I'd like to know what you guys would do?

 

hell i was in a battle for position on the last lap, when 3rd and 4th place came up behind me in a battle. i figured their race was more important than mine and let them by.

 

it's a gentleman's thing to do. Of course everyone out there isn't a gentleman, but it's a lot more fun when you know the guys your racing with are gentleman.

 

for the most part I try to show as much respect in a situation like that as I can.

There are times though that its just not safe to open yourself up like that. This past weekend I got caught in the middle of a battle like that and made some minor contact with the 2nd car. I was not "letting" either of them by..it just wasn't a safe place to do so. (roller coaster at VIR) The first one made a clean pass, the 2nd one went for the hole created.

I am much more likely to not pass someone who is in a battle. In SSC last year I found myself a lot in back of Spec Miata Battles and SSB battles and faster. If no one was pushing me I wasn't going to stick my nose in and disrupt the race. Some of it out of being nice, some of it for the same reason i wouldn't jump into a dog fight.

The nicest I ever was would have been VIR a couple years ago in a Formula Ford while lapping a group of 5 Formula Vs. I caught them at the base of the esses and knowing that picking them off there would break up the draft they had going, I waited till the back straight to go by them all at once.

Jon K
http://www.seat-time.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'd like to know what you guys would do?</TD></TR></TABLE>


I think this one could also go another way if you aren't a battle for position and come up on a class battle for position don't mess there race up either.

 

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I think this one could also go another way if you aren't a battle for position and come up on a class battle for position don't mess there race up either.

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since we have to run with ITE cars (can you say HP difference?? ), the opportunity is there to lap every single one of us at just about every track. one of the frontrunners in ITE has been known to slow down and not lap the race leaders if there is a battle going on, so that the guys in the fight get their full allotment of laps to sort things out between them for the win. now THAT is courteous in my book.

 

I'm always in a good fight with the Miatas. There not in my class, will they can be just choose not to be, but they still like to pike on a Toyota.

 

I will let em by for sure and have always.

 

Man why do you have to pick on pit crew.

 

You gotta do what you gotta do......

And thats all I gotta say about that...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tnord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

since we have to run with ITE cars (can you say HP difference?? ), the opportunity is there to lap every single one of us at just about every track. one of the frontrunners in ITE has been known to slow down and not lap the race leaders if there is a battle going on, so that the guys in the fight get their full allotment of laps to sort things out between them for the win. now THAT is courteous in my book.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It is very courteous, and even if it isn't the leaders. In a DC region ITA race the leader could lap about half the field, and if I ever had a big lead I would let the backmarkers battle it out. It was also pretty cool to watch a race while I was racing myself.

 

1. If I'm not in a battle for position and out-of-class cars come up behind me or in front of me, I try and leave them alone.

2. If I'm in a battle for position in my own class. and I come up on another battle, I honestly don't much care about the other class battles. And i expect them to realize that I'm racing for position just as they are.

 

I have been in both situations, but mostly I am in a faster car, I share the track with IT cars, some are over 20 seconds a lap slower, the quickest is 7 seconds a lap slower.
At our small track I prefer the other cars stay on line and do not do "let" me buy, the speed difference is huge and I prefer to know they are going to stay where they are and not change line.
I try not to disturb class races, or even good battles with separate classes, I can usually pass several cars at once on the front straight and I will wait until there to pass sometimes. The truth is that I am the oddball and a pain to the IT cars, I am not racing with anyone, just having fun. There are some people that still try to hold me, blocking and stuff, I have no idea why?