Posted: January 03 2005 at 4:35pm | IP Logged

I was asked a question by a friend that I am trying to get into our little driving addiction. He wanted to know how you decide what run group you should be in and how do you advance. I told him that I wasnt really sure how SV did it but I would find out.

I had a idea that it should be based on your times at each track. example: You run a regular 2 min+ at streets of willow.  There is no way you should be in Blue or red no matter how long you have driven or what car you drive. You are a moving chicane.

Is there any way that a set of times for each run group at each track can be put together. Mostly just as reference. maybe somthing like  Big willow... 1 min to 1 min 40 is red group. 1 min 40 to 1 min 50 is blue. 1 min 50 and up is white.

I think it would be a good rule of thumb for people new to SV and a good way to help you know when its time to move up. I saw a lot of issues with this at Cal-speedway. Lots of red drivers bumped everyone way down and we saw a huge mix of red,blue,white and even people that should be yellow in the white and blues. Having to sunday drive the big bank really killed the ET's

I tend to just post what I think so if this has been addressed before just ignore me..My wife does  LOL

Chris

Posted: January 03 2005 at 7:03pm | IP Logged

Interesting perspective.  I ran in the Yellow for about a year before being asked to move up at BW in the Fall.  In Yellow I'd gotten to be pretty fast and didn't have much issue passing when ever I caught up with traffic.  In Intermediate I had to pull through the pit lane a few times to clear traffic since there were a few who although a couple seconds slower just didn't want to wave by a pass.  Maybe if I was more agressive they would have but I backed off a few times and easily caught up again just to show I was looking to pass.

All in all I think the SV group does a very good job trying to get people to recoginze when they are holding things up.  I know Aaron has talked to a few about it when it was mentioned to him.

I think the problem with using times is that not everyone takes timing and some have cars that they let go into cool off mode every few laps so are not consistent.  It's not easy to monitor and I'm betting with as few events as are run at Cal. Speedway and it's high speed bank it would be worse there than any place else.

Randy

Posted: January 03 2005 at 7:53pm | IP Logged

It's based primarily on experience.  As Aaron says at each drivers' meeting, we have Miatas and Vipers together in Red, and we have had them together in other color groups, all depends on the experience of the drivers to be fully aware of what's happening around them to make or allow smooth and safe passing.  A novice showing up in a GT3 will be in yellow, and a spec Miata racer will be in Red.

Typically a driver will know when he/she might be ready to move up a group, and should then speak with Aaron or John to get the okay.

Posted: January 05 2005 at 8:32am | IP Logged

rlaifatt wrote: There is no threshold laptime for any group.  It's not speed, but experience, that matters. In the Red group, for example, there is often extreme differences in laptimes because of the range of cars from full-race on slicks to a street-driven cars, yet this group probably has the fewest incidents because the drivers are the more experienced.

I just wanna pass Richard once, and I'm a happy camper

.

Posted: January 06 2005 at 8:13am | IP Logged

well theres always the cool down lap.

Posted: January 06 2005 at 8:17pm | IP Logged

SoCal Rebell wrote: I just wanna pass Richard once, and I'm a happy camper

ryan0 wrote: well theres always the cool down lap.

Ouch!!   ROFLMAO

Posted: January 06 2005 at 10:26pm | IP Logged

I respect my mentors.  You'll always get a point by Ron if you're ever behind me.

Posted: January 08 2005 at 10:39am | IP Logged

If you lack experience, go with Yellow to start.  If you have a little experience (on the track, not just on mountain roads) and you think you're getting fast, do white.  If you have a lot of experience but a really slow car OR a really fast car and some experience, but you're still kinda an intermediate driver, do blue.  If you're meant for red, you don't need to read this - you will have enough experience to know you are in red without anyone telling you.

Posted: January 20 2005 at 2:52pm | IP Logged

Hi guys,

Got a question.  I ran my Buick in school group at SOW last November, and I may be able to do BW on March 11th. 

If I'm not mistaken, school group replaced the yellow group so I'll run in either school or white.  I'd like to step up into white group if possible (more track time), but I wouldn't mind running in school group again due to my lack of track driving experience. 

Which group should I run in?  If it makes any difference, my lap time at SOW was 1:43ish.  The car weighs 4300 lbs and I had a set of $84 street tires so I'd like to think I'm a OK driver.  I'll have stickier tires, better suspension setup, and a bit more hp by the next event.

Suggestions/recommendations are much appreciated.  TIA!

Katz

Posted: January 20 2005 at 6:16pm | IP Logged

well its nice to see someone in a heavier car than me LOL  Nice time for that Riveria. 

Did you graduate the SOS?  As its been stated in prior posts, Its more based on experence than speed. I think the idea is safety not who goes the fastest. Higher groups have less restrictive passing rules and can be more dangerous for less skilled drivers. If you do run white I would recomend having a ride along instructor. Also see if any of the blue or red drivers will let you ride with them. You can learn a lot from it.  You are always welcome to ride shotgun with me. The weight wont really matter to my 2 tons.

Best thing to do is check with Aaron or John. They are really the final word.

Chris

Posted: January 21 2005 at 6:47am | IP Logged

Thanks Chris! 

I think (hope) I graduated SOS...  I thought there was supposed to be one last classroom session at the end of the day, but Aaron was socializing in pit area and other people in SOS didn't seem to care.  I had to drive back to my friend's place in Fresno, so I had to leave.  I think that was the first time SV tried SOS, so maybe the program wasn't quite well-organized yet.

I'm mainly interested in white group b/c of longer track time (five 25-min sessions as opposed to two 15-min sessions), but it's probably wise for me to run in SOS again.  If I end up running in white group, I'd definetely like to hitch a ride in your car before I hit the track.  I weigh about 175 lb, so I shouldn't slow you down too much  

I hope John or Aaron will chime in sometime.  If not I'll ask them via e-mail.  Thanks again for your input!  

Posted: January 27 2005 at 9:08am | IP Logged

Katz, I'd guess based upon the times, and not knowing how much time you'll pick up with the changes to your car, that you'll be on the slower end of White. That said, you were in control at SOWS and my impression was you were aware of your surroundings and giving point bys, so we would have no problem with you driving in white group at BW if you wish.

Also I'll mention that as a fellow Buick driver, you're always welcome to ride along with me as well, though to be honest not alot of the experience will translate over to your car (but I'll bet you'll find it fun).

Posted: January 28 2005 at 9:38am | IP Logged

Thanks John!

john wrote: ...you'll be on the slower end of White...

That's what I figured too.  I'll pay extra attention and give more point-bys.

I'll definetely take up your offer!!  My car weighs nearly twice as much as yours, but I'd think ideal lines are pretty close? (with some adjustments to turn-in points and whatnot)  Even if I don't learn much, that should still be a blast! 

I cannot commit to this event yet, unfortunately.  I'm supposed to be in SoCal for SCTA meeting in March (I'm a tech inspector at Bonneville Speed Week).  The exact schedule of the meeting hasn't been decided yet, so I'm hoping that the meeting will be around 11th.

If it doesn't work out, I'll be back to CA later this year for one of SV events. 

Thanks again, and hope to see you guys in March.