Potomac-Greg

I'm catching up with my Tivo-watching and just saw the Grand Am race at VIR. It was a wet track, and the drivers were racing like 12 year olds. Most laps were run under yellow. The race leader got hammered by a back marker in a Caddy CTS-V. In contrast, the next day's Rolex races were clean and exciting.

Should they just postpone or cancel races rather than run them in the rain? Maybe they should impose painful penalties on drivers that cause accidents. The guy in the Caddy should pay to fix/replace the BMW his totalled.

Alpha7

internet rumor has it that the caddy was black flagged and the officials told the team to load up and leave.

Potomac-Greg

If he did that on public roads, he's be in prison! He really could have gotten someone hurt.

O.W. Kenobi

They had to reconstruct barriers twice during that race, and that required lots of heavy equipment!

John/TSR

...in the US (whether Grand Am or WC).

The pointy end of the grid...the fast guys, are fast and skilled and professional. The back of the grid is filled with amateurs - some skilled, some clueless.

The requirement for issuance of a racing license from the Pro series ?

Must be able to fog a mirror
Must have a check that clears the bank
Must have some minimal paperwork that shows that they've passed some racing school (but nobody really checks).

As a fee-paying entrant in a Pro series, you are the major source of funding for those running that series, so they have a vested interest in filling the grids, rather than keeping the idiots out.

The skill level at the back of the pro grids is really terrifying. It's nice to hear that 'teams' are being sent home for being clueless.

bioman

It's pretty narrow, and once you're off track it's all grass (and often downhill) so when you're off in the wet you just go and go and go and go...

bioman

Said he could get me the license no problem, and the car was good to go, he just needed drivers. And I was surprised how "affordable" it was.

Needless to say, at that point (and probably now as well) I did not belong in a pro race, and I turned the offer down.

EricBell

at 90MPH before slowing down some and backing into a tirewall.
Not to much damage and the driver was OK. Well, OK except for being a little pissed about every trick in the book doing nothing to slow the car down.

David White

...i have been offered a rental ride with a mid-pack ST team, most likely just trying to fill seats (make money)...i don't feel ready just yet to race with the pros but may give it a shot sometime down the road...

i was also surprised at how "affordable" it can be...getting a pro license seems to be a non-issue (as john mentioned)...

Potomac-Greg

Might need some gravel traps. The tire walls work, but they bang up the cars.