Safety car usage at Le Mans

[Hubertus C]

They shouldn't deploy the safetycar just for some rain, good drivers are able to drive under hard circumstances, especially in endurance racing, that's part of the job.

And Peugeot...it seems quite clear that the racedirectors would like to see a peugeot to finish at the podium, and what they did at the last lap makes me feel sick..

[Nordic]

Picked this up from the ACO site re the safety car

Quote from Hugh Chamberlain regarding the Safety Car Period
dimanche 17 juin 2007 - 14h16
 
 
Hugh Chamberlain, Team Manager of Chamberlain Synergy has informed the media that a number of Team Managers requested that the safety cars be deployed. This request was initially denied. According to Chamberlain, several Team Managers then approached the Race Director in a group with a strong posture, and the safety cars were immediately deployed. 

[Hubertus C]

According to Chamberlain, several Team Managers then approached the Race Director in a group with a strong posture, and the safety cars were immediately deployed. 

That sucks, so because some teammanagers think it's getting too slippery they deploy the safety cars?

When you think it's too slippery, tell your driver to drive more slowly, it's as easy as that. You always have to find the right balance between speed and risk, espcially during rain.

[termietermite]

Very interesting Nordic.  A big Yaa Boo then to everybody who immediately blames the poor French for anything that they don't like about the race before checking their facts.  Pah.

[Piglet]

Picked this up from the ACO site re the safety car

Quote from Hugh Chamberlain regarding the Safety Car Period
dimanche 17 juin 2007 - 14h16
 
 
Hugh Chamberlain, Team Manager of Chamberlain Synergy has informed the media that a number of Team Managers requested that the safety cars be deployed. This request was initially denied. According to Chamberlain, several Team Managers then approached the Race Director in a group with a strong posture, and the safety cars were immediately deployed. 

Hee hee, I wrote that originally, it was then translated through a number of different languages it appears before being put back a version of English and being published. 

Hughie's actual words were that they had visited the Race Director "mob handed"

[RoverMan]

Maybe it is time to rethink 'safety cars' in general.

We are seeing more races 'spoilt' by frequent deployment of a car that struggles to get to anywhere near race speeds, when only parts of the circuit actually require 'safe' conditions. This is more evident at Le Mans with the longer circuit length.

Perhaps a solution is to divide the circuit into sections, and have lights to notify no overtaking in the whole section. I know there are flags, but these tend to be on a corner by corner basis. Dividing the circuit up and enforcing no overtaking would mean that cars could still race on the other sections of the circuit. It would also mean the end of pit-lane closures and drivers gettin penalised for mis-use (or they run out of fuel!).

I know that the safety car is supposed to slow the traffic down, but the drivers are (supposedly) professionals who should know how to drive in slippery conditions! Nullifying the race for just part of the lap would, in my opinion, be a better way to keep racing alive.

Time for a rethink I think!

[termietermite]

The lights are there and used regularly aren't they?  Piglet would know for sure.

[Piglet]

My marshal colleagues will tell you that if you work trackside the only safe ('ish) way of working a live track is with a safety car (or in the case of LM three safety cars. 

On the whole, at every level, drivers do not respond well to lights, flags or dancing girls, they only slow down when forced to do so by a safety car. 

In the UK a couple of years ago we tried a "safety car flag" which was a flag that was shown at which point the leader would take on the role of "safety car" and slow the field down.  It failed disamally and was withdrawn very quickly.

As a race interrupter, the quickest way to get an incident cleared, track rebuilt etc. is by throwing a red flag as the trackworkers can work quickly without constantly watching their backs - given that this isn't a great way to run an endurance race the safety cars are the next best option. 

Even then at LM we saw a number of incidents where cars went off under the safety car (the 44 spinning at pit entry comes to mind!) so pro drivers or not (and of course a vast number of them aren't) I can't see that you could retrieve vehicles, repair barriers etc. without physically ensuring that the cars slow down and if the only way of achieving this is with safety cars then that's how it should be. 

Given the conditions at LM I doubt that the safety cars were having difficulty keeping the field at a suitable pace, it didn't appear to be like that from the screens. 

Working stragegy under the safety car is something for the teams to manage and often differentiates the good teams from the excellent teams and with three cars on track there were three opportunities to get on the end of a train.   To me the safety car is something that goes with racing, you can't recover cars, drivers etc. from a live track so somehow you have to manage it so that this can be done safely - or you throw a red. 

As far as I know there are yellow lights around the circuit that back up the flags, I can check but I don't have first hand knowledge of this. 

Whether the use of the safety cars at LM was appropriate or not is something I don't have any information on. 

Edited to add - often on a long circuit there are "jobs" waiting to be done around the track that are done whilst the track is neutralised, it's not just the area that the main incident is in. 

[termietermite]

I've looked at some video footage and yes, the circuit lights are there and do operate.

[Andy Zarse]

Very interesting Nordic.  A big Yaa Boo then to everybody who immediately blames the poor French for anything that they don't like about the race before checking their facts.  Pah.

On the other hand, I see the actions of the Race Director as a typically French reaction i.e. complete surrender! 

So the ACO are approached "mob handed" by the Team Managers and rather than standing firm and reading them the riot act, the ACO simply toss their principles into the dustbin like so much poubelle and back down to the perceived aggression. Bloody French..... 

[Perdu]

OK there is an issue with excessive use of the safety cars, but...

Did any of you see the safety car itself trying too hard to stay on the track as the repair work was being done/

The approach to the stupid Dunlop kittylittercarpark was a treat for the eye, real racing cars pushing the safety car drivers to their (not especially elegant) limit, the one guy was almost on two wheels trying far too hard to keep the real cars behind him.
 

[Lazy B'stard]

I've tried to ignore this post cause it gets me all rilled. Safely car should have been out for barrier repairs and nothing else! Those guys know the risks and are well paid- they are racers right? Team managers should have been told to sod off too. I drive rally cars through trees at 100+ in the rain without run offs or armco or safety cars. I don't get paid to do it. If I can't handle it I will stop. So should they. Would Moss, Ickx or Pedro hold up a note with safety car on it to the cameras?     

[oldtimer]

Very interesting Nordic.  A big Yaa Boo then to everybody who immediately blames the poor French for anything that they don't like about the race before checking their facts.  Pah.

On the other hand, I see the actions of the Race Director as a typically French reaction i.e. complete surrender! 

So the ACO are approached "mob handed" by the Team Managers and rather than standing firm and reading them the riot act, the ACO simply toss their principles into the dustbin like so much poubelle and back down to the perceived aggression. Bloody French..... 

If you dislike the French so much why do you bother going to Le Mans?

[monkey]

If you dislike the French so much why do you bother going to Le Mans?
[/quote]


Heaven forbid Zarse didn't go to Le Mans oldtimer, I mean the event might as well be cancelled.

[Lazy B'stard]

I think the King of Commer has issues with our Rillette munching chums- don't mention farm subsidies, he goes ballistic!