2019 Virgin Australia Supercars ChampionshipTouring Cars 

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FPV MIC
It won't stop unsafe releases which, when watching the video, was the main cause last weekend. It will relieve congestion though, which will help. I really don't know if there is an answer... ban Rick Kelly maybe??;)



Edit: I've just watched the footage leading up to the incident again and it really was nothing at all to do with double stacking. There was over 5 seconds (8 sec. gap on the time stamps) from the time Fabians car was up on the jacks to when Chaz was released with no other cars in sight. They actually had to pull Chaz backwards twice.... the bottom picture is before either of those times.

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The only thing that will possibly prevent an unsafe release is a huge penalty for whoever is responsible.

As I said in an earlier post, if that’s the Car Controller then it’s on their head.

Maybe they get suspended for the next round of the Championship?
What I don’t want to see is the Driver coping the wrap when their vision is so limited & they’re only following instructions.
 
Pete05
The only thing that will possibly prevent an unsafe release is a huge penalty for whoever is responsible.

As I said in an earlier post, if that’s the Car Controller then it’s on their head.

Maybe they get suspended for the next round of the Championship?
What I don’t want to see is the Driver coping the wrap when their vision is so limited & they’re only following instructions.
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I agree, maybe a big fine and lose a bundle of team points? It's definitely a team thing rather than the driver 👍.
 
We see it and hear it all the time. "Gogogogogo! StopstststsSTOP!...Okay. GogggggoGO!WAIT!" BANG! (Winterbottom brakes right front steering, driving over a car HE couldn't see, but the team saw).
 
FPV MIC
I agree, maybe a big fine and lose a bundle of team points? It's definitely a team thing rather than the driver 👍.
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Losing points towards the Teams Championship would hurt a lot if it’s close at the end of the year.
05XR8
We see it and hear it all the time. "Gogogogogo! StopstststsSTOP!...Okay. GogggggoGO!WAIT!" BANG! (Winterbottom brakes right front steering, driving over a car HE couldn't see, but the team saw).
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In that case it’s the guilty party that has to explain to Frosty why his race turned to a DNF & hope the apology is accepted, the same way the driver has to explain to his team why he hung it off a wall or buried it in a sand trap.
 
Pete05
Losing points towards the Teams Championship would hurt a lot if it’s close at the end of the year.

In that case it’s the guilty party that has to explain to Frosty why his race turned to a DNF & hope the apology is accepted, the same way the driver has to explain to his team why he hung it off a wall or buried it in a sand trap.
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I'm sure there was a long talk about how DJRTP will make it up to Fabs.

DJRTP: "You still have a seat. We're all good?"

Fabs: "Yes. All good."

DJRTP: "Cool. Now, bury last weekend deep down inside... somewhere, where no one will ever find it."

Fabs: "..."
 
FPV MIC
In the past they had lap 5 as when pit lane opened so half the field came in on lap 5, the other half on lap 6. But if there was an accident on lap 5 after half the cars had pitted, the rest of the field was screwed.
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That would kill any kind of race strategy though, wouldn't it? Some of the talk seems to be about congestion and safety risk to crew members in the lane. Getting rid of the double stack would solve both of those issues. Still think that's the better way to go.
 
05XR8
I'm sure there was a long talk about how DJRTP will make it up to Fabs.

DJRTP: "You still have a seat. We're all good?"

Fabs: "Yes. All good."

DJRTP: "Cool. Now, bury last weekend deep down inside... somewhere, where no one will ever find it."

Fabs: "..."
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:lol:

The problem is it’s on record for all to see.
There is no such thing as motorsport amnesia, believe me.

I can’t help but think back to 2004 & the worst season of Lowndes’ Supercar career.
Pitiful unreliability led to a 20th on the end of season points table.
Prodrive couldn’t have made up for that with anything.
Even at Bathurst they let him & Seton down with a strategy that led to 7 tours through the pits but they still managed a 2nd place.
Spacegoat
That would kill any kind of race strategy though, wouldn't it? Some of the talk seems to be about congestion and safety risk to crew members in the lane. Getting rid of the double stack would solve both of those issues. Still think that's the better way to go.
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Opening up the race strategy options would do that too by default.
 
