Glen

Douches dont burn....I'm a douche...

LuigiVampa

In the fall and spring when it is cold in the morning I am that guy!

When I retire my current race suit I think I am going to use it to shovel snow.

mrbill_fl

Electrical Fires are the trickiest, hardest to put out, and probably the most likely without a crash. IMHO.
usually start small, but if you can't disconnect quickly it can engulf a car...

FGL28

rhargy

Last year I got an OMP Evo One suit........it's fantastic and actually cooler to wear than a pair of jeans.

I wear that during the hot days and my old suit for the cold ones..........better safety, combined with better comfort. It's a win-win.

Locker537

Acceptable answer:

"I'm practicing fuel stops for the next endurance race."



(Yes, I bumped an old thread!)

raspritz

I always wear my race suit, gloves and shoes when i'm instructing at a DE, just as I wear a helmet, a Simpson Hybrid S, and a seat belt. As I've often said, "Fire doesn't know it's just a DE."

Oh, and I did a race in June in which the car in front of me exploded, hit the Armco head-on, and burnt to the ground. The driver got out unharmed. These safety devices really do work!

Hwy

... and that is a mighty fine *** you have in your graphics.

Zhao

I wouldn't bother ever wearing a race suit in a stock street car.

If the car is stock a race suit is likely to be of negative value due to increased chance of heat exhaustion/dehydration which will increase the risk of a crash. I do not believe there is any measurable advantage for fire safety provided by a racing suit on a stock street car due to the burn time required for a fire to penetrate the cabin. If you or the track emergency crew can't extricate yourself from a car in 10 minutes 15 seconds extra burn time isn't going to help you at all.

If the car is a race car, or has been modified to compromise the factory safety for fire (removing interior, opening up panels, relocating fuel, mucking with the fueling, etc) a race suit should be required. If it is an open cockpit car like a radical or spec ford racer or some open wheel car, a race suit should be required too.

joejenie

Our club requires you to wear a race suit in any caged or open wheel race car, but no requirement in a street car.

Jabs1542

If you had ever seen a 991 GT3 catch fire at a DE event you may change your mind

LuigiVampa

Keep in mind that at a DE event your windows are always down (unless in a Cup) and that in a violent collision the integrity of the cabin may very well be violated.

While I agree that the risk of a fire incident can be smaller in most modern street cars, I wouldn't necessarily feel the same way in a 25 year old Boxster or a 35 year old 944. We wear a race suit because that 10 seconds can be the difference between feeling like you got a bad sunburn and a skin graft. Its insurance against something you hope will never happen.

PiB993

I heard rumors there was a firery two car collision at Laguna Seca at turn 5 or 6 (?) with 'super cars' a year or two ago. It must have been on here or instagram - no photos - but it did not sound good. They said a helicopter was required.

Now that I have a piece of safety equipment (required for Radford Driving School) it is hard for me to justify not using it. If you are that dehydrated and exhausted from wearing a suit for f**ks sake pull into the pits and take a break. Consider a basic exercise program. Furthermore, if you are that physical in the car you probably should be wearing a suit. Plus the suits have the shoulder grab straps to drag your **** out of the car in an emergency.

On the other hand I think Carhart has some fire rated work clothes I would consider. Just don't understand the hot shoe that wears nylon shorts and a t-shirt. The track operators nor event host seems to have a problem with it.

ProCoach

The only fire I ever had was in a DE. Yes, I was wearing full gear. Some guy at the drivers meeting gave me the stink eye because, despite driving on track for thirty years by then, I had a nice new crispy Sparco on. Damn glad I did…

Matt Romanowski

I was in a students car at a DE and it caught fire when we were debriefing in the pits. Oil started leaking near the turbo and caught fire. We smelled it and saw a little smoke and thought it was the brakes, then it was more smoke, we jumped out to see the flames starting. We were able to put it out quickly and with very little damage, but he did get a new motor. The other time was when a 951 broke (shocking!) and we pulled off in the grass at Tremblant. The grass under the car started to catch fire and the corner works just looked at us since they are not allowed to leave the station. We jumped out with the handheld extinguisher and put the very small fire out.