Thanks for sharing Tom. Quick question - I see an early 911 and a 924 or 944 in that otherwise Spec Boxster race. I could see them being allowed to go out on the track but not part of the competition, but couldn't they also disrupt the competition if they are being lapped or multiple cars are trying to pass them? Asking as an ignorant non-racer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by thstone
Racing at Buttonwillow last weekend was great! I ran mid-pack in all three races but there were 20-some Boxsters so lots of competition all over the track. I had some epic battles and posted my best times ever (I still have a lot of work to do on that track but I'm seeing improvement every time I race there).
Here is a short video clip from the good folks at CaliPhotography to give you an idea of what it all looks like as we head into Turn 1...
Thanks for sharing Tom. Quick question - I see an early 911 and a 924 or 944 in that otherwise Spec Boxster race. I could see them being allowed to go out on the track but not part of the competition, but couldn't they also disrupt the competition if they are being lapped or multiple cars are trying to pass them? Asking as an ignorant non-racer!
Mixed class fields are very common (in fact I have never raced only SPB, even at COTA with 36 SPBs, we had a 65 car field) -- technically you are only racing within your class.
You are gridded based on lap times, which will typically congregate like cars together.
But it is not unusual for the classes to be mixed even at grid. Faster drivers of a slower class are often rear to mid pack of the next class up. This can create some interesting dynamics where
"slower cars" are side by side racing with their class, with faster cars who are also racing. Usually after a few laps, this sorts itself out.
During sprints, lapping typically only occurs with the fastest cars in a run group -- and that can have issues is folks don't play nicely, but you learn how to be lapped (or lap) and without significantly affecting either lap times. However, using traffic to your advantage is just part of the racing tool chest.
Mixed class fields are very common (in fact I have never raced only SPB, even at COTA with 36 SPBs, we had a 65 car field) -- technically you are only racing within your class.
You are gridded based on lap times, which will typically congregate like cars together.
But it is not unusual for the classes to be mixed even at grid. Faster drivers of a slower class are often rear to mid pack of the next class up. This can create some interesting dynamics where
"slower cars" are side by side racing with their class, with faster cars who are also racing. Usually after a few laps, this sorts itself out.
During sprints, lapping typically only occurs with the fastest cars in a run group -- and that can have issues is folks don't play nicely, but you learn how to be lapped (or lap) and without significantly affecting either lap times. However, using traffic to your advantage is just part of the racing tool chest.
(novice PCA racer, joe average endurance chump)
Mike
In fact in my NOLA Sprint 2 race, it was gridded by the Sprint 1 race times. I had some fuel relay issues, so my car would cut in/out at times -- so my gridding was behind some 944s. Somehow, probably same mechanical issues, a GT3 was gridded behind me. He passed me on the start but I tucked behind him through some slower sections knowing that he'd "push" open a path that I could slip stream behind him -- which is what happened -- unfortunately, the point where he broke through, I couldn't accelerate to keep on his bumper, and the door closed before I could get through. So much for good plans...
Turn 1 of a Club Race at COTA is a sight to behold. Cars go 4 or 5 wide and a couple of rows deep into the turn but rarely everyone survives.
I prefer to be way outside here -- but I remember on race last year that I was straddling the candy-stripes, while at my door was a SPB, that hadn't rotated yet. I'm staring at his front bumper.
Fortunately he was just tip-toeing and no issue insued -- but the way T1 at CoTA is,
it is very enticing to take the inside line, but then you get squeezed out and you
basically have to park it waiting for the Walmart traffic to let you through :-)
I like the outside line for several reasons, there's room to bail further outside, you can maintain some semblance of momentum, and it opens up after the turn, even if T2 is a right hander, it can be taken at moderate speeds (race start speeds) and hold a decent line into the Esses.
That all said -- I'll get pinned on the inside this weekend just because I typed this :-)
I like the outside line for several reasons, there's room to bail further outside, you can maintain some semblance of momentum, and it opens up after the turn, even if T2 is a right hander, it can be taken at moderate speeds (race start speeds) and hold a decent line into the Esses.
