This is a public service announcement: do not clean your windshield by asking your buddies to throw a bucket of water of it while you are driving in hot conditions at speed.
Don’t believe me? Just watch this clip from the Supercars’ 1993 Sandown 500 to see what happens:
We’ve got a lot of factors at play, here. While it might sound appealing to drive through a nice splash of cool water on a hot day, that massive temperature difference can do serious damage to your glass. I’ve learned this the hard way by knocking a mason jar full of boiling water into an ice-filled sink. Please do not ask me why I had these two things going in the same place at the same time.
But you’re also dealing with the weight of the water. If you’re cruising at high speed, you know that even a gentle rain can start feeling like you’re driving through pins and needles. Now bundle all that water up into one place and collide with it mid-race. It’s not going to be great.
Unfortunately, the folks at the Holden Racing Team—now Walkinshaw Andretti United—apparently didn’t realize that. So, instead of coming in for a quick windshield wipe-down, they thought it would be a good idea to just throw some water out on the car. This is the kind of shit I’d expect from, like, a mid-1960s open-wheel race. It is not something you expect to see in a 1990s touring car event.
So, you can do your wipe down. Or you can just hurl a bucket of water at your driver and have to peel the broken windshield out of the cockpit and send him back out to take the dangers of the race right in the face. It’s your decision. Personally, I’d pick the former.
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