Paul Schmidt

Hello racers,

I went to my two day SCCA racing school and we went over something that I think is over looked. Getting out of a crashed race car. They had us practice getting out of the car as fast as we could, pretending that the driver's door was pinned closed. Pretty easy in the school's car, but I just had my roll cage installed.

Now with the cage and the my Sparco Pro Circut seat. It's tough to get through the window. I'm trying to get a procedure down. I have a fire system installed too. So I need to have a fire scenario drill.

What do you think and what's your plan. Something simple to you could save a life.

Thanks guys,

rfn026

Since I'm the smallest guy on our LeMons team I have to do the exit in tech. I can get out of the window in a very short time. The fat guys on our team are going to die.

Richard

DarkMastyr

...sorry no laughing matter...

eogel

It's an excellent point. A NASA school I was part of brought the students into the post race compound area and timed each student getting out of the car. I do not recall how much time they were allowed, but it was not long. It makes the point.

Gatorac

That's just funny right there.

Maybe they will get lucky and succumb to a hear attack before they burn to death in a race car.

Painrace

It is always best to plan and practice. However, I have been in several high speed impacts and I can tell you some times you are just knocked silly. I never raced a car that had a door that would open.

Jim

GettReal

LMAO I just laughed out loud and my family all just looked over at me..

On a serious note, I have practiced getting out of my 5pt harness and race seat with my eyes closed and helmet on pretending there was a lot of smoke crawling over my roll bar and I think I did pretty good... but I have NEVER practiced it with not opening the door I think I'd panic... note to self...try this at least once.

Joy of 6

At least I'll die doing what I enjoy.....

Not sure but I thought that SCCA has a 10 second evacuation requirement???

Sgt.Gator

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/art...fighting-fire/
"In the SCCA’s World Challenge series, in fact, we have to do an exit test every year for every car that we drive. We get 15 seconds to go from race-ready and belted-in to outside the car. I believe that I still hold the record for quickest exit at just under five seconds. That exit involved a bit of bleeding, but it prepared me for surviving what happened at Thunderhill."




After reading the main article be sure to read the Learned Lessons down on the right.

az55

I run ST2 with NASA Arizona and if you can't get out of your car in 15 seconds, you can't race. They periodically have spot tests in the paddock.
I have practiced with the door closed and it's hard but I do it regularly in case I get "tested". I disconnect and pull myself helmet first with my back facing outward through the window. I wrap my hands around the roll bar and do " a chin up" right out the opening.

I don't mind, though. It may save my skin someday.

Cheers,
CV

John Shiels

Good to practice blindfolded like we did in offshore race boats. They would put us in a small aluminum cage with a seat. Spin you in all directions under water and when they stopped you had to get out but not before the bubbles cleared. In a race boat if you release before the water is calm you could end up under the dash and into the bow. It has happened and then good chance your done. It should be second nature. You could be upside down in your car also looking to bail or may even have to exit out the other door if driving side is blocked.

flink

I always remain fully strapped in when I bring the car to my paddock spot. And each and every time I exit that car, I treat it as an emergency exit. I don't do it at a mad speed of course, but I go through the same steps in the same order.

SIK02SS

fortunately for me, I practice this quite often. Whether my car is on my open trailer or in my closed trailer I have to crawl in and out of the window. I'm 6'3 185 and very flexible

1) steering wheel off (Obviously only works if it's on a quick release)
2) butt to the back of the seat
3) swing legs over trans tunnel into passenger area (depending how tall you are depends how far over you have to put your legs)
4) arms out the window
5) head out the window
6) pull yourself out and push with your legs on pass door, seat, tunnel, your seat..whatever you need

That's a regular routine for me and it works in the opposite manner getting in. The hard part is your helmet and hans device is a very tight fit through the window with a window net latch and for me, a Cobra Sebring Pro seat.

TedDBere

I always wondered what the Elise guys were going to when they crash. At a local autocross my friend in his Elise forgot his helmet and asked me to pass it in to him. It wouldn't fit through the window with the roof on. So I said to him, "How are you going to get out of that thing with your helmet on if you need to?" He responded with only a thoughtful and puzzled look.

Bill Dearborn

One thing I found out when my student's 2000 Viper went into the guard rail at Watkins Glen is you can't go out through a Viper window with your helmet on. It will not fit. I am not sure whether I would fit. I had to crawl across the car and out the driver's door.

Bill

passmenow

Another option when all else fails, can you kick out the windshield to crawl out a Vette?

Sgt.Gator

I've thought a lot about Spec Miata, but I'm 6'4, 235 and don't think I could exit one on fire thru the window if the door was jammed. However I did the Skip Barber MX-5 Cup school and there was no problem getting out if the car is upright, just straight up the top since a hardtop is not even allowed. [Edit: Spec Miata does allow no hardtops]. No roof cars have some safety disadvantages, but being able to exit quickly is a major plus.

96CollectorSport

For NASA it's 10 seconds with the door open, 15 seconds if you go out through the window - either side.

Here it is right from the NASA CCR -
It kind of makes me wonder about the race seats with the built in head protection, yeah it's safer than nets but it's a lot harder to get out of a car with those larger seats in them.

I've seen NASA do the spot checks, kinda funny to watch.

John B

Forwarding to my fat buddies for motivation

L98Terror

Nasa checked everyone at Grattan a few years back, I had the second fastest time at 6.6 seconds out the window, never even tried to open the door the hardest part was my hans got caught on the roll bar above the door so I had to go back in and try again. No hans under 5 seconds.