Least appropriate safety car

JimW · 13 Oct 2003, 16:36 (Ref:749832)

At the well run and interesting AMOC meeting at Donington on Sunday 12th it was fun to see the Aston Martin Sports car doing a demonstration run or two.

However watching/listening to it trying to perform as a Safety Car/Pace car was pretty painful.

The observer said that he could not see much/anything to the rear and could not hear anything Race Control said on the radio due to the noise.

Ideal preparations for a difficult time and probably directly responsible for the confusion after the first aborted start. Also is an out and out racing car the best thing to have idling in the pits waiting to go out and then pootling around at 50mph or so?

Excellent grids and a nice mix of Astons, historic and contemporary plus lots of other interesting cars.

Regards

Jim

brickkicker · 13 Oct 2003, 16:56 (Ref:749868)

It was funny watching it being push started before it lead the cars away from the grid

Jinx · 13 Oct 2003, 17:04 (Ref:749886)

The safety car lights on top didn't look too good either. Would they have been better putting them on the rear wing so people could see them from behind!?!

ascarracinguk · 13 Oct 2003, 19:39 (Ref:750119)

yeh it was a WICKED pace car...best 1 ive seen...only problem was the light on top....did nothing for the aerodynamics lol

JimW · 13 Oct 2003, 19:43 (Ref:750123)

Quote:

Originally posted by Jinx
The safety car lights on top didn't look too good either. Would they have been better putting them on the rear wing so people could see them from behind!?!

Well at least they stayed put and did not trail around on the end of the cable.

Jim

theracegypsy · 13 Oct 2003, 20:13 (Ref:750160)

...and I thought this thread was going to be about Stuart Clark & the GT40 at Goodwood Revival!

ascarracinguk · 13 Oct 2003, 20:29 (Ref:750175)

i think the amr1 beats that!

wideloadfm · 13 Oct 2003, 20:34 (Ref:750181)

i thought the funniest thing was when the green flag was waved and the pace car was too far forward to see it!!! caused a little confusion!!!

Bodysnatcher · 14 Oct 2003, 08:28 (Ref:750595)

The glorious AMR1 sounds absolutely OTT and slightly, just slightly impracticable.

Jim, I though this was a topic about the least appropriate safety car we'd come across over the years.

A fun topic by itsself I thinks

We've all seen them - but some of the ones I remember.

A kart race at Brands - old boy in a tatty (?purple with rusty fringes) Volvo 240? Estate, pipe clenched in teeth, rotating gently into paddock's gravel trap.

Le Mans a couple of years back - those Caddy Sevilles? that had bits fly off them, and panel gaps that you could lose half the field in.

But the funniest (and potentially most dangerous) was a Merc G-Wagen at a german F3 race (Ok I only saw it on TV). Leading F3 passes safety car then brakes for hairpin - oops F3's can stop a lot quicker than a 4WD off roader. G-wagen mates with F3.

Now, what have you seen than was - shall we say not quite the right machinery for the job.

JimW · 14 Oct 2003, 08:32 (Ref:750597)

Quote:

Jim, I though this was a topic about the least appropriate safety car we'd come across over the years.

Good idea - there have been lots of candidates.

Jim

wookiee · 14 Oct 2003, 11:15 (Ref:750724)

As the observer in the GT40 with Stuart Clark as my driver I can assure you that the lights stayed on thanks to generous quantities of webbing! The sucker feet were only rated to 70mph! As far as visibility, all I could use was the rear view mirror and signal to the drivers by opening the door and sticking my hand out of the top! By the way, I am 6' 5" so there wasn't a lot of room, especially with the straps done up and a hat on. Mind you, the noise that got in the way of race control from time-to-time was the glorious sound of a semi-race 289 running Weber carbs and a quaife sequential 'box. Mmmmmmm... Some car, and much better than the road version we had available. Furthermore Stuart is a very good driver, and that makes all the difference when being scrambled. For those who don't know, we went out twice in the TT and were able to put in some suitably brisk laps...

wookiee · 14 Oct 2003, 11:18 (Ref:750729)

Oh, and Bodysnatcher - I remember the Volvo when it was taking the karts round. We were on post together and wondered why they all stoppped as the Volvo piroeutted (sp?) into the gravel. My, how we laughed!!

