Silent racing

[chrisMC]

In view of recent news regarding Mallory, how about the first all electric circuit for cars and bikes? How many spectators would attend and more to the point, how many marshals?

[Guinness2702]

KERS gloves all round, anyone?

[Slipstick]

Originally Posted by chrisMC

In view of recent news regarding Mallory, how about the first all electric circuit for cars and bikes? How many spectators would attend and more to the point, how many marshals?

You're perhaps a bit late for the first all electric circuit....Scalextric has been around since I were a lad .

But I'd like to see electric endurance racing....watching them dash into the pits for a 2 hour battery charge should be entertaining (honest ).

Steve

[Woolley]

Why not just fit silencers? Why does motor racing need to be loud? I know we like it, but that doesn't give us the right to impose it on others.

If my neighbour enjoyed loud heavy rock at 2am I'd still complain even if he had been playing it before I moved in, don't see the difference with motor sport.

Plus if it was quieter we could hear the PA, wouldn't risk hearing damage and could talk to our colleagues without needing to shout.

[Terrible-Tones]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Why not just fit silencers? Why does motor racing need to be loud? I know we like it, but that doesn't give us the right to impose it on others.

Interesting point well made In fact I don't like it when it is too loud!

We have a silencer insert for our car. Normally the car is 96dbs which we use for racing, but on track days we fit the extra internal silencer and it is reduced to about 90dbs. Though way under most sound limits I prefer not to "annoy circuit neighbours" and we can't feel the difference in performance at all, so I wonder if there is any performance cost at all (for our car anyway)?

[Terrible-Tones]

Perhaps we should make Mallory a giant Scalectrix track especially for the Fat Clerk. He can play to his hearts content with his plastic marshals and little plastic CoC and not annoy the neighbours.

On a serious note - electric racing is an idea - I just think the problems at Mallory circuit a few years out of step with history as I believe electric racing will become more and more popular in coming years.

I believe that the new all electric formula is set to run on a London street circuit in 2014? Presumably we will be able to marshal that if we so wish to volunteer?

[Peter Scillitoe]

Originally Posted by Terrible-Tones

I believe that the new all electric formula is set to run on a London street circuit in 2014? Presumably we will be able to marshal that if we so wish to volunteer?

The championship is currently planned to run 2014/2015. The London round is scheduled for 2015. The provisional programme looks a bit like the original
A1, an (depending where you are in the world) autumn/winter/spring schedule presumably to minimise clashes with F1.

[JimW]

You're too late! There already was an all-electric race meeting over two days in August 1995 at Mallory.

It was the most awful, dull, boring, gnaw-your-own-arm-off weekend of motorsport I have ever endured.

Only bright spot was seeing an all-enclosed, electric-assisted pushbike in egg-shaped aero bodywork fall over and the rider needing assistance to get up.

Jim

[JimW]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Why not just fit silencers? Why does motor racing need to be loud? I know we like it, but that doesn't give us the right to impose it on others.

If my neighbour enjoyed loud heavy rock at 2am I'd still complain even if he had been playing it before I moved in, don't see the difference with motor sport.

Plus if it was quieter we could hear the PA, wouldn't risk hearing damage and could talk to our colleagues without needing to shout.

Oh dear. You just don't get it, I'm afraid.

That's a bit like asking why a rock band has to be loud. Turn it up to 11.

With rare exceptions, turning down the noise of exciting cars so we could hear the commentary would be the wrong way to go. Put commentary on radio and allow us to hear it that way.

Regards

Jim

[MartinB]

I guess I don't get it either then. Much as I love the sound of most of the cars, as long as there's close clean racing, I'm not too bothered if they're silent.

[Terrible-Tones]

Originally Posted by JimW

Only bright spot was seeing an all-enclosed, electric-assisted pushbike in egg-shaped aero bodywork fall over and the rider needing assistance to get up.

[Joyce George]

Originally Posted by JimW

You're too late! There already was an all-electric race meeting over two days in August 1995 at Mallory.

It was the most awful, dull, boring, gnaw-your-own-arm-off weekend of motorsport I have ever endured.

Only bright spot was seeing an all-enclosed, electric-assisted pushbike in egg-shaped aero bodywork fall over and the rider needing assistance to get up.

Jim

I was trying SOOOOO hard to forget that weekend - and now you've bought back the memories. TBH, I think your description made it sound more interesting than it actually was!

