Has anyone found a good system for staying hydrated on track? Camelbak or something? I have a water bottle on my dash bar that I swig from in pre-grid and in impound but I would like to partake in a refreshing beverage while circumnavigating the road circuit! My last race was HOT and during a full course yellow I grabbed my bottle and sprayed gatorade lime (urine colored stuff) into my eyes...OUCH! When the course went full black I came into the pits and my crew handed me a 2 litre bottle of water that I poured into my helmet to get a sip and flush my eyes...well I was wearing a balaclava with eyeholes and when it was soaked with urine colored gatorade and 2 liters of water I suddenly was drowning while sitting in my car... my crew were staring at me while I was clawing at my helmet trying to get it off before I suffocated...there must be a better way??

Victor Penner

 

Camel back sounds like a start, but it wouldnt work to well while sitting. Im sure there are little GOTT coolers you can mount to the roll cage.... and run a long straw... Too long and the sucking required might prove to be too much...

 

I know someone used to make a off-road motorcycle setup that used a bottle you could pressurize through either a C02 cartridge or a handpump of some sort. You bit the end of the straw and it flowed liquid into your mouth so you wouldn't have to deal with trying to suck liquid through a long tube. I'll see if I can dig up some info on it.

 

We set up a system using a large bicycle water bottle. We basically copied the system that Allegro racing had. We used it @ our last race @ Thunderhill. We used aquarium supplies for it. It consist of a small tube going into the bottle. The tube goes to a one-way check valve just in front of the helmet. The end of the tube goes into the helmet thru a chinbar vent. We used a zip tie to keep it from pulling out. When you want a drink, you just push the tube into the helmet another inch or so. The check valve keeps the water from flowing all the way back into the bottle. The only negative is that the water in the tube gets hot quickly.


[Modified by civicrr, 1:03 PM 7/9/2002]

 

How about a (new) washer bottle pump and a momentary switch on the steering wheel? You could use a cooler with ice water in it and mount it remotely somewhere, so "suck distance" wouldn't be an issue.

I'm not sure if I am serious or not...

Kirk

 

I wonder if one of these http://www.camelbak.com/rec/cb_prod....product_id=135 hanging from the roof of the car (or mounted somehwere) would work? I use a Camelbak while mountain biking, and they work great. I wont leave home without it.

The bite valve on these things is awesome and never leaks. All you do is bite it, and water will flow into your mouth. Once you release, it seals with no leaks.


[Modified by Brett@SoloRacer.com, 2:46 PM 7/9/2002]

 

I have a water jug hose-clamped to my rollcage. I then stuck a piece of hose into it and ran the hose up the cage and through my seat with the shoulder harness. The hose is located right below my chin. All I have to do is stick it in my mouth. Not the best solution but it worked much better than I anticipated.

It requires a little effort to pull up the water - about 3 good solid pulls but once up it flows fine. A quick blow back into the hose will push it back down so it doesn't drain all over you.

Cost was about $7.

I will take some pics of it for you either tonight or tomorrow.

 

I use a 20 oz insulated plastic container 2/3 ice, 1/3 water with a 3/8" hole in the lid. It is strapped to the rollcage just below shoulder height (prevents siphoning!). Insert 24" long, 1/4" ID plastic hose in the lid hole and route it up to your mouth. I keep the hose clamped between my right side molars and sort of chew on it for entertainment when I'm not sipping. After I take a sip, I just blow gently back through the hose to push the water back into the bottle (prevents the next drink from being hot hose water). By the end of a 1.5 hr enduro the ice is just about melted. This is simple, light, cheap and effective. I'm wary of a pump fed system...what if the switch fails in the ON position? You drown! If the pump quits working? No water for you!

 

Good ideas all!! I remember seeing a moto-x/enduro set-up that you either shoved a tube through a helmet vent or through a drilled hole and then zap strapped it in place. The tube was about a foot long and then you would plug that tube onto another tube that had a ball check valve in it that was attatched to a camelbak like set-up. Do you know where I could find a ball check valve that would fit a 1/4in tube?

Brett, I was looking at exactly the same camelbak and I think that it would work well hooked up to a cage. I will try to find one to look at in person.

Thanks,

Victor Penner

 

mmmmm, lime my favorite

Try an aquarium store, that would be my first shot. If not there look in the plumbing section of your local hardware store in the area where they would have the tubing for the ice maker in your fridge.

- Nash

 

Hey Victor,

Look here these people produce some very nice beverage systems for race cars!
http://www.bcsystems.ws






[Modified by DB1-R81, 10:48 PM 7/9/2002]

 

Hey Marc!

I'm ordering 6! Four for my integra and one each for my fighter jet and my golf cart!

Thanks!

Victor Penner