American Race Starts

[KayBee]

When watching American race series I've noticed that the race starts with a waved green flag at the Start Line - Why?

Why do they not use either lights or national flag as in other countries?

[Stack]

Because it is America and they can! Same same white flag for last lap and two yellow flags back to back for full course caution etc etc

[ascarracinguk]

Because they're American karen, they're simple folk so need a simple system of starting a race.....green means GO!.....so it's a waved green flag

[Flyin Ryan]

it's what we've done forever

[The Fat Clerk]

And very sensibly in my opinion, the blue flag has a yellow diagonal stripe on it

[racerkeke]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

And very sensibly in my opinion, the blue flag has a yellow diagonal stripe on it

That's now only in SCCA (club or pro) racing. ALMS and Indycar have this year adopted congruence with the FIA (what we call "unified flag rules") and are using FIA standard blue flags. Made it difficult at Sebring, where the tire walls are the exact same blue as the new flags.
keke

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

And very sensibly in my opinion, the blue flag has a yellow diagonal stripe on it

"Another competitor is close behind, no overtaking!" ??

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

And very sensibly in my opinion, the blue flag has a yellow diagonal stripe on it

or "Have a go if you're brave enough"?

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

Made it difficult at Sebring, where the tire walls are the exact same blue as the new flags.
keke

But we still have a difference, we have tyre walls

[MacGWC]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

And very sensibly in my opinion, the blue flag has a yellow diagonal stripe on it

You may be about to be overtaken by an accident!

[PVDA]

Originally Posted by racerkeke

That's now only in SCCA (club or pro) racing.

You forgot NASCAR, I spotted a blue with yellow stripe flag being used while watching a replay from Martinsville last night.

The stripe makes a stationary flag easier to notice IMHO.

[TrueBlueFlyer]

Originally Posted by deadsquirrel

But we still have a difference, we have tyre walls

surprised you don't have fyre fighters

[numbersix]

Get up to speed, guys. It's the 21st century.



Lightweight, no wet flag problems. Hold it steady or shake it and let the driver make his mind up what he wants to see. He usually does anyway ...

[Johansen2000]

Originally Posted by KayBee

When watching American race series I've noticed that the race starts with a waved green flag at the Start Line - Why?

Why do they not use either lights or national flag as in other countries?

Just a thought....... The American flag has a significant amount of red in it..... Waved, being seen from a distance whilst travelling at a decent rate for a rolling start might just look like a bit to much like a red flag........

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by PVDA

You forgot NASCAR, I spotted a blue with yellow stripe flag being used while watching a replay from Martinsville last night.

The stripe makes a stationary flag easier to notice IMHO.

And don't forget NASCAR use a blue flag for 'local' yellow conditions

[theracegypsy]

Originally Posted by deadsquirrel

And don't forget NASCAR use a blue flag for 'local' yellow conditions

Come on now Squirrel, that's a yellow flag with a blue background! LOL

[Woolley]

Presumably for NASCAR that's going to be the Y'all flag?

[broadrun96]

Yes, it's the "Y'all slow down now ya hear" flag.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by KayBee

Why do they not use either lights or national flag as in other countries?

Americans aren't so quick to disgrace their flag by raising it into the air and throwing it on the ground so men (and women) can prove whom is quickest in whatever machine they happen to be sitting in. American Flag Code dictates that the flag is to be displayed in specific ways, for certain purposes and certain events ONLY and that we are not to use it for advertisement, self promotion, etc. This, of course, doesn't apply to every flag waving American idiot as the Flag Code does not apply to private citizens (go figure). So we are quick to disgrace it by draping it over our mostly naked bodies and running about like fools, or to flying a bigger flag than the one flown over Fort McHenry so Easy Dan Carsalesman can sell used cars or to making gigantic ones to spread over American Football fields to show our national "pride", whatever that initials these days.

When watching American race series I've noticed that the race starts with a waved green flag at the Start Line - Why?

Not sure what it is like in the Motherland, but Green means GO, yellow means CAUTION and red means STOP; it shouldn't be that difficult to understand. As others stated, us Colonials like to keep things simple.

[JHamilton]

I must admit I've never thought about it or even noticed...

[bludvl_x19]

Here in Australia, the national flag is only used to start historic events, because thats how it was done back in the day.

Originally Posted by Johansen2000

Just a thought....... The American flag has a significant amount of red in it..... Waved, being seen from a distance whilst travelling at a decent rate for a rolling start might just look like a bit to much like a red flag........

Convention dictates that when you start a race with a national flag, you don't wave it. The flag gets raised, and then dropped. If its a rolling start with a national flag, then the flag is held in the dropped position until the field has passed it.

[Rich D]

Originally Posted by Johansen2000

Just a thought....... The American flag has a significant amount of red in it..... Waved, being seen from a distance whilst travelling at a decent rate for a rolling start might just look like a bit to much like a red flag........

The Canadian National flag is regularly used to start races here, with no apparent problems, although it does cause some consternation to the unbriefed!

[KayBee]

Originally Posted by deadsquirrel

And don't forget NASCAR use a blue flag for 'local' yellow conditions

They also have a red and yellow flag, can't remember how it's marked, on the entry to pit lane for the 1st couple of laps of a Safety Car session.

[KayBee]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

Americans aren't so quick to disgrace their flag by raising it into the air and throwing it on the ground so men (and women) can prove whom is quickest in whatever machine they happen to be sitting in.

Not sure what it is like in the Motherland, but Green means GO, yellow means CAUTION and red means STOP; it shouldn't be that difficult to understand. As others stated, us Colonials like to keep things simple.

In the Motherland the waved Green flag is used either for the start of the Green flag lap or at every post to signify the end of a Safety Car period not for the start of the race.

Red lights going out is the normal race start procedure here although I have seen the starter walking down the grid when starting a handicap race and raising and lowering the National Flag at the designated place.

[Clive Brown]

To get back momentarily to the original question, perhaps it is because racing in the US has a predilection towards the use of rolling starts?