Blue Flags

Hey

I think that the blue flag rule should be used i think a major part of the incidents that happen in our races are because of people getting held up not on purpose just because there is a difference in speed interlagos for example zack was infront and braking so was i and celso hit my car.

Also i think for incidents that happen at end of races they should be reviewd in the week and maybe a grid drop for the next race.

I think we should atleast try the blue flag rule to see if incidents go up or down.

I think there is indeed a major part to the incidents that happen in our races, and it's not at all what you're claiming.

It's that many of the fast drivers seem to think they're entitled to something just because they're fast, and they exhibit little or no patience with lap traffic and make bullish attempts to pass that are disrespectful of the other drivers' right to run their race.

We don't need to try the blue flag rule to see what will happen.  We *know*.  We've used the blue flag before.  We started out with the traditional blue flag rule.  It was worse.  That's why we changed it.

I don't give a crap who wins our races.  Anymore than I care who loses.  And I'm getting tired of saying this, but the point of our events is NOT to do a speed-based sort of the drivers that show up.  That is precisely the point of a traditional blue flag rule: get the slow people out of the way so that fast people can get on with the business of winning the race without the rest of the field 'polluting' the 'pure' results.

We don't care about 'pure' speed-sorted results.  And noone in the field 'pollutes' the race.  They're racing, just like everyone else.

There are behavioral rules that are in effect for all drivers at all times, regardless of their relative position to one another in the race.  If you feel those rules aren't being adhered to, then complain about that.  But don't act like there's a problem just because people aren't getting out of your way.

And just be aware that if the unblinking eye of judgement is brought to focus more critically on incidents, it's not going to look at just one thing or just one driver.  Everyone will have a lot less fun, I guarantee it, if I'm asked to ratchet up scrutiny of driver behavior and increase penalties.

But maybe that's what we should do.  Run a few events with a zero tolerance policy.  You all are driving like jackasses and I'm getting sick of it.

And in the particular incident you're using an example, recall that I immediately told Celso that he was at fault and he yielded the position back right away.

I've come to the conclusion that the "no blue flag" rule is basically just an aspect of how the game is played around here. It means that, if competition is one of your objectives, handling the backmarkers is one of the key skills for success.

Front to back, we'll have maybe 4 secs a lap difference in pace. That's a huge amount, given that the cars are, to all intents and purposes, matched in performance. In turn, that means that the fast drivers have enormous opportunities to outpace the slower cars. So much so, that it may allow different tactics to be successful. For example, AJ was absolutely killing me up the straights at Interlagos. Now I reckon our RW's were within 1 of each other, so he wasn't using raw pace, I reckon he was:

• dropping back for the turn
• starting his run up as we came into the turn
• arriving in the draft with a speed advantage as we exited and just walking past me

Basically he had so much more apex speed than me and giving himself room to use it that he was creating an overtaking opportunity on the straight rather than in the braking zone.

The key with the current blue flag rule is that is has to be the same for everybody.  What is not good is when one of a couple of lappers (I use lapper/lappee terminology) racing  each other bulls his way through entitlement-style, but another plays by the rules.  This gives the bull an unfair advantage, and begins to pressure the bull's peers to do the same to keep up.

And this is one of our noted assimilation challenges.  New guys who come in with experience, speed, and and exposure (as spectator or participant) to other leagues (F1, sim, etc), tend to start with a traditional blue flag interpretation combined with a 'speed sort trumps all' mindset.  Most guys adapt just fine over time.  Some guys take longer than others.  I won't call out names, because that list would include almost every guy, er person ,  who came in faster than at least one existing guy...er person.  And most of those same people eventually do the right thing most of the time.

Almost everyone still slips from time to time, including myself, such as at the Interlagos start where instinct put me in front of Celso, where I should not have been (I then yielded).

And we did already try traditional blue flags, and they are worse, not just on track, but culturally.  On track, with such a rule, there is an expectation of a yield, which amplifies the impatience.  So what you get a lot of is lappers forcing through anyway, before the lappee has a safe place, because the lapper is expecting the yield before it actually happens.  Culturally, it is poison.  It forms castes by rule.  Castes with nasty bite, because the cars are almost equal.

Finally, ask yourself, why do you want the car to yield?  What is more important?  Winning? Or racing other cars?  I admit, that question is harder to answer the 'right' way in the last cup with the TC and DC still up for grabs.  And therein lies the challenge.  Answering that the right way, on track, when it matters.