A Load of Ballast

[LostInTheWoods]

Hello! this may be a silly question but can any one tell me what the ballast is made out of and how it is attached to the cars? I'm thinking lead weights, sand bags, house bricks ...:confused:

[Nikh_mg]

I guess it's made out of lead and bolted on, thats what they do in karting anyway

[tvgod]

This was covered by ITV at Oulton Park last year, using a small child (who weighed 42kg).

It's actually lead blocks and they all live in a small box fitted to the bottom of the car.

[GEDsjt]

although bolting in small children would be quite funny especially the brats that scratch keys down the side of you car!!

[LostInTheWoods]

I was thinking of offering myself up as ballast but sadly I'm over the maximum weight, time for a diet, pass the doughnuts!

[MGmad]

I am sure you annoraks are all right. But I don't want to disagree with you and I am sorry if I am wrong but you will be shocked to hear I know a bit about the ballast having pasted and saved the new rules in my computer. Whatever it should be it should be anything but lead.

I am sure all you annoraks know the ballast added awarded to each place at the end of the previous race, so for finishing 1st in race 1 you will have 42kgs of lead tied to your car in race 2, and in the case of race 2 you will have it going into tace 1 of the next meeting.
So therin lies a problem to me. Let's say for arguments sake MG are slower than Vauxhall (which they probably are), despite winning, thanks to 42kgs of lead, if Reidy qualifies better than Yvan, Yvan will have to haul his faster but heavier car past a lighter, slower car. Is that fair? Speaking as an MG fan, yes.

But is it in principal fair that despite finishing lower down to you in race 2 of the last meet, if a driver qualifies better than you in the next meet, he will have a lighter car despite maybe being a slower works car?

If I am wrong, sorry.

[tvgod]

Originally posted by MGmad
I am sure all you annoraks know the ballast added awarded to each place at the end of the previous race, so for finishing 1st in race 1 you will have 42kgs of lead tied to your car in race 2, and in the case of race 2 you will have it going into tace 1 of the next meeting.
So therin lies a problem to me. Let's say for arguments sake MG are slower than Vauxhall (which they probably are), despite winning, thanks to 42kgs of lead, if Reidy qualifies better than Yvan, Yvan will have to haul his faster but heavier car past a lighter, slower car. Is that fair? Speaking as an MG fan, yes.

But is it in principal fair that despite finishing lower down to you in race 2 of the last meet, if a driver qualifies better than you in the next meet, he will have a lighter car despite maybe being a slower works car?

If I am wrong, sorry.

I'm not sure if you are wrong, because having stared at your example for ten minutes, I still don't understand it.

The rule is:

The result of race two at a meeting determines the amount of ballast carried in free practice, qualifying and race 1 at the next meeting.

It is fair because it is the same for everyone.

[MGmad]

Originally posted by tvgod
I'm not sure if you are wrong, because having stared at your example for ten minutes, I still don't understand it.

The rule is:

The result of race two at a meeting determines the amount of ballast carried in free practice, qualifying and race 1 at the next meeting.

It is fair because it is the same for everyone.

You still don't get it?

I know their is fairness to race 1 of the next meet. They have the same weight to work with in qualifying as the race. I know that ballast is carried to free practice and qualifying as well as the race. I just assumed you knew I thought that the free practice and qualiying was incidental to my point concerning the race.

I know also that MG qualifying ahead of a Vauxhall will never happen. I know that even in fantasy MG have allot of work to do to come close to Vauxhall.
But But let us assume that Reidy qualifies in 1st and Yvan qualifies in say 3rd.
It is fair that although Yvan has the faster car, because he is heavier than Reidy's MG he will not find it easy to take a slower car because it is lighter? It is a fact of life that the weak must make way for the strong. Do you see a Minardi being allowed to compete with Ferrari or Williams in F1 when being lapped? Do you see Bentwood in 13th and being lapped by Thommo being allowed to compete with James?

Only a great tactical start by Yvan and his superior faster straight-line speed will take Reid.

I am no driver mind. So I don't know how a car handles with 42kgs of lead attached to the bottom. But I assume extra weight will have an effect on the handling. It won't be completely un-noticable.

But think hard this time tvgod. If you were a driver and you had a car that had heavier handling would you find it easy to take a slower car which was lighter?

[motormouth]

Originally posted by MGmad
...Only a great tactical start by Yvan and his superior faster straight-line speed will take Reid. ...
And therin lies the beauty of the system, you get to see some amazing battles. Look at the times this year that Matt Neal - for example - has started at or near the back but with a light car thanks to dramas in the previous race. Watching him blast through the field has been spectacular.

Would you prefer that the every race is predictable?

[MGmad]

I too see the beauty you speak of. I completely agree. It completely throws the competition in the air. Matt has 2 victories (Race 1 at Brands Hatch, and Race 1 at Rockingham), and and 1 second (Race 1 at Thruxton) to his season. All this from the back of the grid. And as an MG fan it is great to see VX and Honda struggle when they do.

But the lower you finish the less the weight. So the lightest Matt has had going into the next race, race 2 at Thruxton, was 30kgs having got the weight from his second in race 1. Which is much heavier than say hypothetically Warren Hughes who having finished in 7th of race 1 has 17kgs taken off for race 2. So I am still in a way right.

Not that my opinion matters anyway. Honda and VX always qualify and finish high up. But they can't blast throught the field because even though they are the naturally faster car can't overtake the slower car because of weight. Again I stress as an MG fan I love to see VX and Honda being made to work, but however much I hate it, the law of nature dicates that the stong must always beat the weak. It is not a matter of competition being preditable. People would complain in Jenson Button held up Michael Scumacher in F1.

[Alan]

I believe MGMad that you are either trying to stir people up, or you are completely and utterly missing the point of ballast.

The whole point of ballast is that it evens things up a bit - and the law of nature you keep mentioning has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Most of what you have written on this subject makes no sense to several of us. To say your posts are confused would be an understatement. You may well have a valid point to put over - but what it is I know not!!!:(

[MGmad]

Originally posted by Alan
I believe MGMad that you are either trying to stir people up, or you are completely and utterly missing the point of ballast.

The whole point of ballast is that it evens things up a bit - and the law of nature you keep mentioning has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Most of what you have written on this subject makes no sense to several of us. To say your posts are confused would be an understatement. You may well have a valid point to put over - but what it is I know not!!!:(

HOW DARE YOU!!! I believe Alan you are either just being plain cruel (and loving it) or utterly missing my pont of ballast.

Personally the former! It was just from start to end a vicious tirade of cruel, cold, calculated comments!! "I am trying to stir people up", "Most of what you have written on this subject makes no sense to several of us", "To say your posts are confused would be an understatement!". You may well have a valid point to put over - but what it is I know not!!" How cruel and hurtful can you get!!

What is it about my opinions you all seem to hate so much?! How am I so wrong on so much!?

That is it for me though!! the BTCC is aload of balloney and I want no part of it ater this season if that is the kind of things you all have to say about me! I am offended and hurt and want no part of it. You all have offended and hurt me too much!

[Moderator 4]

As MG mad seems to be intent on winding everyone up I have no choice but to close this thread!