East Tennessee Region SCCA

A lot of orgs require long sleeve shirt and pants "for safety." Fire suit is optional. The fire suit is self-explanatory, but how is wearing long sleeves safer?

I don't care that much, I can chuck on a shirt, I'm just wondering. A cotton shirt in a fire doesn't seem like a whole lot of help, so what's the point? Is this a liability/insurance thing?

You have a cotton ovenmit around the house or do you grab hot pans off the top of the stove and out of the oven with bare hands? There are lots of things on a race car that just came off the track that will burn you if you come in contact with it. Having the long pants, sleeves, gloves, etc will keep you from a burn or jerking back from the hot part and bonkin into something else for the secondary injury.

Yup, its to cover their ass when some dumbass would have other wise burnt themselves on something not actually on fire.

:: edit :: hope that last part didn't come across too abrasive. It just kinda rhymed. also, polyester and other plastic fabrics will melt when cotton won't.

I know NASA normally requires long sleeves, but does relax that for HDPE/TT groups at some events (i.e. Road Atlanta in August) since the odds of heat exhaustion become greater than car fire. (and HPDE you likely still have OE belts and normal doors so easier/quicker to get out vs. belts/net/window).

As Ted pointed out, the specific Cotton requirement is because it won't melt/graft to your skin, it'll just light on fire, but will somewhat burn on its own. It's not nomex, but beats having a nylon shirt turn to napalm on you.

I know after 5 runs in my Miata with no interior the transmission tunnel gets so hot that it would burn you. It's nice having a bit of denim between me and bare metal. I have never been to a track day before, but I bet stuff gets just as hot, if not more so.