HSCC 15/16 May Silverstone GP circuit

[grantp]

Originally Posted by john ruston

Its mine .Everything passed it, including the Turner.It's the Index of Thermal Effiency winner from Le Mans in 60 and it will be back this year Joe and Jason.Looks decent!Only about 50 secs a lap slower than Talbot.Makeover before Le Mans.

Here's an alternative shot John, with no other visual distractions.

[john ruston]

Thanks team!

[The Flagman]

[QUOTE=terence bower;2692656]I'll bet Whizzo was impressed,must have been Peters new tyres not scrubbed in!

When Peter stopped with us at Becketts the engine had seized - Whizzo had had his go and just given the car to Peter..........]

[Muttley61]

I would just like to thank Colin Mckay (Jag), Paul Clayson (Falcon) and also Adrian Oliver (Imp) for making our saloon race last Sunday extremely close but fair. My orange Anglia was going well until a top-end misfire stiffled my progress but made for exciting and spirited driving. Can't wait to see the on-board especially the three of us going around Woodcote, I hope Hue ( or is it Ron?) gets to down-load it! Not sure why I got a warning flag for a couple of laps though?
Never the less I now know what I have to do to improve my results on track GO FASTER!
Brilliant race all round and a great meeting with everyone helping each other but remaining competative. Like to say well done to Colin Gunton for getting a pot too.
If I can sort the misfire I'll have another go at Snetterton, Hmm, wonder if there'll be as many Yanks there? I need to"kick some ass"
Cheers everyone.
Brian Webb. Orange Anglia #61[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[terence]

[QUOTE=The Flagman;2692856]

Originally Posted by terence bower

I'll bet Whizzo was impressed,must have been Peters new tyres not scrubbed in!

When Peter stopped with us at Becketts the engine had seized - Whizzo had had his go and just given the car to Peter..........]

Thanks Flagman,I knew Barrie was taking first stint,the car had been behaving itself until the engine 'cried off'.

[simon drabble]

When Whizzo came in and changed drivers he was interviewed by the commentator and started going on about how slow some cars where behind the safety car and that something shouild be done about it. I am not sure that was totally called for in a "gentleman drivers" series so it is deeply ironic his car's engine siezed soon after the driver change. If "professional" drivers find us weekend warriers too pedestrian they should stick to modern series......

[terence]

And Barrie was correct in his 'statement' Simon.Its an ongoing problem with drivers who simply dont seem to be able to grasp that following the SC means that they must keep up with it.The SC will not be driven at an unreasonable speed,the whole grid is considered before a reasonable pace is decided on. There were many other grumbles about the slowness of some other drivers,so it wasn't just Whizzo.

[john ruston]

How can a 70 year old go in a modern series.Did he pay an entry fee-has he ever paid an entry fee?

Its a game and he is missing the point of it all as are may others.The cars are toys and its a hobby.It's not important.

So you get caught behind a slower car,its the rub of the green .Its not fair nor but thats the way it is.

With stupid views like that and if thats what he thinks its about time he hung his helmet up as its an amaturers hobby.Its a long time since he was a professional driver and not a top one at that.

[simon drabble]

I am not sure it was his position to start broadcasting it - this is a matter for the race organizers to discuss at a briefing. I dont know what times the safety car was doing - my co driver was circulating at 2.40-45 under the safety car period with no traffic either side of him and when I went out I did the same. To be honest if the safety car was doing less than that then it was at fault as there were several cars that were putting that time in under racing conditions. Now if you are saying those cars are too slow that is a different conversation and I have to say a dangerous one to start as the organizers must have the type and pace of race in mind when they accept the cars and drivers
Terry as a safety car driver what do you do - do you judge your lap times by the times of the back markers?

[john ruston]

Terry,Some of the cars could not catch or keep up with the SC and came in when this happened.
Williams stance is nonsense and unjustified as all cars had paid the money and were going as fast as they could.The organisers let them in so why should they make way for some overpaid Charlie who had paid the same as them but happens to have a faster ,larger engined car when its behind a safty car.
I understand that there were complaints about the SC driving standard but so what.
It occasionally driven by a pretend race driver who can't get a drive in the actual races and this causes a problem.
Who was the driver on Saturday and how much experience did he have of SC driving in Historic races.

[Ben Shuckburgh]

I would have thought that it is the responsibility of the race control to monitor the situation and communicate with the SC if the speed is correct - surely there is a radio link between them?

[simon drabble]

I have just looked on the lap times and assuming the front car is just behind the safety car it seems it was travelling at 2.35-45. Our best lap was 2.35 in the race.

Given the spread of the field and length of the circuit it is hardly surprising the field never closed up and to be honest defeats the whole object of the safety car. His main purpose is surely to gather the field as a snake ensuring the marshalls good time between each lap to sort the problem out.

If you have the field spread out with a few front running cars behind the safety car and the rest spread out drivining at race pace to trya and get onto the snake you have achieved nothing.

So I would suggest Whizzo is wrong the fault rests with the safety car driver wanting to see how quick a road going 911 can go round Silverstone GP circuit!!

[SAMD]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

I have just looked on the lap times and assuming the front car is just behind the safety car it seems it was travelling at 2.35-45. Our best lap was 2.35 in the race.