Spacegoat
That would kill any kind of race strategy though, wouldn't it? Some of the talk seems to be about congestion and safety risk to crew members in the lane. Getting rid of the double stack would solve both of those issues. Still think that's the better way to go.
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Yeah it did, that's why I'm not sold on the whole ''close pit lane under safety car'' deal. They've already tried it... it didn't work 👎.

Even if they stop double stacking it still has it's down sides, especially if it were brought in for every race in a season. Because the second driver would be constantly shafted it could very well introduce a number one and a two driver situation. It would only take one of the top teams to do this early in a season and every other team would have no choice but to follow suit.

I still don't really know what the ideal solution is... a second car controller whose only job is to watch pit lane during pit stops via a laptop with the camera on the pit boom maybe? It would be cheap to implement and it's not like they haven't got the technology already, and I'm pretty sure they could find a team member spare that could do it. They would be able to keep things as they are then.
Pete05
Opening up the race strategy options would do that too by default.
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The problem with that idea is the cost factor. Teams would more than likely start leaning out their engines again, something Supercars are already trying to get on top of.
 
Spacegoat
Getting rid of the double stack would solve both of those issues. Still think that's the better way to go.
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Wouldn’t that lead to drivers backing right off before heading into the pit lane? which in turn would hamper any driver behind them.
 
Cap'n Jack
Wouldn’t that lead to drivers backing right off before heading into the pit lane? which in turn would hamper any driver behind them.
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I'm pretty sure the three car length rule applies all the time behind the safety car now. T8 was taking the piss with that so it was altered. The only way would be to pit on the next lap... and ruin your race.
 
FPV MIC
Yeah it did, that's why I'm not sold on the whole ''close pit lane under safety car'' deal. They've already tried it... it didn't work 👎.

Even if they stop double stacking it still has it's down sides, especially if it were brought in for every race in a season. Because the second driver would be constantly shafted it could very well introduce a number one and a two driver situation. It would only take one of the top teams to do this early in a season and every other team would have no choice but to follow suit.

I still don't really know what the ideal solution is... a second car controller whose only job is to watch pit lane during pit stops via a laptop with the camera on the pit boom maybe? It would be cheap to implement and it's not like they haven't got the technology already, and I'm pretty sure they could find a team member spare that could do it. They would be able to keep things as they are then.
The problem with that idea is the cost factor. Teams would more than likely start leaning out their engines again, something Supercars are already trying to get on top of.
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As far as I'm aware, Supercars know all the specs for the different engine builds via the policy that was brought in 3 or so years ago. Anything newly developed for the Ford or Chev engines is available to be viewed so it stops hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent on 5 bhp or 10 Nm.

Maybe I'm wrong but if Supercars know who's producing what numbers from dyno figures, they'd have to know what spec that engine is in order to do so.
Cap'n Jack
Wouldn’t that lead to drivers backing right off before heading into the pit lane? which in turn would hamper any driver behind them.
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Supercars & anyone watching the live timing has access to the relevant sector times. They'd be all over any fudging like a horrible rash & could apply penalties accordingly.
 
Pete05
As far as I'm aware, Supercars know all the specs for the different engine builds via the policy that was brought in 3 or so years ago. Anything newly developed for the Ford or Chev engines is available to be viewed so it stops hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent on 5 bhp or 10 Nm.

Maybe I'm wrong but if Supercars know who's producing what numbers from dyno figures, they'd have to know what spec that engine is in order to do so.
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Once a year at Adelaide the engines can be viewed by other teams, but nothing can be measured. Supercars has halted development but that's only for the major components. I'm not sure how they're leaning them off... electronically or slightly smaller injectors maybe? but they've been doing it. WAU have been particularly good at gaining fuel mileage for years. The new ECU is part of the measures to control it but where there's a will there's a way.
 
