time reader.

I did push the fire button before exiting (so the inside). It only sprays on the drivers feet (so my legs were wet) the fuel cell, and the engine. Ended up useless. I should have saved money by not pushing it.

My thinking about where I pulled off was based on that you can't stop safely in the boot. The only thing worse than a fire in this case would be a crash. I do regret not being closer to a fire person (just I also don't like that the nearest one didn't want to help when I first encountered him) but getting off track and stopped seemed to be a priority as I couldn't breath. The idea of passing out while driving doesn't seem nice. I did drive for almost 2 laps with smoke filling up the car (hoping it would go out) and it was at that point where I needed to stop.

Oh, and to one question, the cause was an electrical short behind the dash.

The camera is a go pro with its own battery and I do recommend them.

Oh, and to the person who commented about my speed getting out. You are correct in saying how slow it was. When we do a driver change, I can get out of the car as fast as anyone. Its amazing how different an unplanned stop is (especially while coughing). I have done a planned change so many times its easy. This was not. It something to practice. If anyone out there wants to loan my your car and let me set fire to it for "practice" getting out, please let me know! In all seriousness, it is worth paying attention to.

Please forgive grammar and spelling errors on this post as I am typing on my tablet while flying to Indy test.

Thanks all

John

mikew968

John:

Thanks for posting and glad you got out OK.

fleadh

Glad you got out ok John -- I hope I never have to experience that myself. I probably wouldn't have had to hit the fire button as all the urine coming from the bottom of my suit would have squelched any flames.

Good luck at Indy!

-mike

J richard

Good luck at Indy! Always pulling for you guys!

Amazing how fast that lit up, glad you got out unscathed, seems like it was the day for porsches catching on fire, it's making me think about another nozzle in the cockpit.

Let us know how it goes.

Veloce Raptor

+1

txhokie4life

Glad your safe -- thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I'm sure most of us have a "that won't happen to me" mentality
but your vid and suggestions will be taken to heart with
our drivers.

thx.

Mike
Flat Out Racing

Streak

Glad you are OK and hope the rest of the season is a little less dramatic!

disasterman

It's always helpful to understand how a scenario unfolds from both the mechanical perspective and that of the driver. Thanks for that.

tomburdge

I know weight reduction is our goal, but I've always had a hand held in all my race cars.
At 1.5 lbs its not all that heavy and maybe just enough to keep my car from burning to the ground especially if the nozzles just happen to not be pointed in the right direction.
Of course, like in this case, being overcome by toxic fumes puts the emphasis on escape with everything else being of secondary importance.
The comment regarding the reluctance of the course worker to initially help is disturbing.
I once heard that WG course workers are not permitted to climb over the armco and be on or near the track surface.
I found that hard to believe at the time but perhaps this incident confirms it.
Tom B.