Given the spread of the field and length of the circuit it is hardly surprising the field never closed up and to be honest defeats the whole object of the safety car. His main purpose is surely to gather the field as a snake ensuring the marshalls good time between each lap to sort the problem out.

If you have the field spread out with a few front running cars behind the safety car and the rest spread out drivining at race pace to trya and get onto the snake you have achieved nothing.

So I would suggest Whizzo is wrong the fault rests with the safety car driver wanting to see how quick a road going 911 can go round Silverstone GP circuit!!

No doubt there are lots of aspects to consider but this one sounds logical to me.

[Robert Farrell]

Safety Car Etiquette.
Two solutions.
A) Black flag those who cannot catch the safety car convoy. or.
B) Slow the safety car.

My opinion is that the correct solution is B. We`ve all paid the same entry fee and we are supposed to be racing for the fun of it.

[John Turner]

Won by James Paterson in the multi coloured Morgan (92), although Andrew Marler led for some of the way in the Griffith 400 (40) but was eventually beaten to 2nd by the Ginetta of Dave Randall:-

[John Turner]

And a few more:-

[brands]

Some shots from Saturday practice

[brands]

and from the Saturday races

[MattGreen]

Originally Posted by skentellytubby

You'll have told your Dad you are quicker than him then I hope?? Well done Matt!

As it's often said, the stopwatch never lies...

All gloating will be kept in-house, otherwise he might not let me drive the car again.

[iconway]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

I have just looked on the lap times and assuming the front car is just behind the safety car it seems it was travelling at 2.35-45. Our best lap was 2.35 in the race.

Given that Silverstone GP is 3.2m long, for the field to stand any chance of catching up I'd have thought a lap of 3m 10s (roughly 60mph) was more sensible, or why not even 50mph as under waved yellows?

As an aside, a similar thing happened recently at Brands in the Classic K race with the safety car shooting off into the distance leaving the field struggling to stay in touch on a wet Indy circuit. And years ago I had a GT40 driver hound me round Spa shaking his fist because he was stuck behind me under the safety car and wanted to catch the leaders. The safey car was so quick, it took 3 laps practically at race speed to catch the safety car. It's a hobby, as JR says, but some people are just never satisfied...

[Alan Crook]

What did you drivers think of the rolling starts ?? I know for some of the races this is not the normal type of start you are used to. Most of the starts seemed quite good with both the Historic FF & F Juniors being very good.

[Robert Farrell]

Don`t like rolling starts. No chance to gain any places with a good start, which must be considered an integral part of the sport.

[delta]

I had a chat with Ian the C of C who gave drivers briefing.Top bloke BTY. I did suggest that we should be able to overtake as soon as the lights go green.This is how they run rolling starts overseas and they work very well.We had an incident in our race a car went into the pits,. Driver had his hand up but the cars behind did not want to overtake him. We then had a traffic jam with drivers standing on their brakes not wanting to get penalised .

[terence]

Originally Posted by john ruston

Terry,Some of the cars could not catch or keep up with the SC and came in when this happened.
Williams stance is nonsense and unjustified as all cars had paid the money and were going as fast as they could.The organisers let them in so why should they make way for some overpaid Charlie who had paid the same as them but happens to have a faster ,larger engined car when its behind a safty car.
I understand that there were complaints about the SC driving standard but so what.
It occasionally driven by a pretend race driver who can't get a drive in the actual races and this causes a problem.
Who was the driver on Saturday and how much experience did he have of SC driving in Historic races.

You have hit the nail on the head John,most of the SC driving at Silverstone is done by instructors,many of whom have never driven anything historic! Some hardly have any race experience either!
When I'm out sheperding,I will judge my speed to [A] The conditions [B] The Grid,we are in constant radio contact with those who should be obeyed Upstairs.When lap speed is left to me,it is sometimes difficult with the wide performance ranges of the quickest to the slowest,might have a few V8s tucked in behind with ,for example,a 100E at the back.Obviously,if the tail ender is having problems keeping a reasonable pace,things get slowed down to allow him to stay within touch of the rest.Then the front runners start getting 'heavy right foot syndrome' because they then think they are being held up for some parculiar reason,they are!,because matey at the back seems to think that'Oh,Safety Car period,I can have a rest!'
I have been moaned at by more than one driver for doing a forty mph lap at Snetterton,because it was too quick!!
I use my experience to try to judge a fair speed for all concerned,modern car or not,I'm only interested in doing my job correctly,not what the car I'm using will do.
Ultimately,the speed is monitored by RC,they sometimes ask for a little less,sometimes a little more speed.But what everyone has to understand is that when deployed,this can be used to gain an advantage to catch up with the car in front because you had a spin and lost half a lap.Its not a punishment,its done for Safety reasons and to protect the marshall's who might just happen to be 'On Circuit'.

[simon drabble]

whilst the snake is tiightening up 40 might be appropriate - then when a train has formed there is nothing wrong is increasing the pace to stop cars overheating but the guage should (within reason) be the back markers not the front runners (maybe a pitwall marshall could have a board saying "Keep up" if the back markers are not keeping a reasonable pace)