Go Back   oOple.com Forums > Events & Venues > CLUB TALK > Bedfordshire RC Model Car Club

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 30-08-2011
Andybra's Avatar
Andybra Andybra is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 37
Default Driving Etiquette

Driving Etiquette
So, here we are in first few weeks of the next championship. How is it all going? Well, I have to be honest and say that I am a little disillusioned – or maybe misguided!
We are all supposed to be racing for fun. You get to the end of a stressful week at work and think “oh good, race night tonight”. Meet up with like-minded people, help each other out, have a race and a bit of banter and go home happy!
Onto the heats, 5-7 cars line up, drivers of differing ability and cars of very different ability. In F1 there are a number whose cars are markedly faster than the rest for whatever reason, good cells, lucky G2 motor etc. OK no issue there. Onto the race:
Within the first few laps after start incidents etc have all settled down the lapping begins!
Mid fielders are happily fighting for position, racing each other, trying to improve and keep it clean when they hear “lapping” shouted out. At this point they seem to be expected to move over and get out of the way of the faster car. Never mind that they are also racing. Then maybe a bit later it happens again. Ok now what, well, maybe said faster cars – God forbid – actually have an incident or EVEN make an error. So, whilst they are in a mess you manage to drive round them and pick up a lap only to hear “lapping” again as they whistle past.
Now maybe I have this wrong in which case please correct me – gently now boys – but I thought that we are all supposed to be racing. If you are quicker – be it your ability or the car or both, surely you should be able to overtake as per full sized racing. I am NOT advocating blocking or dirty moves here, just pure racing. Yes, I know if you are holding someone up you may be ‘blue flagged’ but……
To add to this, there was a driver recently who called lapping so I duly moved over. Having overtaken he pulled over to adjust his Tx. Next minute he pulls out, catches up and calls ”lapping”. After the 3rd time this happened I was ready to go home!
Taking this to an extreme we may as well just run 1 car at a time on an empty track and the fastest time wins J
Now then chaps, let’s hear feedback on this BUT REMEMBER 2 things:
1. Play nicely – this isn’t a bun fight
2. We need to encourage youngsters and lead by example
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-09-2011
oli oli is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 10
Default

At the risk of poking my head above the parapet...

In all forms of racing, model cars being no exception, the onus is always on the person doing the overtaking to do so if and when possible without making contact with the car being passed or impeding their progress in any way.

I tend to agree that shouting out 'lapping' when approaching another car can be quite off-putting, much better to bide your time behind the slower car and overtake when the opportunity presents itself.

Having said all that, there is also no benefit to be had for a driver to block a lapping car by defensive driving. No-one should be expected to jump out of the way when approached by a lapping car, however it would probably be prudent and result in faster lap times for all if they went wide at a corner when they were ready to do so without compromising their race and let the faster car through - but only if they were being lapped, not when fighting for position. Most drivers are aware of the difference without having 'Lapping' shouted at them !

RC racing is huge fun and a little bit of consideration shown by all would prevent it being spoilt for some, which would be a great shame.

I guess I'm probably guilty of being one of those drivers whose car is 'markedly faster' than most - Rest assured that there's nothing special about my car, motor or batteries other than careful setup, tyre choice and motor maintenance. I'm happy to help anyone with car setup issues anytime - just ask.

Happy racing to all
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-09-2011
bedsrcmcc's Avatar
bedsrcmcc bedsrcmcc is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 498
Default

I love it when a can of worms is opened...

I've run many clubs over my 30+ years of racing RC cars. This is an issue that every club up and down the country will have experienced at some point, it comes with the territory. Having said all that, my personal thoughts, and they are my thoughts, not club rules I must add are:
  1. Racing is meant to be fun for all
  2. If 2 or more drivers are on the same lap and fighting for position then NO ONE gives way - you ALL compete fairly
  3. If you are following behind a car (both on same lap) and heading into a corner, YOU MUST expect the driver in front to close off any gap on the racing line - therefore the chasing car has to go the long way round - remember that if there is no space - 2 cars into 1 never works!
  4. Be patient, hounding a car can cause the other driver into an error that then gives you that opportunity to pass - I personally prefer to chase than be chased as the pressure of having someone chasing puts pressure on me
  5. If you tap another driver that causes them to spin, you should STOP and wait for them to pass you before you proceed - remember, if you had not tapped them in the first place, your race would not have been impacted
  6. If you know you are about to be lapped, just call "inside" on the rostrum so the driver of the car about to lap you hears you and then you take a wider line into the corner without slowing down and they can then nip through
  7. If you are the driver doing the lapping, do it clean, smooth and be prepared for the unexpected and remember that if you are racing on a track where there are tight corners and wider ones, hold back and wait for the wider corner to make the move when you both have more space
  8. Remember this is a hobby that we all do for fun - there is no financial gain if you win so it's not the end of the world if you lose. I used to love being beaten by Jonathan when we raced TCs together - sounds strange but the challenge for me was to improve my racing lines so as not to drop many laps behind him in a heat or final, getting within 1 lap of him after 5 minutes was more enjoyable than winning a final when he was not there - it's all about personal goals and targets
  9. Revenge is not something that belongs at club level, or any level of racing for that matter, so if you do get knocked off, don't do the same back to them as it achieves nothing but agro on and off track (Mr Hamilton knows about that!)
  10. For Touring Cars: If you crash on your own, and the car can't be driven forward then wait for a marshal to put you back on - revving the motor does no one any favours and just annoys the marshals who SHOULD leave the car alone until the wheels stop spinning
  11. For Mardave Cars: As you can reverse, please look before doing so to check it's safe to reverse and try your level best to reverse when there is a gap (I got it all wrong tonight and reversed out into the path of Graham, have been ill all day but that's no excuse really - I apologised to him and he was fine with it - just one of those things )
  12. Lead by example and watch how others race. Maz tonight showed how in the TC heat how to do it - sitting behind close, putting pressure on the cars ahead and when the gap was there, he had the pass done, quick and smooth. It's a joy to watch him race his car - kind of like when Jonathan used to race with us.
  13. All clubs try their best to ensure drivers of equal ability race against each other, but at times you might find yourself racing with drivers of lower or higher ability than yourself - so make allowances for that.
  14. Try also to become more aware of the drivers in your heat and where they are in relation to you in the race. It's not too difficult to do with practice

At the end of the day we all have our off days, and as most would agree it's all meant to be for fun - yes we can all have those moments when in the heat of battle the red mist comes down - but as soon as the race is over we should all remember why we do this at club level.

If you are really into this hobby in a big way and want to step up a level, then as members of the BRCA you can enter regional events and national ones, but be warned, at BRCA santioned events the rules are more strict and you might just come back and realise why club racing is so much fun

To summarise, always remember the P's
  1. Be POLITE to other drivers on track
  2. Be PATIENT when following other cars on track
  3. and finally... PRACTICE
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-09-2011
Andybra's Avatar
Andybra Andybra is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 37
Default Exactly

Ah, good replies. That is what I expected. Let's keep that up. My point about kids is true too. Ali has noticed that since the adults have started to say sorry to them for silly crashes, some have started to do the same! All good club stuff.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
oOple.com