June Sprints Event Thread

That was one of the most frustrating races I have ever run...

I was looking forward to a good race with Pitts. We qualified 0.1 sec apart and started next to each other.
We both got to take turns getting 'screwed' by faster class cars

I lost a lot of ground at the start and Pitts got quite a gap on me, but I wasn't too worried as I figured he would get held up, and I was right.
I managed to pass him before the FCY and led on the restart, only to get balked by the yellow 240Z. We went back & forth like that taking turns getting hosed. I screwed up big time on the front straight with a cringe-worthy missed shift.

I had my move planned for the last lap and was going to take both Pitts and the black MGB under braking in turn 5 with all three of us going super deep...only to pop over the hill and see the Opel sideways at the Apex from hitting the wall. I had my choice...drill the Opel or take the runoff road.

I elected to take the escape route...

I had one last shot on the back half and also tried to get a run out of 14 to the checker but came up short buy a car length

I did have fun running hard with Pitts. We ran hard & clean inclusing a side-by-side run thru the Kink and a couple of times thru 13.

First time out on the 13" Radial. Still need to dial the car in to work with them so the jury is still out for me as to which is faster...but I have to admit, you can abuse the hell out of them and they do not fall off.

Here's the in car.
Part 1 before the FCY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puoAcioYwQc

Part 2 picks up after the FCY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBYR-dPwu2I
 
Hey, I have a idea.... :think: Why not just make E and F Prod. one class than everyone can stop bitching about the slow E cars.
Times are really close, do a few adjustments weight, brakes etc. all minimum expense, than call it E or F Prod. The few really fast E cars just put them in GT3. G Prod was already eliminated, but just think you would have 40 to 50 cars in one class.WOW! :applause: Plus we would not have to worry about combined classes qualifying for 4 days. SCCA will have one less class so they can add some other class that will have less than 10 entries at the Runoffs.

M. Sturm
#48 EP
 
What ever is done or not done, it needs to be fixed. The national championships should not be decided by a back marker that, by their qualifying times, will be lapped. An accident, an off or a malfunction is one thing but a car destined to impact the leaders in some way can be addressed.
 
With all due respect, slower cars have always been a part of racing at all levels, amateur and professional. If there is a question of a slower driver constantly not being aware or making imprudent moves that impede a faster car, that can be addressed on a case by case basis. One of the challenges has always been dealing with traffic. That is part of the art of racing. Having been both the tortoise and the hare, I can sympathize with both sides. I have seen numerous videos where the overtaking driver closes in too soon and then is slowed into or out of the turn. That isn't the fault of the slower car. However, that being said, the slower car should be aware and try to adjust so as not to impede the faster car. A point by is always nice. That doesn't address the issue of similar laptimes but different straightaway and cornering speeds. Years ago at Lime Rock I had a car repeatedly passed me on the front straight and held me up on the rest of the track. It took 12 laps, but when I managed to stay ahead of him I was 2 1/2 seconds a lap faster. He should have let me stay ahead into Big Bend instead passinfg at the last instant each lap. I would hope most drivers are aware enough not to repeatedly do that same thing. But, I beieve the bottom line is that we all have a right to be out there and by the GCR the leading car has the right to the line.
 
I echo what the fast F and H guys are saying about getting their races screwed by cars in other classes. After years of being on both ends, I make every attempt to not foul someone else's race. In the race I pointed Kannard and Sargis by at places where I knew they were better without messing up my race. Unfortunately many drivers don't see that they might actually learn something from the guys that are fast in the corners and seem to not want to work with them at all. Sorry for spinning in a back marker's oil slick and ruining my race in the gravel trap. At least the corner workers threw a debris flag after I spun. That's racn', cheap, fun and rewarding !


Sam Moore

EP BMW Z3
 
I can be negative without even trying. Mike, do you really want E & F combined into one race class. You'll be just like Spec Miata & that doesn't always turn out well.

Sam, had the corner workers been on their toes the debri flag would have been out long before you arrived as I recall the event from T5 high in the bleachers. Crap, the oil spiller almost spun in his own oil going up hill to T6. Had they used the % rule there may have been no spilled oil. Just saying..............
 
While a split start may alleviate the problem at the beginning of the race the problem sound like it was on the restart. Would there have been enough distance between the two fields to keep them separated at the time the yellow came out?

I favor the idea of split starts in combined races but I am not sure that it would have made any real difference in this situation from the sounds of things.
 
Combining E and F would just result in a class that would be similar to G before its demise. E and F are healthy classes now, why mess it up and drive away cars that could potentially kill a combined class.

A split start would alleviate much of the problem and everybody would just have to deal with any full course yellows. It would be nice if slower cars in faster classes would respect the faster cars in slower classes by not interfering with their race. Unfortunately, it is tough for someone with a potentially faster car to let another with a slower car beat them. Most of us have egos to feed out there on the track; we just need to learn to not let it override our better judgment.
 
