18 replies to this topic

[Rob Burgoon]

 

[Ron Alan]

Though I think technically by NASA rules this would be the rear cars fault for contact, the camera car driver really made a poor decision. If he wanted the inside line...he should have gone there all in one motion. At that speed differential...to close the door right as the faster car got there was weak. My 2 cents from the arm chair 

[Rob Burgoon]

Damn, that loser in the mini took the video down.

[Jamz14]

Per the rules, the mini is at fault. The leading car is allowed the single move and that move can involve moving the trailing car completely off the track unless his front wheel is at the leading cars door.

[Kyle Freiheit]

Which is ridiculous.

[Ron Alan]

Per the rules, the mini is at fault. The leading car is allowed the single move and that move can involve moving the trailing car completely off the track unless his front wheel is at the leading cars door.

Though as many have said...most racers will not follow this rule to the letter. They enjoy having friends in the paddock and not spending their time alone

[Jamz14]

Though as many have said...most racers will not follow this rule to the letter. They enjoy having friends in the paddock and not spending their time alone

And nor do we, but that doesn't help out the E30 that was deemed at fault for this exact same thing, then I hear had that decision reversed, or the Miata who was suspended for the same thing we were told was the trailing guys fault.

[MPR22]

That is the exact situation the poorly written rule creates.  Its one thing to protect the line, its another thing to watch the mirrors, move over precisely when the other cars nose is inside you and initiate contact.   Add one sentence and that will happen less frequently as opposed to the SOP many drivers employ.  

[Bad Rusty]

The mini initiated contact, and was totally at fault (And Dumb).  That was the kind of move that requires more than a beer summit.  Hope the passing car did not get balled up.

[Ron Alan]

To clarify Rusty...the Camera car was a miata(949 sponsored PTD or C...either Emilio or Sonny i think?)...the passing car was the Mini. Based on your passing car comment i think maybe you had these reversed?

[Bad Rusty]

Yep, damn miata drivers;)

[Sacslider]

By the rules the miata was fine until he moved back to the race line after the incident....

[EricJ]

By the rules the miata was fine until he moved back to the race line after the incident....

I didn't see any motion to the left of the Miata's hands before the impact, Looked pretty straight. Probably would have had both hands on the wheel if he'd seen the Mini.

[Juan Pineda]

It's one thing to stake out your territory and defend. It's another to wait until the other car is committed and then move over so they have to lift or cause contact. I hope that the NASA rules when interpreted by a knowledgable judge would not allow the latter. In any event, this kind of driver will have more than his share of bad luck if he does this regularly.

[Rob Burgoon]

NASA sent the miata driver home for it, I don't believe there was a penalty for the mini.

[Ron Alan]

NASA sent the miata driver home for it, I don't believe there was a penalty for the mini.

Sounds like they saw what many of us see here. I wondered why that car wasn't in the Champ race...now we know.

[Todd Green]

It was in the race, but had contact early and dropped out.  (IIRC the hood was coming loose.)  At least that is what it looked like from the stands in turn one.  Also he was listed in PTB, not PTD, so he was racing the Mini in class.  At least according to this:

 

http://timingscoring...al by class.pdf

[Ron Alan]

I think i turned on speedcast 10 minutes into it...

[JRHille]

Well technically when he came onto the straight, he made 2 motions.  1 to mid-track ish, and then another to the complete inside just as the trailing car decides to go there.  

Technicalities aside, what the miata did was wrong. He could have moved all the way over sooner if that was his goal, but either way that mini was getting around before turn 1.  To make the move right as the trailing car commits is unsafe and an asshole move.