I was Seventh video

I have shown it to many of my friends at parties...

Politeness not appropriate in our competitive racing environment.. :)
 
I think I saw at a couple people on that grid who have been on this board from time to time, maybe they can relate the thoughts they had about all that pace lap passing.

Also alot of ITC cars that are not seen anymore.
 
FWIW, you have to feel the pain for Ken, this has happen to me a couple of times, as for being screwed out fo your grid position. here's my story FWIW.

I was supposed to be gridded 2nd in FP, like 10 overall at national race at CMP, but when the grid sheet came out in our EP/FP/GP/HP GT4/5 grid I was on the overall group pole like 6 seconds faster than the FP track record, I and everyone else on the grid pretty much knew this was T&S mistake, so I tried to do the right thing, and went to T&S to address it, and thats when it got really strange. The head of T&S asked me where was supposed to be gridded, I gave her the times my crew has got me at, and then she ask me to look at the grid sheet and see if anyone else looked out of place and my thoughts on where they should be, WTH 88-o . Now why I wanted to correct this mistake on my grid position,, I wasn't going to dare seal anyone's else fate, and was shocked the head fo T&S asked me to do this. Anyway, they said they had a back up system, and would get it straightened out before the race.

As we all headed to the grid for our race, they had shut the gate leading onto the grid and I knew the grid marshall very well, and ask him what the deal was, he said they were still waiting on the final grid and could not grid anyone until they got grid from T&S. After we all sat there for what seemed like forever, they finally got the grid sheet and proceeded to grid us, T&S's fix was to simply put me in the back of the grid :evil: . To say I was fuming inside that helmet would be understatment, and when the green flag dropped I was on a mission and took over my second place FP postion racing on track in two laps, I was a pocessed man :) This race is what lead to Mark Coffin, and I becoming good friends, he said he looked in his mirror and saw this crazy bostich coming in this Midget, and just got out hell of the way:)

Our volunteers do the best they can, and mostly get it right, but when it goes wrong it can be very frustrating, and lead to some strange happening.

The weirdest grid deal I ever saw was a couple fo years ago at a MARRS race at Summit Point, where the race was black flagged all because of crash blocking the track, the Chief steward, no other the Jerry W. decided it would be a good idea to grid every one back into thier running postion order than just release them as they came in, this had to one of the dumbest things I ever saw a chief steward do, this I'm sure put T&S into whrilwind to produce such a grid order then grid marshals to move everyone around and execute it, it was totlally unecessary, and needless to say many grid mistakes were made because oif this rushed, nimwit decision made by Jerry W., which lead into a major crash that cause a SRF to flip end over end on restart, that then did end the race. Our driver had advanced his postion 4 places in class in the race at that point, and was simply put on the back of the pack, because his car number didn't show up on the new grid sheet. He attempted to protest it, but it was more trouble than it was worth, and it would have made no difference. I could not help myself, I seeked out Jerry W. out and ask him why he would do such a dumbass thing, he responded " well it worked in the past", and my response was, "well hoss how did it freaking work for you this time". Thats wasn't the first time I had saw Jerry W. make a bonehead decision as a steward, any of you remember the 2002 FP runoffs race, and the passing under double yellow deal, and like half the field having to go to SOM after the race, that was a Jerry W. deal too, hey we get what we pay for I guess :)
 
Acme Speed Shop":3mprarur said:
...
The weirdest grid deal I ever saw was a couple of years ago at a MARRS race at Summit Point, where the race was black flagged all because of crash blocking the track, the Chief steward, no other the Jerry W. decided it would be a good idea to grid every one back into thier running postion order than just release them as they came in, this had to one of the dumbest things I ever saw a chief steward do, ...
Actually, the GCR requires that after a BFA (or any other restart situation) the cars be released in the order they were in at the end of the last completed lap. See GCR 6.8. (The other choice is to go back to the original starting grid under certain conditions.)

