The PCA VIR enduro results are under review, due to the race running up against the ending time limit allowed for this support race, and the enduro ran under the planned one hour, about 45 minutes. Eight teams, apparently, pitted as required by the rules--all, it seems, the lower classed cars. The remainder did not, including the drivers of the faster classed cars.

Background: The enduro rules are at pca.org and were handed out. The ending times were listed in materials. This year's conditions were wet, causing cautions and difficulties retrieving cars. The pit lane was closed under yellows. There were about 14 minutes of legal race time during which cars could pit. (In 2002, one VIR sprint was cut to 10 minutes for the same time limit issue. In 2005, many, many teams were DQ'd at Watkins Glen when a long yellow caused pit lane to be closed at the end and they could not pit.)

The tentative 2005 decision, on-site, was to reorder the field, taking out the pit stops. If you were participating in the race, what is your solution to the issue? If you did not pit, did you think the ending time was going to be extended? Are the rules the rules, no matter the unexpected occurrences?

Regards,
PM

 

If there needs to be a result, I would DQ anyone who did not complete the mandatory 5 minute stop. That only leaves a few cars who satisfied the requirement. I personally only did a couple of green soggy laps on my dry Hoosiers and came in as the risk / reward just didn't make a lot of sense for me. The damp weather and tight time constrants really put a damper on the weekend unfortunately.

 

I think the lesson to be learned is that you should pit as soon as the first fifteen minutes are up. Too many bad things can happen if you wait. However, if everone adopts that idea, it kinda defeats the purpose of the forced "timeout/rest period" which for me is much more welcome towards the end of the race, especially on those hot days.

 

Yes.

2 of the 3 enduros at the Glen ended under yellows. In both cases, the people who got caught out were trying to stretch the pit window. This is justr part of the luck factor in racing.

 

I was one of the drivers that did not pit. Strange race. They told us to get to grid early as we would have some extra time to do two yellow laps to study conditions. With the race running short and all of the yellow laps there was not much opportunity to pit. They say they added the 5 minutes of track time to the drivers that did pit. Not sure how that would work. My position in class would not change given that no GTC3 cars did the early pit stop so my prize money is secure so it does not make much difference to me how they rule.

They did offer that the Glen races went the full distance although they did finish under yellow. This race only went for 40-45 minutes. I thought it would go an hour since nothing was said to the contrary. Oh well.

 

Actually one of the Glen races didn't go the whole distance. The first sprint did, but the 2nd didn't. I was in the second and planning to come in at the 60 min mark. As I came around at that time my crew radioed there was a car stalled in my shared pit space. I elected to go around another lap when they threw the FCY. We wandered around with the pits closed for about 15 minutes and then they decided to just call the race and they threw the checker under yellow. I, plus about 12 or more racers, got DQ'd. C'est la vie.

 

The race has been ordered by lap time, using the "yellows were lengthy" explanation. Not sure how this jives with consistency with the Glen decision.

My car dropped at least 2 spots (from the order not accounting for pit stops) and there's no class by names, making those of us w/slower cars look like serious "losers." I was wondering whether the car that was off twice and hit the barriers at least one of those times was ordered by lap time? Who was that? (No offense to the driver, I've scraped a barrier in the rain, but I wouldn't expect a placement by fastest lap.)

I think we should write PCA racing leaders about how to handle this in the future in a better way.
PM

 

1-hour enduro in slippery conditions becomes a 5-lap time trial....interesting driving approach to the
next one like this.

TV
#91

 

Congrats to Mark Lee on his first place in D. Way to go Mark!

 

At VIR I listened to both sides from those who did, and those who didn't, pit. One who didn't pit took the position that rules are rules, and should never be changed after the race, although sticking to the rules would mean a DQ for him. I like that. This is another case where some people will be unhappy no matter what decision is made. Is the decision to be made based on what is closest to the spirit of the rule, or on the basis of what makes the most people happy? Maybe this kind of case should no longer be considered very rare. A contingency clause ("In the event that ...") could be added to the rules to make it clear how such cases will be handled.

 

Seems the problem is caused by the recent trend of not allowing pit stops under full course cautions. They used to allow this at most races but now say it leads to pits that are too crowded. Can't see how this would be a problem at a track like VIR that is setup up to handle a full pro field. Is the problem that PCA is just not able to time the 5 minute stop for everyone if too many cars come in at once?

The way they are currently doing it seems to reward luck a little too heavily. If you get into the pits just before a caution comes out, you win. If you are unlucky enough to have not done a pit stop before a caution comes out and the race ends under that caution, you are dq'ed. The rule barring pit stops during the first 15 or the last 5 minutes also complicates matters.

 

Thanks, John. I'd much rather take my "class victory" in a more worthy manner.

I will say I'm happy that I turned a faster lap than Charles Price. I'm guessing he was on slicks versus my RA-1's.

See you at CMP.

 

Congrats Mark !! Ok I guess this means a re-match at CMP. See you there !!

 

Hey, Mark, when are you going to update your avatar with a picture of the tail and the ML fab work!

 

Sam,

It'll have to be after the CMP race. I'm pretty slammed right now.