I hope you don't mind one of the subjects of your videos having a voice....I'm the driver of the yellow Alfa.[/b]
I/we absolutely do NOT mind; it's the only way to learn. I am glad you are here and reading, and I hope I've given the impression that I do not believe I'm beyond reproach.
The T6 through T9 series is a very complex place to work traffic, for both the passer and passee. The normal line is jinking left, right, then left again, very much like a series of esses (with a blind crest thrown in for kicks). If a passer is not on the ball then pointing someone by "here" could lead to disaster "there" if they hesitate; this puts the passee in a tough situation. To make matters worse in our case, as noted I got burned passing on the left there before, which no doubt complicated my decision process.
From the time we crested the hill braking into T6 I calculated we were going to catch you under the treehouse; from the apex of the corner out I was looking to confirmation that that 1) you saw us, and 2) you had a preferred side for us to pass. In your open car your hand signals can be seen from a LONG way away with very little chance of being confused for rollcage tubes and the like, and I was hoping you would use that.
Unfortunately, I got no signal from you so I had to make a future prediction of your actions based on experience with everyone else I've raced ("Is he going to drive the line? Is he going to move left?") Since there was light to the right of you the very moment I had to commit, that choice was "go right". Fortunately, I make a point of walking all race tracks, and one of the things I look for is escape routes. I had planned for this exact contingency; I knew what I could do and this was exactly what I did.
Other than not indicating you knew we were there and which direction you preferred we pass you did exactly what you should have done, which was
drive the line. I *really* wish more people would do that. If everyone did that, then everyone becomes predictable, and passers can act accordingly. The problem is that 50% of the folks will drive the line and the other two-thirds try and move out of the way. I had a 50/50 chance of making the right choice. I only hope I didn't scare the beejesus out of you like I did Andy!
...you need to respect the fact that regardless of the fact that you are leading your race - you do not own the track and I have no intention of doing something that I feel is unsafe to let you by.[/b]
Absolutely. You shouldn't. On the other hand, neither do you "own the track" and you should not feel like you have the right to keep us from passing, should we feel it's safe to do so. Our closing speeds were so high that a little notification goes a long way. If you had pointed left going through or out of the apex of T6 then I would have timed it to allow you to move right (using you as a pick to keep Andy behind me) then motored on. But this is competition: there was no way I was going to brake down to your speed and wait for you to get out of the way. Sorry if this raises the hackles of you and others, but this is competition, not HPDE.
Don't give me the "$5 wooden plaque" speech. Don't care. I do not condone or support intentional contact, but if the very idea of possible body damage gives you (collective "you") the vapors I suggest you get out of W2W competition (or get a Saturn).
Nissan and Miata doors and fenders may be a dime a dozen, but 50-year-old Italian steel in good shape is tough to find.[/b]
Au contraire: NX fenders are unobtainable. However, I don't make driving decisions based on equipment. I would have driven the same if I was in a Ferrari Enzo, it just would have made a different sound.
If you make the decision to go by without a signal, that means that I don't think it's a safe place and we haven't communicated...so you go at risk.[/b]
Au contraire, part deaux: *ALL* passes are done "at your risk" and a point-by does not eliminate that. Further, no one else is required to - or will - be held to your analysis of the situation. This is not an HPDE-type event where a point-by is required for a pass; you as the passee do not 'control the situation'. Passing attempts *will* happen whether you feel they are safe or not, you have no say over them. However, point-bys in competition are one of the tools that you have at your disposal (others include "body language" and driving lines) to
minimize the potential of the conflicts. If you believe that a lack of a point-by would - or should - have stopped that pass, then hindsight illustrates that to be folly. If someone is rolling up on you like they were beamed down by the Starship Enterprise then it is absolutely their responsibility to make a safe pass, but is your responsibility to recognize the situation and minimize the conflict potential.
Notifying me a couple of seconds - one second - in advance of our meeting at the same time-space would have done that.
When a significant number of people (join the back of the field), is there a problem?[/b]
I don't see how. In fact, this past weekend at Mid-Ohio NASA made a point of gridding all cars within their class, based on the lap time of the fastest member of the class (e.g. in our case, all FP cars would grid up front, then all ITA cars, then all GP cars, etc). Don't know what I think of that, yet. - GA
Anyway opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, and most of them stink!! 