After competing at Sol Rally Barbados in 2022, John had taken a short break from competing in his Honda Civic Type R rally car. To get back into the swing of things, he entered a Sprint at his local venue, Aintree on the 27th of May 2023.
However, on the first practice run, just as he approached the finish, noticed a cloud of smoke behind him and he believed the head gasket had gone. Having found a suitable place to pull over in the paddock, he noticed a whiff of smoke from the bonnet. He exited the car and opened the bonnet to see flames coming from oil on the exhaust.
He grabbed the Fire Safety Stick from the mounting on the roll cage and quickly activated it. The engine bay is quite congested in a Civic, but the fire safety stick gasses quickly found their way to the fire, extinguishing it quickly and effectively. It was then discovered a Con-Rod had failed and fractured the block, hence the oil on the exhaust.
John simply said “The Fire Safety Stick did its job very well, putting the fire out very quickly, minimizing the damage to the car and with minimal mess. Where the fire was, the Fire Safety Stick was able to more effectively concentrate on the fire I – I’m really glad I had the Fire Safety Stick”.
A potential new engine has already been located and John hopes to be out competing again soon. Having seen the effectiveness of the Fire Safety Sticks, John has ordered additional ones for his family to put in their kitchens and a larger one to have in his workshop. The family already have Fire Safety Sticks in their cars
John in action on the MSVR Circuit Rally Championship:
The Engine Bay prior to the fire
