We had a very "interesting" flagging question come up during our first mock race and I'd love to see how other racers here would interpret it. (Heh. I get to say, "Other racers.") We're running under a green flag, when a double yellow comes out. We come around the track single file under double yellow expecting a safety car to come out at the pit out. But no safety car comes out, and the start/finish tower shows NO FLAG. I'm in third spot, behind two much faster formula cars, and I think, "Hell. No flag means green track. A dropped double yellow means green track. Must be green!" So I blow past the formulas, and another SRF comes with me. I look down at Turn One and see NO FLAG! So I'm thinking I'm a genius. The next station DOES show a double yellow.

After the session the CS says that he could have penalized me and the other guy for passing under yellow because a double yellow ONLY gets lifted by a green at start-finish. But he added that it was a very subtle issue and in the end it was a flagger screw up, so no penalty. I scanned the GCRs and there's stuff that cuts both ways, probably favoring the CS's view. But in the end it's entirely academic. I just wonder what some folks here would have done.

 

the other one you have to get right is the passing after the incident. I think SCCA pro says, no passing until you get past the next station not showing a yellow, while club racing is passed the incident, and the next station not showing the yellow .

 

Welcome to the dark side. Congrats!

 

No flag at a manned station in SCCA Club is green to me. In SCCA Pro after a yellow/waving yellow you are under yellow until you get to the next station that has a waving green.

 

I think it is summed up in the statement that it was a flagging screw-up. Yes, there should be a green at S/F but in the real world, cars get strung out and you need to start racing when the double yellows drop (think 100+ cars at Road America and where the back of the pack is when the green flag drops- there were, IIRC, 102 cars on the SR/SRF group at the June Sprints one year.)

 

Greg congrats.........

 

Welcome! I remember my driver's school at Roebling ... in the rain and in a car I hadn't driven in months ... Had been DEing my 944, on the first day of school by oil pressure relief hung up so we drove home 4 hours to get my 914 and drove 4 hours back to the track.

 

Congrats. Would love to hear updates as the season progresses.

 

The SP double school is great - did it last year. Enjoy your first race.

 

SCCA has subtle differences to other clubs in terms of yellow flags and the incidents. Since it was a double yellow flag and a screw up you got an even more convoluted situation. Anyways - welcome to the world of racing.

 

Great school, great stuff! Welcome!

Congrats to you too, Mike!

 

First off, double yellow ONLY means "full course yellow," not necessarily a pace car on course.

Second, I would have done what you did. No flag at a manned station (especially start/finish, in sight of the CS at Summit, btw) means GREEN, Green, GREEN!

-Peter
Chief Instructor, NC-Region SCCA, 1990-present

 

It turned out fine. The CS got to do his "bad cop" speech to my run group, but no penalties. It was just an interesting quirk and a rare error by the flagging crew.

 

So true about the CS approach! Not so rare error and another compelling reason for good, in-car video...

 

Congrats on your racing license. The SRF must be a fun car. I have only tried it in iRacing, but computer racing is just not the same thing. I keep joking with people, if you want to make computer racing more realistic, we only need to have someone standing next to you as you drive on the computer and then have them hit your every time you have an incident (or an off) and then have them deduct money from your bank account.

Good luck with your racing and if possible post video.