I thought the idea was the guy qualified 7th (I think I heard him say that once or tw), they actually gridded him 6th, and he allowed the true 6th qualifier to take his place. When he did that, the steward mistook this act and let everybody else slide by too. If this is the case, the driver is initailly guilty of a selfless act (no good deed goes unpunished). He compounds this though with foolish and dangerous behavior on the parade lap. I'm betting he never follows through with a gentlemanly gesture ever again.

My commnets on the steward were mainly in response to her body language. Whether she knows the rules or not is unknown. It is known that the stewards as a unit did not correctly grid the race, nor did they fix the error at the right moment in time. No one is innocent here, however, his actions do involve the greatest potential for harm.

 

I thought he was giving up the 6th place too. No easy solution to the grid marshall's screwing up.

Last weekend we had been getting 5 minute warnings all weekend. For the Sprint race, the first warning we got was 2 minutes. It was a mad scramble for everyone. I was pulling on my gloves as I passed the splitter. Never did get the vid started.

 

the guy is one of the fastest spec miata drivers in the country, the video was from 2000. he's fast as hell, 1.28s around Summit in a 100hp car.

 

Ok, guys. I can appreciate all the constructive comments about his errors in judgment, the danger involved (try and keep in mind the lower speeds of a pace lap), whether black flags were waived, whether he saw them, etc...

But lets try to appreciate the humor in this a little bit. The point of the post, I'm hoping, was to lighten everyone's day - not to blast the guy. Yea, what he did was stupid, but this is FUNNY. C'mon now.

I'm a Porsche guy, always will be. But I'm an SCCA member as well. The guy in the video will drives circles around almost all of us. He's one of the best Miada, and SRX7 drivers in the country (look under any SM, SSM, or SRX7 race for Ken Zalner over the last 4 or 5 years: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/results/index.htm) The guy runs-the-show at Summit, VIR, Watkins Glen, this FUNNY incident happened long ago, so lets take it a little easy and enjoy the humor..... it's Friday.

 

FIrst, I am not trying to disrespect or sterotype SCCA or SCCA drivers. I made a lighthearted jab based on a film that, lets face it, begs such comments on many levels. Secondly, I am expressing my personal opinion as to why I race PCA rather than SCCA, and fully disclosed that this opinion was biased, and snobby.

PCA has a 13/13 policy and SCCA doesn't. That does not mean that SCCA is somehow inferior to PCACR. It does mean that it is much more likely to have car to car contact in SCCA and I cannot affort to have my car banged up. If I lose it and wreck it, that's on me... so be it, but I personally like the fact that every driver on the track has a strong incentive to race in such a way as to eliminate any avoidable car to car contect. If that makes me a jerk, then I'm a jerk.

I never said all SCCA racers are fender bangers... but it only take one to ruin your day. Walk through a PCACR paddock and an SCCA paddock and make up your own mind. I did, and I made up my mind based on the evidence as I percieved it.

Cars don't have banged up fenders because the guys that own them aren't rich.... they have banged up fenders because they crashed into something.

 

YEah.... thats a good way to screw everybody up...

 

Actually, I have little to no interest in racing in PCA. I'm not terribly interested in spec or one-make racing.

I'm actually a member of the SCCA Improved Touring Advisory Committee. I know there are several other SCCA racers here.

Also, as for the discussion about the stewards, I know that probably 99.9% of the races in this country are run with SCCA corner workers and other on-course safety personnel. They are absolutely, POSITIVELY, the very best in the business. I don't know if SCCA grid personnel are used for other sanctioning bodies or not. But I'd guess the SCCA grid personnel are pretty much the best in the business as well.

As for the drivers, it's hit and miss (pun intended), but from what I've read from people who do both, it's pretty much the same everywhere except perhaps vintage.

 

Actually, it doesn't. The 13/13 rule is simply a penatly that is applied, but it does not govern track behavior anymore than the SCCA's rules. In fact, in SCCA drivers can and do get sanctioned all the time for contact. Of course, if I understand the 13/13 rule, you can be sanctioned even for putting wheels off (is this correct?) which is not sanctionable directly (to my knowledge) in SCCA racing.

I didn't say it. I didn't even mean to imply it, so if I did, I apologize. I simply want to offer a different and quite valid view.

I know all you PCA racers are snobs. Hey, I'm just kidding about that last one. Just good humor that you opened the door to. Actually, I attended the 2004 PCA club race at Parade (strictly as a spectator) and never felt any snobbishness what so ever.

 

Geo

No shot intended at the volunteers who make it possible for us to go out and play.

SCCA volunteers in all disciplines are terrific. My brother has been a CW for 15+ years.

Grid people in PCA CR are often PCA volunteers with a smattering of experienced personnel.

Still people (they are, after all, people) no matter what discipline or background make mistakes.

According to the video, that guy was gridded incorrectly, he tried to do the right thing, with very funny results.

He could have tried swapping with the other guy once they got rolling, but that could have gotten the other guy black flagged for passing.

 

No doubt.

Boy howdy (redneck for "no doubt").

 

I agree the screaming was pretty funny. Clearly the official couldn’t hear and/or didn’t care what the driver had to say. So just sit and shut up.

What was with the guy inching up and more or less trying to intimidate the official into letting him pull out. Stupid! The hand means stop. Try that move with a police officer and see where it gets you!

 

"The point of the post, I'm hoping, was to lighten everyone's day - not to blast the guy."

Absolutely the point. The yelling is hilarious and is exactly what I would have been doing as well.The endless grid just adds to the fun.

The SCCA workers are awesome as a whole - and mostly volunteers as well.
Remember, the most dangerous part of any race is getting to the track-Randy Pobst.

 

Guys I though the post was funny. Worth a laugh.

Certainly not a video of what TO DO.

I don't race SCCA, but I do race mostly NASA & some PCA. They are all good orgs. They are howeve run by people that can do make mistakes. This both for drivers, corner workers and course officials. Really don't try to get into a blame game. The driver was a rookie and obviously got flustered. He made a few mistakes. Luckily no damage resulted. The official took action after the race. Now it seems a few years later this same guy is very accomplished racer in SCCA. Yep we all make mistakes.

Just have a laugh and move on.

Remember "I was Seventh!"

 

Ditto kudos to the flaggers. When PCA CR first started, the flaggers were club volunteers (like me) some of whom had never driven on the track before... pretty scary.

PCA mostly uses SCCA folks today, and I have to say, it is v comforting to know as you barrel into a blind turn side by side that the CW knows WTF they are doing. Flagging all day in the heat and rain is a pretty gruesome job... you just cannot thank these people enough.

 

So when I watch a very experienced Pro driver do the exact same thing to move up to his spot on the grid at a PCA event.....I know for sure he does not have any qualms about moving up to his appropriate spot on the grid during the warmup lap....just a thought from past experience....