chrisp

jerry makes an excellent point about spacing out the cars.

Crazy Canuck

Rennsport region uses nothing but professional (paid) flaggers at Circuit Mt. Tremblant and Calabogie, including an experienced flagger at pit out.

Gary R.

I was told that to have a full time professional person at that station would add $250 per day to the event..

38D

I don't need some first green student holding me at pit out and trying to judge what is/isn't safe. We manage to do the race every year without any issues, and the speeds are much higher. If you can't stay inside the blend line, then you don't belong at the event. If you can't handle a car coming on the track at a slower speed, then you don't belong at the event. If the instructor can't control their student from crossing the blend line, then neither belongs at the event.

Bull

FWIW, I see some Regions moving from "volunteers" to paid pro flaggers at Pit-Out this season.

Gary R.

Colin - I agree with you but the reality of the situation is that the regions are looking at liability and this is why there was no pit-out person, not because they believed everyone should know what to do. Having no one there does not absolve them from the liability (in my opinion). Having a professional there shifts it (again, JMO).

gums

At the very least, proper pit out etiquette should be discussed at the drivers' meeting. Guys exiting the pits tend to cross the blend line, as they do at Watkins Glen. The incident everyone remembers from Lime Rock was during a Tuesday open test when a nearly worthless Spec Racer came out and went right into the path of an oncoming priceless Ferrari 512 BB LM, wrecking it horribly.

Brian P

I agree that's bad, but do you think that the Spec Racer would have stayed inside the blend line if there was somebody working pit-out? (For all I know there was somebody working pit-out)

gums

Not sure, but more likely the exiting car would not have been waved out with the Ferrari bearing down the staight. And proper wave out procedure would be to "push" towards the inside implying that someone is coming but there's room if you stay tight.

Z-man

I feel there should be someone manning the pit out and controling the flow of cars onto the track in a DE environment.

Colin, I understand your point, but given the nature of DE's - there are a lot of over-whelmed folks out there. Having a guy at pit out may just be enough to remind the overwhelmed driver to at least pay attention to what's going on out there.

That said, I think we shouldn't voice this issue too loudly regarding Lime Rock -- I suspect that if the Wilson guy who is 'redesigning' Lime Rock catches wind of this thread, he's likely to place a chicane at the entrance to the track! Why? He's planning on adding a chicane just about EVERYWHERE else, so why not there?!?

Sorry for the rant,
-Z-man.

Brian P

As an instructor, this is the first thing that I'll tell my student when we leave the pits. I also tell him that if he ever violates the blend line, we'll immediately go to the pits at the end of the lap. I further tell him that I don't care if he is the first car out at the beginning of the day, he should NEVER violate the blend line.

38D

+1

DanC

This needs to be taught to all new students with the same repetition and rigor as the pit in signal. Discussed at every run whether the student appears likely to cross the blend line or not. It seems like some things are forgotten when a driver moves to the initial uninstructed run group (passing signals, the line, etc.) but everyone remembers to get their fist out the window at pit in. I like the idea of professional flaggers at pit out even if they appear to be unnecessary.

Gary R.

86% so far feel "someone" should be there and as this is a liability question just by saying a volunteer is "OK" it's actually a vote for a paid body. I'm also in total agreement that a main focus of the DE training should be non-violation of the blend line from day 1, but also awareness of closure rates at different tracks. I drive a relatively slow car and i'm at about 120MPH at the 400' marker (I *think* 3-400 is the pit out entrance). As long as a car stayed in the blend area it was fine, though without allowing passing in a DE it made for some interesting braking in Big Bend. The other 1/2 of this equation is the awareness of the fellow drivers that someone can come out of there at any time and they may or may not be hard on their throttle, tires may be cold, driver may be a turtle, etc. With someone watching the track and flagging the cars out I haven't had any issues to date, but there were plenty conveyed to me Saturday..

BostonDMD

That's not nice to talk about me like that.......