Comments on: Nissan GT-R – the new pace car for V8 Supercars

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:59:35 +0000

I still believe that we don’t need Pace Cars – we did all right without em in the 60s 70s and 80s.. the drivers know the rules in regards to the yellow green and the white flags..

Should anyy driver attempt a pass in the area where the accident is or the yellow flag is displayed our flaggies are alert and observant enough to notice it and report it to race control.

Race Control also has the benefit of not only channel 7s cameras but the cameras that are mounted inside every V8 supercar inorder to provide footage which they can view during and after the race..

Therefore; if there are any infringements they can impose post race [time] penalties as they did a number of times last year. Which is another reason to get rid of drive through penalties for exceeding the pit lane speed limit.

They should let them race and sort it out afterwards.. as that’s what fans have pad their hard earned to see.

I mean there have been several occassions over the past couple of years where RC have reated too quickly and penalised the wrong driver.
Whereas if they review all evidence after the race they are more likely to make a more accurate decision etc – which fans and drivers are more likely to accept…. all we want is consistency

The drivers and flaggies conduct themselves in a professional manner its about time those in race control do the same.

By: Bret

Bret — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:02:00 +0000

That was strongly talked about, for Bathurst, the first year group A introduced the pace car, because many claimed a whole lap was too much ground that could be made up after pitting under yellow.

BTW that brings to mind the reason why pacecars were introduced here anyway: ROLLING STARTS!

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:35:04 +0000

If we have to have Pace Cars etc…. why don’t they have one of the Pace Cars park halfway around the track [be it near a flag point or an access road].
That way when there is an accident; oops I mean a racing incident both the pace cars pull out on to the track and split the field into two

This means not only does whoever happens to sponsor the Pace Cars get more exposure; but when they are allowed to resume racing it makes it easier for drivers to get past.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:18:59 +0000

Bret,
i agree in that its for promting close racing and advertising,
but my whole side of what ive been saying is that changing the speed of the safety car will not change a thing bar put more racing laps under pace car where no competition can be had

True,
yellow flags dont mean a set speed limit, but drivers can be done for not appearing to have slowed down.
when you see that car flying out of the pit you will see him every now and then give a swerve of the tyres and a few touches of the brakes when they pass the flag points as to make it seem as they are taking it easy like a warm up lap.
if a marshall deems that they havent seemed to slow down and take precautions, they can be penalised

By: Bret

Bret — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:23:37 +0000

Wheelnut& Andrew,
I don’t want to get involved with the long discussion on the pacecar, but I do believe that it has more to do with advertising than safety.
Eg. yellow flags means caution (and no passing), however it doesn’t set any speed limits: any car that comes out of the pits in front of the “pacecar train” can do any speed that they deem safe to catch up with the back of the field. On tracks like Bathurst it means cars can peel off from behind the pacecar into the pits, fix minor issues take on fuel & tyres, then get back out and re-catch the pack without losing track time.

The pace car is designed to bring the pack together for closer racing, and is effective in bringing a ruaway leader back to the pack for more interest.

By: MB

MB — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:28:31 +0000

Street Circuits = Poor racing Canberra, & Wellington will atest to that so too Surfers Paradise the racing is poor with limited possabilities for passing.

Cochrane should concentrate on having good races in Australia rather than China or in the Middle East.

It would have been great if MB brought out the DTM car last year that was rumoured to the AMG drive day….would have smashed Murphy’s record if their was some rubber down

Also the tracks need to be changed especially QLD Raceway…it is flat unfeatureless (unless you call the bumps at tht turn n point of T1) and boring. Waneroo needs to be extended, Winton is past its used by date even with the extensions.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:52:31 +0000

Mb – I hate to tell you this but Tony Cochrane aapparently has a preference for Street Cicuits.
Whilst he admits that they will never leave the traditional tracks such as Sandown Phillip Island and of course Bathurst; he would like to see a few more Street Races.. He was ecstatic that the Street race in Sydney finally got the go ahead from the [bankrupt] NSW Govt.

He believes it gives the sport more exposure as a number of people who go to the Clipsal for instance would not normally go to a V8 Event if it were held at a race track because they are closer to the City.
He is particularly keen for Perth to have a Street Race [around the Swan River] instead of at Waneroo – an idea which has been discussed a number of times in the past.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:45:35 +0000

Elitist – I think you’ll find that AVESCO didn’t go out and spend $300K on a Couple of GT-Rs.. But that it was Nissan who approached AVESCO as they wanted the GT-R to be the Pace Car / Safety Car for the V8s.

Because as in the past it was Chrysler [and before that Audi] who supplied the Pace Cars as they wanted to give their new “Hero Car” more exposure..

By: Elitist

Elitist — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:56:12 +0000

Nissan should demand they take their car out of this paddock bashing race.
Like Toyota, they moved on to bigger and better things.

I bet we will see this story on TG aus, cause they have nothing interesting to say.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:16:29 +0000

Frosty would have to be the cleanest and fairest driver in the competition – as far as I am aware he has never made any contact that resulted in punting another driver off and has never been involved in an accident but above all he has the ability to execute a clean pass on his rivals with out whinging over the radio that “he’s blocking me”
He is definitely my favouurite Ford driver.