OversteerS2K

Nothing at the State Championship event even distantly mirrored how a National or Divisional event would have been run. Somehow even Martin Club got it right last year...

1) Regardless of weather, all cars in the class should have been grided together. That was a problem in more than one 4th heat class and did effect the results.

2) There are no ride alongs. But if someone's already run and wants to help their girlfriend in a one car class than no big deal. The extra looks at the course helped more than one driver.


Does it really matter? Only if you lost, in part, due to one or both things happening.

Ironically I was held for 5 minutes before I could take a re-run. At least something was done by the book.


A little bitter/poor loser - Todd.

Lola56

Years ago CFR had a 5 minute rule.

There used to be alot of Mod cars running, and they and their drivers were unreliable. They had problems starting, getting them warmed up, waiting for the magic moment, etc. Therefore the 5 minute rule came into effect. If 5 minutes elapsed since the time the last car that left the start line, the heat was considered done, over, official. Drivers not presenting thier car within that 5 minute window would forfeit that run, and be scored as a DNS.

This rule was intended to keep an event from dragging on, and punishing those who do their part in helping an event ot operate effeciently and smoothly.

This rule also helps in the rain situations, just like Jesse described above.

Just my 2 cents.

neurovish

Aaron would've beat you either way
I didn't really have any problems with the way the event was run, it seemed pretty much par for the course for CFR. Were all drivers in the last run group supposed to get 4 runs? I never heard anything about that. The only thing I saw that grid did wrong was send my co-driver out when I should've been driving (I think jesse's comment about phil getting a re-run confused the grid worker? That was the only thing I heard concerning him and a re-run...I think he had 3 times on the score sheet though).

Speaking of times, are they getting posted on the cfr site eventually?

Leonard

I think the most important thing about the State Championships is that it's an opportunity for EVERYONE in the state to get together and have a good time regardless of their 'home' club.
Alot of people run with only one club and are biased towards one or another for a million silly reasons.


I think everyone is getting WAY too worked up about this or that not being right or fair. As far as I'm concerned, the event went great. I have no complaints what so ever. In fact, I think it was better than a normal club event because everyone came out.

OversteerS2K

**Edited for decency**
Aaron's a great driver. I'm happy you're sticking up for him. There's a possibility that his extra three looks at the course were attempts to "pay for" his co-drive by giving James some good course notes and a driving critique. Whatever his reasons, however, he shouldn't have had those opportunities prior to completing all his runs. And although his raw times were more than two seconds faster, what counted was just 0.109 sec. faster. Do you think three extra looks at a course, in the same car, are worth a tenth? Now keep in mind that even though I was not able to give him a co-drive - I did want him there in BS and without my help he wouldn't have been. This isn't sour grapes or a personal grudge. He outdrove me (dirty) and he's a friend. As for excuses all I can say is that the tires I was on, which were alot better than my own, were heat-cycled out and had 70+ runs. The tires on James' car were quite a bit fresher. The tires were a small part of the time difference though. The big difference was an OE front sway bar on James' car vs. my Comptech on full stiff. If the surface was dry I'd have had an enormous advantage. As the conditions were James & Aaron had the advantage. While Terry & I had to either brake very early and pussyfoot it through tighter sections or deal with massive understeer, James & Aaron could still trun in sharply and at speed. Their only negative was that they were still lifting the inside rear enough to produce a bit of wheel spin. It's my fault for not having the forsight to loosen the bar and have tools in grid but that 1/10th is what matters. Had he been clean there's no way I'd have been close with the car as it was. So, illegal? I don't know but it was in poor taste. And FYI, John, Aaron & I have run more than 600 seconds of the same courses this season and I'm still a few seconds up.

Onward to Tom Austin. Preface this all with the fact that he wouldn't have been there either if it wasn't for me. O.K., he did nothing wrong. Should he have taken his last run immediately after mine? If it were a Divisional or National event than yes. CFR didn't break any rules since the event isn't of the calibur requiring rules like that to be in place. But when the times are falling on every run due to the course drying quickly a few minutes between cars in a single class can really be an advantage for the later driver. Tom's run was 0.5 faster, I don't know if the extra time allowed conditions to be a half second faster but we shouldn't need to guess. All the cars in class should have been run as close together as reasonably possible.

While most of you look at this as bitching about something insignifigant all I can say is that I'd feel the same sitting in 1st, last, or (as is) somewhere in between. BS wasn't the only class that'd have a clearer result. When the rain started falling BEFORE 4th heat cars were entirely grided maybe I should have made a point of going to timing and making sure grid was changed to a "National" style. The cars were all numbered wrong for that anyhow. I guess maybe I should have bent the rules and grided last.

The guy missing when it was his trun to go should've been given a couple minutes and then that run should have been marked as a DSQ. Intentional or not it isn't fair to anyone else in his class.

It's a pisser to wait an entire weekend to run and have it all come down to differing conditions for your competitors.

Congrats to those of you who can quickly accept defeat and let it "roll off of your back", so to speak. And to those that rarely have to deal with it at all... I don't recover so quickly especially when people pick at open wounds - so John if you saw the unedited post before than sorry, I AM an asshole.

OversteerS2K

And the results were posted. They're here.

Loren

I wasn't there, but I'm sure Leonard has nailed what the experience was meant to be. Lighten up, guys!

MrSideways

Well I didn't see much point as I beat them both reguardless. The thought had crossed my mind while I waited in the bleechers with our run group complete watching the course dry and seeing scotty and carter waiting to run. The thought of protesting Scotty crossed my mind, but Carter... I'd have just given him shit for the next year. Either way, Andy laid the smack down on me 2nd place vs 3rd place still aint 1st so it wasn't a big deal.

MrSideways

Good God my Pax sucks. STU having a pax between AS and BS is awful, If they want to encourage people to join the class make it easy to win. Pax it .6 and bump it to H-Stock. Man .827 on street tires hurts, I don't think i've paxed out of the top 10 in over 2 years.

Muddy

Either the car or the driver sucks.