Originally posted by ITSRX7:
It would seem that only the faster cars have a chance at an event like this unlike an event with no manditory stops with only minimum stop times for fuel fills gives everyone a shot.
Andy - absent a 'handicap' system, is there really a way for the slower cars to beat the faster cars ? When we run the SSC car, we know we're going to get killed by ITS or SP cars, but we usually pick another target - "we want to beat all the SSB cars, too".
Some may remember many attempts to do 'handicapped' enduros at the Sept. "Fun One" races at the Glen. Theoretically, it would have allowed all cars a shot at the overall win. Slower classes started first, from pit lane, based on a handicap time calculated by competititors lap times in sprint races, plus an additional 'traffic factor'. Progressively faster and faster cars entered the 'hot' track. Worked good, until you had the first FCY, then the handicap went to hell (I caused it once, scattering a Volvo motor all over T1...got it behind the wall before the Esses, but the oil slick was a little too large and they FCY'ed it to clean it up...but I wasn't alone, fortunately). It got to be a real problem with the schedule and, although driver's loved it, there was a lot of flack from a lot of people about the whole concept. It just got unworkable. It was kinda cool, though.
EMRA does the 'handicapped enduro' more successfully, as Bud Krueger has some sort of magic handicap/traffic factor calculation that works great. The EMRA 4 Hour night enduro at Summit in November is always really close, due to this. If you've never run this event...you should.
Two mandatory stops in a 3 hour enduro is waaaay too much. But...start thinking about strategy...do you stop a the 1 hour mark, or do you wait until either 1.) you're out of gas or 2.) the first FCY or 3.) an FCY once you're inside the fuel window for your driver change or 4.)etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
It's the Glen...you can be damn sure that there will be an FCY, so start figuring out how to play that.
