Poll Gridding at the Nationals

[maxxfish]

I have no problem being modest, so here's my thought. Last year in the Mid Atlantic region I ran GTS-3. This year, my car has 75 more HP, and I'm running GTS-4. However, it's been a season of sorting, dialing-in, breaking, crashing, etc. My lap times this year are actually slower than last year! Hopefully it will run like a gem for Nationals....

 

Anyway, I hate getting in people's way, especially if they're in a "slower" class, I say grid by fastest car, regardless of class.

[mmills416]

The only thing I would be concerned with is putting a a clearly faster car at the back of the grid VS behind the slowest car in that class. Like lets say Stickley gets mechanicals during the Qualifing races and doesn't finish one of them. So instead of starting 60th he starts behind the slowest GTS - 5 car.

 

That doesn't reward the car to much and minimizes his impact on the other classes.

 

Like you said you can still get though everybody and not have any issues.

That would be a hell of a way to win a Nats!!!!!!

 

Mike,

 

Last year the fastest car(CS) started at the back of the field for saturdays qualifying race. He managed to finish 7th, overall in just a 20 minutes race. Which in turn put him second on the grid for the championship race. He was well ahead until a mechanical problem. In the championship race on Sun. John Haas (GTS4) started at the back of the field and finished first in GTS4 and won the National Championship.

 

The same thing happened in '06 when Hal Prewitt(GTS5) started at the back and won the race overall. We have not had any real problems the last two years and there is really no need to try and re-invent the procedure. I know T&S worked hard at coming up with a program to keep track of all the Qualifying races finishing positions and produce a championship grid based on the points system.

 

Everything has worked well the last two years and no one lucked into a championship, because where someone else started on the grid. Look forward to meeting you and seeing the M3 i've heard so much about on bf.c.

 

 

Cheers, Scott B.

'96 BMW M3 GTS3 #88

 

Looking forward to meeting you to. It will be nice to get out of texas and race with all the BMW's I only get to read about.

[cstreit911]

BMW's, BMW's, BMW's, that's all I ever hear about....

[ianacole]

BMW's, BMW's, BMW's, that's all I ever hear about....

 

Well, then, let me tell you about my Volkswagen...

[mmills416]

BMW's, BMW's, BMW's, that's all I ever hear about....

 

Well, then, let me tell you about my Volkswagen...

 

Hows does the old VW commercial go

 

VEEDUBE your ride!!!!

[cstreit911]

I hear Scott has even more horesepower after some recent modifications. I lucked into a spy pic.

 

[scottbm3]

I hear Scott has even more horesepower after some recent modifications. I lucked into a spy pic.

 

 

 

I'm gonna have to restrict those down if I want to stay in GTS3......

 

 

 

-Scott

[JSG1901]

That's gonna be hard to draft.

[Sterling Doc]

That's gonna be hard to draft.

 

Nah, the real exhaust is a 1" tube deep inside

[911.racer]

Sorry to weigh in late on this one.

 

I would vote for starting by class then time. I am really thinking of Sundays race, not the qualifying races.

 

I know first hand how poor a start you can get if you end up not finishing a qualifying race. To be put behind a fleet of cars at the start is an unmeasurable penalty (unless you are Scott in August).

 

It has happened to me and it can happen to any of us. One bad finish in a qualifying race that starts you 33rd instead of 8th and you may as well put it on the trailer.

 

Plus, although Scott made it through clean in August, is really was not safe for him to have blast between two rows of cars. If one of the cars had moved in on him it would have been a pinball game. Would Scott have gotten a 13 I wonder. Look at what happened to Sacha last year (I think July) when he, John H, and I started in the back after a bad qualifying.

 

Ed

[bmw22]

What about a third option, some what of a compromise. We grid by times with no consideration for class with this exception. No car grids more than 5 seconds behind their fastest lap. example: A GTS4 car that has a fastest lap of 1:34 for the event, but DNFs in on of the qualifying races. This would normally put him last for the big race on Sunday. But instead if that, he would be gridded right behind the cars that have best laps of 1:39. The end result would be that he would start behind most GTS3 cars, a couple GTS2 cars but in front of all GTS1 and most GTS2 which would provide a safer race for all. For sake of easy administration, time would not be round up or down. We would use whole seconds and just drop anything right of the decimal.

