2014 Road Atlanta March Major

[Steve Davis]

...I know that Barber management does not operate their own track days. If we could afford to do one (as was done in prior years), then it would be SCCA run and SCCA staffed.

Track option .. either way it is NOT SCCA Sanctioned is it? Certainly not when the track runs it .. I'm not sure at Barber, but likely there is NO SCCA insurance .. something, but something likely MUCH less than a normal SCCA sanctioned race day.

At any rate, the test day people have no worries about POINTS .. or FINISHES.. or anything else, really. They can just STOP until the issue is resolved and divide the time that's left amongst whatever groups have not yet run.

SCCA, on the other hand, has to at least CONSIDER the ramifications (time wise) of calling FCY or BFA within the constraints of the UNCHANGEABLE schedule and the other groups that MUST run. Pretty sure that is the underlying problem in the "Chair Steward" making the call. They are doing their best to give EVERYONE as much track time as possible.. recognizing that track time is getting smaller almost every event these days.

Steve, FV80

[Purple Frog]

Road Atlanta, Sebring, Daytona, WGI are now NASCAR owned tracks. Their philosophy regarding the duty of corner workers is very foreign what us "old timers" expect. They do not leave the flag station until FCC and the pace car has the field. NASCAR does not run timed events. The more pace car laps the more time to have ads on TV. (witness 5.5 hours of pace car in the Sebring 12 hour) Unfortunately, in our world of timed sessions, it is a disaster in terms of hot laps achieved.

Test days at Road Atlanta have been a waste of money for about 8 years unless you need to bed brakes or break in a diff.

The good news is that the test days are prorated. If you only run the last session you only pay 1/4 the fee. I have always just run the last session. usually by then all the "red mist" guys are in the paddock replacing A-arms and such.

[glenn cooper]

If so I got a rebate coming as I only was on track for session 4 of 4.
Rd Atl definitely offers a (2nd) half day (sessions 3 and 4), but this is the first I have heard it described your way.

[RussMcB]

If so I got a rebate coming as I only was on track for session 4 of 4.
Rd Atl definitely offers a (2nd) half day (sessions 3 and 4), but this is the first I have heard it described your way.

Glenn, it's based on when you purchase the test day. For instance, if you pay after your group has run four sessions of five possible, they'll charge you 20%.

I hope they haven't changed that policy. It is something I have used for years at Rd Atl.

[a. pettipas]

...RA officials need to figure out why the test day boss can make critical decisions (more) rapidly and they - apparently pretty consistently - cannot.

At any rate, the test day people have no worries about POINTS .. or FINISHES.. or anything else, really. They can just STOP until the issue is resolved and divide the time that's left amongst whatever groups have not yet run.

SCCA, on the other hand, has to at least CONSIDER the ramifications (time wise) of calling FCY or BFA within the constraints of the UNCHANGEABLE schedule and the other groups that MUST run. Pretty sure that is the underlying problem in the "Chair Steward" making the call. They are doing their best to give EVERYONE as much track time as possible.. recognizing that track time is getting smaller almost every event these days.

True Steve, and I was being pretty glib with my comments, but I think points, track time, preceding FCYs (as we saw here) and how they might affect both of those factors are relegated down the order in the context of what happened in T1. That demanded FCY with minimal delay. Can anyone argue?

[a. pettipas]

Threatening to beat the deceased equine… listening to the live feed of the St. Petersburg USF2000 season-opener, car into the wall at approximately 1/2 distance and stopped in a compromised position, no more than 15-20 secs elapse before the track goes FC...

[Brian.Novak]

Threatening to beat the deceased equine… listening to the live feed of the St. Petersburg USF2000 season-opener, car into the wall at approximately 1/2 distance and stopped in a compromised position, no more than 15-20 secs elapse before the track goes FC...

I have thought for years that SCCA has been slow calling FCY. I'm not sure what takes so long but even when it is blatantly obvious AND in front of the tower, it seems like forever.

[Steve Bamford]

I have thought for years that SCCA has been slow calling FCY. I'm not sure what takes so long but even when it is blatantly obvious AND in front of the tower, it seems like forever.

Because when they do all competitors complain. I am not discussing this instance as I am just generalizing. All too often we as competitors complain about race weekends that are FCY weekends. SCCA tries to accommodate competitors then gets blasted for doing so, just like the split starts.

[Purple Frog]

Bam Bam

There is a difference between races defined by distance and those that are time limited. If you are going a fixed distance (like NASCAR, etc) a FCY may not be a big deal.

Stewards running races with time contraints know that on some tracks going FCY will burn at least 10 minutes. they also know their "customers" want green flag laps. So they are careful about calling the double yellow.

I can remember a time when there were no FCY, nor safety cars. Just local yellows and local waving yellows. Over the years the insurance industry has decided drivers are not responsible enough to obey local yellows without driving into stopped cars or corner workers, so now we have FCY and black flag all.

Another situation that develops on a track where there is not live video streaming into race control from all stations... If there are incidents at more than one station, the station from the lesser incident may be tying up the communications channel, preventing the station from the big incident to get in a word edgewise. Thus control does not know the seriousness.