Standing Starts

[ianashdown]

Just wondering if any of the vintage race organizers have standing starts for Formula Atlantic and SuperVee cars?

Thanks

Ian

[dereklola]

Ian, can't answer your question specifically but in the Mid West and East Coast they've been tried a few times over the years in lower power formula cars (Monoposto Classic etc) but in general are not popular. YMMV out West.

[ianashdown]

That's a shame! I've always thought the standing start was the adrenalin moment of the race, as a spectator and as a competitor. Once my March 76B is finished I really hope to be able to race on some great road tracks and the standing start is a high point for me. I also am of the opinion that it is usually safer.

Ian

[Pop Chevy]

You want to do standing starts with a 5 1/2 " clutch and 14" slicks??? I don't. SVRA uses rolling starts.

[dereklola]

I also am of the opinion that it is usually safer.

Hmmm - not in amateur racing.

[Peter Olivola]

Not speaking for any organization but my experience is that standing starts were replaced in road racing by low speed rolling starts because standing starts were seeing an increasing number of starting crashes due to stalled cars and breakdowns.

The problems began for rolling starts during the heyday of CART, which used (and Indcar still uses) an oval track type start on road courses which was picked up by other racing organizations. The SCCA GCR is very specific about the rolling start being low speed.

That's a shame! I've always thought the standing start was the adrenalin moment of the race, as a spectator and as a competitor. Once my March 76B is finished I really hope to be able to race on some great road tracks and the standing start is a high point for me. I also am of the opinion that it is usually safer.

Ian

[provamo]

grew up doing standing starts at Harewood Acres but with low power FV in 1969

loved it!

[Charles Warner]

The assumption (assertion) that standing starts are safer comes from the fact that you are usually going slower when merging or the first corner arrives. At our level they are more dangerous as there will always be at least one poor soul who will either stall the car, spin the center out of the clutch, snap a half-shaft, screw up the shift first-second, or break a gear. All of which puts a stopped (or very slow moving) obstacle right smack in the middle of the road with everyone being somewhat unsighted.

The life expectancy of the parts in question is severely shortened.

IMO not a good idea.

[Hawke]

We've been doing standing starts in this part of the world since last centenary. Nothing like it. The only class that doesn't do it is often Sports Sedans - 6l engines, small clutches.

In the last 15 years of racing, I cant recall a dangerous incident involving a standing start.

[Zonker]

In my younger days I was a Starter when standing starts were the norm in SCCA.

There was usually one guy every weekend who selected 3rd instead of 1st and stalled on the grid causing some heartburn for the folks behind him. You could also count on at least one guy attempt to start in reverse now and then.

Todays rolling starts are not perfect but they are an improvement over the "good old days".

[Bill Elder]

We've been doing standing starts in this part of the world since last centenary. Nothing like it. The only class that doesn't do it is often Sports Sedans - 6l engines, small clutches.

In the last 15 years of racing, I cant recall a dangerous incident involving a standing start.

One amateur tin top class I can think of, had a big start line shunt at EC, not that long ago, cage had to be cut up to extract one of the drivers.

Watched AASA classes do rolling starts also.

Track density limits don't apply in the US it appears either, have to buy lottery tickets after a stall there, if you didn't get rear-ended when up front!

Hmmm - not in amateur racing.

...or pro for that matter -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiYJR2ojne0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2rcB2AcC7c

[dereklola]

...or pro for that matter -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiYJR2ojne0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2rcB2AcC7c

Yikes - where are the fuel cells in those cars? - seems something seriously amiss somewhere. Have the rules been changed by now?

[Bill Elder]

Can't say for sure, I still have visions of ye olde thick wall alloy drop tanks from the pre-supercar era under the boot floor!

Assume they were in what was once, the spare wheel well in the boot for those cars. Pretty good test, probably half empty 120 litre cell and a 3500lb car at 80 odd mph. The newer cars have been running for a couple of years, not that I pay much attention, can't recall any ruptures/explosions so far. Guy in the last crash, ex F3 champ locally, ended up with facial and hand burns, so even the firewall in the back of the car failed.