Here is a question that I have to all H-C racers...

As I sat watching the Honda Challenge races from the sidleines, ....again...., I thought about this:

How bout inverting the starts so that the fastest qualifiers start from the back and the slower qualifiers up front? It might make for some more interesting racing. I say this, because I had a blast starting from the back in the small bore races in the Sentra this past weekend. Again this is just a suggestion and all thoughts and feedback are gladly encouraged...

Eric
'90 H1 Wagon


[Modified by PS4SE-R, 7:14 PM 8/7/2002]

 

Wouldn't that lead to people intentionally qualifying slow?

 

uh, yeah what kind of racing would that be then?

 

NASCAR?

 

*snap*

 

Good point, however, I wouldn't pay money to race and then intentionally drive slower just so I could be at the front of the pack. I honestly have a much better time in a pack of cars then running by myself in a race. I honestly don't know how many people would intentionally qualify slower on purpose. Just my two cents.

Eric

 

why bother qualifying then. start up front.

 

I don't want to hold up the quicker people. Just being out there is good for me. I've got a LOT to learn before I can hang with the likes of Jon, Corey, Warren, etc. I see what you mean, but I think the current format is the best

 

If you had the luxury of having two races on a weekend you could make the second race a non points paying reverse grid race run just for the fun of it. Letting the points paying race determine the grid position for the fun race would probably prevent sandbagging.

Scott, who remembers being penalized for jumping the start and jamming the gate motocrossing and having to start pointed backwards.....before a more intelligent self penalizing gate was installed at that particular track....man that's way back....

 

Having experienced it myself at Aummit during round 2, I have to say that working one's way back to the front is indeed great fun.

I'm not sure how we'd handle something like a mechanical problem though. Scott's brakes were all fouled up last Saturday and he qualified poorly as a result. So this would put him up front after fixing his car.

Interesting concept - just playing devils advocate with you.

 

hmmmm....interesting thought

 

Im not in the ECHC, but I know for most of them $$ is tight. Fun racing is a great idea, but the thought of breaking something during a fun race, sucks...

Tank-boy has enough problem keeping his car running as it is..

 

Good point Karl, mechanical problems would lead to a slower lap time and higher grid position. A possible way to address that is have all h5 cars up front followed by h4, h3, h2, h1. You could then qualify within each group. H5 would have the first 5 grid positions and then so on....

Just trying to have some fun with this...

Eric

 

i think that idea of reverse gridding the groups and still maintaining qualifying positions within groups is a more feasible idea to promote more passing. but i still think the top guys should stay up front. give them a couple laps for their own racing, then let them have to deal with back marker traffic.

Tyson who has no stake at ECHC, just saying his opinion


[Modified by Tyson, 11:52 AM 8/7/2002]

 

I don't know that inverting the field is the best way to accomplish it but I do agree with you that I like close racing and wish that the racing was closer. I was almost bored at Summit at times. (I did say almost.) CMP was much better with real close racing for me from start to finish on Sunday and close racing much of the race on Sat. I mean, close racing is what it is all about. I think it would be cool to have 3 H3 cars battling at the same time, although that has not happened yet. I don't think I am the only guy out there that really needs to learn how to race vs. just lapping at speed. I can't seem to pass anyone or keep similiar speed cars behind me to save my ***. I am sure much of that is due to lack of experience. (Although I did thoroughly enjoy rolling Franza in practice out of turn 13.)

Chris

 

The way most inverted starts are handled is that only the top 10 positions are inverted. If somebody sandbags qualifying too much, they end up way in the back, and out of contention. With only the top 10 inverted, you still have to try for a good time, and it adds an element of strategy. You also don't have the mass hysteria coming into turn 1 like you would with a fully inverted field.

Matt

 

You're too modest, Chris. The only view I had in Saturday's race was your rear end trying to catch Warren. I kept trying to close in, but you guys were just too damn steady!

Jason-
who was shouting vulgarities at his steering wheel during Saturday's race in an attempt to "make his car go faster"


[Modified by Jason Franza, 4:55 PM 8/7/2002]

 

A friend of mine in Washington State spent a whole season starting a front-row car at the back of the grid at each race, for this very reason...

Kirk

 

Thanks man! Haha. I was trying to get my car to speed up as well to no avail. You are not messing around out there though. I have a feeling I will be chasing you around instead of Warren at one of the next events.

Chris

 

One request guys. Can we not lap the co-director? Thanks.

 

ROTFLMAO!!!!

 

[rookie chief] Inverting the entire field is not a good idea. It is one thing to deal with the speed differentials after several laps when the the cars have spaced out, but when they are still bunched up it could get ugly. There will be a major sense of urgency on the part of the drivers in the faster cars at the back, and they are going to try to push past the slower cars, and I'll go so far as to say that contact in turn 1 will almost be guaranteed. It's just too much chaos to deal with multiple cars overtaking you while still trying to fight for position in your own class. If you only invert the top 10, it *could* work, but I still think it is way too risky for a series that's top priority is supposed to be preservation of the cars. [/rookie chief]


Matt

 

I totally agree. That would be a safety issue. Good call.

 

20.2.2 Adjustments / Inverts
The Race Director reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments in the grid order to correct mistakes, or to ensure fairness. The Race Director also reserves the right to invert the grid, all or in part, or mandate that the top qualifiers draw for grid. It is the competitor’s responsibility to know his/her position on the grid.

It's great to be King.

Grumpy

 

I see it sorta like Matt describes - a big ball moving into T1 at once. JMO of-course.