Heat Index - When Do You Bail?

[Eagle7]

So here I am trying to decide whether to bail out on racing this weekend. Predicted heat index values in the upper 90's. My primary concern is not comfort, but medical/safety. I'm 61 years young, no medical issues, but not really in shape. I don't tolerate heat well and have had a couple incidents in my past that I'd like to not repeat. In a typical sprint race in 75* weather I'll come in soaking wet. I've got a cold-pack cool vest being shipped to me today and have a paddock canopy. I just don't know where the line is - how much heat is too much? Any wisdom out there?

[Greg Amy]

Marty, I think that's a personal decision. But I always keep in mind that "if I'm not having fun, then I'm not having fun". It's a hobby, not a chore... - GA

[erlrich]

Agree with Greg completely (which, in my case, also applies to racing in the rain, but that's another discussion). I'm only 52, and in relatively good condition, but doing anything outdoors when it's 90+ just saps all the energy out of me. As with so many other things now, I can do it, but I'll pay for it later. I decided a couple of years ago that July & August (I'm in VA) are non-racing months for me from now on, unless I decide to travel far to the north where temps are more reasonable.

[JeffYoung]

I can't emphasize enough how much a cool suit changed this for me (and an air conditioned trailer). Lugging tires around in the heat still sucks, but 90+ degree sprint races with the cool suit and I'm still looking forward to another lap.

[TStiles]

I feel your pain , in Houston the conditions are tough for 4-5 months.

Our last race @ TWS , we were group 6 and it was near 100 degrees. I decided I was going to sit in the shade , and not touch the car other than adding gas and checking tire pressures.

After making several mistakes late in the race , I decided to give the cool suit a second thought

After doing a little research , I decided that @ 54 , racing in Houston in the summer requires another piece of safety equipment ... A cool suit

[Matt93SE]

I ran the TWS race with Trey above, and it was hot but I was still fine at the end of the race. BUT.. I'm 'only' 33 and spend quite a bit of time working in the heat so I'm much more tolerant of it than some of the other folk I was racing with. I asked my crew to have a bottle of cold water and gatorade ready at impound when I came off track, but I would have been OK without it had they not shown up.
The track also had a worker stationed at impound to hand out cold water to all coming off the track, so that was a big help as well.

My driver's school last year was also 4+hrs per day in car with 100+ heat. I was definitely worn out by the end of the day, but I didn't notice myself really making any more mistakes than earlier in the runs.

I do have to make a conscious effort every lap for a personal discussion.. "How are you, body? everything good? still alert? too hot? need to back down 5% and just cruise, or are you still OK to chase this guy down?"

But yeah.. it's different for every person. I don't run a cool suit and am fine in 100 deg heat. I see others that would pass out just walking outside in these temps.

[CRallo]

If you are smart about it, it can be done and that includes some effort with conditioning if you are serious. Hydrating starts the day before and you need more than just water. Slow and steady with the fluids. A cool suit helps amazingly and being a tough guy is no good if you wreck or pass out!


For anyone who is serious about being in shape, strength, endurance and being conditioned for the heat, Bikram Yoga is a must!



Yea, we get it, you're a tough guy!

I ran the TWS race with Trey above, and it was hot but I was still fine at the end of the race. BUT.. I'm 'only' 33 and spend quite a bit of time working in the heat so I'm much more tolerant of it than some of the other folk I was racing with. I asked my crew to have a bottle of cold water and gatorade ready at impound when I came off track, but I would have been OK without it had they not shown up.
The track also had a worker stationed at impound to hand out cold water to all coming off the track, so that was a big help as well.

My driver's school last year was also 4+hrs per day in car with 100+ heat. I was definitely worn out by the end of the day, but I didn't notice myself really making any more mistakes than earlier in the runs.

I do have to make a conscious effort every lap for a personal discussion.. "How are you, body? everything good? still alert? too hot? need to back down 5% and just cruise, or are you still OK to chase this guy down?"

But yeah.. it's different for every person. I don't run a cool suit and am fine in 100 deg heat. I see others that would pass out just walking outside in these temps.

[DavidM]

I just built a cool system for right around $200. $130 of which was for the shirt. So if money is keeping you from buying a $600 system then think about making your own. I'm actually ok in the heat, but the cool system does work and it will keep you cooler. I needed the weight more than anything.

David

[Lael Cleland]

I needed the weight more than anything.

David

About that, Is it ok to mount it in the trunk? Or passenger side floor only with the ballast? I put mine in the trunk, easier to dump & Fill (better weight distribution also)

[Lael Cleland]

If you race a VW or are crew for a bunch of guys who do, a cool suit is a must, cars break more in the heat, so I have to fix them.... A cool suit & refuge with A/C has allot to do with the enjoyment to be had at a race..