I believe it was Scott Dixon who pulled your outside in T1 at the start of Sunday's IndyCar race and picked up 2 spots by doing it. Maybe he saw you execute that move and liked it.
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I believe it was Scott Dixon who pulled your outside in T1 at the start of Sunday's IndyCar race and picked up 2 spots by doing it. Maybe he saw you execute that move and liked it.
I was just watching F1’s Drive to Survive, the COTA episode last night and Seinz was penalized 5 sec for going beyond the racing surface on T1 start and gaining an advantage...
Thank you. I assumed that the Spec Boxster class was so popular it would always only be a single class race.
Quote:
Originally Posted by seningen
Mixed class fields are very common (in fact I have never raced only SPB, even at COTA with 36 SPBs, we had a 65 car field) -- technically you are only racing within your class.
You are gridded based on lap times, which will typically congregate like cars together.
But it is not unusual for the classes to be mixed even at grid. Faster drivers of a slower class are often rear to mid pack of the next class up. This can create some interesting dynamics where
"slower cars" are side by side racing with their class, with faster cars who are also racing. Usually after a few laps, this sorts itself out.
During sprints, lapping typically only occurs with the fastest cars in a run group -- and that can have issues is folks don't play nicely, but you learn how to be lapped (or lap) and without significantly affecting either lap times. However, using traffic to your advantage is just part of the racing tool chest.
Thanks for sharing Tom. Quick question - I see an early 911 and a 924 or 944 in that otherwise Spec Boxster race. I could see them being allowed to go out on the track but not part of the competition, but couldn't they also disrupt the competition if they are being lapped or multiple cars are trying to pass them? Asking as an ignorant non-racer!
Quote:
Originally Posted by seningen
Mixed class fields are very common (in fact I have never raced only SPB, even at COTA with 36 SPBs, we had a 65 car field) -- technically you are only racing within your class.
You are gridded based on lap times, which will typically congregate like cars together.
But it is not unusual for the classes to be mixed even at grid. Faster drivers of a slower class are often rear to mid pack of the next class up. This can create some interesting dynamics where
"slower cars" are side by side racing with their class, with faster cars who are also racing. Usually after a few laps, this sorts itself out.
During sprints, lapping typically only occurs with the fastest cars in a run group -- and that can have issues is folks don't play nicely, but you learn how to be lapped (or lap) and without significantly affecting either lap times. However, using traffic to your advantage is just part of the racing tool chest.
Mike
Good question!
Mike provided a great response but I'll expand on that further because the POC and PCA do things differently.
As Mike said, the PCA grids the race start based on lap time and not class. Thus, all of the classes are mixed together.
In this format, you "race" who ever is around you regardless of class. This makes for some interesting racing because your car might be faster in certain sections of the track and another car that posts similar overall lap times can be faster in other parts of the track.
I have often been "stuck" behind a higher horsepower car that corners slower so I catch up and get held up in the corners but then lose ground on the straights. Again, as Mike said, learning to deal with this is part of racing and eventually it all kind of works out.
The POC places SCR (Spec Carrera Racer which is like Spec 911), Spec Boxster, and the slower GT5, GT-6, and GT-7 cars into our own race and grids by lap time within each class. This means that the SCR's are all gridded together first, then comes all of the Spec Boxster's, and then GT-5, GT-6, and GT-7 brings up the rear of the field.
But more importantly, the POC does a SPLIT START with the SCR's typically starting first with the Spec Boxster's starting about 1/3 of a lap behind the SCR's. This means that the Starter throws two green flags; one to start the SCR race and a second green flag to start the Spec Boxster/GT5,6,7 race.
Eventually, the fastest SCR's will lap most of the Spec Boxster field but it allows for tight racing within your class for about 3/4 of a race. This makes for very exciting wheel to wheel racing within a class.
Now, in this specific race where the video was shot, the SCR's started at the back of the Spec Boxster field (sort of like inverting the field). That is why you see 911's and 944's behind 986's at the start.
If Spec Boxster continues to grow, I can envision a time when Spec Boxster will have their own dedicated race without any other classes on the track.
Hope this helps.
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