Casual track day prep

[Luke427]

Hi all,
I'm planning to prepare my Unique for casual track day event (mostly point & pass) and am wondering about safety aspects.
On the mechanical side the car is all good, with racing oil pan and so on, so I'm not too worried.

My Cobra has an S/C rollbar that's securely bolted to the frame and 4 point belts that look OK; however I have a few concerns with how safe the car is:

- low seat. Looks like a good setup to break a neck. The best solution is probably to install a real racing seat. Any alternative solutions such as Hans devices some Cobra trackers have experienced? I'm think to at least install a vintage Kirkey (41 series) that's taller than the stock one, then use a Hans device. Would this be enough in case of bad hit? These usually don't happen in point-and-pass session but bad stuff can always happen...

- height of roll bar. I case of rolling the car (here again, crossing fingers as it happened to me only once in almost 10 years of endurance championship) Is the nose of the car stiff enough to ensure a strong line above the driver?

- steering wheel. Does is make sense to use a smaller, tubular wheel for track days?

Thanks for any advice !

Luke

[Tom Wells]

Luke,

A really casual track day would be one where you don't exceed 30mph LOL

The new guy in the pit next to me said "you can tell the ones who have had a crash." When I asked why, he said "you have all the safety gear. I've had the upside-down experience once and survived it with a crushed arm, so here goes:

1. Wrist restraints
2. HANS device
3. 2010 or later Snell rated helmet
4. 5-point belt setup, not 4, not over a few years old (the sun eats them)
5. fire retardant driving suit, not the top one, but a decent one. Lightweight is OK.
6. fire retardant shoes
7. a good pair of racing gloves
8. Wrist restraints
9. Roll bar at least a couple of inches above your tightly strapped in head+helmet
10. wrist restraints

Not sure about the steering wheel; if you are strapped in sufficiently the present wheel is probably OK. Same for the seat - as long as the belts are tight enough, a low seat is probably OK. I have the "original style" low seats and they are fine.

BTW, one way to tell if the belts are tight enough is to try to inhale. If you are able to inhale, they're not tight enough LOL

And don't forget the wrist restraints...

Hope this helps,

Tom

[patrickt]

... and remember your catch bottle for the coolant. You don't want your FE squirting the track (nobody else wants that either).

[dallas_]

Tom covered the safety gear pretty well.

On the mechanical side I like to bleed the brakes before a track event and use a good high temperature brake fluid. Obviously make sure the pads are still good.

[Luke427]

Thanks folks.
Tom I didn't think of the wrist restraints. I rolled a car badly about 20 years ago and had windows. I don't remember having the reflex to try to push the ground away with my left hand but wouldn't give it a shot with an open car

[mikeinatlanta]

Everyone has their own personal priorities. For me, I don't like the idea of being strapped into a seat with my head being at risk of being taken off by pretty much anything that comes along.

So...

[Gaz64]

Originally Posted by Tom Wells

Luke,

A really casual track day would be one where you don't exceed 30mph LOL

The new guy in the pit next to me said "you can tell the ones who have had a crash." When I asked why, he said "you have all the safety gear. I've had the upside-down experience once and survived it with a crushed arm, so here goes:

1. Wrist restraints
2. HANS device
3. 2010 or later Snell rated helmet
4. 5-point belt setup, not 4, not over a few years old (the sun eats them)
5. fire retardant driving suit, not the top one, but a decent one. Lightweight is OK.
6. fire retardant shoes
7. a good pair of racing gloves
8. Wrist restraints
9. Roll bar at least a couple of inches above your tightly strapped in head+helmet
10. wrist restraints

Not sure about the steering wheel; if you are strapped in sufficiently the present wheel is probably OK. Same for the seat - as long as the belts are tight enough, a low seat is probably OK. I have the "original style" low seats and they are fine.

BTW, one way to tell if the belts are tight enough is to try to inhale. If you are able to inhale, they're not tight enough LOL

And don't forget the wrist restraints...

Hope this helps,

Tom

I like those who reinforce the importance of wrist restraints.

Your arms are surprisingly heavy in a big accident.

[legenmetals]

Don't forget to check nuts and bolts.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Others have covered the safety aspect very well and you can not have too much safety equipment..........

now to the car:
Before any track day, my car goes on jack stands and I crawl under it and put a wrench on every nut and bolt that I can, you'd be surprised at what you find....put your hands on the driveshaft and turn it and try to "shake it" feeling the u-joints......
next check your tie rods ends, grab them and see if there is any slack in all your steering components and be sure to check your wheel bearing, they should be tight, but not overly tight.... check your lug nuts, most say 80 ft.lbs. of torque and re-check them after a few track sessions.....they will loosen on their own under the stress.......

last but not least, have fun and drive to YOUR ability, don't try to set the world on fire and be the next great road racer out there......

BTW: hope you have plenty cash on hand, cause this is addictive and you'll want to do it more and more and that cost $$$$$

Have fun and be safe........

David

[Morris]

Luke

Go to post 77 .....I've written out what to do when you go to any track.....it maybe more then you want to do....but getting on a track has to have serious attention to details....

Talk@CobraRegistry.com

Even thought you are calling it casual......others may not....

Check it out...

Morris

[Bernica]

Take all the advice noted so far above and start a "pre-flight checklist" for your car that you stick with every time. Take it seriously and be safe out there! People get hurt all the time even doing "casual racing"...

[Luke427]

Thanks folks.
I've raced quite a bit then tracked cars here and there for the past 20 years. So I must be good with overall prep and not trying to become the Cobra champion on track. I'm too old for that and know where my place is

The other post has a myriad of clues. Like play in the rear suspension that seems to buildup and needs to be checked before each session.

Thanks a bunch, I'll post my mods on the forum !