Also I have a 3 beer max at july & august races.. maybe 4-5 if there low cal light beers...

Their are inexpensive ways to keep cool, our coolers are from Orthopedic cold therapy units, I think there is a class action law suit due to a few peoples joint became to cold..So usually $20-$40 used.. We have found 6 of them just by asking around. The coolers I have seen run on either 12vdc or 7vdc, all have a hardwired 110vac transformer, cut off the transformer, connect it to your car..or leave it and use an inverter. The 7 volt ones I think you use a 300 ohm resistor, I used a rheostat.. Also they only work with "Cool Shirt" not Faast systems.. different connectors..

I am 38 going on 23.. The brain some times forgets your body has limits..

[gran racing]

I bought a cool vest and while walking around in false grid, actually looked forward to getting in the car. Regardless, the head gets soaked while on grid and that part of my body is not comfortable. A few weeks ago at Summit Point, I got out of the car. Damn it was hot out. While I took my driving suit off, I did not take the vest off for a while.

Marty, stay home if in doubt. It's not worth it. There's the fun aspect and the safety aspect. There are more races this year you can attend.

Dave - whose staying home because doing everything that still needs to be done to attend the event is too stressful and a burden versus fun. Instead there's another Glen event not so long from now that I'll attend.

[Gary L]

But yeah.. it's different for every person. I don't run a cool suit and am fine in 100 deg heat. I see others that would pass out just walking outside in these temps.

I agree, it really is different for every person. I'm 67 with no cool suit and had no real issues at Topeka this past weekend with temp in the high 90's and heat index well over 100. But at least two guys in our race, one of them less than 1/3 my age, needed attention in impound for dizziness, etc.

[dj10]

Marty I'm about the same age as you, a little younger, ;~) but I have a fishing vest where I put cold packs in if' it's unbearably hot and a towel around my neck with ice in it. These are only sprint races so maybe 30 to 45 mins? I would do a cool suit if I was going over an hour in high heat and humidity. I also would recommend keeping hydrated and stay out of the sun as much as possible, and last but not least as GA said, if you're not have fun don't do it. What did drivers do before there were cool suits? :~)

[Greg Amy]

What did drivers do before there were cool suits? :~)

Turned on the A/C (my SSA car still had it installed and working...after all, I was driving it to and from the track!)

[dj10]

Turned on the A/C (my SSA car still had it installed and working...after all, I was driving it to and from the track!)

Or we raced and got hot!

[gran racing]

What did drivers do before there were cool suits?

Ice in a zip lock bag attached to shirt right where the heart is. Several years ago I was still seeing some NASCAR drivers do this.

[tom91ita]

one nice thing about the heat is that an ice cold beer tastes "beerier" after the race....

[chuck baader]

At age 67 I can identify with the heat, now. I worked in a dry cleaners for 28 years and the first two years after retirement I had no problems in the car. Seems this year I have become acclimated to the air conditioning and really suffered at Road Atlanta in May. Hence, a new cool shirt with a leftover medical cooler. Much less sweating, comfortable in the car for the complete 45 minute ProIt, and no leg cramps after the race. 100% endorsement for the cool shirt. Chuck

[gsbaker]

From the objective side, Dr. Terry Trammel presented a paper on the subject ("Heat Stress in Motorsports - Lessening the Effect on the Wearer by Selection of Fire Suit Materials and Construction", see http://papers.sae.org/2006-01-3658) testing volunteers exercising in a 140 degree environment while wearing driving suits. While the study was designed to test suits, it is clear that ugly things happen under extreme conditions -- and 140 is not unusual for tin tops in warm weather.

From the subjective side, I was at Daytona when the temp was 97 with a heat index of 107. I will not do that again.

[rsx858]

+1 for cool suit. Im 25, in great shape, run a lot, but heat is just a killer for me.. especially with that 13b turning my car into an oven. I came off of thunderbolt a year or two back dizzy and disoriented and realized just how serious of a safety issue this can be.. Picked up the cool suit and could not be happier.

Next step for me is to rig up some kind of drink system.. i have tried camel backs but have trouble with getting the mouth piece in the helmet. Ideally i think a smaller diameter tube through the front of the helmet would be ideal.. i picked up a mini bilge pump to see if i could rig up some kind of push button drink system that integrates with my helmet. My other option would be to have a water bottle with a long straw but i dont like the idea of trying to fiddle with a straw at speed.. any suggestions?