RacinDave Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Do I need to bring my own car numbers or are they supplied? Is racer's tape just colored duct tape? I saw a post that Home Depot has stuff that works. If it is raining, I assume we still run even though I have convertible? (top up?) If I have an open face helmet (thinking about buying a G-Force) do I have to have eye protection? I had a couple more questions but my mind has gone blank Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 bring your own car numbers if you do tape, put it on the door as big as possible in a contrasting color and check to make sure it stays so your numbers don't change as the day goes on I'd recommend a closed face helmet, but either will work. your windshield is supposed to be your eye protection afaik pretty sure your region will run in the rain, and I'd imagine they'd still want you to be top down even in that case, but that would be told to you by your event director and such. ask em, they typically don't bite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacinDave Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Excellent, thanks kbrew. I have to use tape for my headlights, running lights, etc. don't I? Any suggestions on tape? I have no idea where to get numbers though. I already read about using car wax then putting the numbers on, etc. .. If I get more serious I will defnitely get closed face, but for now, I am just driving a completely stock daily driver. I would like to be able to talk to my instructor and I am hoping I would hear him/her better with an open face. Also, it just seems a whole lot better for comfort and visibility which should lower my anxiety level about being aware of (likely faster) traffic my first time out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 taping lights, etc varies as that is typically a track rule... can't hurt to do it even if it isn't required your instructor (if they're worth thier salt) will have a chatterbox or other device that you can both stick under your helmets so you can talk and hear each other go with the closed face because if they don't, you won't really be able to hear each other very well and you'll be using hand signals anyway regardless of helmet choice.... and more saftey is mo' bettah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granracing Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Slightly different answers... Do I need to bring my own car numbers or are they supplied? It depends upon the region. Either bring painters' tape or bring white shoe polish (for the windows only!). Is racer's tape just colored duct tape? I saw a post that Home Depot has stuff that works. Nah! It has to be different since it sounds so cool. In all seriousness, yes, same thing but much more fun to call racers' tape. Don't use this to tape your headlights and other stuff - it will leave a residue that can be a pain to get off without damaging the surfaces. Again, painters tape is fine. If it is raining, I assume we still run even though I have convertible? (top up?) If I have an open face helmet (thinking about buying a G-Force) do I have to have eye protection? Get a full face helmet, then you can take off the "face shield" - the plastic thingy. It is not needed in a closed wheel car. (I really don't recommend getting something different than a full faced helmet.) Besides, your theory of being able to hear the instructor better won't be improved because your mouth is less covered. Worst case, buy your own chatter box and bring it to the event with you. When instructing I always bring one, but as a student I've had instructors who haven't. It can be frustrating not being able to hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattm Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 You want a closed face helmet in any car but especially in a convertible. If someone leaves the track in front of you you could get an eyeful of dust, dirt, kitty litter and that is "not a good thing." Get a roll of painters tape and get the full face helmet. Most instructors have a chatterbox, but if they don't just lift the visor some and you shiould be able to hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastSaleen Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Since I see you are from Ohio, I am guessing that you are running the Ohio/Indiana region event at Mid-Ohio. As I am an OH/IN official, I can probably answer your questions. Do I need to bring my own car numbers or are they supplied? It is best to bring your own numbers or way to put them on the car and, like someone else said, make sure it is a contrasting color. Tape works just fine. Is racer's tape just colored duct tape? I saw a post that Home Depot has stuff that works. Yes, sort of. There is true "Racer's Tape" out there - works just like duct tape but leaves less residue when removed. By the way, I usually used clear packing tape on my lights. That way I can still use them if I need to and can drive the car into town without removing the tape. If it is raining, I assume we still run even though I have convertible? (top up?) Yes, OH/IN runs in the rain. Unfortunately for you, with the top down. It is a safety issue. If, God forbid, anything should happen with the top up, the framework for the top can become like a spear. If I have an open face helmet (thinking about buying a G-Force) do I have to have eye protection? Everyone else has already said it - get a full face helmet. You would want eye protection either way, especially in a convertable. Anything can get tossed up by the car in front of you at any time - tire turds, dirt, dust, pea gravel, kitty litter, etc. Any of this could potentially hit you in the face, and in a convertable there is more open area for it to fly through into your car. As for communicating with the instructor, they all should have a chatterbox so there shouldn't be an issue with communications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runningmole Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 We were at Fontana (California Speedway) in March and it was raining pretty good. I wish I had a closed face helmet. It was about 40* out, and rain hitting your face at 135mph doesn't feel good! The cold air didn't feel all that great either! Heck, it was so cold that my car was over cooling, even w/ a 192* t-stat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastSaleen Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 We were at Fontana (California Speedway) in March and it was raining pretty good. I wish I had a closed face helmet. It was about 40* out, and rain hitting your face at 135mph doesn't feel good! The cold air didn't feel all that great either! Heck, it was so cold that my car was over cooling, even w/ a 192* t-stat Know just what you mean there - I have a 1988 Saleen Mustang that runs cool all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RACER-X Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 I don't know about a full face helmet. Check this out.... It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use of full-face or closed-face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys the airbad. