Dangerous drivers

[schiconst]

Recently Eric Prill reached out to SCCA members about the increase in incidents on track. Stewards have started to hand out infractions. Anyone found causing an incident will be cited and it will be entered in the drivers official record. I am hoping this will deter dangerous driving. John Schimenti FF69

[John Nesbitt]

See: https://www.apexspeed.com/forums/sho...2-Checker-quot

[EYERACE]

After reviewing the above I had this thought..........at most any race I've been part of for about the last many years it seems any incident results in a full course yellow and pace car rather than a local yellow.........sure sure....... the idea with the FCY is in the Chief Steward's mind that when we go slow around the course it gives time to the crew to clean it all up.....so we're slow for 3 laps and maybe thereby preserve one lap to a 15 lap race.........but YE GODS!!!.....that's also a bit of an insult to the Drivers still on course such that - what? we're of quality that we can't be trusted to be let race for 3/4 of a lap and then tip-toe through the incident when we see the yellow a turn before the incident ???
Years ago we'd get local yellows and rarely a FCY. When the Chief Steward and the FCY leaves the field with a final 2 green laps and the field bunched up because of the FCY it adds a different danger than what a local yellow might have.
As to such 'original incident' and it's cause so there can be discussion of dangerous drivers I'm not sure what to say right about now, I'm simply thinking about the FCY aspect.........I did not see any statistics about last 2 or 3 lap incidents following a FCY. Does anyone have that?

[Peter Olivola]

Using a safety car to bunch up and slow the field is seldom a Chief Steward decision. An increasing number of tracks will not allow Emergency Services crews on track during a race unless the field is bunched behind a safety car or a BFA has brought everyone into the pits.

[swiftdrivr]

It is a problem with far reaching effects. I have always wanted to try Watkins Glen, but they have a reputation of stopping most sessions with a FCY. I don't want to tow that far and get not enough laps to get comfortable, so when I had the opportunity to go, I chose to skip it. If you routinely lose too many hot-laps, that calculus will begin to effect closer races too.

A couple of things that I have noticed may have some bearing on the issue.

1] good corner workers used to communicate a lot with the drivers, beyond just holding a flag. Lately, I have noticed times when "a bit more enthusiasm" might have helped. [Like a limply held yellow and round the bend to find a car sitting across the track, nose at the apex, tail almost at the other side of the track, blocking nearly the entire track. Could have been done better.]

2] We are getting older, and at least for me, that means my already glacial reflexes are slowing even further. We also don't process information as quickly. The enthusiasm hasn't diminished, but the skill level might not be what it was 5 years ago. Add a lengthy period of covid-induced off time, and I'm just not as sharp as I was, [but sometimes I forget that and act like I still am.].

3] No excuse, but aging equipment can let us down, as in my case. It was my responsibility to catch it before it did, but I didn't, and it cost others some laps at speed.

4] As others have said, run group composition is likely a big part of the problem [easily studied from available who-hit-who data], and lawyers are likely most of the rest [fairly easily revealed by policies and regulations, I'd think]

Just some random thoughts.

[924RACR]

...but YE GODS!!!.....that's also a bit of an insult to the Drivers still on course such that - what? we're of quality that we can't be trusted to be let race for 3/4 of a lap and then tip-toe through the incident when we see the yellow a turn before the incident ???

Correct.

Not so generally true for formula car groups, but there are some SCARY videos from the past few years of the usual culprits, Spec Miatae, also SRF groups racing hard past incidents and moving wrecker crews on track. To be fair, the problem has spread, and oddly enough SM no longer seems to be the only place (or often even the most likely place!) to find the most dangerous, clueless, situationally-unaware, or over-aggressive drivers.

All of which is a heavy contributing factor to the "Code 35" at VIR and similar...