Products For The Local Racer

David and Chris Boggs say they went through five years of development and destroyed more than 100 video recorders before perfecting their on-board recording system.

How good is it? Good enough that ESPN television production crews for NASCAR races use it to monitor and broadcast suspension movement.

David Boggs says he got tired of spending money on video recorders that couldn't hold up to the environment in his race car: "So I looked around and saw this son [Chris] that I helped put through college and figured it was time I got a return on my investment."

The heart of the system is a camera that is about the size of a tube of lipstick. It can be mounted almost anywhere, so it can be used to monitor suspension movement or simply record what the driver sees during a race. The basic $600 kit comes with a camera, mount, wiring harness, battery holder, and a shock-proof bag that holds a driver-supplied video recorder.

"Any recorder with video and audio inputs will do," says Chris Boggs. "So far we've had the best success with Sony. The cameras today are so cheap and are available everywhere new and used."

David Boggs says the camera can be a valuable tool for suspension tuning because it depicts what a driver feels behind the wheel.

"Sometimes a driver will know the car is different, but maybe can't tell exactly what the difference is," Chris says. "This will show how a change looks on the track, where no one can see."

The system can be upgraded in modules, so a driver on a budget can replace the battery holder with a battery pack and charger or expand to a multicamera system that can record up to four images at once and play them back in real time. That allows a driver to look out the window at the track, watch his steering input, and see how the suspension reacts all at the same time.

"The system lets a driver know what needs to be fixed, instead of spending thousands of dollars buying new parts and hoping you finally buy the right one," says David.

A good driver can see danger coming on a racetrack. The best drivers avoid it.

But what about the danger he or she can't see?

Carbon monoxide poisoning has emerged in recent years as one of the previously unknown dangers in auto racing. Depending on where and how you race, it may be a minor or major health concern.

It is a colorless, odorless gas that infiltrates your bloodstream, slows your reaction time, and-in large, sustained quantities-causes permanent injury to a driver.

Mike Zilinek, a mechanical engineer who helped design CO filters for Nextel Cup teams more than a decade ago, has begun producing a smaller, lighter, affordable version for short track racers.

"One of my real concerns is with kids who are beginning to race at a very early age," he says. "They will be exposed to carbon monoxide for a very long time."

Zilinek says that in most people, CO is gradually purged from the body.

"But if you race on a regular basis, by the time the CO has been purged, you are back in a car again getting another shot of it," he says.

Symptoms of mild CO poisoning include headache, lethargy, disorientation, or symptoms similar to the flu. The gas replaces oxygen in the bloodstream and robs the brain, heart, and other organs of what they need to function.