GT3DE

You can block me all you want. Just remember I know what your car looks like and can probably find you after the race is over.

winders

I am sure racers everywhere are trembling with fear!

z06801

Another etiquette question while we're at it, How do you guys feel about lapping slower classes? Sometimes the SMs will run with the big bore cars at Miller at if the radicals are up from Vegas. I tend to pass them as soon as safely possible. They seem to get so bent for interfering in their race even if your in their sight for a second at most. Obviously you try not to mess with their race but you are being chased also. What is the correct etiquette?
I think the video nailed the blocking issue

LuigiVampa

What keeps me honest, and I think it is the same for most people, is that I don't want to be known as "that guy".

Whether it is not giving a point by in DE, or blocking in a race, I think the most powerful weapon is the public shame that goes with being branded "that guy".

Blocking can be very subjective at times so personally I would always start with a conversation. But I would not have the conversation immediately after I got out of the car because that never ends well!

GT3DE

Maybe I should have used a more general term - like the guy behind you knows what car you are driving and can probably find you after the race.

winders

If the driver thinks another driver was blocking, take the video to the race director (or chief steward) and let the race director determine if it was blocking. If it was blocking, let the race director have a conversation with the driver that was blocking.

JustinL

Agreed. Let the race director sort it out. I don't think there is any disagreement that blocking is bad, but the question by the OP is whether to defend (eg. pick the inside line and stick to it) or gift the position to a faster competitor who for whatever reason ended up behind.

dizzyj

Happened to me all weekend at the tws club race. I was faster in the corners, but could not get around. As frustrating as it was, I tried to use it as a learning experience. I'm obviously not good enough at racecraft to get around the person (plenty of other drivers did).

I realized I was driving their line, AND their braking points, ugh, never going to pass that way. The one thing I tried to do that was successful was to figure out what line they wanted at a corner i'm good at, then next lap take the opposite line. Typically this meant the outside corner (say at turn 10 at tws). If I could get side by side with them, then it was over, I could pass.

2 things that are frustrating. 1) you manage to make a pass, and they pass back on a straight due to more hp (out of class). 2) a back of the pack driver in a faster class is racing 2 or more cars in a slower class (midpack) slowing them down. But thats racing. All things I find frustrating are due to my lack of skill and ability

One thing that happened often is that I would make a run for a corer, pick a line, then have the car in front of me also move into that line. I dont think the other drivers were blocking, I just think that I picked my line sooner than they did. i.e. it wasnt reactionary to my line.

overall fun weekend. SP1's are a ball to drive

951and944S

LOL, this happens everywhere we go.

My son is usually the top 8V 944 on track (SP2) anywhere we go.

Ends up gridded ahead of a lot (sometimes half the field) of Boxsters, some D, and even E cars.

They'll come pass on the straights and disappear 10 car lengths only to have his front nose on their bumper 3 turns later.

A few Boxster drivers that we are friends with will visit and offer (unsolicited) to have a talk with the back half if they are holding him up but you have to wonder what some of them are thinking.

If a car with 60 less HP than you, that is equally limited in development by "spec" rules is on your tail corner after corner, you'd think they'd have the sense to follow and learn just how a skilled driver is able to run faster lap times than them.

What's the worst is (at TWS for example), they can't get through the final three turns before the straight and the lead 944s have to lift (even left foot brake) which kills momentum.

If my son can actually earn a pass through studying the car in front for a few laps, it adds to the risk that he has to take to pull it off.....then they just blast back by as if he's holding them up...

We lost a brand new bumper cover on a new car build due to him having to leave track 3 or 4 times over the weekend to miss spins and wrecks by Boxsters and higher class cars that on paper, he should not even be near on track.

T. Simon

Veloce Raptor

Easy problems to solve...

951and944S

roflmao....!

No ammo available though..!

T

Der ABT

personally i do tremble over both these comments.....i mean who hits you on the grid before a race....and then sees the scruit go hahah......which was actually funny...glad i still have those 400lb bumperettes (US Version too)

this is a funny conversation but also some good knowledge transfer....yes there is learning from the faster car...but most people doing the annoying blocking/chopping etc do not have the ability to learn and dont really apply to this.....
also most dont like loosing, im probably one of the few that actually like to get beat cause it makes me push further or learn.

i know several people have brought video up of certain drivers doing this and the talks dont always work ,but they have to start somewhere to at least get the actions on record....so i agree with the showing the stewards etc...though it can be hard if its a relatively busy weekend in the tower with incidents.....


personally i have 2-3 cars i often see at races in higher class that scare the crap out of me with their moves......they can usually have 1 or 2 go fast laps and their consistency is crap....
other tough spot is at places like sebring, where the straights are long enough where even if you do get by the gap you pull isnt enough because of how long the straights are.......had fun with that his year at sebring stuck behind 3-4 several class higher cars that had an in class race at the back going on that i should not have been that close too based on car performance... and their battling made it even worse...what can ya do...

951and944S

LOL...!

A buddy that convoys with us, at TWS past weekend was taking direction from grid to park in numbered spot...."back back back"....POW...!

He smacks RR corner dead into concrete wall.

So....between sessions, he's using a ratchet strap in the garage to pull the collapsible bumper shock back out and a scrute walks by, asks him if he was involved in an incident....

T

LuigiVampa

I'm sure that this was said in jest but I just can't resist!

Paseb

normally sp2 runs their own session in PCA?

just to give you an exemple, normally between F class boxster and SPB boxster, there is a 3 sec gap. Some F boxster will run the same time as SPB since they're slower drivers. Same for every other class...

Same thing happens to your son. He could be as fast as D class or spb boxster or whatever class.

There could be 10 sec gap between 1st in class and last in class