Bob;
To get serious for a moment, heat exhaustion can be a real concern to a
race driver. With all the heat-producing components nearby pouring out
BTUs, wearing a firesuit, and coping with hot and many times humid
weather, it can take a serious toll on mental concentration as well as
physical abilities.
Bob Peckham, the owner/driver of a McLaren we raced back in the early
'70s Can-Am had a way of acclimatizing his body to withstand the heat
stress of driving in an open-cockpit just behind a big radiator that
poured out lots of heat. He prepared the car in an un-air conditioned
garage here in Tucson and worked outside a great deal of the time. This
was in mid-summer when temperatures were routinely at 105F to 108F. It
was unpleasant but it seemed to work.
I think this helped him cope with the heat better than other drivers who
were simply not used to it. At the end of a couple of races at Riverside
& Laguna Seca, other drivers had to be lifted out of their cars and laid
out on the ground to recover. Bob just hopped out and looked after
getting the car cleaned up a bit and put back into his transporter. The
European drivers seemed to suffer from heat exhaustion more than others.
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-land-speed@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-land-speed@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of BWANA343@aol.com
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 6:17 PM
To: lsr_man@yahoo.com; land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Being Mean...to Rick Byrnes among others...
Being in Southern NY state, we were'nt exposed to the over 20 ft of snow
of
Oswego NY, but we are ready for summer. Our mettle was tested and
rusted, our
cockles need warming, and we are out of chestnuts, both poetic and
vegetative.
It is hard to believe that in 100 days it'll be 100 degrees and 100 %
humidity
here in North Hillaryland. It seems I've gotten less sensitive to pain
with
age, but more discomforted by temperature extremes. I keep looking and
asking
for ways to A.C. me in the race car without sacrificing space/power /
performance....How does everybody keep their cool,any tricks
?...Bob,hothead,Wanner
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