proper starting etiquette

[Streetwise guy]

Push the starter until you get the black- then you know whats ok that day. Each starter has his own idea of what is and is not acceptable- what passes for a clean start at one of the tracks I race at would have you parked for the day at the other one.

[lateapex911]

Push the starter until you get the black- then you know whats ok that day. Each starter has his own idea of what is and is not acceptable- what passes for a clean start at one of the tracks I race at would have you parked for the day at the other one.

I assume you mean the black flag? You're kidding right?

[JLawton]

Evan, I hear the sound of a can of worms opening!! LOL


I don't do the "lay back" method........ And maybe that's why I'm a crappy starter too. In the other post I said i would do anything I can to get an advantage as long as I don't get black flagged. I think you only have a 50/50 chance of making the "lay back" method work (unless you know where the starter is going to throw the green). I don't like those odds.

[Knestis]

There was a great quip in this past weekend's coverage of the Spanish GP about Mario Andretti. Apparently he was great friends with the starter there, back when they used to wave a green flag in F1. Mario asked him when he was going to wave the green, and the starter replied, "Mario, when you go, you can be sure I'll wave the flag." Or words to that effect.

I like starts and I treat them as an opportunity to have fun. This is going back to the days when I drove the slowest car in the region and the only chance I had to run with ANYONE unless it was raining, was at the start. So I'm pretty assertive about trying to maximize any advantage I can get. I also think I'm pretty good at it but it might just be that most of the rest of us don't care. And the downside of playing that game is that sometimes one gets caught flat-footed and get dealt a net loss.

I'm also almost always back in the pack, so by nature there's more accordion influence. This means there's more to be won or lost depending on how the variables are manipulated. That's part of the fun.

And to me, it's not a matter of laying back multiple car lengths. That's a false promise. It's about relative instantaneous acceleration relative to the other cars. That can be gained in very small amounts of distance, and multiplied over the much greater distance down the length of the start straight. The trick we're trying to engineer is "going" while the other guys/gals are "not going," and have that work out in a way that's helpful, relative to when the green flies.

One other little detail: For me, it's Job One to be on the inside of Turn 1. Then the inside of Turn 2, 3, 4, and rest of the first lap. We're never truly up to speed at that point so it doesn't matter if my line isn't optimized, and the last thing I want is to get gobbled up in someone else's mistake: Those tend to go OUT rather than IN.

K

[shwah]

I play it straight. Try to form up as consistently as the car in front will allow and focus on reacting instantly to that green. No games until after that happens, there is enough worry about then - do you push the guy that was sleeping in front of you, or only leave half of your car on the racing surface as you pass him?

[raceita]

Evanwebb

To me, laying back and getting a huge run should be discouraged. But that’s hard to recognize until after the fact. And where does one draw the line between excessive or not? Were the three in front of him sleeping?

I normally start mid pack or worse, where it’s hard to see the flag. I key off of engine sounds and side to side movement if I can’t see the flag. Which means I’m already 1/3 second behind (reaction time).

I do try to have slightly more speed (1-2 mph) than the cars a couple of rows in front of me. But not so much where I’ll have to hit the brakes (brakes are bad for those behind me). If I see brake lights several rows up, I just ease up under the assumption they won’t be on the brakes long. I just hope the guy in front of me doesn’t do a big brake check from street driving habits!

After the green I put two wheels off, I stop trying to gain positions. Accept I’ve had a good start up to then, and try not to wreck anyone getting back on the pavement. (Two wheels off = high risk of spinning). If I have to put two wheels off to pass, I don’t. Too risky.

I feel if starters allow poor column alignment, it encourages disparity in speeds. If I’m in the twelfth row but I can see the starter clearly, I’m going to be concentrating on him (and trying to be faster than all those others in my peripheral vision!)

Steve
ITB MR2

[dave parker]

Evan
How about keeping up with the car in front of you on a single file restart? If you need an example I would be happy to elaborate.
cheers
dave parker