MX5 race car fire!

OMY005 · Postby **OMY005** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 6:43 pm

That was a very close call! :shock:

My question is, why are the fuel lines in the cabin?

Andrew.

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 7:30 pm

I feel my eyebrows burning just watching that vid.

david_syd_au · Postby **david_syd_au** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 8:38 pm

My reading suggests the fuel tank split

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 9:52 pm

Holy crap. Talk about nick of time.

madjak · Postby **madjak** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 10:55 pm

Yeah pretty scary. I wonder what ignited the fuel.

Last week I practiced getting out of my car through the drivers door and passenger's door and then did the same through the windows. It actually takes way longer than you would think to get out of the harness, pop off the steering wheel and clammer out. With the helmet and gloves on everything is just that bit harder to do.

Maybe with a fire I wouldn't be so worried about hurting myself in the process and just dive out head first but still its not something I'd want to do after a hard hit.

Postby **Okibi** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 11:23 pm

Even if it didn't split a fuel cell, a big enough hit to split the filler neck or a swirl pot is enough for things to turn pear shaped.

Fuel + Heat + Oxygen = big badda boom

Hope the driver was ok.

Postby **Okibi** » Tue Nov 01, 2016 11:27 pm

At the Victorian Natmeet Simon's surge tank pressurised and blew a weld, he was very lucky that he noticed a fuel smell and pulled over to find a boot full of petrol before anything bad happened.

A few of the Vic club guys helped him pull it from the car and within an hour a local guy near Winton had welded it back up. At that stage I think he was too nervous to hit the track.

kalt · Postby **kalt** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:37 am

madjak wrote:I wonder what ignited the fuel.

$10 says it was the driver as he/she grounded her/himself getting out of the car through static electricity. I guess the option of going full ghostrider spec during a race is not recommended. mx5 with full rollcage is a mobile coffin after all.

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:47 am

Looks like he knew it was happening for a good while.

Ive had a car catch fire. It took about 20-30 secs to take hold by the time I knew it was happening. It started in the boot for me. That was a 1971 mark2 Cooper S. By the time 4 people got out it was well & truly alight.

Alex 2550 · Postby **Alex 2550** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 3:20 pm

lucky driver, something hopefully we can all avoid experiencing, guess he was aware of it early and hence why he put it in the dirt safely.
just goes to show how quick things can go pear shaped especially in the heat of the moment on the track plus with the helmet on ect the warning time will be reduced. always worried me so the 5 has an extinguisher for CAMS but also general safety for myself and even others if the situation presents itself, i also have 2 fitted in my Patrol which goes to remote areas as i have seen grass seeds ignite.
i would hate to be the guy who stands next to his vehicle watching it burn with nothing to try extinguish it.
in this situation i wonder if it was something like a leaking fuel injector, my thinking is rail has pressure but is bleeding off through the injectors firing, engine shuts off forcing more fuel out the leaking seal as it will go path of least resistance and the vapor or fuel ignites around the hot exhaust manifold. just seams that its pretty well as soon as ignition is cut you get the fuel ignite and on exhaust side, of course this could be from the car becoming stationary and rather than blowing vapor back under the car its trapped under the bonnet.
either way glad they look to make a clean exit.

Sailor · Postby **Sailor** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:18 pm

You can see the fuel spraying over the driver from behind.
Very lucky boy!!

StanTheMan · Postby **StanTheMan** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:25 pm

Sailor wrote:You can see the fuel spraying over the driver from behind.
Very lucky boy!!

I noticed that too but then I thought it was the grass & dust. Could be either.

madjak · Postby **madjak** » Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:03 pm

I'm pretty sure that's fuel!

He was very calm, slowed the car, got off the track, undid everything and got out quickly. I'm pretty sure a few extra seconds in that seat and he wouldn't have been very happy. It would be very easy to panic and make a few mistakes with fuel spraying onto you! Damn lucky really.

gsu003 · Postby **gsu003** » Thu Nov 03, 2016 1:33 pm

Scary stuff, but the amazing thing is, the camera survived to tell the tale.

I agree with kalt's observation about the static electricity as the flash was a number of seconds after switching off the ignition. I wouldn't like it to happen to me, it's slow enough to climb out of a Sparco seat and harness let alone climb through a full cage.