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Re: Acceptable finish designs, and starts, too

To: "Dave Hardy" <dave2020@mindspring.com>, <autox@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Acceptable finish designs, and starts, too
From: "Phil Ethier" <pethier@isd.net>
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 22:46:41 -0600
From: Dave Hardy <dave2020@mindspring.com>


>I have
>found in Atlanta, that in order to get a car out every 15-20 seconds,

That's a little quick.  20 seconds is a good goal.  15 seconds causes a lot
more reruns and jumpy course workers.  Under those conditions, the event
does not really run faster.

>a
>straight start works better.  If it takes 15 seconds to set your car where
>you want it on the line, then the event is slowed.  I guess from a drivers
>perspective, I'm indifferent.  As a person helping to run the autox,
>anything that slows it down is the enemy.


I think you have this on backwards.

If there is a stiff corner before the start line, the positioning of the car
in the marshaling area will be essentially irrelevant.  No amount of
jiggling the car at the marshaling line is going to help you.  The factor
most important to your run time in this situation is the exit speed of the
pre-time corner.  We all know about slow-in-fast-out.  Any distance from the
marshaling area to the entrance to the pre-time corner which allows any car
to attain a speed from which it must slow to negotiate the corner will
insure that burnouts or position-jockeying will be completely irrelevant.
This is the scenario

It is in the drag-race start that fine positioning at the start is critical.
I always make the marshal make me move up to the line.  That takes time and
energy for both officials and drivers.

Phil Ethier  West Side   Saint Paul  Minnesota  USA
1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 Triumph TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net   http://www.mnautox.com/  http://www.vtr2002.org

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