In message <414A2C2CDF45D3118DBF0008C79F0785C54E@ca00exh02.ca.atitech.com>, Car
l Merritt writes:
> The finish line S was very neat, I loved it. Taking a wide entrance into
> the first part of the S rewarded me every lap by reducing the S into a quick
> little slalom.
>
> It was also entertaining in a way to watch people try to go tight into the
> first part of the S, not have enough room to brake, and slamming into a wall
> of cones. Made for grate photo opportunities.
>
> However, I question it's placement right before the finish line. I saw a
> couple times where course workers tripped the timing lights while setting up
> cones, causing several re-runs, and I heard that at least once somebody lost
> it and took the timing lights out, causing even more delays.
>
> Is a technically challenging finish a common thing for Divisional/National
> events? If not, then why not put that excellent little piece of course
> design in the middle of the course and keep the finish line clean?
Most autocross courses I've seen have some sort of turn designed to
slow people down right before the finish. This is a Good Thing for
safety.
I liked the S at the Oakland event a lot. But I can see how it might
not have been quite the right thing for a finish. A kink to slow
people down is good, but after seeing how this particular one
caused a few problems, I think the solution is to avoid "decreasing
radius" kinks at the finish.
By this I mean anything that gets tighter partway through, whether
it be a decreasing radius turn, or an S or slalom that gets
tighter partway through. That sort of thing is great in the middle
of a course, where pooching it won't hit timing lights or cause a
lot of workers to scurry around the timing lights. But right
before the finish isn't the place where we want cars to be tearing
up the course.
When you're running around trying to figure out which cone goes
where and also trying to keep an eye on how close the next car is
getting, it's *hard* to also think about avoiding an invisible
beam of light. Yeah, there is usually a row of cones marking the
beam, but the worker is already running across lines of cones, so
more cones just don't stand out.
Maybe we could tape a crepe paper streamer along the cones that mark
the light beams? It'd stand out in a scrambling worker's mind a lot
more than just the cones. But it would tear away if someone went
through it, so it wouldn't be a tripping hazard, and wouldn't get
caught up and dragged by errant cars. (I had originally though of the
yellow plastic "caution" tape, but then had a mental image of a car
going through it and playing "crack the whip" with the whole line
of cones! Yikes!)
A roll of crepe paper streamers and a roll of masking tape might last us
the better part of a season.
Keith Hearn
'99 Miata 10AE "Sexy Sadie" the Sapphire Shark
B-Stock
Milpitas, CA
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