Unfortunately, I was watching from the Sargento bridge...engine let go in T 3 of lap 1 or I may have been in the middle of the FP race too :?

I felt for the P-2 car in EP, the RX-8 because I knew somebody was going to complain. He was at the head of the Kannard-Ruck-Sargis train every time they passed and it's hard to believe that he did not affect the outcome. What's he supposed to do, just wave them by and watch? Many say he should have, but he was racing too. Gist was close enough behind and Hummel was on top of Gist. This is a podium finish at the June Sprints we're talking about.

My times have been dropping and I've been in the unfortunate situation where I'm in someone elses race. I can still see a car in class ahead, and another in my mirror so what sucks worse; pulling out of line to let them pass then having another car in the same class car jump you :doh: (been there), or taking the flack because you were in the middle of somebody elses race :oops: (done that)? I suppose there will always be some dergee of overlap, but podium cars should not have to move over and watch just to be courteous. If the powers that be want to eliminate it, they could.

The obvious answer is to adjust the classes so the front runners of one class are not overlapping the front runners of another class. Sure, Brakke was 2.5 seconds faster, but he was out. You can't say that the EP times are 5 second faster because that weekend, they were not. Maybe the track was slow and the 2:33 FP cars would have been 2:31 in faster conditions. The top of the EP field was closer to the FP leaders times than it should be and it created a podium changing situation. I expect this to continue and can count on lots of complaining for qualifying at the runoffs.

So what do you do? Just deal with it (probably), slow classes down (unlikely), emphasize overall finishing place (open another can of worms), split starts (an option that goes out with the FCY), enlist etiquitte (yea right, everybody will go for that), etc?

Is it just me, or is this bocoming more of an issue than it has been in the past?
 
S. Henry":2rszscnx said:
please send letters to the crb to ask that E and F not qualify together at the runoffs.
Click to expand...

Sam, I think the most effective way to get a schedule change might be to offer a solution and the reasons why its better. Classes are going to be combined, so what would you prefer to see? FP/HP and EP/GTL or FP/GTL and EP/HP?

Is there a consensus? Maybe a unified front is the best approach.
 
I don't have a reference to be sure but didn't Eprod and Fprod have seperate qualifying sessions when the schedule first came out? Did it change?

Oh, and I my suggested aternative would be to combine Spec Miata and STU for all practice and qualifying sessions :twisted:
 
Curtis":2xmpfmha said:
I don't have a reference to be sure but didn't Eprod and Fprod have seperate qualifying sessions when the schedule first came out? Did it change?
Click to expand...

No they were combined from the outset. I don't see it as big of an issue because if they do it as they have in the past, they will split the cars by class. Besides, you're going for one lap. If you get around a car you can't get by, you back off and look for clear track.

That said, there's a number of other reasons why guys in both E and F would probably like to be separated.
 
On the other side, congratulations to the winners EP- Pritchard, FP- Sargis, HP- Moser and GTL- Dentici.

Sargis always impresses me with those fast laps he can do. Kennard, Prill and Ruck aren't far behind Sargis these days. Seemed like Bovis was slower than normal, even with his new SIR. Looks like Justin Pritchard is settling into his new surroundings.
 
BLinn":37585yn4 said:
Seemed like Bovis was slower due to his new (smaller) SIR.
Click to expand...
Fixed that for you...
The 23mm restrictor has really choked their cars down. At Blackhawk, Chris could barely pull me down the straights.

He also had to switch to a back up motor as a precaution when he had cooling issues in qualifying.

He also had an interesting encounter with a low flying bird in practice ...Chris 1, Bird 0 :lol:
 
Finally got mine up too. This Race Technology Video4 system is still new to me, so I'm still trying to figure things out with it. Obviously the sound is one of those, and the Oil Pressure is reading twice as high as it should and needs to be smoothed out and averaged. Plus this is the first time I've tried editing the file at all, and the not super great quality is from compressing it down to about a quarter of its original file size. Need to keep fiddling with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GDqBgSWADE
 
No they were combined from the outset. I don't see it as big of an issue because if they do it as they have in the past, they will split the cars by class. Besides, you're going for one lap. If you get around a car you can't get by, you back off and look for clear track.
Click to expand...
The track is 4 miles long, there is no way one can predict a clear track. If you catch a slower car after 8 you are screwed, and it will take another 2 minutes before you can get another shot.
Going back to my point some months ago, 4 days of combined qualifying at the Runoffs is unacceptable. Who has ever heard qualifying for that long for any Motorsport? If you need that much track time do a Regional, National or rent some track time. As a last resort have at least one session single class.

M. Sturm
#48 EP
 
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