Driving etiquette
 

For anyone who does not have access to facebook, the following is a discussion that happened over the weekend about standards of driving last Friday



Chris Fletcher said -

There was an interesting piece in one of the GT12 groups about etiquette when lapping cars and one of the BRCA reps posted this document. It has come from a 12th Scale rep, but I think it fits well for all classes, and to be honest some of the driving was terrible last night...in all classes
http://www.brca.org/…/Racing%20Etiquette%20-%20The%20Unwrit…


www.brca.org
http://www.brca.org/sites/www.brca.o...en%20Rules.pdf
www.brca.org










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  You and Darren Spann like this.
  
  
  
  
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  Steven Spencer How dare you use the word interesting in the same breath as gt12!!
  29 November at 21:06 · Like · 4
  
  
  
  
  
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  Janice Crompton Good piece Chris Fletcher, we also need to get drivers to shout when they are stopped on the straight, that is often when most of the serious crashes occur, and in turn the driver who crashes into the stopped car gets blamed, at the speed the cars are going it's not always possible to avoid cars.
  29 November at 21:32 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher Lol
  To be honest I think the speed of cars is the biggest problem at ribble, there are far to many cars which are too fast for the drivers to control, but the way it seems to be is let's all go really fast and
  use somebody else's car as a brake when we get to a corner. That is the reason I stopped running the buggy indoors, my car wasn't the fastest thing there but it was a regular b final car, but I got fed up of the breakages and the other drivers death or glory attitude to it all. Then there are driving standards on top of that
  29 November at 21:39 · Like · 5
  
  
  
  
  
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  Eric Dunn I agree with chris that speed and lack of control are major issues at ribble. The Buggies are just too fast for the size of the track and the number of cars on track. The problem is magnified when we have more cars in a race but it is still usually lack of control by drivers who cant wait a split second to get past someone that causes the bulk of crashes.
  29 November at 22:31 · Like · 3
  
  
  
  
  
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  Janice Crompton I would say is it the tyres thing? But we have used them for quite a while now but it's only recently that the driving has got really bad. And you can't say it's the newbies because the higher heats are as bad. You could start penalising but you'd have to have someone watching every race (and the fun element starts to go). Of course it isn't just the buggies but the gt12s don't go of track or go over he jumps so it is not as noticeable. Personally I think it's the track (sorry Andy!)
  29 November at 22:57 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker the person that smashed into me actually smashed me out of the hands of the marshall on the straight, maybe drivers need to look ahead before blasting down the straight. it half spun him round which smashed me against the wall. maybe a limit on motor rating should be enforced on buggies aswell as gt12
  29 November at 23:03 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker or enforcing blinky instead of motor rating
  29 November at 23:04 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Steven Spencer You can't enforce a blinky mode as not every speedo has it and people arnt going to buy and keep swapping speedos round for one night, motor limit won't work either as you can just up the timing to get the speed back.. The tyres are the big thing, pins will slow cars down but this was raised at the last agm and was dismissed. The only other thing to slow them down is other features but this hasn't happened either.
  Yesterday at 00:02 · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith Lots of sympathy with the comments, but as always, its a lot easier said than done. You often see cars in the novice heat that are so fast they would fly past me down the straight (that's not a cue for Durango jibes btw). I'm not sure you can blame one thing or another. The track has a few spots where its easy to get it wrong, but it often does. I am not convinced that tyres are the issue either. I personally don't think driving and crashes are particularly worse now, as we are on foams. Ast spencer said , mandating one thing or another doesn't really work. Incentives through extra points for one thing or another might be an option to think about.
  Yesterday at 00:09 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith Whilst we are getting things off our chest and only my opinion, but one thing I think could be better, is drivers impatience with Marshall's. There are some, both young and old that shout at Marshall's the split second their car has turned over. As Janice often rightly points out, stop having a go at the Marshalls, if you don't want to lose time, slow down and don't crash. They are doing their best and some of them are young. So I'm sorry if they might be a little slower, but part of the reason they are slower is because they are scared of getting hit by a 30mph projectile. At the end of the day it's all for fun:-)
  Yesterday at 00:25 · Like · 2
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker some of us marshalls are gettin old and aren't as nibble as we used to be
  Yesterday at 00:28 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith I'm hoping you aren't nobbling when you are marshalling:-)
  Yesterday at 00:41 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith Definitely hope you aren't nobbling!
  Yesterday at 00:41 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith Nibbling was what I was going for, isn't autocorrect fun.
  Yesterday at 00:43 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker Haha nimble
  Yesterday at 09:44 · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Adam Perei How many people would it upset trying blinky mode, a lot of ribble racers don't race else where do they? So changing setting or motor wouldn't be a problem just a thought
  23 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Steven Spencer Doesn't bother me trying it just like I said not all speedos have the option
  23 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Ian Webster I personally think having buggies on foams causes half the issue as they can just stick to the track and go so much faster. There should be maybe a ride height limit and a control tyre? Whenever I come to race I seem to be able to do OK on rubber. Its always going to be difficult running two classes. If it was just off road you would have more ramps spread around the track. Maybe reduce the length of the straight, with a chicane or something?
  23 hrs · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  Harry Crookham-burke Maybe instead of changing everyone's setup, why not add another heat so we can reduce the amount of cars in a race and spread out the ability of drivers better. I've noticed over the past few weeks that the speed difference in some of the heats is a big problem as it's always the same driver winning every week.
  23 hrs · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher It is time limited Harry
  It would be brilliant to have another heat of buggies, as it would to have an extra heat of gt12 but we have to be out of the hall by 10.30
  
