Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Kirk,
I wouldn’t say that Masters will be any less difficult for what you’ve described. Look at how many karts were off the track at the end of the Main.
Nick,
Kudos for the honesty and the brass to admit a mistake and look forward to getting better.
We all make mistakes. Few admit them to even themselves much less to others. Those that do can learn from them and learn faster than the people who live in denial.
#1. Read the rules.
Ian asked how many people had the rule book and the response was not good. If he would have asked how many people actually read and understood them the response would have been worse.
There is no Intentional contact allowed.
I know and accept that there will be some contact. I got nerfed out of the Heat race and had to start at the back which is not fun. But, as much as I had position, that situation was more of two people racing and not backing off. Inadvertant contact and I lost. Not happy about having to start at the back for the Main but I accept that kind of contact as part of racing.
Unfortunately I also know that some really good dirvers didn’t get to finish the main due to either
A. Overly Aggressive driving, or
B. Bad driving (used the car in front like a bumper car)When that happens it is sad because you lose out on good racing. At the very least the “bumper” should finish behind the “bumpee”. But with no flags we are effectively encouraging bad driving. Not good for anyone.
If we never enforce the rules we could end up with bad race results and the best racers might not go to the Nationals because we didn’t run clean races. That doesn’t mean no one will get nerf’d out, but it shouldn’t be as bad as it was.
I can’t figure out why Doug can see 3 or 4 Black Flag situations but none got called. ???
Agree with Doug and T.
This is Open Wheel racing, not SmashCar !
With open wheel the risk is too high for playing like a SmashCar bozo.
If you nerf someone out you finish behind them, or last. Go to a demo derby if you want, but that is not racing or skill it is just using a shortage of brain cells.
Inadvertant scrapes will happen and with tight racing a few incidental bumps will occur, but anything intentional is just someone with more testosterone than brains, and small amounts of both.
You’ll have to check with Jim, but I expect that things will start at normal times 8:00 practice, this week. I think Jim made an exception last race, but likely will start things at 8 this week as it ran a bit long last time.
figure about 1.5 – 2.0 hours between the practice – quals, quals – heat races and about 2+ hours wait for the mains. Maybe things will be a little faster this time but there are a lot of classes to run.
It was great having a field of 17 in TaG Masters.
Too bad the track and tires had cooled down so much by the final as I’m sure that caused a lot of the spinouts etc. etc.
The downside of starting in mid-march is that there are so few hours of daylight to run this many classes. Having the Fog roll in for the morning didn’t help but the weather was great after the fog burned off.
BTW, I did see some awesome racing as well. Tyler was so cool for so many laps. I was extremely impressed. The other driver will learn as well but put in an incredible run for a new racer.
It was sad to see the bumper fall off in one of the Jr class karts when there was great racing going on at that level as well.
I appreciate the time and effort a race director and corner judges put in. It is a lot of work that rarely gets even a pat on the back.
I had to test and qualify to be a Contest Director for R/C airplane races and combat. We start the first few contests of each year very strict to make sure everyone knows what cost points and what will get them DQ’d right away.
You are best to point out problems and nerfing on the first race, not later when someone will wonder why this time you decided to black flag them and not the previous time. At some point I may get flagged and I’ll try to learn what I did wrong.
I’d rather learn from a flag than from someone getting hurt. And I’d rather lwarn what is OK or careless AT THE BEGINNING of a season.
The CSC Rules are fairly clear and state that not only reckless, but careless driving will be penalized and can result in a black flag.
I’m not saying that 8 or 9 flags should have been pulled but it was pretty clear to me that over the course of the day 3 or 4 might have been in order from what I saw.
Sorry but I cannot disagree more strongly with “No Harm No Foul”.
This is Open Wheel Racing and blocking or nerfing is dangerous.
Even Michael Schumacher gets black Flagged at times, causing him to lose a lot of money and his place in racing history.
If people don’t get flagged for blocking or nerfing people we WILL have serious accidents. And most likely the person getting nerfed or injured will be the person driving within their capabilities! If you allow careless or questionable driving you won’t have as many people finishing races. Only 9 out of the field of 17 in TaG Masters finished the Qualifier. Some of that was self inflicted, but some wasn’t.
Enforcing the driving rules will force everyone to drive well and will keep more karts though the full race. This is not Stock car or even Nascar racing.
The best way to keep everyone healthy and driving at their best is to throw a black flag when deserved. Heck even wave a rolled flag from time to time. Not sure why that only happens when a bumper is dragging.
The Track has a fuel farm with both 93 and 98 (I believe). Of course it is racing fuel so it is about $8 / gal. But you will need to bring your own oil unless Jim has added that for this year.
There is not a shop with spare parts (nuts bolts etc.). However often SAC, Shockwave or other kart stores are there to help support drivers and you may be able to purchase some parts from them, or just bum something off of one of the other racers. People are pretty good about helping out if you need something.
But if you are concerned about specific parts make sure to bring it.
This weekend is not an RMax race so you can race in Tag class with any Tag kart including a Rotax. The RMax fee should not apply.
Your entry includes you. The pit passes are for additional people.
One thing that might not be clear is that there is a “The Track License” that you need for the year ($15). Not sure if that is required for club race days as well or just non race days, but you should expect it. You may also want to reserve pit space if you plan to be right at the staging area. When you drive up Sunday any spot with an orange cone is pre-reserved. That is what they mean by reserved pit space.
While this is a bit confusing it is a Lot better registering early rather than waiting until race day, standing in line and possibly not being ready for practice time at the crack of dawn.
Lots of ways to go. Again, stop at a track and ask questions.
Used will cost $3-4k for the kart but it might include some extra goodies like a stand or exxtra wheels etc.
You can get good karts from any of the dealers around here, but the cheapest “new” package is probably the Adiamo from Tim at SAC for around $4,500. You can get these and other great karts for about $3,000 used, or you can go for better packages from SAC, Billet, Shockwave, IMI…
Get out and get some laps, then try some races. You will have a lot of laps between the time you get hooked and the time that you will be able to know what subtle tuning features you want in a kart. And regardless what you will want, more lap time will be what you need.
