Quote:
Originally Posted by Akrapovic
To be completely blunt - it's done to make their life easier with BoP. And that's further evidenced by the fact they do the minimum stop lengths in the standard 3 hour races where fatigue is not a factor and it's down to skill only. That is legislated out, to give them an easier job BoPing the cars.
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This is true and Stephane Ratel said as much in an interview with DSC a year or two ago. His argument was that if you allow something to be a possible competitive advantage, however small, then teams (especially the wealthier pro teams) will spend money on it. Costs spiral, the races become less competitive and the amateurs/semi-pro teams are priced out and leave. Hence, minimum pit stop times much longer than refueling time so no-one spends a million Euros on a rig that pumps fuel 2% faster.
I accept this. I am not sure I entirely agree but it's a coherent argument and consistent with the overall approach which has made SRO such a success.
Graham Goodwin didn't ask about the FCY->SC abomination but the answer Ratel would likely have given can be inferred from his repeated claim to be above all "an entertainer". Thus, if faced with the observation I have repeatedly made, that the Spa 24 is a great spectacle but a terrible race, he'd most likely think "great!".
Sadly then, we are likely to have to endure for some time the embarrassment of hearing respected commentators debase themselves by pretending that it's all for safety rather than to artificially bunch the field.