Hey guys,
For those doing your first ProSolo or National Tour, I thought I'd write
an incomplete guide of things to expect. Don't be intimidated by these
events- they are a lot of fun and all these changes are quite minor.
Disclaimer: Some of the specific info may be outdated, feel free to
correct me and be sure to read the supps when you register for important
info.
Event schedule/format:
-Friday is set aside for registration, tech, and practice course (Tour)
or practice starts (Pro). In addition the weekend courses will be setup
by afternoon and you can walk them until your feet bleed. As I
mentioned, it is highly recommended to arrive Friday.
-If you've never done a Pro or drag racing, practice starts are a great
way to learn the procedure and learn how best to launch your car so you
won't be intimidated come Saturday.
-If you're planning to run the practice course at the Tour, get there
early. The course tends to be pretty empty in the morning but by the
afternoon you'll be sitting more than driving. Also don't expect this
course to be useful for car setup or driving tips- it's nothing like the
real Tour course. It's tiny, tight, and in a separate area of the
paddock. Generally if my car handles like crap on this course I know
I'm in for a good weekend:) Basically use the practice course to
familiarize yourself with the surface and/or scrub tires- that's it.
-Get reg, tech, and other administrata out of the way on Friday so you
can enjoy your weekend:) They are open on Sat morning though...
-Run/work order will be posted a few days before the event. There are 5
heats (or run groups) per day at the Tour. The Pro schedule is
different and beyond the scope of this document, maybe someone else
wants to comment on that.
-Pay attention and report for work on time- one thing that doesn't
change from local events but beware that you'll be excited and out of
your normal rhythm.
Stickers:
-Last year at least, you were required to run the SCCA Solo2 sticker and
the Road to Topeka National Tour sticker on the sides and the SCCA
sticker on the nose. Plus the TireRack banner on the windshield (or
front if you don't have a windshield). For the Pro there may be
additional sponsor stickers you need to run. All required stickers
should be available at the event, free or at a small cost.
-There are specific places where these things are supposed to go,
consult the supps or ask around.
-If you want to make these reuseable, bring (or have one of your friends
bring) a roll of magnetic stock and a knife. You can have an arts and
crafts fair at your hotel on Friday night. Another handy thing to have
is a spray bottle of soapy water and a small squeegie which makes
putting the windshield banner on much easier.
Working:
-If you work course, there are some additional measures to increase
accuracy and fairness to competitors when the stakes are high. All
cones are actually numbered (written in chalk next to the box). Each
worker station is responsible for a *specific* section of cones, ends
marked by a cone of a different color. Since all cars run by class then
numeric order, one person at each station will be assigned to carry a
clipboard with all the cars in the heat by number. As each one goes by,
you will check it off as clean if it was clean thru your section. If it
hit a cone, the person who runs to replace it will note the number, and
the clipboard person will write that down. Once a car is out of your
section, it ain't your problem anymore.
-The above process is called auditing, and while it may seem kind of
silly at first I can tell you I've been saved from a false cone call
before by it. It's definitely worth the effort. A few times during
each heat, an audit car will drive out and pick up the sheets so they
can be posted near grid. Then you can wonder what that person did to
get the cush work assignment of driving the audit car!
Grid:
-Instead of gridding in a line as we do at regional events, cars will
grid side by side in angled spots (there's some pics of this in the SFR
gallery). So you always have your own little spot to pull into where
you can put your stuff.
-Cars are arranged by class first, then in order of number. Before you
grid, look at the grid sheets on the trailer and they will tell you
which numbered spot is yours.
-You go when the person with the orange vest tells you to. This
includes second drivers as there is a pretty specific timing scheme for
when they run.
-If you get a re-run, don't pull back to the start line- go back to your
grid spot. The orange-vest guy will hear from the trailer, put you on a
shot clock, and send you when it's time.
-While you are running, audit sheets will be posted on the trailer.
When you have time between runs, go check these sheets. The first one
is the master radio log that tells you if your run as a whole was clean
or how many cones. The rest are the sheets from each work station. So
if your run was marked clean, go thru each station and check that you
were marked clean there too. If you show a cone on the log, then that
cone better be marked and numbered on one of the audit sheets or you can
protest it. This system ensures that what the course workers see and
what the trailer hears audit each other, and also you always know which
cone you hit.
Anyway that's all I can think of for now and more than you can read, so
just relax and enjoy the events!
Peter
|