Season 12 - Division 2

You'll have to get access to the transaction logs to prove it

Perhaps the blue flags rule needs some reinforcement similar to the pit exit rule.

Most of us have been watching and following motorsport for many years and know what to do, but clearly some need some guidance as to what is expected. This should take into account both an individual backmarker as well as backmarkers that are battling as a group.

My feeling is that if a leading driver loses any more than a couple of tenths in the process of negotiating a backmarker, then said backmarker needed to do more to get out of the way.

Backmarkers that are battling eachother should put getting out of the way completely before their own battle. The leading car(s) should be allowed to completely clear a group of battling backmarkers, without interference, before that group resumes racing eachother.

If we make rules like this impossible to misinterpret, then that gives nobody any excuse should they not do the right thing.

"If Only I Could Drive Like I Write...", a tale of on-track woe and tragedy, by Adronaught.

First and foremost my apologies to @Nigel Burley and @bmx_mtb_boy for my 'rookie' first corner faux pas that took them both out...on watching the replay I didn't apply the brakes until the 50m board...stupid, even for me...a case of 'red mist' as a gap opened before me, and I think I unsighted myself from the brake markers, but that's no excuse...so I'm so sorry guys!

I copped it on the chin and waited for the field to pass before rejoining in 9th, or last as our numbers were...so, being detached from the field and any chance of a slip stream I set off on what was going to be a very long race!

Passed (had a close brush with) @natmanscoop on lap 2 and plugged away, gaining on bmx and nige into lap 10/11...I gave them a good head start after crashing into them so I took this as one of the meagre 'positive signs' I'd see throughout the race.
bmx pitted (then departed) lap 11 promoting me to 7th...lap 12 dodging natman again as he was rejoining.
Lonely old race though...for every tenth I gained on the cars in front, the splits @Knuckles was putting down were demoralising to say the least...lol! Lap 14 I'd nearly caught @Razorpod50 and nige, and elected to pit...fresh RS and 35L of fuel...was going to have to stretch my tyres if anything was to gained from this race excepting a massive pain in the c*@k!

Had a bit of a run with Razor on my case as he exited the pits right behind me on lap 16. Once his tyres warmed up he just ate the distance between us within a lap or two, and drove on by...lol! I try to make passing difficult in these situations but he was all over me and I had nothing to respond with...letting him past on lap 19, and subsequently losing the slipstream over the next lap and a half, I kind of just kept trundling around, resigned to finish at least...

Lap 22, @Hatfield exited the pits right behind me, and well, I can't resist a stoush with Hat, and I knew he'd be quicker on fresh rubber, so I just gritted my teeth for a bit...took him a lap to get back on my ace, but I let him go out of the chicane as I just had no grip, sliding wide and staying there till he'd passed...I kept a safe distance so as not to run into him, and tried to use his pace to catch me up to the pack in front...as he drove away into the distance, lol! Back in 7th, where I started...lonely old race again...

Now I was just trying to turn what was looking inevitably like a 4 stopper, back into a 3..."good luck with that old boy", I told myself, inheriting 6th as Razor pitted again on lap 29/30...and look out, 5th on lap 31 as nige also pitted..."patience Precious I says...we must be patient...and then we snatches it!" Lol!

Tyres were down to 3 on front left but I dragged 2 more laps out of it, passing @Luckgoesmyway, Knuckles just, as he was exiting the pits...Lap 33, fighting for track position, albeit out of sequence, but still, holding on for grim death against "The Knuxinator"...exiting the chicane I just pulled out of the way rather than hold him up...and I'd spied natman on the horizon as well, and had a quiet chuckle to myself as Knuckles approached him at speed...with me in the draft sans 'actual' grip...this time the yolk was on me...Knuckles wasn't hanging around and a gentle 'kiss' ran natman just onto the 'adroturf', un settling him into one of those "Oh! Nearly...come back...flick...counter flick...oh f#*k it! Gone..." kind of spins...right in front of me...despite braking heavily I could not avoid contact...sigh! But, I was in 4th(?), and about to make my last 'do or die' pit stop...but when? Lap 34 or 35? Left front is on 2, might squeak a couple more out...oh yeah, you know it! After dawdling around on lap 36 I had my light bulb moment, front left down to 1, "I'm strapping a set of RM's on and filling the car to the finish!" The final act of a very desperate man, lol! Luck, then nige and Razor drove past, correcting the track position illusion I was driving against.

Lap 38, Hatfield was about to put me lap down, and with nothing but pride at stake, I was gonna make it hard for him...(lap 39 natman had the decency to spin off the track, leaving us to duke it out...). Whenever I see Hat in front of me, beside me, or as in this case, closing rather rapidly behind me, it's like a vizor descends, and the legendary (in my family at least) "grudge Match of '79" rears it's ridiculously small, petty, brotherly rivalry head, in all it's glory! Lol! (I do care about you Hat...lol!)
I wasn't gonna let him past, even if it meant opting for a fiery, high speed inferno...and worrying about the consequences later...
He skilfully drafted me on the front straight, and, not being prepared to let him go easily this time, I prepared a dazzling under/over and around manoeuvre, which frankly, didn't work...but I knew his tyres were suffering and persisted, 'outbraving' him into the chicane complex, and then he blatantly (lol!) pushing me out of the way at the right hairpin of said complex, all the while exchanging pleasantries, phone numbers, and email addresses...he's alright once you get to know him...

