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MARCH 17-18 at California Speedway! Race or HPDE!


Tim Comeau

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Chris,

It was great having you up there! Funny enough, Glen HAD a late model axle in his trailer!

 

It's not a big deal. I appreciate all the help you guys had offered, but I was glad to get home and still have time to relax.

 

Starting this weekend, the cooling system, axle and engine vibration issues are going to get resolved.

 

Back on topic: I'm sorry to hear most of you guys got banged up. I hope the start issues get sorted out...

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Joe and Norm...

 

I actually was NEITHER kicking fellow racers when they are down or suggesting fault of any particular racer(s) as I wasnt there.....

 

But a 13/13 rule is not arbitrary... I bet out of 40 cars on that grid, there were 20-30 cameras rolling... How tough is it to determine who caused the melee....

 

13/13 rules require fair stewardship... if your contact was truly unavoidable... then there would be no penalty...

 

Really... rather than defend the incident.... think about the lack of contact in clubs that promote the 13/13 rule....

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Sorry to hear about the cars that got banged up.

If NorCal can help out in any ways, please let us know. We found a good source of 944 body parts that's fairly reasonable. front left or right fenders ($125), doors ($100), etc. if you can't source it locally.

 

This situation also got me thinking to request for a separate green flag with the race director.

We been fortunate and been given a separate green for all but one race and it would cost the race director nothing but a four to six seconds gap.

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This situation also got me thinking to request for a separate green flag with the race director.

We been fortunate and been given a separate green for all but one race and it would cost the race director nothing but a four to six seconds gap.

That always seems to be the thinking. Yet saturday's start of 61 cars was organized by time, not class. And there were no problems that day...

 

I know there are passionate feelings about grid set up and class flags and what not. I do not hold a strong opinion one way or another. I had never been in a 61 car field before and was excited about the grid-by-time simply because I'd never done it before. Turned out to be the best and closest racing I've ever had at Fontana. I thought it was bitchen.

 

Resonable minds my differ.

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Turned out to be the best and closest racing I've ever had at Fontana. .

 

 

Its not like you really needed to race anyone you are in a class of your own by yourself.

 

Edo

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I was behind Mikael and on the outside of Glen on the start. My video, which catches my Wink mirror, shows some of what happened. The group was not tightly formed up as was requested in the drivers meeting.

Entering the straight, the front of the pack was not formed too badly just loose. The back of the pack was too strung out. The group started to pick up speed trying to get a flyer (me included) then had to slow down when the flag was not dropped.

 

It looks like Hal rearended Mickey then was slammed by the white car behind him who in turn was rearended. After the contact and before the green, a black Focus came flying up the middle. I am susprised he did not nail me or someone else.

 

Not really any individual's fault, it was a collective screw up.

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EDO,

 

Great video and it does show almost all. After watching it and watching my in car cam, this is what I saw happen.

 

The blue Honda is the last car of that group and I am the first of the 944-specs just behind the blue Honda in the gold 944.

 

The blue Honda almost hit the white car in front of him nearly 3 seconds before the green flag causing him to slam his brakes on. Now, the chain reaction begins. When you see the last of the collisions by an orange BMW, that is when the green flag came out.

 

ABOUT THE SPEED VARIATIONS: just before getting onto the straight, in 2nd gear I was doing 4000 rpm's, when I reached the transition onto the straight, I was at 6400rpm's, just before the blue car hit his brakes I was back to 5000rpm's. Obviously the speed changes are what caused the collisions, the root of the problem was the big gaps between the cars ahead of us. So, the inability of drivers keeping a safe, close and consistant distance between them and the car ahead created the accordian effect and by the time the white and blue Honda's hit there brakes we were screwed.

 

Looking back, since the 944-specs were starting together, we should have agreed to sit back 3 or so, seconds from the last Honda and wait for the green in our own pack.

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Maybe NASA coule have suggested (for this track) that the entire group STARTS their gridding on the back straight Under the bridge. If they had STARTED it there, then it would have been tighter heading into the last sequence of turns and onto the straight. I bet people were still playing catch up through the last sequence of corners?

 

A possible suggestion for the future. Other clubs designate a location way back from the last turns to get the grid together. And the emphasis is really put on the pole sitters shoulders to do this.

 

P.D.

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Jim, we don't need any additional rules in our class. If the rules that are in place were followed, this wouldn't have happened.

At the meeting, Ryan asked that we be formed up BEFORE turn 12. That's the end of the inside straight. He even pointed to the track map.

 

The fact that so many drivers were caught up in the incident also lends evidence to the idea that it was not the poor driving of the people with contact, but rather it was a situation that was impossible to react to in time. The blame rests squarely on the shoulders of those pacing our group. Had they slowed up enough to form the field as instructed, and WHERE instructed, AND THEN PACED THE FIELD AT A CONSTANT SPEED, this incident would not have had room to occur.

 

Edo,

Thanks for the video. That's the view I was hoping for. Scroll to 4:45. The lead Hondas were coming onto the front straight way too fast after ALSO having not given the field behind them time to form up 2 by 2.

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EDO,

 

Great video. Thanks for posting. Kind of hard to watch my car getting shortened by 6 inches at each end, but it clearly showed what took place. With the size of this field and overall chaos while forming the group for the start, it was bound to happen!

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Sorry for you guys cars getting damaged.

Im just the video messenger i didnt take the video.

Hopefully everyone will have their cars sorted out till next month good luck.

 

 

Edo

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