Pace car activity?

[spanner]

I have managed to find a draft timetable for the Brands round, but maybe someone can help me out as i havent really been following Champcar or know much of the schedules at each round.
Apparently there is half an hour after each Champcar practise called Pace car activity. Is this really fro the pace car to practise as well? What is the pace car? do they have to set the car up to that kind of degree so they need a lengthy session?

Just curious as i will be there marshaling-for all the UK stuff anyway.

[racerkeke]

There are multiple pace cars, each driven by a woman (altho one or more may be commandeered by somebody like Mario). Their role is to take VIPs on rides at speed around the circuit. There is also a race pace car. One time we used the pace car so much it ran out of gas and we had to go to the spare for the last bit of the race.

For the start of the race, the pace cars other than the race pace car act as parade cars (again filled with VIPs), and follow the race pace car for the first pace lap. They then go into the pits and the race pace car leads them for the next two laps usually.

A certain amount of sweeping, tire wall repair, lunch delivery etc. goes on during these sessions but one person at each station has to remain on the headset and, as at Long Beach, any blind corner entry stations must be prepared to flag for work going on in the corner. The pace cars do have radios but flags seem to be more effective in getting their attention!

Please note, these are essentially road cars but they have had water-cooled brakes added, and other performance "bits". The women do thrash them altho if they hit something with them I understand it's a ticket home for good.

keke

[Dov]

It's just to keep the fans entertained. At the Molson Indy Toronto we have four different racing series that practice, qualify and race Friday, Saturday and Sunday. CASCAR (Canadian Stock Car Series), Barber Dodge Pro Series, Toyota Atlantic (your F3000) and CART. So anytime there isn't one of those racing series on the track they send out between 4-8 pace cars (Dodge Vipers/Corvettes/Audi/Lexus) to fly around the track. Sometimes they take dignitaries (local politicians/actors/athletes) for rides....to bad they don't take fans.

[Jay]

Originally posted by racerkeke
The women do thrash them altho if they hit something with them I understand it's a ticket home for good.

They're not all women actually.. At least they didn't used to be. I remember a few years back watching some guy stuff a pace car into the tires at the end of Lakeshore in Toronto. Those guys/gals really push them!

But, yeah, asm keke said, the non-race pace cars are to give VIPs, contest winners etc a chance to see the circuit at speed. And I suppose it acts as a filler between sessions while the track is cleaned, etc. If you're attending the race though, I'd consider it dead track time. (Unless the pace car fleet really does excite you that much..they are interesting cars and sometimes the drivers mess up)

[spanner]

thanks guys, it does seem a bit strange to me. Normally over here they would be circulating during a lunch break. From what i can see they have an hour total on sat and sun. Just how many VIPs can there be!

[Dov]

Like I said in my first thread...the pace cars are there to entertain the fans. Dignitaries (VIPs) only get an occasional ride during the weekend...mainly on Sunday (before the CART race).

[Crash Test]

As far as I'm concerned, it's good track time that could be used by another category... if they really must practice or take big shots for rides, why can't they do it at 7:30am or in the evening, at a time when the paying punters aren't there getting bored out of their brains...

[Jay]

I know in Toronto the Pace car activities are usually during times that one series is moving their equipment out of the pit lane, and the next one is moving their stuff into the pits, so I don't think they were taking away from any other series.

That said, obviously the Canadian events all have a full schedule of support events I realize a lot of other events don't have these schedules. That should be changed, even if it is just the most amateur series around - it's still something for the fans to watch.

[kmchow]

For the last several years, the PPG Pace car team have been piloted by noted and respected female racers. The cars are all modified street cars. One reason why there are pace cars is that you have a captive audience. While the track is being cleaned up and checked, you can parade a bunch of nice, fast and typically expensive cars around the track.
Perhaps somebody will see the car and want one? How effective the pace cars are at generating sales is another story.

Just like the tobacco ban reasoning, will seeing a Toyota Solara or MB E320 pace car make me wanna buy run out immediately to buy one??

[Crash Test]

Generally what they do on the Gold Coast when changing over in pit lane is to sent the support vehicles out behind the cars as they head off to the grid (either the event before, or at the time of the event, depending on the various complexities involved with setting up different booms etc).

And really, I wouldn't want to be out fixing up barriers while the pace cars are buzzing around... these things have been known to crash in the past. Maybe it is just worse down here because it is such a long track. Half a dozen cars on an oval might keep you from falling asleep, but on a 5km long street track, it doesn't really cut it.

BTW- if i wanted to have a good look at said cars, I rock off to the local dealership and take one for a test drive myself