Enlarging the start gap.

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bajaboy7

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Would 1 minute start intervals have helped the silt log jamb? My theory is this. 30 seconds has been the norm forever, like when unlimited cars had 2180cc Volkswagens in them and the distance covered in 30 seconds was nothing compared to today's speeds. Would the extra time have given the dust a chance to settle especially so early in the race?
We made it through the log jambs but taking a step back and moving off the racing line to survey the situation and then go for it. Then we wadded it up at 19.5 while avoiding a way off pace buggy in the dust.


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bajaboy7

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OldStroppeTeam said:
Absolutely, a couple questions immediately come to mind ; 1) How many hours are you willing to wait to start the race in the interest of safety . 2) How much longer will the course workers be out there because of the extended start interval ?
It takes at least 2-3 hours to start a race NOW !
Click to expand...

To keep this thread together.


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HI_DEZ_DAVE

HI_DEZ_DAVE

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Remember, the dust was standing because there was no wind....Dead Air. Everyone had the same conditions except P-1.
 
y2kbaja

y2kbaja

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Wind doesn't blow in Nevada in the morning. Just saying.

How about keep the 30 second between cars but a 2 min gap between classes.

As a volunteer on course I wouldn't care being out there another hour or two to make it safer and the racing better. I'm already out there and it's only a couple days a year. From a spectator standpoint however it can get mighty boring.
 
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Bro_Gill

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How about racers just step off their VaJayJays and man up? Remember the 2x2 starts at the Mint when there were close to 500 cars and a 15 second interval? And the racers LOVED IT!
 
PAB

PAB

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Bro_Gill said:
How about racers just step off their VaJayJays and man up? Remember the 2x2 starts at the Mint when there were close to 500 cars and a 15 second interval? And the racers LOVED IT!
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You'll notice that didn't happen again.....the gap was opened up some. 2 every 15 was way no bueno...80 unlimited cars sent into the dust in around 20 minutes.
 
bajadreamer

bajadreamer

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What are the pros and cons of racing at night? ... I see mostly benefits but I'm no expert by any means :/


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Jorge Rodriguez

Jorge Rodriguez

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bajadreamer said:
What are the pros and cons of racing at night? ... I see mostly benefits but I'm no expert by any means :/


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I'm assuming that it would be terrible for sponsors. Harder to pit and work on cars. Much harder to see at night and to maintain high speeds since reading the terrain is harder.

Pros? Easier to come up on a car and to know when a car is behind you.
 
JrSyko

JrSyko

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Unfortunately I don't see enlarging the starting gaps to necessarily solve the problem. All it takes is one guy to get stuck in the silt to cause these bottlenecks which lead to chaos and potential harm. Look at that Baja 1000 last year when Monte died, they were way spread out at that point in the race and a bottle neck still occurred where someone died.

As a racer it is YOUR responsibility to drive what you can see. If you are going to charge blindly into the dust you need to be prepared for the consequences. There is a fine line between "driving" through the dust and "charging" through the dust. You also should be able to tell if you are driving in dust or silt, the latter being much more difficult and potentially dangerous. If everyone exercised a little bit of patience and restraint in these sections you wouldn't always have the problems you see.
 
Mark Newhan

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Bro_Gill said:
How about racers just step off their VaJayJays and man up? Remember the 2x2 starts at the Mint when there were close to 500 cars and a 15 second interval? And the racers LOVED IT!
Click to expand...

The Mint start is row at a time. It's friggen dangerous... Several bad incidents at the 2015 Mint. With the short loop (100 miles) and the ever growing number of entry's, it has come to capping the event. In situations like this, the TT field needs its own race. 60 plus trucks is big enough. To help with course logistics, shrink the course to 60 miles and do more laps. Better for the fans also.
 
Jorge Rodriguez

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Let's just ban bypass shocks to slow everyone down and avoid accidents due to speed
 
Jorge Rodriguez

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I'm sorry, but when we raced in class 7 we would always charge in the dust since we knew there was a truck close by to catch. I gotta believe that anyone that is winning a race from behind at one point or another driving blind. It's a definite risk and maybe not the smartest, but in the heat of competition you don't really think about consequences and that I'm sure goes for any athlete. Be it when they push themselves further without thinking of the consequence to their body or NASCAR drivers driving through a pile up.
 
Josh 8

Josh 8

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Like "Days of Thunder".... Point it at the crash cuz they will be out of the way when you get there!

Stupid. And I know stupid!
 
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