safety cars

[adz_34]

Hi gang is it just me or does anyone else out there long for a return to no safety cars during races. Dont get me wrong safety is very important but why couldnt we use a system like the pit lane speed limiters which would stop people from speeding.
Heres what i propose.

1. The last sector/flag marshall displays a speed limit flag and/or race control informs the teams that an incident has happened out on track and that the speed limiters must be applied as the cars pass the control tower next time by, from the leader back.

2. Cars are not permitted to pit under the speed limiter until the second time past pits.

3. A benefit from the above would be that with the field spaced out a bit more there would likely be less congestion in the pit lane immediately the speed limit signs went out.

4. Since the cars are travelling slower the actual distance between the cars should close up but the time difference should be the same.

5. Finally one the mess had been cleared up the green flag could come out and racing resume with minimal loss of time between all the drivers.

That way at least the team that deserves to win should win rather been gifted a leg up.

Any thoughts? or am I just flogging a dead horse?

[Crash Test]

Just thinking out loud here. Ok, we hit the button and the cars flog around under the safety car at say 80clicks. Would everyone hog the inside line around the race track in an attempt to make up ground?

[racer69]

I've long been in favour of reducing the use of the pace car.

Part of the problem though (as i posted in a thread a while back) is that i have heard people say that the safety car is needed to keep the racing close

[adz_34]

Crash thats fine so long as the cars dont exceed the speed limit i would not see a problem with that. If a driver wants to drive on the dirty side of the track and put crap all over his tyres to make up a tenth or so than so be it.

Racer, the racing doesnt need to be close to be exciting. I was a supporter of hrt in the brock years but 2001 was the last straw for me when skaife won from that safety car incident towards the end of the race, he didnt deserve to win that race ingall/richards did, and I think thats what is making certainly Bathurst a bit less meaningful as a classic enduro. people can flog around all day then have someone cruise up behind them get lucky off a restart and take victory in the biggest race of the year.

[mjt57]

Originally Posted by racer69

I've long been in favour of reducing the use of the pace car.

Part of the problem though (as i posted in a thread a while back) is that i have heard people say that the safety car is needed to keep the racing close

If you need a pace car to make the racing "close", then it's probably not a sport worth watching.

Why can't they just ensure that the competitors go slow at the affected area? Isn't that what yellows and double yellows are for?

F1 doesn't seem to have pace cars, or when they do, they're judiciously applied, it seems.

ATCC is too Nascarish. It's becoming boring, contrived and the results are often skewed because of people being able to take advantage of sudden and unexpected events.

Pitting during a pace car, for example to change tyres or a splash and dash. eg: competitor 1 pits for his (usually unnecessary) tyre change. Competitor 2 is about to pit, but holds off for one or more laps, maintaining his gap over C1. A prang occurs and P2 pits under the pace car. Is able to refuel and exit onto the track while still maintaining a healthy lead over P1 who's stuck in the pace car queue. Meanwhile P1 has consistantly been faster during the race, and would win it on merit alone if there were no pace cars or compulsory pit stops.

So, give me a sport where pace cars are a least resort and where compulsory pit stops don't exist. Let the drivers do all the racing.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by mjt57

Why can't they just ensure that the competitors go slow at the affected area? Isn't that what yellows and double yellows are for?

Didn't you see the Todd Kelly (and the rest) incident at Pukekohe? There are rules in place now...

I think the use of a speed limiter to replace safety cars has a lot of merit. Instead of waiting half a lap so they can send the safety car out in front of the race leader (surely if safety was the priority you would send out the SC asap and sort through to the leader afterwards) you could have an instant reduction in speed (actually introduce it so it wouldn’t cause accidents in itself, a gradual reduction of throttle) for a speed of 80km/h. Apart from the pit congestion benefit there would be other advantages.
1. You get to keep track position so someone who has worked hard to build 30sec lead doesn’t lose it.
2. Why not extend the idea to include having a slower speed at the affected zone of the track – 60 or 40 or what have you.
3. They could still have the safety car with the advertising come out and drive in front of the race leader to emphasise the point if so desired.
4. Control the cars at a slow speed so less race laps are wasted under yellows.

[stoned pony]

Or leave it as it is. I remember Mario Andretti saying once in an interview that safety cars were a necessary evil and that if you lost out because of a SC period one week you'd probably make it up the next. A sort of "swings and roundabouts" job.
As for bunching-up the field, so what? It is all part of racing. Perhaps something that should be considered by those in power though is that SC laps are added-on to the race distancxe, not included as part of it.

[mjt57]

Originally Posted by stoned pony

Or leave it as it is. I remember Mario Andretti saying once in an interview that safety cars were a necessary evil and that if you lost out because of a SC period one week you'd probably make it up the next. A sort of "swings and roundabouts" job.

And what if the driver didn't "make it up" the following round? He'd be still disadvantaged because of an arbitrary decision during a race.

As for bunching-up the field, so what? It is all part of racing. Perhaps something that should be considered by those in power though is that SC laps are added-on to the race distancxe, not included as part of it.

Problem with that is television. The network has a schedule to run to.

In any case, I can't agree with bunching up cars being a "part of racing". It's forcing an exceptional competitor or competitors back in the field. And in any case, within 2 or three laps after the pace car period, they've re-established their gaps, usually.

[mjt57]

Originally Posted by johnh875

Didn't you see the Todd Kelly (and the rest) incident at Pukekohe? There are rules in place now...

I'm not sure. I only saw bits of the last race where Dumbrell clouted a coupla cars for which he copped a hefty penalty.

Was this it?

[Peregrine]

I do not see what is wrong with the old recovery vehicle coming on to the track to recover vehicles under the white flag.... To the best of my knowledge there was never any incidents let alone serious injury under these circumstances ?

GET RID OF THE PACE CAR AND ARTIFICIALLY "CLOSE" RACING !!!!!

[peckstar]

hello to dick johnson.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by mjt57

I'm not sure. I only saw bits of the last race where Dumbrell clouted a coupla cars for which he copped a hefty penalty.

Was this it?

No, Kelly ran up the back of Paul Morris when he came up on the back of the Safety Car conga line way too hot, and couldn't stop in time or avoid four or five other cars who had just done a similar thing and were scattered across the track.

In an interview later he basically said that under the safety car boards he was going flat out to catch up to the pack as soon as possible after a pitstop (someone please correct/clarify if necessary) - it is this attitude (in all forms of motorsport it would seem) which has brought about the need for safety cars in the first place.

[PVDA]

I've seen cars spin & crash under double yellow flags as well.