Please may I have a rant.

[Mike Kelly 1]

Originally Posted by Woolley

I remember attending a failed F3 many years ago, and pulled the master switch on that occasion. This was easily confirmed as the red light went out. When we returned, we discovered the electric dash was still on. Turned out they didn't want to risk losing the data, so had connected it directly and not through the master.

I had a similar incident with an F3 in 2000. In a multiple accident at Oultons old hall one of the cars was spewing fuel out through a split fuel line. I turned the external switch off only to find that the fuel was still being pumped out. On going back to the car (reluctantly as there was a lot of fuel and a hot exhaust) I could hear the fuel pump running and was only able to stop the flow of fuel by leaning inside the cockpit and locating the internal cut off switch. That incident was also reported to race control for the srutineers to check. Never heard the outcome though.

[ian_c_uk]

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

You need to do more clubbies! Don't worry too much about getting the electrics back on - if it's necessary, it's almost certain that the driver will still be there - let him (or her) do it.

I have no desire to turn it back on, just want to make bloody sure it's off to prevent being accused of strongman demonstrations!

At the next meet, the marshal walking away from the wreckage carrying a battery will be me.

[Davie-c]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Perhaps it's something that should be part of scrutineering. Start the car, switch on everything electircal, pull the switch, let's see if anything's still on.

As a Trainee scrutineer we get the driver or 1 of his mechanics to turn the electric cut off to make sure it cuts out.We only get about 6 minutes to check a car so its possible that somethings are occasionally missed.If it is a push button cut off only push it once as if you push it again you'll set the fire extinguisher off.Mostly on F3,GTs and WRC rally cars.In they cars get the driver to do it if they are involved in an incident as it is their problem if they set the extinguisher off not yours.

[mark_l]

I did a touring car meeting at Donington Park where the driver pulled up outside his garage at the end of race 1, I saw the lights were still on so I asked the mechanic to turn the electrics off as the driver was no where to be seen.

He duly pressed a button only to find a fountain of white foam in the cockpit and foam pouring onto the tarmac.

Needless to say the team then had a rush job on to clean the foam up, check the engine for damage and change the bottle once parc ferme had ended. The team manager was not impressed with his guy.

I the guys who build the cars cant turn the electrics off what chance have marshals got.

[Suze]

Remember, the people that mechanic (in the lower levels) won't necessarily have built the cars....although I can see you're saying BTCC here. I've just started this season helping a Vee team out - I hadn't seen a Vee in the flesh until January this year, and I certainly haven't built the car! However I would know where the buttons are....

I've found, from Vee this year, the new drivers certainly don't know where everything is on the car - for example I found last weekend one of the Vee drivers didn't know where his master switch etc was. I did...so proceeded to show him.

If I was a marshal, I certainly wouldn't always expect the driver to know! From my experience of taking a car through scrutineering, we've always had to prove the electrics go off.

[Hepatic]

Something missed here is the state of the driver. If they have just hit the tyre wall it's likely the adrenaline is pumping hard and they may not be thinking as rationally as the marshals attending the scene. We had a FF1600 hit the wall at Lodge Out on the 2nd lap of qualifying last year. He was a top runner and very rightly gutted he'd made such a silly mistake, but the moment go the better of him and he didn't turn the electrics off. We did ask him several times if he was sure they were off as a small amount of fluid was leaking from the car, but his answer was always yes.

When the session finished and we went to recover it, first thing i checked was the dash and surprise surprise, it was still lit. In the end there are so many types of cars racing it's impossible for marshals to know where every switch is. We know where they *should* be, but without standardisation on the location and type of switch through all classes (which will never happen as it's just not feasible) we're always in a bit of a guesswork situation.

I don't like the button version myself, esp when you are trying to operate it with gloves on. The key switch used in the FF1600's is far easier to use and there's no "is it or isn't it" issue. Just my 2p...!

[Woolley]

I much prefer the 'remove the key' type switches. Obvious, easy to use, no danger of setting anything else off, and when it's out you can see it's out. Cheap and reliable too.

[Dean Watson]

to throw a different perspective on this topic, at cadwell today we had a morgan three wheeler spin and stall, electrics were shut off but the rear wet race light was still on. after the race finished i asked the driver if the kill switch killed everything, her reply was yes i then asked why then is the rear light on and was told that it had its own AA batteries and shown them

[Alpha Charlie 6]

J.W. having a ''rant'' What's new? HE OBVIOUSLY HAS NOT MELLOWED WITH AGE.

Shutting the hatch on a midget submarine comes back to mind!! (an in joke from about 1976!!!)