Did I piss someone off in the CFR? (Sebring run group)

[titanium]

If I did, I'm sorry.

The Central Florida Region just posted the schedule for the June race at Sebring.
Normally, BP runs with the "Big Bore" cars.
For some reason, they have decided to put us with Spec Miata!
(for IT racers not familiar with BP, it is a class for modified late-model high HP cars and current & former Speed GT cars)

The actual group is the following:
Group 6: SM, DP, ITR, T3, BP

I might not have a problem with this if we were racing on the 3.7 mile Long Course, but we are on the 1.7 mile Sebring 'Short' course. We will probably start lapping the SM field on lap 2 with our 3100 to 3300 pound, 350 to 600 horsepower Cobras, Camaros and Corvettes.

I can't imagine the SM racers will be very happy about this either.

[Cobrar05]

Looks like a typo. BP instead of the correct DP. By the way, how are you holding up against those world challenge cars?

[RX3]

So how many time did you lap the field?

And you were first overall?

[titanium]

No first overall.
But I started each race on the front row.
Al Wicht out-qualified me in his '93 Mustang by over a second.
Then during the first race, the car developed a stumble that tuned into a miss in the second race.
I applaud the Spec Miata drivers. The was just one incident all weekend where a Spec Miata driver did not see me overtaking him, causing me to take evasive measures to avoid contact.
On Saturday morning, I did as the Race Chair to move us in to our 'normal' class. He said he would monitor our times during Qualifying and let us know. (He thought the ITR cars would be faster than us)

[CRallo]

(He thought the ITR cars would be faster than us)

now that's just silly...

[RX3]

Your time was 1:18.140

T3 time was 1:18.896

ITR time was 1:19.621

SM time was 1:22.308

GT1 time was 1:06:615 Rodney would have been in the way in that race with those times

And here are the track records
BP 1:17.839
T3 1:18.896
SM 1:22.308
ITR 1:10.621

I think that the cars were grouped right and every one had a good time.

Race Chair.

[Bruce Shafer]

Your time was 1:18.140

T3 time was 1:18.896

ITR time was 1:19.621

SM time was 1:22.308

GT1 time was 1:06:615 Rodney would have been in the way in that race with those times

And here are the track records
BP 1:17.839
T3 1:18.896
SM 1:22.308
ITR 1:10.621

I think that the cars were grouped right and every one had a good time.

Race Chair.

Mr. Race Chair, please don't speak for everybody.

I don’t think the groupings were proper and I voiced my opinion to you well before the event. I also didn’t have a particularly good time, riding around at 7/10ths dodging Spec Miatas. The weekend would have been much better if ITR was running in the ITS/ITA group (were I feel ITR belongs).

I do appreciate the work you do for CFR, but occasionally please listen to some of the feedback you get from drivers on these types of decisions.

I am a bit curious as to whom and what set the ITR record on the Sebring short course? A 1:10.621 seems a bit quick to me, being 3.4 seconds off the GT1 times.

[RX3]

The Lap times came from the time sheet posted on MYlaps for last weekends race.

[Chris Wire]

ITR 1:10.621

I am a bit curious as to whom and what set the ITR record on the Sebring short course? A 1:10.621 seems a bit quick to me, being 3.4 seconds off the GT1 times.

Bruce, as I read it that was a typo. Your fast time from the Saturday race was a 1:19.621, not a 1:10.621.

I know you're fast, but..... jk

[Butch Kummer]

I also didn’t have a particularly good time, riding around at 7/10ths dodging Spec Miatas. The weekend would have been much better if ITR was running in the ITS/ITA group (were I feel ITR belongs).

Every region has to group the cars according to what works for them. It's based somewhat on past experience, somewhat on input from drivers, and somewhat on pulling numbers out of [thin air]. With 40+ classes at your typical regional, SOMEbody is gonna feel pi$$ed upon. Atlanta Region will continue to put ITR with the "big" IT group and BP wherever the ASedans end up, but that's certainly up to each region.

All that said, the results from Sebring indicate it was a toss-up as to where to put the ITR cars. Group 2 (ITS, ITA, IT7) qualified 28 cars with the pole time at 1:18.7, the slowest at 1:37+, and a median time of 1:24.7. The corresponding numbers for Group 6 (BP, ITR, T3, SM) were 29 cars, 1:16.2, 1:31.1, and 1:24.0. The numbers in each of the races follow fairly closely.

Had CFR moved the three ITR cars to Group 2 it appears it would have been a wash - you still would have been "riding around at 7/10ths", you just would have been dodging IT cars rather than Spec Miatas. Now if you wanted to get started home earlier, that's a whole different argument.

I also want to apologize in advance to CFR for causing their Race Chair to have a heart attack - I'm certain Robin will keel over when he finds out I actually agree with him on something. :cool:

[RX3]

Here is what I emailed to Burce on May 18 as to why.

Bruce,

I actually discussed this with your father at the February event. The ITR cars currently running in CFR are very close in speed and size to the ITS cars, which generally leads to close racing between these two classes. While I understand it's nice to have someone to race with, this grouping tends to lead to too much body damage as the ITS cars, often running as a pack and competing with others in their own class, get too agressive in trying to get away from the ITR cars.

A SM, which often doubles as an ITA, is slower than an ITR car, although not so significantly slower as to cause a safety problem. Since the ITR cars should be able to run away from the SM cars, this will allow the ITR cars the ability to race amongst themselves without having to contend with the ITS cars. As the ITR cars are developed and their numbers grow we will obviously have to look for another group to run them in.

Another factor in the grouping decision is that the ITS, ITA and IT7 group has recently been one of the largest groups we have at our regional events. I am attempting to distribute cars more evenly amongst the groups, without jeopardizing safety.



Robin

[matt batson]

Some vid of group 7 (GP, EP, HP, ITB, ITC, etc.)
[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=3bPBUNLCCjg[/ame]

second clip, mostly chasing David Ellis-Brown in his jetta.
[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=z-wqHLSTsuo[/ame]

getting on two wheels, and Bill Yates in the celica gets by...
[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=CgIDwxfy8is&feature=related[/ame]

Yates makes a boo boo and I get by...was figuring I would never be able to otherwise...
[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YG1UMqb2JHk&feature=related[/ame]

If anyone else from this run group has any vid's I'd love to see them.

[matt batson]

fourth clip
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GacqWXOJFXU[/ame]

[titanium]

Well, using that logic, I guess the the AS and T2 cars should be moved so they are not "in the way"?
AS time was 1:20.696
T2 time was 1:19.358

Your time was 1:18.140

T3 time was 1:18.896

ITR time was 1:19.621

SM time was 1:22.308

GT1 time was 1:06:615 Rodney would have been in the way in that race with those times

And here are the track records
BP 1:17.839
T3 1:18.896
SM 1:22.308
ITR 1:10.621

I think that the cars were grouped right and every one had a good time.

Race Chair.