Getting Comfortable

We’re always looking for the latest products to boast the performance of your racing car. Trick air filters, exhaust systems and improved electronics have all become popular items, but what about products aimed at improving the performance of the driver. All too often we forget that the car can only perform as well as the monkey operating it. This is a fact that I recently experienced first hand.

In the past year I have started to struggle with holding my head up by the end of the race on some of the higher speed tracks that we run on. It’s probably the fact that I’m getting older or maybe the fact that I am just plain out of shape, but I have found it hard to really charge forward the last few laps because my neck is so fatigued.

Towards the end of last year I tried running a helmet restraint. The type that goes around your shoulder and fastens to your helmet. While it provided a little relief, it was not really getting the job done. Going into the 2005 season I decided to install one of Kirkey’s bolt-on head rests. Although inexpensive and easy to install, it proved to be most effective. Now I find that at race’s end I don’t feel as fatigued and can continue concentrating on the task at hand.

 

The addition of a Kirkey head rest to my seat was an easy inexpensive addition that paid huge dividends.

Adding the headrest only required us to drill a few holes and bolt it on.

While the head rest was one of the most dramatic cockpit additions for this season—there are a few more that were made this season that definitely helped. In past seasons I’ve struggled to get the belts as tight as I like them—most specifically the lap belt. For the 2004 season I have gone to a set of Crow Belts that feature adjustment on a single side. Made purposely for open wheel cars, these belts make it much easier to tighten the lap belt down. Another change for the season is a new seat. The most important thing about the seat is that it fits. All too often drivers use the seat that came in the car or the seat that they get the best deal on. If you the seat doesn’t fit you like a glove, you’re probably sliding around in it a little more than you would like. You might not think this is a big deal, but you’re muscles are probably actually tensing up to attempt to keep you in place. If you’ve never tried a good snug seat you’ll be amazed at the difference. The final creature comfort I added to the cockpit for the new season is the addition of heel blocks. The blocks put my feet in just the right position to easily rock onto the gas and brake pedals.

The addition of FOZ aluminum heel blocks was another easy addition.

You might never be as comfortable as you are sitting in your favorite lounge chair, but taking a little time to work on te ergonomics of the cockpit of your racing car can pay late race dividends.

Links to products mentioned in this article
Kirkey Head and Shoulder Rests
Crow Driver Restraints
FOZ Aluminum Heel Blocks