Originally Posted by
GreaseMonkey
I've found that one of my biggest causes of inconsistency is other drivers. I don't know why but lapping the slower racers always gives me issues and of course pulling aside for the faster guys affects my consistency too but not to the same extent.
I raced tonight and in my fastest qualifier I was taken out by slower drivers 3 times and had a bobble of my own. I lost about 8-9 seconds total. If I had not have lost that time, I would have qualified for the A Main instead of the B Main.
No way around that either. The real problem is guys that feel every club race is a national event. And to some that don't do any traveling, it is, and it's understandable.
We race with a few guys that just don't care how many times you're lapping them in 8 minutes, (sometimes 10), they gotta race you every time. What they don't realize is that their not holding you off, they're holding you up! big difference. And I've done it on occasion, and I should no better. But I know full well that I'm trying to hold them up
. That's tactical, but a different thread topic.
The guys that are 10 laps down will usually seriously blow a corner or two every lap, so it's a bit easier. The tough passes are the guys that are 1-2 laps back. They don't want to give an inch and you're speeds and lines are usually comparable.
What those guys don't realize is the potential jeopardy they put both cars in if you have to follow closely for to many laps. We're not in these things, it's hard for everybody to really be in any kind of control. And the longer you dual for a pass, the more likely it will end with a boo from the crowd, a corner marshal or a broken car. And there's a 50/50 chance it's you that gets the worst of it.
A savvy driver, has to check his ego and realize that he is also risking his car. It's like Golf. More people need to understand "course management". I'm not saying I do this all the time either. I get caught up in the moment, just like the next guy.
Sooner or later though, if you race with the same guys enough, and all are similar in speed, you develop a little courtesy, "Well, Larry's got it dialed tonight..." So you let him go as soon as it's feasible. Announce to him, "Dude, next corner..." He'll know what your talking about, you swing wide, tuck back in, having lost maybe a .1-.2 seconds, and risked nothing. Hopefully he'll return the favor when it's your turn.
Also, the more people that hear that kind of courtesy on the stand, the more they expect it, and work with it. Nobody wants a broken car, and if your 4 laps outta the hunt, be cool about it. Be the driver people want to race with.