I hope that this post has been informational and has given you some motivation to begin your wheel-to-wheel career, even with the many considerations associated with racing. Please let me know if you have any questions or wish for some more info to be added. I strive to put the best content forward to help you be able to make informed decisions to race. In the next series of posts, I am going to be going over some vehicle engineering, both vehicle dynamics and engine performance.
NOT ALL FUN & GAMES
LOVERACING
LOVE
LEARNING
BUILDING
RACING
WINNING
GETTING ON TRACK
Risks & Rewards
of
Racing
- Nicholas Love
- February 9, 2020
Do I need to take out a large life insurance policy before I start racing?
INTRODUCTION
Nothing happened to Charles (recently), but what risks are inherent in racing? Do I need to take out a large life insurance policy before I start racing? With any type of racing, there is inherent risk. These cars are built by amateurs and raced at triple digit speeds (sometimes) by amateur drivers. Each series attempts to make safety a major priority with controlling cage design and mandating certain levels of safety gear.
NO SURPRISE, THERE
If you race your car in any of these series, you have to expect to experience contact at some point whether it is your driver’s fault or not. When and if you do get into contact, you don’t want to question the design or manufacture of your roll bar. Please do some research and look into reputable cage kits and/or use a quality builder who will provide quality welds. Something many teams do a poor job of is the ways in which your seat is mounted. No matter how good the roll bar is, if your seat breaks on impact, you will be sure to incur many injuries.
SAFETY
What happens if my car springs a fuel leak or gets hit and catches fire? This is probably the scariest thing in a driver’s mind, which means that you should plan all eventualities before racing. All these series require SFI gear. Google for details about how the SFI rating correlates to contact time to fire without burns. Buying the highest rating you can afford is well worth it in the case of an accident. Some series mandate a fire suppression system while others only require a fire bottle. In my opinion, you should just purchase the fire suppression system and make sure that the pull levers are well within reach of the driver and outside officials.
Something that is often looked over in race cars is the possibility of an exhaust leak that can cause CO to build up in the cabin. Many racers have gotten CO poisoning and have gotten into contact because their minds were so clouded. Do the smart thing and provide proper ducting for the driver so they can get fresh air in any eventuality.
