rec.autos.simulators

Phoenix race this past Friday. 35% distance, 2x fuel/tire wear, Yellows
on, no Lucky Dog rule in effect, double file restarts. About 11 driver
started, 9 finished running. 5 cars on the lead lap, and 1 driver 1 lap
down.

The 5 lead lap cars and the 1 lap down car are all VERY close in lap
times and the racing has been pretty clean for most of the race. The
lapper has made about 3 attempts to get his lap back without success
over the past 3 cautions, about 50 or so laps.

Final caution flies with 14 laps to go. Green comes with 11 to go, so
the single file restart isn't applicable. Leader takes about 1 lap to
pass the lapper. 2nd & 3rd place then begin trying to pass the lapped
car. As the laps wind down to 3 to go, the lapper and another car
tangle and spin. Race ends under caution.

Lapper says that he was running hard to stay in touch with the leader
in the event of a spin and he could get the lap back and then make a
run for the win upon the restart.

I agree with that, to a point. The 3 attempts earlier in the race were
legit and worthy, all tried for the same result, getting a lap back.
However, in those cases he had upwards of 50 laps to play with.

With 11 to go and (as previously stated) the 5 lead lap cars running
similar times, I feel that he had no shot at the win and only hindered
the ability of the other cars to race each other and the leader for the
win.

Furthermore, I said that once he was passed by the leader, there was no
point in racing the other leaders, as staying in front of them served
no purpose, especially with 10 to go. He would have had to had the
leader spin, get his lap back and then pass 5 cars in the span of 5
laps to win. Highly unlikely based on the performance of the drivers to
that point.

I am interested in what other simmers feel about this. Should he have
moved over and the leaders go at it, or was he right continuing to
fight?

Good story....there's rules, and then there's rules, and by the letter of
the rules, he has every right to fight for his position till the checkers
fall, BUT......he'll have to race these same guys every week, and this is
where the ol' give-and-take comes in to play. He really didn't have much
chance to improve his position if it stayed green, so after the leader got
by, it MIGHT have been better for all involved if he had just gone low and
let the rest of the lead cars by. BUT, Dale Earnhardt didn't get to be the 7
time Champ by laying back, he went after it every moment he was on the
track, as he was entitled to do.
Final judgement, IMHO, is that there is no issue here, he broke no rules,
and cautions happen.......he could have made a different decision, but chose
not to, and now he'll have to go back and race those same guys again, and
may not get a break when HE needs it.

Without the benefit of a replay, it's hard to say if the lapper or the lead
lap car may have been at fault in the incident, but as far as racing hard
till it's over, if you're not going to do that, what's the point of even
starting the race?

One other scenario.....one I've seen happen more than once. I'M the lap car,
and I race the leader hard for a lap, then move low to let the lead cars by,
1st & 2nd get into it and crash, I scoot by to get my lap back.....In the
scenario you described above, I'm now last car on the lead lap, in 6th, with
2 damaged cars ahead of me. On the restart, I pass both damaged cars, and
end up 4th on the lead lap, instead of 6th a lap down.

That's the drama that race watchers love....I know I do. You don't say where
your place in this little drama is.......

Ed

Again, while he may not have broken any league rules, it's common
courtesy to move aside at this point.

Of course, this is league play. If it were a pickup race, this is the
point where the lapper parks sideways on the track....lmao.

All very interesting but what car was Jesus driving?

When I am fighting for the lead or am on the lead lap at the end of a
race, the last thing I want is a lapper fighting for a non-position. I
got wrecked just last week, we were running 3rd-4th-10th-5th in a line
with 10th place a lap down. Was 15 seconds off the lead when I got
tangled with 4th and 10th (they were running together). Cost me 5
places in the race, and the 10th place car had NO business being there.
He can ride the draft if he wants, but it's the lapper's responsibility
to get out of the way IMHO.

http://www.jayski.com/teams/89.htm