worst red light debate, again!

[bill dedman]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Bill,
How do you plan to compensate for the fact that the car that leaves last doesn't get a clean tree, and sees their opponent leave? Two things the slower car doesn't deal with.

Alan,

You CANNOT legislate advantages/disadvantages into the rules structure, BECAUSE there would be no end to it, once you started.

Allow me to elaborate, please:

For every situation that could be claimed to give an advantage or disadvantage to a faster car, there is a situation that creates an advantage, or disadvantage for a slower car. For example, yes, the slow car has a "clean tree" to leave off of... but a slow car is MUCH harder to dial, under changing weather conditions, (and, wind) because the quicker car doesn't pick up or lose e.t. nearly as severely as a slow car, and, yes, the quicker car has to watch the slower car leave, but he also sees the finish line come up as a movie, an unbroken series of visuals, which makes it a LOT easier than it is for the slower car, which sees the finish line as a series of snapshots, (looking forward, then back) with no continuity, and makes it a lot harder to "drive the stripe."

Then, there's the fact that this rule will be in effect for ANY handicapped race; it's not just about V/Stock vs. A/Stock.... More often, it will be F/Stock vs. G/Stock, with a handicap so short in duration that it cannot be seen with the naked eye.

So, I contend that "advantages" and "disadvantages" are all over the place (such as the disadvantage of excessive wheelspin on "faster" cars, or the inability to "cut a light" with slow cars now that the deep stage is disallowed, for example) and are impossible to accurately quantify, and surely can't be compensated for, by trying to write rules that "even the score" between cars with varying capabilities.

Virtually impossible, methinks.

The change I am recommending for the red light rule would give an advantage to NOBODY.

Who could be against that??? Hummmmmmm......

Just my 2-cents....