[Eric W.]

What about a third option, some what of a compromise. We grid by times with no consideration for class with this exception. No car grids more than 5 seconds behind their fastest lap. example: A GTS4 car that has a fastest lap of 1:34 for the event, but DNFs in on of the qualifying races. This would normally put him last for the big race on Sunday. But instead if that, he would be gridded right behind the cars that have best laps of 1:39. The end result would be that he would start behind most GTS3 cars, a couple GTS2 cars but in front of all GTS1 and most GTS2 which would provide a safer race for all. For sake of easy administration, time would not be round up or down. We would use whole seconds and just drop anything right of the decimal.

 

That woulda been nice in 2006

[ianacole]

What about a third option, some what of a compromise. We grid by times with no consideration for class with this exception. No car grids more than 5 seconds behind their fastest lap. example: A GTS4 car that has a fastest lap of 1:34 for the event, but DNFs in on of the qualifying races. This would normally put him last for the big race on Sunday. But instead if that, he would be gridded right behind the cars that have best laps of 1:39. The end result would be that he would start behind most GTS3 cars, a couple GTS2 cars but in front of all GTS1 and most GTS2 which would provide a safer race for all. For sake of easy administration, time would not be round up or down. We would use whole seconds and just drop anything right of the decimal.

 

Sounds like a reasonable compromise.

[scottbm3]

What about a third option, some what of a compromise. We grid by times with no consideration for class with this exception. No car grids more than 5 seconds behind their fastest lap. example: A GTS4 car that has a fastest lap of 1:34 for the event, but DNFs in on of the qualifying races. This would normally put him last for the big race on Sunday. But instead if that, he would be gridded right behind the cars that have best laps of 1:39. The end result would be that he would start behind most GTS3 cars, a couple GTS2 cars but in front of all GTS1 and most GTS2 which would provide a safer race for all. For sake of easy administration, time would not be round up or down. We would use whole seconds and just drop anything right of the decimal.

 

Hey Mark,

 

Since we start the championship race based on points from qualifying races not time, it may be a bit difficult for T&S to slot them in the proper spot. Should a 134.999 get the same consideration as a 134.001 ? A dnf will not nessacerily(sp) put you at the back. If you won a race(100 pts) and your dnf put you 50th(26pts.) You would start where ever your total points add up to. That would be ahead of people that lets say finished 13th and 14th. overall in both qualifying races.

 

Ok, lets say you do it the way you purposed, I think that if you get DQ'd in one of the qualifying races you still start where your points would place you. No allowance for fast time. Once again just my opinion.

 

-Scott

[bmw22]

Just throwing that out there as an option.

 

I would like to see something where a DQ for GTS5 car was not more of a penalty than a DQ for a GTS1 car. Also, The GTS5 penalty affects the races of every single class, where the GTS1 penalty only affects GTS1, and there is a bit of a safety issue to look at. Not this year, but we'll open this discussion long before next years championships.

[scottbm3]

Just throwing that out there as an option.

 

I would like to see something where a DQ for GTS5 car was not more of a penalty than a DQ for a GTS1 car. Also, The GTS5 penalty affects the races of every single class, where the GTS1 penalty only affects GTS1, and there is a bit of a safety issue to look at. Not this year, but we'll open this discussion long before next years championships.

 

Mark,

 

I guess there is good and bad senerios with all the options. I have no problem running any of the plans that eventually get implemented. As you noted , I just think it should be something that has been done and known about all season and not just changed at the last minute for Nationals. Thanks for all your help, see ya in a few days.

 

-Scott

[116svvh]

Mark and others

 

I never really thought about the penalty being more severe for GTS4 or 5 drivers than GTS1 or 2. That is true. I think a compromise might be the way to go to even that out and it would probably make for safer racing. It is definitely worth looking into for next year. That proposal sure would have saved me a lot of spots last year.

[scottbm3]

Mark and others

 

I never really thought about the penalty being more severe for GTS4 or 5 drivers than GTS1 or 2. That is true. I think a compromise might be the way to go to even that out and it would probably make for safer racing. It is definitely worth looking into for next year. That proposal sure would have saved me a lot of spots last year.

 

Yeah, but just think how boring your video would have been....

 

-Scott