Lap 40 (Hat on lap 41), and it's like, now he's holding me up...lol! But true to form, when we battle, it's to the death! Lol! He just won't quit, even when clearly outgunned! Lap 41 and I can wait no longer, and force my way through in the braking zone on the front straight...and start driving away even...then all full of new found confidence, I touched the 'adroturf' on exit to T12 I think, and turned a beautiful pirouette, slightly grazing Hat wide...I tried desperately to keep the car straight as I was travelling backwards, and the replay shows Hat getting creative off road, and becoming acquainted with the 'Safer Barrier TM'...lol!
Sorry Hat, you know I can't resist making life difficult for you...

Lap 46 passed Razor in the pits for 6th again. Unlapped myself from Knuckles on lap 48. Outbraked myself on lap 52, closing on natman and letting Razor through, and driving straight into the wall at the end of pit straight...yee ha! Same lap, slowed re natman again...and clipped him off for good measure (was getting mighty annoying by this point!)
Lap 54 Knuckles relapped me, but he let me duke it out for a while which was nice (let a man have some pride at least...lol!)
Lap 56 I caught natman again...flashing lights at him as if they were laser cannon, but with a wry grin, "which way is he gonna go now?" Fortunately no incident ensued, and I just wanted the bloody race to end!

Strangely caught Razor on lap 59, and tried in vain to recatch him as he drove away...gained again on lap 62, but he was toying with me and just drove away again...leaving me to finish a lap down, some minute and a half adrift of the leaders...ouch!

Congratulations to @Knuckles for the win...well done man! Congrats as well to @its-benny-racer and @Hatfield for the minor placings...it was a long hard race, so well done to you also fellas. I felt I should've gone better at this track, but my poor quali, combined with my first corner f@*k up, and poor tyre life in the first stint, kind of took the wind out of my sails to say the least...

And @natmanscoop...bless! We all make a d@*k of ourselves from time to time, YES...EVEN ME! And the one thing I've learned is that these momentary lapses of reason (thank you Pink Floyd), losses of focus, and downright lack of courtesy to friends, family, and in this case our fellow racers can only be handled one way...forgiveness...

I reckon natman is feeling 'pretty f@$*#n cool' about how he drove last night...and I don't think taking a dump on him is gonna make a scrap of difference...I'm not criticising anyone who has, more than likely justifiably voiced an opinion...this is fair...I was furious too, and commented such at the time, and in my short essay here, entitled "If Only I Could Drive Like I Write..."
But it doesn't solve nothin'...never has...

I daresay 'the scrutineers' will have natman front The Tribunal, and rightly so, but I'll leave it to them to meter out any appropriate reprimand, if any...and it's done! On with the next race!

Adro out...

I'm sorry Hat, I did not know you were a full lap up on me...otherwise I'd have not made life so difficult for you...BUT, as there were many laps left, and though you were about to lap me anything could happen, and I thought I still had the right to fight for track position as it were...I will stand corrected if I am wrong, unreservedly! But in saying so, these are also the random 'events' that 'maketh any race', are they not, and I'm not gonna lie down for anyone (if we're running similar relative speeds) until they've 'got round me' so to speak...and I am truly sorry for 'not deliberately' spinning in front of you and running you wide...but that's racing man!
It's nothing personal with you Hat, or anyone for that matter...I'll yield when I'm beaten, but if there's still a contest, I'm there!
You dig?
I hope you don't take this as a personal affront or anything...I have nothing but the highest respect for you as a racer, a person, and one of the organisers of this wonderful thing called raceonoz.com.
And I hope to frustrate you on the track, fairly and squarely mind you, till the cows come home...if I can keep up that is.
Now go and polish your trophies, lol!

Geez I must have been tired if I didn't notice you hitting me. Glad I pulled out early now. It happens.

I regretted not getting the popcorn for Div 3's post race chat, thank goodness Adro is in Div 2 because i needed to eat that popcorn, as if I was in the damn race! Great read and race guys by the looks of things

ROOZ posting

Blue flags do suck, but they are there for that reason. @Adronaught did the exact right thing for me during the race. I caught him just before the 2nd split. No where to pull over. Frustrated me to have to slow down but he pulled off the racing line as soon as he was able. Every right to race his race untill he was able to pull over. Nice work adro.

All good Hat...I thought I was still good to race till you'd got past me, especially given the length of the race, but I acquiesce...
As an aside, and in support of @stucar17, I come here to race 'grown ups' as well! Clean, hard, fair racing! I don't jump on for the politics, the sycophants, or the sooky la la's...I jump on because it's one of the few ways I can actually relax, and forget about the parts of my life, have a good 'virtual' race without breaking my meagre budget, and meet some great people! I'll come last to a good battle over an 'easy win' any day...(oh well, that's what I'm saying from atop this shaky soapbox...lol)...

Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as know, 'Gentlemen' enjoy 'the contest', race hard, leave room for one another, redress if necessary, and apologise post race for any unfortunate mistakes that may have affected their peers and colleagues...
THEN, after a short intermission for drinks and cucumber sandwiches, we do it all again...

I wish you all good, hard, fair racing!

Adro out

Post edit: (I'll take this opportunity also to point out that not all ROOZ racers are indeed 'male'...ladies, please forgive me...I'm not a dinosaur, just a slow moving, over-sized mammal. By all means replace the term 'Gentlemen' with 'Ladies' if it so pleases you).

beautifully summed up mate.

The stewards will be feeling relieved that track limit violations here will be punished instantly (by the walls)

Some times the walls can be used to advantage or at least bounce you back on track.
Hitting walls would be punished more consistently and fairly if we ran with damage on.

Driver who misses brake maker and hits front driver that hard would incur reckless driving penalty. I doubt he would be missing any more brake markers to that extent again quickly,
As for the rest of the hypothetical. it sounds like real racing and life, happens.
A pile-up would be an extreme and very rare outcome I would think.
Heavy penalties/Light damage would be my preference to race under, less work for stewards too.