Lemming

In NASA-SE enduros FCY's do not happen very often. In fact, I don't remember a single one last year, everything was handled by local yellows and hot pulls.

M758

Here my reasoning for fast guy first on full tank.

1) Start of the race is great time to pick up spots and put alot of cars between you and miatas. Some guys go out too soft at the start and gaining spots and time is nothing, but good. Traffic can cause a slower driver to run slower and slower lap. A good fast racer can run a tick off their pace in traffic while slower drivers may run considerably slower trying to pick through.

2) Start with a full tank and run to empty. You cannot afford to make 2 stops and if you don't get the fuel consumption right you can run into two issues. Not having burned enough fuel at your stop so you overfill. This is really bad. Running till the tank is empty is key as it leave some margin just incase the gauge is off. Also the deeper you run in to race the less concern you will have for fuel. You might even be ablt to throw in just 7 gallons rather than 10 to make the end saving time at the stop.

3) Heavy car = harder to drive. Frankly a slower driver is probably slower because they are less skilled. This ok, but dealing with a heavy car they may not be able to manage that as well as a fast driver. Keep the slower guy on the ligther tank to keep the weight of the car close to a sprint race level.

4) Of course 2hr with a faster driver is faster than a more even split.

5) From a driver's persective the start is busy and complex. 2 hrs in the field should be thinned by attrition and the goal would be to run solid lap times and hold station. If they need to chase it will be hard, but being out front is big mental edge. Good radio work can watch gaps and probably calculate how many laps till you get caught out.

6) FCY... They are a risk at any track. However since you have faster cars on track the 944 will not be the lead car in the group. So you can in effect gain a lap in a FCY depending where the overall leader is. You can also lose a big bit of ground too, but I would rather have a FCY and be leading than have FCY and then hope to catch up. At a shorter track you may be able to have a fast guy lap the slower car.

7) Push hard at the start and maybe the miata's will run out of car trying to chase you. If they see you drving away they may push too hard early causing a mistake or simply back off figuring they can't keep up. Never let them know guy number 2 is slower. Again the mental aspect is leading = good and if you can't see the car you are chasing they might as well be gone. At a club level this mental stuff can be more important than anything. - Example out 2 hr enduro at Miller. I ran that chasing Jim Foxx. Well Jim pulled a gap early and be cause I could not see him I settled into a pace. I never saw him again. Had I been able ot hold on to him I might have run faster laps for more of the race, but when he was gone I figured I'd never get him and then just drove my race.


Now the biggest risk will be that something happens early that causes you to lose the time gap you expect from the fast guy. However alot can happen in a long race and while you can't plan for everything you want to give yourself the most options. My thinking is fast guy first with a full tank gives you the most flexiblity. Usally the end the races guys just want to finish.

StoogeMoe

I would think what strategy you choose is directly related to where you qualify. I think everybody here assumed that you have qualified at the front of the grid.

M758

I figure you will be mid to the back of the pack in group with much much faster cars. In fact a good driver in a 944 spec will probably qualfy in pack of hp cars. These guys will be fast on the straight/slow in the corners and if you are stuck behind them they will cost you lap time. This is why you push hard early to gap these guys in the first few laps of the race. If you settle in early you can get stuck end up running 1 hour at a second slower than you should. Get out and push hard early and let the other cars get bottled up. The big risk is the slow guy starts in the very back in with the miatas and such. He then gets bottled up behind even slower cars and runs 2-3 seconds off his pace duking it out with the other slow guys further slowing them all down. So by end of his stint he is even father back than he should have been. However if the fast go goes for it he can put traffic between him and Miata's and run for daylight. Let everything clog up behind him and he can press the faster cars.

I have done many short enduros or sprints where you start out and if you can manage traffic you can gap the competition 5-6 seconds easily using other class cars to bunch them up . Then once out of sight you can control the race. Now what keeps you from getting bottled up?
HP... the 944 spec will pull an SM car easy in a staight up drag. So use this and good driver to run with the next class up so to speak. So by riunning with faster cars you can preserve much of your pace. Let all the miata fight with the other miatas and the long they do that the more gap you get. Remember a miata can't pass much under hp so they need to keep the car moving to be fast. This driving style can cause them to lose alot of ground early. If you did not have speed edge early on the plan might be different, but I still thing fast guy in the car first with a full load with his goal to run away from the Miatas and then run the tank down just makes sense to me. Playing catch up is just so much harder.

My only race I won this year was a 40 mintue sprint race. I won in first 2 laps. I was 2nd in class and when we went green I used the other class cars around me to pick the pole guy. Then I managed to put two cars between me and him. So he had to fight those guys for the next 5-6 laps while I pushed forward tackling cars that should have been faster, but I was knocking on their doors. I kept pushing and by the time he clear traffic and we were both in clear track I had 3-4 second gap that he could never close down. All I had to to from then on was to run good laps and keep out of trouble as my work was done. Get out front and MAKE THE MAITA's run you down. Who knows what condition you top compeitors will be in after 2hrs when your slower guy comes in. They may have already given up the idea of catching you and have settled for 2nd or whatever.

Now I know some of you are giving pro type advice, but these are not pro racers. These are club guys driving their own cars. They may want to win and will work hard to do it, but never underestimate the power of 30 second gap has on the mind of club racer.

dmwhite

i remember a few last year but there weren't many at all...low car counts probably contributed to the low number of fcy's

FredC

Imho, get the faster driver to start and take the car through the first 2 hours. As others have said, you want to avoid being stuck behind slower cars at the beginning when all the cars are bunched up. The faster driver will help accomplish that.

Don't plan on fcy type incidents to pit (ie diving in the pits before they are closed)... Too much of a gamble although some guys I race with in pca seem to always time it right. But definitely stay alert to see if the oppty presents itself between hours 1 and 2.


Kick some miata butt.

Good luck.