Coochas

Don't you know? Fake news is cool.

Jabs1542

For years BMW has had image polarizers in their rear view mirrors so they can't see Porsches (sort of like vampires).

Bill Lehman

I just received this regarding an upcoming DE:

Do you drive a newer car with the latest safety technology? Good! Do you know how to turn it off? Even better!

PCA is concerned that collision avoidance / automatic braking systems (meaning a system that can override the driver to apply brakes and/or take corrective steering) may not perform in a safe and predictable manner on the racetrack.

Therefore, effective immediately, all cars participating in PCA DE events must have such systems TURNED OFF. If your car’s system can’t be turned fully off, you will not be able to use that car for your upcoming DE.

Please be aware that your collision avoidance system may need to be turned off again each time you start the car. If that’s the case (check your manual), be sure to work that step into your pre-run session prep routine.

Note: this policy does NOT apply to stability management systems (e.g. PSM, ESC, etc.). PCA guidelines state that stability management systems should remain ON while driving on track.




P.S. Perhaps you followed the saga of a similar-sounding policy announced by a BMW CCA region, which was all over Jalopnik and the message boards a few weeks ago. This is different: they wanted to ban these systems, we merely require them to be turned off. Also, that was one region's policy: this comes from PCA National and applies to PCA clubs nationwide.

needmoregarage

^Bill - I'd like to understand who sent this and in what context. It's from PCA National (if I read this correctly). Did the directive include the "P.S." beneath (I assume the PS comments were part of your copy/paste.

I want to be sure I understand.

Thanks for sharing!

Bill Lehman

I'll send PM, Bill

ProCoach

Can you share, Bill?

Thundermoose

Niagara region PCA tech form explicitly excludes cars with collision avoidance systems.

needmoregarage

Thanks Bill.

I emailed the track committee for my local club and they have already received the policy from PCA National.

Like Bill - I went to PCA.org and couldn't find mention of this change.

txhokie4life

I don't remember the exact verbiage -- I've slept since then...

At the combined BMW/PCA event at CoTA this past weekend the instructors were told they should tell their students to turn them off, and remind them that most systems turn on automatically and the student should know how to turn them off themselves and also be able to know how to provide some sort of indication that the system was inactivated.

Someone with better memory -- or who had been assigned a car built this century -- might remember better than me :-)

Mike

gobuffs

This issue is actually fairly easy on Porsches and BMWs. It appears that Porsches that are 2016 and newer might have this option. If the car has active cruise control (and consequently a camera in the middle of the front bumper) then it has these safety systems. You have to dig into the menus to turn it off. It appears that the system will not turn it back on if you engage ABS, but there have been reports of an unknown make/model of car that will turn itself back on if ABS engages. On newer BMWs (possibly back to MY2014) there will be a button next to the hazard switch on the dash. It has a pic of a car with a circle around it. If the circle is green the systems are on. If it is orange it is partly on (user definable). If the circle is white, the systems are off.

jsabatini

At the recent Sebring PCA DE hosted by Suncoast and Citrus this came up and the new policy of these chapters is that these cars are not allowed on track.

LuigiVampa

I think this is a different class of nanny than stability control and anti-lock. Those nannies help keep the car on track and more predictable. This one changes the way the car reacts to other cars around it in a way which could be dangerous.

Can't say that I would be a fan of keeping this nanny on.

jlanka

I had adaptive cruise control in a 14 Carrera. One day it panic braked for a Poland Spring bottle which had gotten kicked up in front of me. Would not have been pretty on the track. I can understand the need to turn them off

ProCoach

How did you know that? It's true!

ProCoach

Most reviews of ACC have noted it's pretty intrusive.