Last year at Mid-Ohio I made a "rookie" mistake and missed a shift which
caused the fly wheel to shear the bolts in my TR3a. This little mishap did
allow me to have a nice view of the rest of the all Triumph Race from the
"key hole" from lap 7 on........I wish I had a camera!
This got me thinking that if the fly wheel had a catastrophic failure and
broke apart, it could give a new meaning to the words "fly wheel" and fly
right through the bell housing and the very thin dog house enclosure and end
up doing some real damage (to me!). I have since added additional fasteners
to the fly wheel and use ARP bolts to minimize the risk of this type of
mechanical failure. Of course......I've been practicing my shifting
technique as well.
My questions is.......What is (if any) the normal practice that everyone is
using to protect the cockpit area from this type of failure? Do I need to
consider similar protection from the drive shaft (since it is about 6 inches
from me)?
I have heard of things called "blast blankets", and "tunnel skirts" that are
suppose to give the driver additional protection. Do these devices work, and
if so, where do I find the source for these types of products or are they
just gimmicks?
I guess I'm getting older because a few years ago I would have said "What
risk? Who cares, let's Race!". Now I'm more concerned about racing another
day!
Thanks in advance for your input.
Rich Bolton
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