Hey everyone. I want to say first of all that this has been the best year of SCARTS yet, but I am quite peeved at the moment on how restarts have been lately and I am seeking a change.
I've always envisioned (and practiced) 'even restarts' where the race leader controls the restarts to ensure they are even and fair. The way the rules are understood currently are that the leader restarts once the pacecar leaves the racetrack. I've always practiced side-by-side restarts keeping what I call 'the co-leader (2nd place)' right alongside my car right up until the start/finish line. If my car ever got too far ahead of the 2nd place car, I'd lift a hair to make it fair to the whole field allowing for a much more exciting bunched up restart. I know as a racer, you may not 'want' to do that, but this is how i envisioned the restarts to be. The mentality has shifted somewhat since the advent of the pacecar in SCARTS, now being when the safety car leaves that the leader goes green.
Quite frankly, I HATE that.
There is a big underlying reason why I hate this: the way the track's pattern files are designed. I've heard many of you complain about one restart line being better than the other one (usually outside). For the longest time, I've just tuned this out because it's an unfixable issue physically. What's happening is the leader is taking off when the pacecar files off and is dragging the cars starting behind him along with him over the boosts in the track way before the start/finish line. If I make any changes to the track PAT file to allow even restarts, it is also going to affect each track's balance in the corners during green flag runs.
The only way to fix this problem is to change our restart format. If the leader shoulders the responsibility to 'control the restart', and keep the 'co-leader' alongside him up and to the start/finish line, you will notice less of a difference in the lane intensity. I don't want to see a race leader jump the 2nd place car by over two car lengths without an attempt to slow up to even it out. As it is now, the leader can gain so much of an advantage and just leave the car alongside even if the rival times the restart just as well. I feel what we are doing now is unfair and manipulative due to how these pattern files are designed to accomodate driving lines.
Every race since we started SCARTS, I've tried to make the restarts fair and close if I am the race leader. Very select times have any of you done the same. Getting a huge advantage over the second place car at the line is wrong to me and I've finally gotten tired of falling victim to it.
I am seeking a change in the restart format ASAP and until I see positive efforts to even up the restarts, I will not be competing in any races. If problems continue into the Chase, I will rescind my Chase entry. I am NOT racing until changes are made and rules are enforced.
If I need to add timing lines or things to help assist in this change, I'm all for it.
Thanks everyone!
I've always envisioned (and practiced) 'even restarts' where the race leader controls the restarts to ensure they are even and fair. The way the rules are understood currently are that the leader restarts once the pacecar leaves the racetrack. I've always practiced side-by-side restarts keeping what I call 'the co-leader (2nd place)' right alongside my car right up until the start/finish line. If my car ever got too far ahead of the 2nd place car, I'd lift a hair to make it fair to the whole field allowing for a much more exciting bunched up restart. I know as a racer, you may not 'want' to do that, but this is how i envisioned the restarts to be. The mentality has shifted somewhat since the advent of the pacecar in SCARTS, now being when the safety car leaves that the leader goes green.
Quite frankly, I HATE that.
There is a big underlying reason why I hate this: the way the track's pattern files are designed. I've heard many of you complain about one restart line being better than the other one (usually outside). For the longest time, I've just tuned this out because it's an unfixable issue physically. What's happening is the leader is taking off when the pacecar files off and is dragging the cars starting behind him along with him over the boosts in the track way before the start/finish line. If I make any changes to the track PAT file to allow even restarts, it is also going to affect each track's balance in the corners during green flag runs.
The only way to fix this problem is to change our restart format. If the leader shoulders the responsibility to 'control the restart', and keep the 'co-leader' alongside him up and to the start/finish line, you will notice less of a difference in the lane intensity. I don't want to see a race leader jump the 2nd place car by over two car lengths without an attempt to slow up to even it out. As it is now, the leader can gain so much of an advantage and just leave the car alongside even if the rival times the restart just as well. I feel what we are doing now is unfair and manipulative due to how these pattern files are designed to accomodate driving lines.
Every race since we started SCARTS, I've tried to make the restarts fair and close if I am the race leader. Very select times have any of you done the same. Getting a huge advantage over the second place car at the line is wrong to me and I've finally gotten tired of falling victim to it.
I am seeking a change in the restart format ASAP and until I see positive efforts to even up the restarts, I will not be competing in any races. If problems continue into the Chase, I will rescind my Chase entry. I am NOT racing until changes are made and rules are enforced.
If I need to add timing lines or things to help assist in this change, I'm all for it.
Thanks everyone!