  We might be able to have another heat, but we would then have to reduce the running to 2 rounds and a final, and we have tried that in the past and it wasn't a popular decision
  22 hrs · Like · 2
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker I think more restrictions for buggies would be a good thing, works well for gt12 which I think will be my next purchase, if things don't change in buggy class. There's more wheel to wheel racing in gt12 than just carnage all the time
  Why not try racing on a Sunday a lot of people would enjoy it more
  22 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker Would give us more time for practice and make heats a little smaller
  22 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Andy Smith Good debate as always. Invite for the AGM will be coming out soon. Post your question, come along and have your say.
  22 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher And there is a speed differential in the heats, but good driving etiquette, for example moving out of the way of faster cars in qualifying as per the document I posted, would assist in this
  At the end of the day the track isn't wide enough for the number of buggies that we have in a heat, but the club doesn't have any option other than running an extra heat and only running 2 rounds rather than 3 and a final
  22 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher The current format is 3 rounds of 6 heats (4 buggy and 2 gt12)
  With heats of 4 mins 30 seconds and a minute between heats it is a total of 33 mins per round, so we are looking at 1 hour 40 mins for qualifying
  10 mins for working out the finals and then another 35 or so to run the finals as we have to have someone line up the grids so that brings us upto approximately 2 hours 30 mins to run the event.
  We could run 2 rounds of 8 heats (5 buggy and 3 gt12, which would allow better separation of abilities)
  Heats of 5 mins 30 seconds and a minute between rounds and it works out about the same time for qualifying approx 1 hour 45 mins
  Add again 10 mins for sorting out the finals, then approx 55 mins to run the finals. We are looking at 2 hours 50 mins to run the event, so if we don't have any open practice before the racing this would be workable, everyone would lose 1 minute of track time over the event, but the abilities would be better separated so theoretically better racing.
  I don't know what everyone else thinks
  22 hrs · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker seems a good idea to me chris, how about trying the track i post bit back, there are 2 2/3 straights which might slow things down a bit.
  21 hrs · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher David Hardicker, I think there is a track designer on oople, (if it's not there, I'm sure Eric Dunn will know where it is)
  We are getting due for a new layout, so put your ideas down on paper and submit them to be voted on.
  21 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher Sorry David Hardicker I misread your post
  I didn't realise you had already submitted a track
  Can you pm it to me so I can have a look
  21 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Janice Crompton Please note that if you reduce the numbers in each heat then we may have an issue re marshalling. When we were doing 3 gt12 I was constantly having to ask for more marshals and after the top gt12 heat it ends up that mostly the juniors volunteer and they are then marshalling fast buggies.
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker but you would have less cars to marshall so the ratio would be the same
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker and in all likelyhood you would have less marshalling o do because of the reduction in carst
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker chris just go to files at the top of the page and its in there
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker got my name agaonst it
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker against*
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher To be fair tho Janice Crompton, the GT12's don't need much marshalling, but I do see what you mean. The solution could be the gt12's only marshal the gt12's and the buggies only marshal the buggies
  20 hrs · Like · 2
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher I will have a look David Hardicker
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Janice Crompton Chris we have always had the gt12s after the first heat of buggies because that was where most juniors used to be, then the junior gt12s marshalled the top gt12 heat, and the experienced gt 12s then marshalled the next buggies.
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Chris Fletcher There is always going to be a problem with regards marshalling, because drivers see it as an inconvenience and they don't want to do it. But I do understand why we have the heats the way that we do
  I think the thing that needs to be happening with the children who are marshalling is they MUST have an adult with them. You can see that they are scared to go into the track and they don't understand the speed of the cars, if they all had an adult with them they would be able to help and guide them as to when it is safe to enter the circuit.
  I have learnt to bite my tongue with regards to the kids marshalling as you don't want to upset and scare them, as if we do they won't want to come back
  20 hrs · Like · 1
  
  
  
  
  
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  David Hardicker nobody should be shouting at any marshall, its the drivers fault for crashing not the marshall. driver should be waiting patiently and be greatfull there is a marshall otherwise you can put your own car back on the track
  20 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Harry Crookham-burke I agree with Chris, there are kids that are marshalling that are too young. There's kids marshalling heat 5 and 6 who look about 5 and six lol. All joking aside I do think it's dangerous and there should be an adult with them, if not marshalling for them.
  19 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Leo Redpath Currently Ist heat Buggies/Juniors marshal 1st GT12 Round and I for one feel its better/safer for the youngest to marshal.
  Dave Hardicker came up with a track that does not have a LONG straight reckon it would reduce the number of Hi Speed breakages in buggies.
  19 hrs · Like
  
  
  
  
  
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  Janice Crompton The. Young kids are asked to have an adult with them and as with Ashton and Ben their dads are usually with them. If the adults are racing as well then sometimes they can't be there, do like someone to get other adults to help!!!!