rec.autos.simulators

I am looking for some sort of FAQ that will explain stuff like pitting
strategies, qualifying, etc.
When I watch races on TV, I can never figure out what they are doing &
why..

Examples :

Like when a yellow flag comes out. The commentators say that some guys
are trying to get a lap in.or something like that. ???  How do yellow
flags work ?

How do they know how many times around each car has gone  ?  Are there
sensors on the cars ???

39 cars x 400 laps = lots of calculations.

Please e-mail me if you know this stuff.

Thanks

Bill

   http://www.nascar.com/

--
Marc J. Nelson
The Sim Project - http://www.simproject.com

* No animals were harmed in the making of this e-mail *

thanks anyways.

Bill

Wow, that's a good question... I would seriously think about every racing
website doesn't have what I would call a "racing FAQ". I think that about
every person that visits those website know the basic rules in racing.. But
I understand your request...

I mostly discovered all what you want from real-life racing experience (like
driving schools or racing experience) and watching it on the television.

Nascar racing commentators are pretty good explaining basic rules on
television. They do this mostly because all the XYZ number of new fans each
week...

When your on the race track, you can be 1 or more laps down if you get
passed by the leader on the track.  You can gain a lap by passing the
leader. When the yellow drops, sometime the leader will let off the gas to
let some people behind him "get a lap back".  In Nascar they have a rule
that when the yellow drops you can race to the finish line before slowing
behind the pacecar.

With the technology, each car has sensors on it for about every calculation
possible. It's made by professional watch companies (in CART it's per
example Omega).  Check out this website and see how the CART regulates the
whole timing stuff at http://www.omegatiming.com/

We also can help you, if you have other questions.

- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard> Good race at the Brickyard!
- Official Mentally retarded guy of r.a.s.
- Excuse me for my English (I'm French speaking)
- Sponsored by http://www.awpss.com/ on the NROS
- "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise
how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."--

You should read The Official NASCAR Handbook.
ISBN: 0-06-107318-0

This is a bit off-topic, but I grew up with ABC's auto racing coverage
(mostly part of the "Wide World of Sports" and mostly taped at that.)
which had lots of little expository segments.  I vividly remember
Jackie Stewart once giving a demonstration of the high banking at
Talladega by rolling an orange down the slope.

I miss those days.  Today, CBS has the best explainations.  I only
wish TNN & ESPN were as good...

Take care,

Dave

http://www1.shore.net/~dmoisan
Invisible Disability:  http://www1.shore.net/~dmoisan/invisible_disability.html
GE Superradio FAQ: http://www1.shore.net/~dmoisan/faqs/superradio/gesr_faq.html

I remember when one of the networks had a demonstration on how fast the cars
are going at one of the superspeedways. They had a regular car going 55 mph and
had a Cup car blow past it at race speed. Now that was a speed shot.

Bill