Track Tac

Respect

Ted Hamilton said:
I hope you realize that those two statements are opposites?!! Obviously you don't mean the first one, and when you think someone's "blocking" you dump them. They paid their entry fee just like you did and are entitled to run whatever safe line they'd like, including hugging the inside. Find a way around cleanly or follow. Anything else is dirty driving. I'm a racer AND have been an official, and if I saw you dump a slower kart for ANY reason, you'd be to the back, then DQ'd if it happened again.

Racers get frustrated when there's only 1 or 1-1/2 lanes of racing and dump the "slower" person ahead of them (or use them as brakes on turn entry to dump them). I can understand the frustration, but it's not right to take it out on your competitors. Learn some patience, learn some driving and setup skill, experiment with alternative lines and setups that allow for passing, and COMPLAIN TO THE TRACK OWNER/PREPPER THAT THEIR METHOD SUCKS!! It's not hard to prep a track so that there's multiple lines -- it just requires some work during warmups and practice and some techniques of prepping...
Click to expand...

When i said blocking, i wasnt talking about someone running their line or hugging the inside of the track, someone running their line would be consistently running the same line pretty much lap after lap, while someone blocking in my opinion are the ones that will swerve side to side when they know someone is right on their bumper, that is blocking in my opinion. I was not saying i would dump someone for running their line and being faster that i am, you must have read that wrong. All i did was say my opinion, nothing more.
 
Ive been behind someone thats ran the "low-line" on a momentum track. At first I thought they were blocking, but they ran it every single lap. I was faster, but never could get enough to beat him into the corner. After the race, I shook his hand and told great job cause it was a heck of a line that he held.
 
the track i'm at has an absolute no contact rule. it's a 4/10 mile asphalt track and there is plenty of room to race. I passed two karts on the inside going into three a couple of weeks ago. both of them were racing hard, but i got the line on entry and zoomed them. no more than 12 inches from the kart outside of me and he wasn't but about the same from the kart outside him. no contact from anyone and we all had a blast. you don't have to touch any other kart if you know what your doing. i don't care if it's dirt, asphalt or sand....you don't have to try and wreck someone just because you can. the poorest excuse i've heard is "he was blocking me and wouldn't let me past"....heard it over and over from drivers who couldn't drive a booger around the inside of a cheerio. blocking and wouldn't let me past....right....so you took the chance that you could hurt him or yourself and put the bumper to him. that's really intelligent....

bottom line....i give respect to those that earn it. i give a finger to those that think because they have a new chassis, sunglasses or a sugar daddy with deep pockets....or worse, a parent that tells his jimmy johnson wanna-be to put the karts into the wall to "earn" the win....and then when they do win, they gloat......

and hotelcalifornia....didn't the guy in front of you pay his money as well? forced to ride behind? if your that much faster, then there is no excuse in the world that you can give to explain why you put the bumper to him or spun him.....all that makes you is a bad driver and a bully...and i don't care if that sounds sarcastic. you seem to forget that the other drivers out there paid thier money too.....

what my respect, earn it. otherwise.......
 
Driving with an old school mentality of letting someone have the position once they got past halfway up your door will earn the respect of those that matter. There are some that no matter how clean you drive them, they will give some kind of excuse why they took you out, etc.

Those are the kinds that are unteachable and have the horrible mentality of the ever popular Days of Thunder movie "rubbin is racin". It is NOT. An unknowing movie producer created that mentality. Or Dale Earnhardt, whichever you choose to give credit. Neither gets my respect of how they perceive the correct way to win a race.

I have a streak of crazy in me, and when I had problems with a certain individual attempting to run me into the infield tires on multiple occasions, I simply set him up in practice in a subsequent race to where I ran up the entire inside of his kart coming off turn two and kept on going. He had to replace an entire side panel and probably his underwear, too. Never had a problem with that person again. Run someone clean, give them the benefit of the doubt; but if it keeps happening you must stick up for yourself. Just like back in the schoolyard days.
 
have to agree. you have to stick up for yourself or you will be taken advantage of. but i also have to fault the tracks that don't watch and hammer drivers who practice the "bump/spin and run" tactics. wwe shouldn't have to replace bodies every time we go to the track. we shouldn't have to worry about getting hurt or getting taken out because "XX" is in the race. we shouldn't.....but we do, because we all know that one racer that is such a bad example of what you shouldn't do. track officials are so worried about running off karts that racing is becoming a demolition derby at some speedways....and they are letting the racers get away with it. all in the name of keeping one or two karts. personally, as a flagman, i've told some to pack it up because they were thru for the night after getting caught rough driving.....had daddy try to make his way up the flagstand to tell me in person.....ever see what a rolled up flag can do to someone who knows how to use it? as a retired police officer, they didn't teach me to play fair.

but this is getting away from the thread.....there are still lots of good clean racers out there that belileve in racing hard and fast without tearing things up. those i have respect for....just because you can run all over me, doesn't mean that you have to....

want my respect? treat everyone the right way, race clean and earn it. otherwise, take your silly you-know-what down the road and sell it to someone that will actually believe your line of stuff......
 
