Qualifying Grid Order

[gran racing]

Having run a couple of MARRS races, I really like how they handle the grid for qualifying. None of this line up along the fence four sessions before yours crap. Especially for tracks such as LRP where these cars get in the way, why allow it? Regardless of when you get to grid, your starting number could be predetermined. It could be something as simple as a random order.

[Knestis]

I get the value of "random draw" but stop short of any system that "seeds" qualifying by points or whatever. That will be inherently biased toward those who are having success, locals over visitors, etc.. The perfect example is the 'fest where if you get behind in the first short qualifying session (been there, hated it), you are behind the 8-ball for the entire weekend.

K

[CRallo]

I get the value of "random draw" but stop short of any system that "seeds" qualifying by points or whatever. That will be inherently biased toward those who are having success, locals over visitors, etc.. The perfect example is the 'fest where if you get behind in the first short qualifying session (been there, hated it), you are behind the 8-ball for the entire weekend.

K

reverse points?

[joeg]

Must be a problem unique to LRP and Summit. I race at tracks where when its your time to go P&Q you proceed to the grid and its first come, first served.

Never any problems.

[jumbojimbo]

The problem I saw at IT Fest was cars who wanted to spend the first 5 minutes of the session warming tires lining up first and blocking the track for those of us who want to get an extra lap or two in before time runs out.

I won't make that mistake again.

[gran racing]

Well, I can't say that there are time I go out slow and encourage others behind me to do that as well. Once a gap is opened up, take advantage of not having traffic in front of us. One or two laps to warm the tires up, two hot laps, then that should be about all one needs if not caught up in traffic.

I did like going out in the lead ITB pack for qualifying and made things much easier in a large field. Large fields at LRP, quite a short track, takes a little more work to get clean laps.

[Wreckerboy]

I get the value of "random draw" but stop short of any system that "seeds" qualifying by points or whatever. That will be inherently biased toward those who are having success, locals over visitors, etc.. The perfect example is the 'fest where if you get behind in the first short qualifying session (been there, hated it), you are behind the 8-ball for the entire weekend.

K

You're right Kirk, the system does give an advantage to the locals and the sucessful.

That being said, when I started racing there last year I was initially gridded in the P45 - P53 range. I wasn't successful and I was not a local. It took effort and racecraft to work my way up towards the pointy end of the field (as if being stuck in the middle of a SSM field is not incentive enough to improve). I recognized early on that getting a single flyer in the Saturday AM qulifying session made a huge difference in the weekend, and failing that, abandoning the Saturday PM race to get one became key.

[Knestis]

...which is all well and good if the primary concern defines "success" in terms of season points. For some folks, "success" is determined by individual race success. I guess my point is that policy decisions by the Region are not philosophy-free, and that such decisions must be made recognizing that reality.

K

[MMiskoe]

Grid by car number, but you won't know until you get there if the grid workers flipped the coin to go in order or reverse order, and by then its a wee bit too late to do anything about it.

[lateapex911]

Then those with 50 for a car number are always screwed.
And, eventually, only newbies will have any number but 1 or 99...
Not that teh current system is "fair"...the number of cars I see lined up with "crews" babysitting them is humorous. Esp when the crew on car #1 goes to the bathroom and THAT's when they open grid. So much for the fist car out, LOL.