[Apple]

No thanks I would not go to a meeting with electric cars

[Slipstick]

I'm sure there will be moderately interesting electric racing cars sometime in the future but it might take a while.

After all who was predicting 10 years ago that diesels would win the WTCC and Le Mans prototypes would be diesels and petrol or diesel/electric hybrids ?

Steve

[M Greenslade]

Electric racing, so what is going to happen on the first big accident where there is battery acid split everywhere, very environmentally friendly don't you think, still I won't be the first marshal on the scene to deal with it.......

Bladders.....

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by M Greenslade

Electric racing, so what is going to happen on the first big accident where there is battery acid split everywhere, very environmentally friendly don't you think, still I won't be the first marshal on the scene to deal with it.......

Bladders.....

modern stuff doesn't have liquid acid in AIUI.

[Pitsmarion]

Twice this year I have come across electric cars in the paddock at a Hill Climb, and their silence was un-nerving. I made a point of finding out where they were parked and when they were going to be moving around the paddock (in or out) so I could keep an eye out for them. In both cases we had "open" paddocks and I was worried that spectators may step out in front of them without realising they were moving. As it happens we had to shout warnings a couple of times, but fortunately the drivers were on the ball and there were no incidences.

Marion

[M Greenslade]

Originally Posted by MGDavid

modern stuff doesn't have liquid acid in AIUI.

Oh good I am so pleased to hear that........

Bladders......

[chrisMC]

Originally Posted by Terrible-Tones

Interesting point well made In fact I don't like it when it is too loud!

We have a silencer insert for our car. Normally the car is 96dbs which we use for racing, but on track days we fit the extra internal silencer and it is reduced to about 90dbs. Though way under most sound limits I prefer not to "annoy circuit neighbours" and we can't feel the difference in performance at all, so I wonder if there is any performance cost at all (for our car anyway)?

Was always taught that sound is energy. The energy in a petrol engine comes from the fuel. Therefore, noisy exhausts deplete power from the engine available for driven wheels. That's what "Car & Car Conversions" used to say, so it must have been right!

[Peat]

I saw the inaugural GP D'Electrique at Pau a few years ago. Afraid to say that it didn't 'flick my switch' at all.

[Bodysnatcher]

but, conversely, they were good for me. Not quite so good this year, but that's true of any race with a grid that struggles to get to double figures.
In that first year I was first marshal on scene at a fairly major wreck that we then craned off. No acid burns, no nasty shocks, just good old fashioned marshalling, sort it out and carry on. C'est la vie.

[Peat]

My reaction to that shunt: "Foching hell!"

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by JimW

Oh dear. You just don't get it, I'm afraid.

That's a bit like asking why a rock band has to be loud. Turn it up to 11.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of a good loud rorty V8. Not keen on an F3, though. Quality of noise is as important as quantity.

As for rock bands, I know why they have to be loud - it's to disguise the absence of talent (*some do have talent, but have to be loud because that's what's expected of them, meaning you can't tell if they do have talent).

Would I be happy with my neighbour rehearsing his rock band next door all week-end? No, because I don't like it. Can he turn it down so it's not a problem for me? Yes, problem solved.

Am I happy with a noisy GT meeting? Yes, because I do like it. Do I think it's reasonable to inflict that on the circuit's neighbours who don't like it? No, so again, turn it down, problem solved.

I'll accept quieter racing if it means I get racing, especially at a great circuit like Mallory. Has the added bonus of not deafening me in my old age and I can follow the race order off the commentary/hear race control on the telephone. Really don't see the point in having racing so loud it annoys the neighbours and then wearing a headset so that I can hear commentators and RC.

[JimW]

I'm not sure that Woolley and I are so far apart in practice.

The arrangements which Donington Park has come to seem to have much merit, X days unlimited, X days limited to the higher MSA level and X days at the lower MSA level.

Gives attention to the wishes of both neighbours and enthusiasts.

(And I agree with him about F3 - but wait, are they not silenced? )

Jim

[Cynic]

Will electric racing happen - almost certainly. Manufacturers seem keen to try it even if only for promotional and / or R&D purposes.

Would I marshal such an event? Not a chance! I've already seen a live snatch nearly end in tragedy because the IO didn't hear the diesel hybrid thingy that had decided to go the wrong side of the snatch truck until it was practically on top of him. I don't care if something is 50db or 95db or 1000db, but I want to hear it coming.