But the SRF's are fun to draft behind at Daytona! I made it a point not to drop in on them once they hit the turn in. Their heavy weight made them get on the brakes a lot sooner than we do, but they cant see you at all.
Mark S. Lindsey, AIA Principal Baskervill architecture + engineering + interior design 804 343 1010 P.O. Box 400 Ship to or visit fax 343 0909 Richmond, VA 101 S 15th St baskervill.com 23218 . 0400 Ste 200 . 23219 ask + listen + create -----Original Message----- From: Chuck McAbee [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 7:26 PM To: BOD SCCA; SCCA Comp Board; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [F500] SRF - F500 - FV Race Grouping Unsafe The Daytona Classic National was conducted May 5-6 at Daytona International Speedway. National Race Group One consisted of 36 Spec Racer Fords (weight 1670 pounds), 4 Formula V's (weight 1025 pounds) and 12 Formula 500's (weight 800-825 pounds). While this race group may be permitted with the letter of the GCR, it is patentedly unsafe if based on nothing but the sheer physics of the mass of the cars involved. An SRF at 1670 pounds has over twice the mass of an F500 at 825 pounds and 1.6 times the mass of a FV. In addition to the difference in mass of the cars, the size and body dimensions of an SRF makes it difficult if not impossible for a SRF to see either a F500 to FV that may be trying to overtake them, if they were of a mind to look in the first place. In most of the events I have participated in in my 19 years of club racing, SRF have either run by themselves or with the other Sports Racing classes. Creating a race group of SRF-FV-F500 is an invitation to disaster, and disaster nearly occurred at the Bus Stop at Daytona during the first qualifying session, when I slowed and moved to avoid a competitor that had been spun at the entrance to the Bus Stop, I (F500 #16) was rear ended by an SRF (#15) that, from the video, was moving at a speed that indicates that he was not paying attention to actions taking place ahead of him. It is fortunate that I received no injuries more serious than a severely bruised shoulder and back. However, had the impacting car struck a few more inches to drivers right, the results could have been severely catastrophic. The following link is to video taken from my car showing the severity of the impact. http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u80/mmi16_racing/?action=view <http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u80/mmi16_racing/?action=view¤ t=20 07DaytonaQ1Short.flv> ¤t=2007DaytonaQ1Short.flv During recent years Central Florida Region, despite numerous complaints from the competitors involved has seen fit to run SRF combined with the small Formula cars F500 & FV. Central Florida Region is the only region in SEDIV that has been running this unsafe grouping. This has caused many small formula drivers to go elsewhere for their fun, where they can run in relative safety with their own, similar sized, competitors. All the complaints to Central Florida Region, to date, have fallen on deaf ears. So long as the GCR does not prohibit the formulation of wholly unsafe race groupings, Regional race organizers will continue to put together race groups that are a disaster waiting to happen. Chuck McAbee Nat. Lic. 148167 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Confidentiality Note: This e-mail, and any attachment to it, contains privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity named on the e-mail. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that reading it is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the sender.TXT ________________________________ FormulaCar Magazine - A Proud Supporter of Formula 500 The Official Publication of Junior Formula Car Racing Subscribe Today! www.formulacarmag.com or 519-624-2003 _________________________________ _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
