Racing On Fire, In A Shelby Daytona Coupe
When you’ve passed the incident, the car is on fire, you know you’ve got to get it back to the fire truck in pit lane or it’ll be toast, THEN you overtake the Safety Car.
This is as close as I ever want to get to a marshmallow.
This article from the Daily Mail recounts the story…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7178245/Terrifying-moment-racin…
Terrifying moment racing driver realises flames are filling his car and hits 117mph as he hurtles around the track to reach the fire truck in time. Calum Lockie was racing around the Donington race track when the car caught fire footage shows flames engulfing the car as Lockie speeds towards the fire truck despite the fire Lockie won two other races at the Donington Historic Festival
By ISABELLA NIKOLIC FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:04, 25 June 2019 | UPDATED: 11:38, 25 June 2019
An unsuspecting racing driver found flames engulfing the inside of his car and was forced to speed around the track at 117mph to reach the safety pit before the fire wrecked his vehicle.
Calum Lockie, 51, co-driving with Julian Thomas, was racing around the Donington race track in a Shelby Daytona Coupe on June 8 at the Historic Festival in Leicestershire.
Footage shows Lockie careering around the track behind the safety car as flames and plumes of smoke envelop him from behind.
He waves his hands to alert the safety car driver to the fire that has started tearing through the Daytona Coupe and proceeds to overtake him.
Calum Lockie, co-driving with Julian Thomas, was racing around the Donington race track in a Shelby Daytona Coupe when flames and plumes of smoke began to fill the car
Despite the fire Calum Lockie (pictured) and his co-driver Julian Thomas managed to win two other races at the 2019 Donington Historic Festival +4
Despite the fire Calum Lockie (pictured) and his co-driver Julian Thomas managed to win two other races at the 2019 Donington Historic Festival
Safety cars are brought on to a race track if there is an immediate hazard to drivers, such as a waterlogged road.
When the safety car is on the track, all drivers must stay behind it and are usually not allowed to overtake at any time.
Once Lockie has passed the safety car his speed races up from 30mph to a whopping 117mph while he desperately tries to get to the safety pit as quickly as possible.
Usually, if a race car catches fire drivers will jump out and leave the vehicle on the track while the fire truck comes over.
But Lockie decided it would be better for the car to be brought straight to the fire truck.
He said: ‘When the car is on fire, you know you’ve got to get it back to the fire truck in pit lane or it’ll be toast.
‘Then you overtake the safety car.’
He added: ‘This is as close as I ever want to get to a marshmallow.’
Lockie and Thomas had been taking part in the 2019 Donington Historic Festival and despite the fire ended up winning the Jaguar Classic in an E-Type as well as the Historic Touring Car Challenge in a Ford Cosworth Sierra RS 500.
The pair had been driving in a Shelby Daytona Coupe (stock picture) when the car started filling with smoke +4
The pair had been driving in a Shelby Daytona Coupe (stock picture) when the car started filling with smoke
Lockie tweeted about the incident (a racing occurrence that involves one or more drivers) and said: ‘When you’ve passed the incident, the car is on fire, you know you’ve got to get it back to the fire truck in the pit lane or it’ll be toast, then you overtake the safety car.
This is as close as I ever want to get to a marshmallow’ Lockie tweeted about the incident (a racing occurrence that involves one or more drivers) and said: ‘When you’ve passed the incident, the car is on fire, you know you’ve got to get it back to the fire truck in the pit lane or it’ll be toast, then you overtake the safety car. This is as close as I ever want to get to a marshmallow’
Car racing comes with a constant risk of fire, so much so that drivers wear fireproof suits and even underwear.
Because the engines of race cars get incredibly hot and they burn fuel that is highly flammable, it creates the perfect conditions to start a fire.
Most fireproof suits are made from a material called Nomex.
If drivers wear a suit from this material then they are able to survive for 11 seconds in temperatures of up to 1544F (840C) – the same temperature as volcanic lava.
Join Calum Lockie at the Donnington Park Motoracing Circuit – View Calum’s upcoming Donnington track day events with www.goldtrack.co.uk
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“My son bought a gift voucher for the Calum Lockie ultimate passenger experience. Calum said he would be gentle but still hit 119 mph around Thruxton race circuit.”
Jo Kemp, Author, Dorset