Dave
 
IMHJ, the dumb play of the day was a couple years ago at the June Sprints at Road America I was in the T5 bleachers trying to figure what the hell was going on with the Spec Miata class order as they went through T5. The fast qualifer was in P 14 & many cars were totally out of order. Watching a couple videos after was really funny or sad take your pick. Ya just don't want to beleive the grid folks are wrong, correct, because they work for free. :hand: The car that started P14 (should have been grided P1) won the race after finishing 2nd, the on track winner was a car that was pit released someplace other than his qualifying position, except that he re-took his qualifuing position. Dead meat at that point per the rule.
 
Passing cars, warming their tires, with no reason to look in their mirrors, nor expect anyone from behind to come by, to regain position on a pace lap, has got to be a hair raising experience. (Some idiot in a Yenko Stinger did this at Sundays Mitty race this Spring)
 
If you spin on a pace lap or for some other reason are not in what you think is the right spot you can't legally regain that spot, right? Why aren't these guys black flagged out of the race, or at least DQ'd afterward?
 
In a prod race at Summit Point back in 2002, I think, we were grouped with one of the IT classes, ITC I think. I was gridded 6th and got the best start of my life, got a few cars on the start, one if 3, one on the outside thru 5, and came around to start/finish in second, only Kenny was ahead of me by about 3 seconds. By the time I got to turn one, the black flag was out due to carnage in turn 3 from the first lap. On the grid after the black flag, they put me back to 6th and put all the people I passed back in front of me, I was livid.

I didn't get as good a start the second time around and ended up stuck behind a couple IT 510s, they were racing for position and there was a good bit of, well lets say "defensive driving" going on. They were blocking me and each other pretty bad. I wasn't gonna catch Kenny, but another FP car that had started further back was gaining on me fast so I had to go. I finally caught one of them sleeping in the carosel and got inside of him and made the pass, as I came around to start/finish they waived the checkered. I felt terrible that I may have ruined their race. The guy that I passed found me after the race and he was pissed, I told him it was either pass or be passed for me so I had to go, sorry, he claimed tht he was setting the other guy up for a last lap pass. I told him he was setting him up the whole race, and it didn't appear that he was gonna get past. He said the he was gonna complain to he small bore drivers rep, I told him he could do that. He yelled FINE, who is it, I replied...me, do you have a complaint?
 
Does anyone have a link to the 2005 FP qualifying crash caused by one guy passing on the warm up lap while another was using the whole width of the track to warm his tires? I cannot recall the names of the guys involved, but it shows what can happen.....
 
MidOhio, entering T7 a Miata (IIRC there was a father & son had 2 F Miatas) doing the sideways dance whacked a ??? mid engine car. 88-o
 
Rob Futcher":2dse4b84 said:
Does anyone have a link to the 2005 FP qualifying crash caused by one guy passing on the warm up lap while another was using the whole width of the track to warm his tires? I cannot recall the names of the guys involved, but it shows what can happen.....
I think it was one of the Cefalo's. The father Mike had and the Son (whose name I forget) ran F Production that year and was the other car involved IIRC.
 
Ron Bartell":1ibg06la said:
Rob Futcher":1ibg06la said:
Does anyone have a link to the 2005 FP qualifying crash caused by one guy passing on the warm up lap while another was using the whole width of the track to warm his tires? I cannot recall the names of the guys involved, but it shows what can happen.....
I think it was one of the Cefalo's. The father Mike had and the Son (whose name I forget) ran F Production that year and was the other car involved IIRC.

Yes it was. The son. I heard about this story. I think that it played out on this lard afterward. They are SM racers now.
 
Rob Futcher":652be2tp said:
Does anyone have a link to the 2005 FP qualifying crash caused by one guy passing on the warm up lap while another was using the whole width of the track to warm his tires? I cannot recall the names of the guys involved, but it shows what can happen.....

If memory serves, the track was green in the incident you describe (i could be wrong). The term "warm up lap" isn't really the case when released onto a green track. If there isn't a yellow at the first flag station you see, assume you could get passed and act accordingly, and the passing driver is responsible to make a safe pass.
 
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