**garcon** · 14 Oct 2003, 13:45 (Ref:750883)

Never seen anything quite that silly, but I did get the impression at Oulton this year that the Seat Leon they were using wasn't quite the ideal thing to keep the GTs at a decent pace...

Not quite an inappropriate safety car, but I seem to remember the AMG did manage to completely miss the chicane before/during one of the support races at the Nurburgring this year...

greenbean · 14 Oct 2003, 17:23 (Ref:751139)

Quote:

[i.

But the funniest (and potentially most dangerous) was a Merc G-Wagen at a german F3 race (Ok I only saw it on TV). Leading F3 passes safety car then brakes for hairpin - oops F3's can stop a lot quicker than a 4WD off roader. G-wagen mates with F3.

Now, what have you seen than was - shall we say not quite the right machinery for the job. [/B]

the g wagen used in germany are not safty cars but intervention vehicles that are used for towing cars to safe places and for fire fighting

**Woolley** · 14 Oct 2003, 23:02 (Ref:751501)

I remember an American Racing Car Association race at Mallory (Mustangs, Chevys, etc) which had some well-heeled person in a 50s open top Chevrolet.

He spun it at Devil's Elbow, narrowly missed by the pack who were then greeted by the Red Flags at the Start line.

Bodysnatcher · 15 Oct 2003, 08:33 (Ref:751835)

Quote:

Originally posted by greenbean
the g wagen used in germany are not safty cars but intervention vehicles that are used for towing cars to safe places and for fire fighting

I stand corrected.
Thanks - I kind of knew that, but the for purposes of this little narrative, I used a wee bit of artistic licence.

Don't start me on intervention vehicles - anybody else ever have to drive the one at brands that had to be hot wired to start it?

JustinDawkins · 15 Oct 2003, 09:16 (Ref:751867)

...............Or the P100 at Oulton that doesn;t stop very easily!

wookiee · 15 Oct 2003, 11:57 (Ref:752032)

I fully expect that both of those will be turned into 'Wacky Racers' ready for the Festival of Speed. The way things are going we'll probably have Peter Perfect and Penelope Pitstop leading the field round at Silverstone next year...or the Popemobile to deter errant priests.

alec · 15 Oct 2003, 22:56 (Ref:752740)

Quote:

Originally posted by garcon
I seem to remember the AMG did manage to completely miss the chicane before/during one of the support races at the Nurburgring this year...

Like this? (if the pic works)

peter195001 · 16 Oct 2003, 17:46 (Ref:753499)

like a few i remember that volvo, did he also have his pet(dog) in the back.

PVDA · 22 Oct 2003, 11:06 (Ref:759299)

Quote:

Originally posted by alec
Like this? (if the pic works)

Ah yes, Frank Gardner put the Merc into the Turn 3 sand box at Albert Park earlier this year after trying to do the same at Turn 11 the previous day. The man in the blue suit is Dr Sid Watkins about to try and push it out

I was disappointed that Race Control didn't send a "boundary rider" to pick up Sid and put the Merc onto a tilt tray tow truck for the run back to the pit lane.

Magical Trevor · 22 Oct 2003, 23:49 (Ref:760119)

This wasn't used as an actual safety car, but it did lead the cars around for a lap as a "pace car"...

ascarracinguk · 23 Oct 2003, 00:39 (Ref:760146)

yeh thats like the fat porka 4 by 4 as the doctors car!

Garry Holmes · 24 Oct 2003, 07:56 (Ref:761612)

Wasn't Tony Worswick's Jordan used a as a pace car at a Kart event.

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