Safety Car

[fabricator]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!

[Eunos]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!

There has been many atime where i felt the safety car wasnt Needed, If a Car goes off and is out of the way than i see no reason to send it out.

Ofcourse if it's in an orcrid Spot than understandable.

[laurat]

Well all I can say on this matter is the race conclusion happened the way it did and there is nothing that can be done about it. There is no good saying 'what if' as this is terminology which we could apply to every single race on the calendar, or in fact to everything that happens in life. We've got to accept the fact that things happen for a reason and I think with the way motorsport is today, we couldn't go without the safety car - it's a vital part of the event.

[bringbacktheolddays]

Its Health and Safety, Its the Same in MY line of work Its Gone a Bit Over the top. Also doesn't help that everyone wants to Sue each other for the Littleist things today, there for the more the Safety the less the Payouts.

[tankman40]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!

Hi

There are times when i think the saftey car is needed,and times when its not.As someone has aiready mentioned its all about H & S (Does a big yawn).If there was'nt two safety cars in race 1 yesterday would T.O.C still gone wide?Hmmm that we'll never know now will we.:) :)

[BTCCROCKS]

The safety car came out for a very good reason. It had nothing to do with Tom Onslow Cole, not winning the first race

[mattlovestbs]

which would you rather have?

a pile of carnage just left in the gravel at Old Hairpin, where cars normally end up going to or 3 laps behind while the gravel is cleared?

dont blame the safety car on OC not winning race 1, coz it didnt affect it at all.. id say blame the weather and possibly a slight mistake on OC's part

[academygaz]

What would you rather have?

A SC intervention to recover cars, or the possibility of the death of a Marshal or driver due to a car going off as the race is still going on?

Its a no-brainer. I'm not a Marshal, but I'm sure they'd rather do their (unpaid) job with the minimum of risk.

:mad:

[thetrooper_uk]

Well all I can say on this matter is the race conclusion happened the way it did and there is nothing that can be done about it. There is no good saying 'what if' as this is terminology which we could apply to every single race on the calendar, or in fact to everything that happens in life. We've got to accept the fact that things happen for a reason and I think with the way motorsport is today, we couldn't go without the safety car - it's a vital part of the event.
I normal answer from a PLato fan lol.

[VkmSpouge]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!

Tom Onslow-Cole probably would have won without the safety car being deployed but he also would have won had he not run wide and let Plato through.
The safety car as always did a good job yesterday.

[Romano]

The 2nd safety car in the 1st race could be called Plato's "Calling Car....d" :p

But the safety car is always brought out for good reason, So there is no point complaining that it was pointless bringing it out a 2nd time.
Its called a safety car for a reason ;)

[thetrooper_uk]

All I can say is it didn't help Tom as the field was closed up twice due to the safety car and he lost the advantage that he made for himself. With the way the world is today with Health and Safety there would be no Motorsport without the safety car being there.
As they say anything can happen in Motorsport and everyone's views will be different and that will never change. In conclusion I think Tom had the best weekend he's had so far in the BTCC and he done so in very tricky conditions. So now he's got to grips with the Vectra let's see how he does now and I don't think that first win is far off.

[dannybo]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!
Whilst I agree TOC was hindered by the SC coming out twice, I do think it is a necessary evil. The added benefit from my point of view (being a fan), it closes the field up again making it less of a precession, not to mention the huge safety issues!

[btcc_Bhoy]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.

I fully expect to see you at all of the remaining BTCC meetings this season helping them out and improving the standards of marshalling if that's what you think.

[marshal-beej]

When I first started in motorsport there were no safety cars, if a car fell off the circuit the flag marshalls and incident marshalls did their jobs quickly and efficiently.Now I realise that safety is paramount but I can't help feeling that Tom Onslow Cole would have won the first race at a canter but for the two s/c's.Thoughts please!

In the good old days drivers used to slow down for yellow flags. If they still did that we might have a chance of doing a safe recovery under waved yellows. It is very hair raising to be in a gravel trap, which by its design is in the firing line of a car if it goes off, with drivers driving by at full racing speed. There were plenty of times over the weekend when cars were deep into the gravel trap and could be reached without safety car.

[Romano]

I think the last time any marshalls rescued a car from the gravel traps without a safety car was back at Silverstone in 2006
It was either Darren Turner or Gavin Smith that was hit off at the end of the longest straight. Which ever driver it was, Was in such a position that they quickly ran out with a 4 wheel crane and dragged him off in less than a lap.

[tommoore]

Correct me if im wrong, but under a normal yellow its no passing, racing etc, and look out for cars off the track, but many drivers don't really slow up that much. Then im sure there used to be a thing called a double waved yellow, very serious repurcutions if this was ignored (unless your name was Schumacher, remember him setting the fastest lap of a race on a lap where double waved yellows were out) used if marshals or drivers were on track, where all cars were expected to slow as if under safety car conditions, but only for the section under yellows, with the race leader acting as the safety car, but able to drive away again as soon as he reached the green flag. As the cars being moved were in the gravel surely this rule could have been used.

[kaisersalsek]

The amount of stuff that happened at the old hairpin yesterday, safety cars were vital in ensuring... well, safety!

I can't remember the last time I saw a double waved yellow, I had completley forgotten about them until now!

[Romano]

The last time I think I seen double waved yellows was last years Donington Park down from The Craners, Through Old Hairpin and up until the bridge.
Remember there was standing water on the a-pex of the Old Hairpin

[marshal-beej]

Correct me if im wrong, but under a normal yellow its no passing, racing etc, and look out for cars off the track, but many drivers don't really slow up that much. Then im sure there used to be a thing called a double waved yellow, very serious repurcutions if this was ignored (unless your name was Schumacher, remember him setting the fastest lap of a race on a lap where double waved yellows were out) used if marshals or drivers were on track, where all cars were expected to slow as if under safety car conditions, but only for the section under yellows, with the race leader acting as the safety car, but able to drive away again as soon as he reached the green flag. As the cars being moved were in the gravel surely this rule could have been used.

There really is no such thing as a double waved yellow in most events only a static and waved single yellow. Under a waved yellow a driver is supposed to slow down and be prepared to stop. In F1 they only have waved single and double flags. The double you saw yesterday was because there were marshals at the edge of the circuit and drivers were not slowing down. Also this was accompanied by the marshals waving there hands up and down to try and indicate the drivers to slow down. This was in the Clio race.