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to the driver's position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver's chin. In a crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full face helmet can be so powerful "that the risk of fractures to the jaw cannot be ruled out" (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3?AF, 18.5.1999). This applies to vehicles that may be used in Solo, RallyCross, High Performance Car Control Clinics, etc. Therefore, it is highly recommended that full-face helmets not be used in vehicles with functional airbag systems. Potentially more restrictive language is currently being considered for 2005, which could appear in an early 2005 issue of FasTrack. If you have any questions, please contact the SCCA at 800.770.2055. Reference: http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fil...agAdvisory.pdf http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/printthread.php?t=33631 Personally I have an open face helmet that I use for the track, but this is somethng to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexaST-1 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Check with the region hosting the event. We had a tech guy from the NAtional Office show up to our first event, very helpful. However, we did have to exclude a convertible Corvette from our HPDE event because he had no roll over protection. As someone else said above, the top up is more dangerous by quickly converting to sharp metal spikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacinDave Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 Very good point Racer-X, my instructor brought up that point as well. I have airbags but I already got a full face helmet. After my first HPDE, road debri was never an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU N EGL Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I don't know about a full face helmet. Check this out....It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use of full-face or closed-face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys the airbad. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to the driver's position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver's chin. In a crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full face helmet can be so powerful "that the risk of fractures to the jaw cannot be ruled out" (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3?AF, 18.5.1999). This applies to vehicles that may be used in Solo, RallyCross, High Performance Car Control Clinics, etc. Therefore, it is highly recommended that full-face helmets not be used in vehicles with functional airbag systems. Potentially more restrictive language is currently being considered for 2005, which could appear in an early 2005 issue of FasTrack. If you have any questions, please contact the SCCA at 800.770.2055. Reference: http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fil...agAdvisory.pdf http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/printthread.php?t=33631 Personally I have an open face helmet that I use for the track, but this is somethng to think about. Full face helmet. Too many things fly into the side window, bugs, track turds ( rubber from tires) sand, had a car kick up a big rock into my drives window and hit me in the chin gaurd. If I wasn't wearing a full face helmet with chin gaurd that rock my have cracked my jaw. I thought that FIA study was for question on putting airbags in F1 cars? and was latter retracted?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RACER-X Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I don't know about a full face helmet. Check this out....It has been brought to the attention of SCCA Technical Services that the use of full-face or closed-face helmets while driving vehicles with active airbag restraint systems may result in injuries in the event of a crash that deploys the airbad. Because of the location of the steering wheel relative to the driver's position, the airbag axis is on a level with the driver's chin. In a crash with airbag deployment, contact with the chin area of a full face helmet can be so powerful "that the risk of fractures to the jaw cannot be ruled out" (Hubert Gramling, FIA Institute, FT3?AF, 18.5.1999). This applies to vehicles that may be used in Solo, RallyCross, High Performance Car Control Clinics, etc. Therefore, it is highly recommended that full-face helmets not be used in vehicles with functional airbag systems. Potentially more restrictive language is currently being considered for 2005, which could appear in an early 2005 issue of FasTrack. If you have any questions, please contact the SCCA at 800.770.2055. Reference: http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fil...agAdvisory.pdf http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/printthread.php?t=33631 Personally I have an open face helmet that I use for the track, but this is somethng to think about. Full face helmet. Too many things fly into the side window, bugs, track turds ( rubber from tires) sand, had a car kick up a big rock into my drives window and hit me in the chin gaurd. If I wasn't wearing a full face helmet with chin gaurd that rock my have cracked my jaw. I thought that FIA study was for question on putting airbags in F1 cars? and was latter retracted?? We're talking about road racing, not rally cross on some back-woods road. Either that or you must have followed the guy in front of you through the gravel tryin to take a short cut? Which is it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU N EGL Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 We're talking about road racing, not rally cross on some back-woods road. Either that or you must have followed the guy in front of you through the gravel tryin to take a short cut? Which is it?? Turn 5 on VIR ( Left hook) the guy in front of kicked up a stone and it bounced straight into my driver window just as I was turing left in T5. and there are pleanty of track turds bouncing all over the place. Those black streaks on the front of your car after a sesson arn't big dead bugs. some time you just have to use the WHOLE track, dirt to dirt with a little pavement in betwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granracing Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 I've never had an issue not using the "plastic shield", nor do I have any plans on using it in a closed wheel car anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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