USERA Announces Race Format Change

[Knestis]

... the format change was SPECIFICALLY designed to provide what I think you are asking for... a format where a six crew team doesn't have an advantage. Two drivers and 1 crew member can be very effective (and be all that is required) with the new format. ...[/b]

Okay - now THAT'S an entirely more narrow (and easily addressed) issue: Allow only the two drivers and one other crew member over the wall during pit stops, and let the clock run. Let the teams willing to practice their stops to hone their skills gain their relative advantage rather than dumbing down the entire exercise to the point that it loses all attributes of an enduro stop.

We get all twisted up when we have policies that are supposed to act indirectly on the issues that really matter to us. If we want to eliminate the advantage of lots of crew members, do it directly. It's like artificial time limits for fuel stops, that typically get imposed for ECRs, etc. If the issue is unsafe practices, sanctioning bodies should impose stiff penalties on any team using them. If the issue is bodies, limit them.

K

[Marc]

"Allow only the two drivers and one other crew member over the wall during pit stops, and let the clock run."

Not the perfect solution, but it's certainly one I could live with better than a long break or a timed stop. Plus, it's really easy to enforce. Even us drivers can count to 3 (with our gloves on ...).

Good compromise.

marc

[Knestis]

Oddly, the more I think about this, the more i like my own silly idea.

** Since the driver has to be out before fueling - crew guy refuels, driver getting in runs the extinguisher, driver getting out takes off helmet and gloves

** Making tire stops longer, this would reward cars that are easier on tires, while being a disincentive to simply chucking new tires at the car every time it stops. (NASA tries to do this with a dumb 1-tire change rule for the 25 hours - or at least they used to...?)

** Drivers need to be clever enough to work on their own car. Okay - so the scheme falls apart there... :P
Make it drivers plus 2 crew members over the wall, so we're more likelty to actually FIX things that bust.

K

[Hahn63]

Kirk, I like it !!!! Keep it up , you're on a roll!

Ken, A lot of people I talked with will run with you but not until next year. Too hard to change schedules mid year. Please come by and see us at Nelson. Would love to help out for next year. Keep it going for this year and they will come !!! (enduro format though)

To all, If your at Nelson stop by and see us and lets talk endurance racing ...cold beer is always in the cooler!


Roland

ITA #16
Mazda RX 7

[Ken Grammer]

Thanks Roland. I agree... next year should be better attended. What we are trying to figure out right now is how to survive THIS year!

Watch for news on the VIR weekend soon. It is shaping up to be quite an event... lots of neat stuff planned by the promoter... (tease).

[Knestis]

(another tease)

More specifics shortly but it appears that the Conover Engines/PhilsTireService.com/Bildon Motosport Golf might well appear at the VIR USERA event after all.

I'm not loving the new format but it looks like we might be over it enough to give it a go. Watch for more.

And if we WERE to go, my fingers would be SO crossed for the rain we didn't get at the Summit 12.

K

[Bill Miller]

Kirk,

While I understand and appreciate your concept of limiting the number of people over the wall, and have the driver(s) involved in working on the car, I think the operational side of that doesn't work. You've got a driver getting out of a car after a 90-120 min. stint. Here's a person that has been focused on the task of driving. Their adrenalin (sp?) level is high, and depending on the conditions (driver or environmental), they may not be in the best shape to be able to change their focus to working on the car. Sure, changing tires may not seem like that big a deal, but when doing that, you need to also focus on checking out what's going on w/ the car. It's well documented that fatigued people make mistakes. You put people in a situation where they're trying to do things as fast as they can, and I think that you increase the chances for something to get missed.

While I understand wanting to offer something that appeals to the greatest market, there becomes a point where increasing the appeal removes key characteristics that people want. You take away enough of those key characteristics and you actually appeal to fewer people. I think that's what's happening w/ the new USERA format.

[Knestis]

Oh, don't get me wrong - I think the typical club enduro rules for over-the-wall crew are far superior to either artificial timed stops or severely limiting the number of guys who can work on the car. My real point is that if the real desire is to limit the number of people working on the car, AND we don't want to completely detract from the enduro-ness of the exercise, it COULD be done.

I watched a guy at an ECR enduro (1.5 hours, probably?) at Road Atlanta come in, get out of his car, grab a jug, refuel, get back in, and leave when the required minimum time had elapsed. All he needed to do was recruit someone to hold an extinguisher for him. There was a certain elegance to the efficiency and self-reliance of the whole exercise but yeah - if he'd spilled fuel on himself or left the belts too loose, it would be a pretty stupid thing...

K

[Bill Miller]

Oh, don't get me wrong - I think the typical club enduro rules for over-the-wall crew are far superior to either artificial timed stops or severely limiting the number of guys who can work on the car. My real point is that if the real desire is to limit the number of people working on the car, AND we don't want to completely detract from the enduro-ness of the exercise, it COULD be done.

I watched a guy at an ECR enduro (1.5 hours, probably?) at Road Atlanta come in, get out of his car, grab a jug, refuel, get back in, and leave when the required minimum time had elapsed. All he needed to do was recruit someone to hold an extinguisher for him. There was a certain elegance to the efficiency and self-reliance of the whole exercise but yeah - if he'd spilled fuel on himself or left the belts too loose, it would be a pretty stupid thing...

K
[/b]

A 1.5 hour 'enduro'?

Can it be done? Sure. Hey, I remember stories of NASCAR drivers getting out of the car during pit stops and working on their own car.

As I said, I understand wanting to appeal to a broad market, and to control costs. But, there's comes a point where you change the character enough that it's not really what it's being represented as. What's next in the cost-containment arena, spec tires? limited # of tires? spec wheels? ???

Racing is not cheap and endurance racing is really not cheap. If USERA wants this split format, just call it two races. Set the grid of the 2nd race based on the results of the first. Average the finishing positions together and award prizes/money/trophies based on that number. Or, award points for where you finish, and add the points up for the two races (essentially the same as averaging the finishing positions, but allows room for things like points for poll, most laps led, etc.)

Calling what they have now an 'endurance' series is a mis-nomer.