Driving respect comes directly from the track and flagman. They are the ones who define what is allowed and what is not. I am not trying to blow my own horn here but when I had my own track, I had a drivers meeting every week. I discussed what the expectations were and what the discipline would be if there were disciplinary actions needed. There were times when i had to go to a team during intermission and explain what I saw and why I didn't like it. That didn't always go over well because of a disagreement in who saw it what way. Didn't matter. I made my point, told them what the discipline was going to be if it happened again and left. During the driving meeting the next week, I would compliment a particular class or two that did a good job the week before. I would also mention things that got my attention that was border line driving habits. Not to say there wasn't disagreements about what I wanted but I as the track owner/operator had the final call. My goal was to have a facility that when the evening or afternoon was over the parents could bench race and the children could play without feuding. One of the things that helped with my concept was that we were a club and we were all on the same page. Where most of my problems came was the new karter that came to race with us and brought their bad habits along. But, behavior at the track when in the kart or out of the kart is controlled by those who care how the facility is operated.
 
When I started racing in 1985, I ran the "Juniors" class. We were UN-restricted flatheads, weighing a scant 265 lbs, no bodies, grooved tires, short nerf bars and no one had ever heard of 'prep'. I ran this class for 2 years and NEVER got upside down, because we raced like we had sense. Plus we KNEW that if we drove crazy, someone was going 'on their head'.
 
Perhaps a clarification is in order for many drivers too, about the concept of "blocking". Sorry, Weddle, if I misinterpreted your post -- the back to back of your sentences made me read it like you thought the driver ahead that was simply slower was "blocking."

Blocking IS intentionally swerving more than once to defend your position on the racetrack.
EXAMPLE: Coming out of turn 2, you see a shadow on the right and allow your kart to drift one lane further out than you usually do. (so far, okay.) Then, halfway down the straight, you turn and see a nose just inside your left. You turn down a lane to block. (THIS 2nd MOVE IS BLOCKING AND ILLEGAL AND UNSPORTSMANLIKE.)

If a kart is ahead of you and keeping a consistent line they're not blocking, even if they're slower. Perhaps they're frustrating you, but it's your job to figure out a clean way to pass. If you set up your kart so that it only handles one particular line and they keep you from running that line well, that's YOUR problem, not theirs. Whomever is ahead has right-of-way until your nose is 1/2way up on the inside or until you're all the way past on the outside. They paid their entry fee, just like you, and are entitled to the real estate that they're on.
 
in my case i had the line and got pushed through the grass in turn 3 came up in front of eveyone. caused a wreck now im a dirty driver aparently... dont you love how that works?
 
DynoDon said:
Driving respect comes directly from the track and flagman. They are the ones who define what is allowed and what is not. I am not trying to blow my own horn here but when I had my own track, I had a drivers meeting every week. I discussed what the expectations were and what the discipline would be if there were disciplinary actions needed. There were times when i had to go to a team during intermission and explain what I saw and why I didn't like it. That didn't always go over well because of a disagreement in who saw it what way. Didn't matter. I made my point, told them what the discipline was going to be if it happened again and left. During the driving meeting the next week, I would compliment a particular class or two that did a good job the week before. I would also mention things that got my attention that was border line driving habits. Not to say there wasn't disagreements about what I wanted but I as the track owner/operator had the final call. My goal was to have a facility that when the evening or afternoon was over the parents could bench race and the children could play without feuding. One of the things that helped with my concept was that we were a club and we were all on the same page. Where most of my problems came was the new karter that came to race with us and brought their bad habits along. But, behavior at the track when in the kart or out of the kart is controlled by those who care how the facility is operated.
Click to expand...

Well said. its all in the owners/officials hands. if they allow people to race dirty then drivers will start racing dirty because it takes that to win at that track. but sooner or later they will get fed up with it and find somewhere else to race. Allowing consistant dirty racing is a great way to end up out of business.
 
I take it most of you don't do any indoor racing. There would a lot of feelings in this thread hurt. A LOT!!!!!!

Must not attend many BIG money shows either. The best of the best in the country use their noses on occasion with one another. Notice I said... "occasion"

It's part of it folks.

Helmet......check
Gloves.......check
Neck Brace.......check
Panties.......check
 
no truer words.....the track is the one that controls the racing, and to a certain degree, what the driver can and can't do. had to make a call on the rules this past saturday night....wasn't very popular. some thought that i was making the call based on one or two people and others thought that i was singling them out....all in all....someone has to be the good guy and sometimes they are the bad guy too. when you make a call, you have to stick with it. you can gain respect or lose it....by actions or non-actions. but, in the end.....if you do things right for everyone and be consistent, then you and the track come out ahead..
 
LynnRacing said:
you haven't watched a champ kart race lately have you ?.... some of those races are the absolute worst ones as far as cautions because of lack of respect
Click to expand...

Take the cages off and with no seat belts, that safety cushion effect of the cage and belts will be gone and the oh crap I can get hurt fast flipping effect comes in to play. Then you will have clean racing. Champ drivers tend to get rougher cause they now if the flip the cage will protect them and blets hold you in nice and tight if right so all you gota do is ride it out. open kart you would slam the ground head first most times can I get an Ouch lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top