Pace Cars

[TightSqueeze]

Although I loath the thought of a 4 wheeled vehicle on course with us, how about the following:

1. Crash Occurs
2. Red Flag Flys
3. Riders come into hot pit, and line up behind pace car
4. Pace car rolls and bikes follow.
5. Traverse track until Pace car rolls off at pit in.
6. Restart occurs on front straight, but NO passing is allowed until after the first turn.

Would this be a safer procedure for this type of activity?

(IMHO, there is no need for a Pace car.  Maybe for endurance races, but definately not for sprints.)

[Eric Kelcher]

Geez it is next to impossible to get people to stop weaving in the hope of getting an extra degree  of warmth in their tires. Now put a whole grid behind a car and expect them to follow single file not going to happen!   Just out of curosity has the pace car idea ever worked for motorcylce racing I only saw the diastarous use once. I don't believe I have seen and hope not to see that FUSA is planning on using such a stupid idea.

[fzr400tony]

i thik pace cars have a place in long races.  i could see it team challenge races.  but in a 7 lap sprint race?  i rather just red flag it and rest.

[RickyRacer]

That’s right, no damn pace car!

Pacecars are good for is rolling starts/restarts for CARS. And to slow down the racer during a causation so the race does not have to be stooped. Since no Motorcycle Roadracing events are conducted this way, what’s the point?

Flags do a good job. If you want a way to increase rider’s attention, put up bright red strobe lights all around the track. (Where no rider can hit one)

But please keep any and all four wheelers off the track. If they’re not out there, then you can’t hit them.

This ant NASCAR!!!

[John Mahlendorf]

Pace cars are only to destroy a lead if someone else crashes. They have no good use in anything but oval car racing.
MW EXS #113

[SE#39]

Pace cars are a pain -- but I shudder in horror during endurance races (the other org.) when the ambulance and pickup truck/trailer circulate the track with race bikes passing at 100mph plus. Sometimes this insanity continues for a couple of laps until they decide that picking up the bike and rider from the edge of the track is too dangerous for the pick up crew and they finally throw a red flag!

"The real problem here is a lack of priority given to rider safety. It is not a problem unique to Formula USA. Indeed it seems to affect race officials of every stripe."
John Ulrich  10-23-01.

[RickyRacer]

"The real problem here is a lack of priority given to rider safety. It is not a problem unique to Formula USA. Indeed it seems to affect race officials of every stripe."

John Ulrich  10-23-01.

Amen brother!!

[TightSqueeze]

A red flag destroys a lead as well, and only the FIM uses aggregate times.

Pace cars are only to destroy a lead if someone else crashes. They have no good use in anything but oval car racing.
MW EXS #113

[Mahly]

 ;)
And only the FIM does it RIGHT. Besides if it's bad enough to deserve a red flag, just red flag it....why have people on the track at all if it's worth more than a waiving yellow or 2