Plus, the two engines have been developed over 25 years. No doubt they've got ways.
 
FPV MIC
Once a year at Adelaide the engines can be viewed by other teams, but nothing can be measured. Supercars has halted development but that's only for the major components. I'm not sure how they're leaning them off... electronically or slightly smaller injectors maybe? but they've been doing it. WAU have been particularly good at gaining fuel mileage for years. The new ECU is part of the measures to control it but where there's a will there's a way.
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Is this why they've traditionally done well in the enduros?
 
CLowndes888
Is this why they've traditionally done well in the enduros?
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I think it may be a factor (solid cars helps too), it's also why they've had less success since the minimum fuel drop was introduced. If you cast your memory back, how many times have you heard ''they can't possibly make it on fuel from here''... and yet they do.
 
I used to really enjoy the days at Bathurst when you didn't know if the cars were going to be doing 4 or 5 stops.

Four for the fuel economy & one less visit to pit lane or,
Five with as much power as you could find & the pace to pass others if you needed to.

Now that Supercars have mandated a minimum number of stops (7?) and will throw a SC for a leaf that drops on the track, it's taken a portion of the guesswork out of the game.
As they say in the broadcast, it's all about buying a ticket to that final 25-odd lap dance & having the pace to do something about it.
 
The 12H does that as well. Everyone wants to be there for the last hour.

There are other factors than just the safety car. The tyres.

Next race is an SS event. Thing is, the races are short and the track is long and flowing. We have to wait til Tassie and Perth for more strategic racing.
If the closed pit lane rule is in effect at those two races, VASC will have more useful data.
 
Hasn't just about every major racing series tried closing pit lane during safety cars, and pretty sure it all ended up as causing more problems than what it solved ?
I don't think closing pit lane is the answer, or banning double stacking either, really I don't think there is a solution that solves the problem without causing another problem that affects the racing.... Really think the only answer is to keep as is but give large team penalty points and fines (and if some does a Rick Kelly again, a clause for extra driver penalty points). Maybe something like instant fines and team penalty points, with an extra penalty points system where if you have X many infractions during the year, there is a reduction in prize money or something (I take it they get prize money ?).
 
💡 Maybe the solution is for noone to cause a safety car. There wasn't one in the Saturday.
 
05XR8
The 12H does that as well. Everyone wants to be there for the last hour.

There are other factors than just the safety car. The tyres.

Next race is an SS event. Thing is, the races are short and the track is long and flowing. We have to wait til Tassie and Perth for more strategic racing.
If the closed pit lane rule is in effect at those two races, VASC will have more useful data.
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It's only being trialed at Phillip Island at this stage.
05XR8
💡 Maybe the solution is for noone to cause a safety car. There wasn't one in the Saturday.
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:lol: It will probably happen at PI.
 
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https://www.speedcafe.com/2019/03/13/ricciardo-drives-awesome-nissan-altima-supercar/

Let’s hope the Altima left a lasting impression on Dan Ricciardo, it would be amazing to see him race one of these things down the track after his F1 career is over.
 
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Give Alonso a go in the ride car at Albert Park. What an experience that would be for one lucky person.
 
Skaifey just needs to be moved one more seat to the right... so they can bring back Russell

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Unpopular opinion, but I actually appreciate Skaife’s input. He knows the sport, is far more listenable than someone like Matt White who’s never sat behind the wheel of a racing car and has great chemistry with the other commentators.

Also I get a huge kick out of waiting for him to inevitably yell “bang!” or that hilarious casual one he does during light contact.

I honestly think Supercars easily has the best commentary team in motorsport. I’m dreading of having to listen to David Croft’s F1 commentary this weekend.
 
I agree, I enjoy Skaife's commentary. Not happy that Ingall is gone but I have no issues with Skaife and Crompo. The wheels would fall off without Larkham though.
 
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