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Re: Corvette off course

To: autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Corvette off course
From: Randy Chase <randyc2@home.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 23:46:10 -0700

David A Teague wrote:
> 
> Hmm when I looked @ the thing you were calling a red Flag looked like
> another person with a red shirt to me, who got hit twice.. but I could be
> wrong...

Hard to say, and probably not important (except of course to him). I
thought it was a person also. It is hard to differentiate course workers
from spectators. I guess I assumed it was a bizarre place to stand for a
spectator, but further reflection has me agreeing that it's a course
worker (or two)...that are in the wrong place.

When the Corvette first starts, you have one starter. I guess he is the
starter. I can't see any timing lights also. As the Corvette reaches the
right hand turn, we see one course worker with his back against the pole
base, sitting on the ground. I think there are actually two workers
there, as can be seen in the last frames. One is not even watching the
oncoming car I guess.

I see no other workers out there. Yes, the lot is small, and the car
cuts across the lot, so I would want to be standing in the middle.

The one real thing that sticks out to me, is that the slide occurs at
what I think is an optional slalom.  If one assumes a minimum distance
from the edge of the course to an obstacle (including a course worker or
spectator)...how do you define the edge when the outside of the course
is undefined. In an optional slalom, the car can go as wide as it wants.
So if at this point, the slalom cone is 25 feet or 50 feet from the edge
of the pavement...what is the distance from the edge of the course?

Hard to make accurate estimates of distance, but it seems that there is
not enough room there for a slalom feature. And it seems, that this is
the wrong place to stand, as compared to somewhere where the edge of the
course is defined....and you are not in the "run off" area.

In general, this seems very unlike my idea of a real autocross..and that
is good. More like some folks with a supply of yellow caution tape and
some cones trying to have fun in a parking lot.

I received a private email from someone on the MR2 list who thought most
autocrosses were like this. Seems this person who wrote me had a
Corvette, and went to his first and last autocross about 10 years ago.
This event used the 6' diameter concrete light pole bases as slalom
cones. He hit one. I think I have him convinced that most autocrosses
are not like this, and he will give it another try.

Be safe, be fast.

Randy Chase

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