Vern wrote:
>Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 17:20:58, -0500
>From: LXML84A@prodigy.com (MS ELIZABETH A LYLE)
>Subject: More course design
>
>We're digest lurkers, so pardon the lateness of this response.
>
>Awhile back, Mike MacLeish Sr asked (and I'll paraphrase) if turns
>greater than 90 degrees should be avoided since the"old hands" know
>how to do it better, and the novice's inclination is to early apex
>and thus run a more gentle turning course much better.
>
>First, if they never do it, how will they learn?
>
>Secondly, we get a lot of novice-type courses around the Philly area
>(most are designed by novices). I call them "E Stock" courses. The
>average local drivers in average E Stock cars are always way up in
>PAX and actually win most of the time. They call them "fun courses".
> That they are, but not very challenging.
>
>I say the course should be more difficult, to test the car and driver.
> I don't like 180s or 270s either but I've paid my dues for 30 years
>and I know how to do them if they do turn up in a course, so to speak.
>
>
>If you make the courses too easy, anybody can do it. That's not the
>same game this "old hand" is playing. IMNSHO
>
>Vern Lyle
>
>------------------------------
What I actually said was:
"Last year, I ran 6 events against the same novice driver. I noticed that
at 4 events I was significantly faster and at the other 2 (third and fifth),
he was much closer to my times. I compared other times at these events and
discovered that the same was true in several classes. There was a trend...
When the courses had several turns greater than 90°, the "Old hands" were
clearly dominant. When the courses were mostly or entirely made of turns of
90° or less, the novices were significantly closer... I quickly determined
that the natural tendency of novices to early apex corners put them on the
proper line for shallow turn courses, whereas courses requiring several late
apexes put them far behind.
Has anyone else noted this and does that still make avoiding turns greater
than 90 a good idea?"
In this context, my question implied that it is NOT a good idea to
avoid turns in excess of 90°. 120° turns benefit the experienced driver and
penalize the novice. 60° turns benefit the novice. The original advice to
avoid/remove turns greater than 90° basically allows the novice with a well
prepared car to trophy without driving skill.
Mike McLeish Sr.
Old Hand (novice in 1972)
Also in digest mode
|