Compare the starts of thesetwo

[damiandoan]

Ok, take a look at the beginning of each highlight video...

ChampCAR: select format:
Real Video - ChampCar (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4691)

WINDOWS MEDIA - ChampCar (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4692)

Quicktime - ChampCar (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4690)

Atlantics: select format:
Real Video - Atlantics (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4706)

WINDOWS MEDIA - Atlantics (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4710)

Quicktime - Atlantics (http://www.cart.com/embeddedplayer/Player.asp?fID=4705)


Ok, so now that you have done that, Why are the Atlantics starts consistently better than ChampCar's? Go back and look at the videos again. Look at the alignment coming off the hairpin. Why? Crap, crap, crap. The ChampCar starter, no longer Jim Swintal, did a crap job of getting the cars aligned. No way should the race have been started. If need be, the flag should not be thrown until alignment is acheived, period. If the driver's refuse to take up a side-by-side position, then they need to be served a drive through penalty.

Thoughts?

DD

[RaceGrrl]

You could see it in the replay that the starter knew he'd screwed up. I think it should have been corrected, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome, IMO.

[JoeBob]

We watched the start a few times, and you could clearly see the starter shaking his head.

The consensus in my house was that he threw the green way too early. That seems to be fairly common these days. I'd like to see them get at least half of the field lined up nicely before they throw the flag.

That said, I suspect they prefer to let them loose early because it gives the field a better shot at getting through turn 1 cleanly.

[Gurneyflap]

True. A lot of bad starts are actually good starts because they are safe starts. Not so good for the fans, but...Just put the front row on the pit speed limiter as soon as they exit the last turn. Then every race starts at the same speed. I think more fault lies with the drivers than the starter...too anxious.

[Gurneyflap]

...or get rid of the green flag at the start altogether and go to an electronic start. The front row and last row must be within a certain time or distance of one another or the green light won't come on. The front row must be within .100 sec. or within 1 car length of each other or, same thing, no start. Could be done, eh? An electronically managed affair that takes the "cheat factor" away!