sbarton

Not hard to figure out who the culprit was. Just look for the Yellow 993 RS #176.

BostonDMD

Mission accomplished........

race911

Damn, how many entries? Gotta love our little 30ish participant days.........

38D

While everyone continues to pile on this driver, ask yourself if you've ever made a mistake. Most of us aren't as perfect drivers as we like to think.

RJay

You guys are too smart.

mpaton

While I've certainly made my share of mistakes, I fail to understand how anybody at a DE can give a point without understanding that it means "If you accept this pass, I commit to letting you be in front by the end of the passing zone". That's not what this driver did.

What else could it possibly mean? What excuse for this behavior can there be? What is taught to new students at Watkins Glen?

Michael

RJay

Agreed and it wasnt the point of making it in the first place. No effigies need be burnt. Nevertheless, the threat of a little public tar and feathering, no names please, might tend to curb this sort of behavior in the future.

In my entire career I've only held up one car for lack of awareness. It was early in my career at LCMT. They waved a blue at me, I looked in my mirrors, nothing. Next station same thing, looked around still nothing. Turned in under the bridge and finally saw in the drivers mirror a Radical right on my bumper. He was stuck so close, I couldnt actually see the bugger til then.

race911

Mistake=me basically falling asleep at the wheel I was so bored during a race and wrecked my car.

Clueless=having a guy on your *** for more than two (three to be generous) turns and not doing whatever is humanly necessary to get him by. Including BRAKING down the straight if dude is in a Spec Miata.............

race911

Yep, and why I am very, very, very aware of how I get through traffic. Wasn't always that way; a couple of close calls straightened me out. Not to mention my car is that lovely shade of invisible hardly anyone else was stupid enough to buy.

I've taken to just making an announcement at driver's meetings where I know I'll take the car out at some point to just do your thing, and if it takes an extra corner or two to work things out.........so what. At a DE, the safe pass is paramount.

RedlineMan

Ssssssssss.....

I was hoping I had not recognized the car, that I was mistaken, but alas...

No way no how can one characterize this as a mistake. The kindest that one could be would be to lable it an utter and preposterously extended lapse, no matter how good a friend it may be.

Frankly, I'm stunned.

BostonDMD

I personally thought Colin was joking..... but I might be wrong.......

911 Wail Tale

Great point Colin. It was a real classy move for S Barton to provide a link to the Cup/Saucers entrant list.

Oh well, I can't wait for the next installment of the Duct Tape Morons video he posts from VIR........

TD in DC

Well, nearly this exact thing used to happen to me all the time at DEs. Typically once per DE, including in the upper run groups. It used to make me furious.

I ALWAYS went to talk to the drivers after it happened. Almost without exception, the answer was the same:

"If you had wanted the pass, why didn't you take it? I gave you point-bys multiple times, and you never took it, which made me think you didn't want it."

When I protested that I only had 147 hp at my disposal and my pedal was to the floor, they typically responded with:

"Oh, sorry, I thought you had a turbo."

Does it excuse the behavior? No. Does it make the behavior a little more understandable? Yes.

Best thing to do is forget about it and take it as a compliment that anyone could think you were driving something with a lot more HP than you have. Next time you likely will get the point-by.

I think that kind of behavior deserves a black flag . . . and yes, the flaggers should recognize what is going on. Maybe even miss a good part of the run session, but I am not big on the "knock the driver back to blue" unless the same behavior happens repeatedly.

But I tend to get pretty pissed at the moment, forget quickly, and forgive even more quickly so YMMV.

BostonDMD

Boy..... I think this is getting a bit personal...... (no, not talking about you TD)

No one is perfect...... but come on....... this is an instructor who obviously forgot the basics........

good night gentleman.....

race911

Hey, to take this in a totally different direction..........anyone ever gone over for "the talk".........someone you've never met, and actually having a good conversation and maybe even making a track friend? Oddly, I can think of a couple of times it's happened when I used to travel around and be the stranger trying to fit in.