Driving a competition car requires intense concentration, involves lots of mental and skilled tasks, many that are second nature. Driving many cars also requires a lot of physical work. Therefore, the ability to stop “heat gain” becomes very important for the competitor to perform at their absolute best. This driver cooling and hydration guide will run through the solutions for keeping the vehicle interior cool and driver hydration which is closely linked to the body’s temperature control.
The healthy human body maintains its internal temperature around 37°C. Variations, usually of less than 1°C, occur with the time of the day and the amount of physical activity. A change of body temperature of more than 1°C occurs only when external conditions are more than the body’s ability to cope with extreme heat.
If the environment warms-up, the body tends to warm-up as well. The body’s “thermostat” maintains a constant inner body temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and increasing sweat production. In this way, the body increases the rate of heat loss to balance the extra heat. In a very hot environment, the rate of “heat gain” is more than the rate of “heat loss” and the body temperature begins to rise. A rise in the body temperature will result in a loss of concentration and ability to do mental tasks and loss of ability to do skilled tasks or heavy work.
Driver Cooling Aids
Shirts and Vests
Wearable cooling vests, shirts allow heat taken away from the body regardless of the ambient temperature. There are two types available. The first cools the wearer by flowing coolant around the garment to take the excess heat away. The second type uses PCM (Phase Change Material) takes the heat away as the cooling medium changes state from solid to liquid (like ice turning to water to cool your beverage of choice!)
Chillout Motorsports
The Chillout Motorsports Pro Touring FIA/SFI Approved Cooling Shirt, when connected to a Chillout Motorsports driver cooling system, keeps you cool and focused throughout the race and will cool for the whole time you are connected. The structured cooling vein design cools your entire core, helping to prevent heat exhaustion and maintaining your mental sharpness. This means you can stay at peak performance, even in the most challenging conditions. SFI approved.
Sparco Ice Vest
The Sparco Ice Vest features 8 low profile cooling inserts which fit into waterproof zipped pockets in the lining of the vest. The cooling inserts are charged by soaking them in water then and placing in a freezer for a minimum of an hour (overnight is preferred if time allows). Once charged they can provide hours of body cooling, depending on the ambient temperature. The vest is supplied with 2 full sets of cooling inserts (16) and inserts can be purchased separately for when longer periods of body cooling are required.
Alpinestars Cooling Vest
The Alpinestars Cooling Vest is ideal for pre-race use to reduce body core temperature and help prevent the onset of heat fatigue. It’s lightweight chassis and refillable water chamber allows for easy use time and time again. The Alpinestars Cooling Vest helps to keep you comfortable when the thermometer rises, specially designed stretch inserts and ventilation ports maximise airflow and breathability. An Innovative refillable water chamber and cooling system evenly releases moisture for prolonged cooling.
OMP One-V Cooling Vest
This innovative OMP One-V cooling vest is specifically engineered to keep your body core cool, ensuring you stay refreshed even in the most challenging conditions. The vest features a water-filled system, offering a continuous and effective cooling effect. This system is designed to maintain a stable temperature around your core, providing relief from the heat. It’s equipped with a revolutionary three-layered structure, the vest ensures optimal heat dispersion, this technical design helps in reducing body temperature efficiently. The stretch fabric sides provide an exceptional fit and unparalleled comfort, making the vest ideal to wear before, after, or during breaks in any racing activity.
Cooling Collar
There is a Demon Tweeks branded cooling collar that fits around the neck. This uses a pre chilled pouch and can give up to 30 minutes of cooling.
Helmet Cooling
The Chillout Motorsports Aircon V2 Helmet Cooler is a state-of-the-art cooler ingeniously ducts chilled and dry air directly into your helmet, reducing the risk of heat exhaustion and enhancing your concentration and endurance in the sweltering cockpit of a race car. A nice way to couple helmet cooling is via Maglock connections to a top air intake to the chosen helmet like these from Bell, and Stilo.
Cockpit Cooling Aids
The car interior can become very warm regardless of the outside temperature, contributing factors can be a heat from panels close to engines or exhausts, and sunlight on large panels stripped of insulation. A lack of sufficient air flow in (and out) can also be an issue There are many effective solutions to these issues.
Improving airflow in and out of the car can be achieved via vents and ducting hose. If the car has no exterior source of cooling air, vents or scoops can be secured to the bodywork or to the window if plastic/Perspex windows are fitted. Roof vents can also be used if allowed. Once the cooling air is brought into the car via the duct/scoop air can be piped to the required area by flexible ducting. This ducting has wire reinforcement that allows the ducting to keep its shape around corners.
The airflow from the outside can often be sufficient to provide cooling air but if not, inline blower fans can allow better faster cooling and more control. The ducting can simply point at the driver, but dashboard vents will give a neater appearance and will allow fine tuning of the airflow. Some of the vents used to bring air into the car can also be used to vent air from the cockpit.
If areas of the car have panels that get excessively heated by the engine, turbo or exhaust, the heat transfer can be massively reduced by using heat barriers. These can be flexible heat blankets or formable sheet heat shields, some self-adhesive, some allow to use your preferred fixing. Some of these can give noise reduction as an added benefit. Many components such as exhausts creating the heat can be covered by heat management products. These are covered in the following blog in depth. The blog also covers the heat blankets and shields mentioned above.
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Driver Hydration
Getting dehydrated can affect the competitor’s concentration, bring increased tiredness, and reduce control of body temperature. Therefore, it is important to keep hydration levels to the optimum. Competitor drinks systems can be a simple bottle with a straw type feed pipe through to a sophisticated electrically pumped system. The various types are as follows:
Hydrorace
The Hydrorace Drinks Bottle V3 drink system includes an alloy bottle and drinks tube that includes a bite valve that means the water only flows when required. A simple but cost-effective system.
Sparco
Their system comes with a drinks bag and simply fixes to the seat via heavy duty Velcro. The bag is insulated to keep chilled drink or water cold. A bite valve only allows flow when required.
Longacre
A comprehensive kit that included the bottle, alloy bottle holder, cage clamp and hose with bite tube. A handle allows quick removal of the bottle for driver changes etc. Spare bottles and pipes available.
Dimension 3D
This kit brings technology to drinks system. The kit features a built in 12v pump to supply fluid to the driver at the push of a button and connections to the helmet are via a roll cage mounted quick disconnect system with a pull handle for quick and easy driver changes. The connector comprises of one part which remains attached to the car and a 2nd part connects to this and feeds the helmet via the drink tube. The connector can also take a quick release electrical connectors for radio wiring. 1, 2 or 3 driver systems are available with different colour drink bottle for the multi driver versions.
The drink is supplied to the driver through food grade, odourless tubing which is fed via a built in 12v pump. To operate the pump a ‘Knitter’ F1 type push button is supplied. The drinks bottle is a Sigg aluminium type with a 1 litre capacity and is supplied with a quick release connector and a screw cap for when the bottle is not connected. Spare parts are available if you want to expand the system to more drivers.
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Dimension 3D systems & accessories
We hope you find this driver cooling and hydration guide useful and as always if you need any extra information, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or e-mail.