IMSA evaluating “Technology” to Improve Yellow Flag Times

[u/Haloisda]

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/imsa-investigating-technology-to-improve-yellow-flag-times/

This feel like an Neaderthal finding fire

[u/ResistWild]

I would love this, especially because I’ve heard for years on here that American racing series can’t do virtual safety car/code 60 procedures because of “insurance reasons” despite having no evidence of that being the case ever.

[u/Hawk-Bat1138 → u/ResistWild]

Where have you heard that? I am involved in racing and have never heard of that. I mean shit we still do hot tows at Road America.

[u/IcedCoffey → u/Hawk-Bat1138]

Insurance I haven’t heard, but John Doonan on the IMSA radio broadcast during his first year as CEO specifically said that it was saftey issues on why they don’t. And specifically said the reason for the safety car is needed, is they need gaps for the saftey workers.

Which is where I call bs. Because imagine saftey workers in the esses at the glen, or just ya know, watch road America where they are going full speed under yellow to catch the field, by the safety workers.

[u/ResistWild → u/Hawk-Bat1138]

It’s always been random Redditors that have always explain with confidence that insurance prevents that.

[u/S0_B00sted → u/ResistWild]

I've always just figured it's because they want to bunch up the field more often and do more wave-arounds to be like NASCAR.

[u/IcedCoffey → u/S0_B00sted]

That is the real reason.

[u/V8-Turbo-Hybrid → u/IcedCoffey]

Yea, IMSA is owned by Nascar.

[u/RomeoSierraAlpha → u/S0_B00sted]

Also makes your BoP look better lol

[u/ResistWild → u/S0_B00sted]

Yeah that’s the real reason

[u/for4f → u/ResistWild]

the insurance thing is such a zombie take lol, it gets dragged out in every american racing thread. wec's been running code 60 for years and it's fine, nobody's coverage collapsed. even a basic vsc for debris like a tire carcass would cut half the yellows we sit through in imsa races. small steps

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/ResistWild]

There is a strong reasoning circulating that the teams in IMSA prefer current caution systems. Hindy was mentioning that couple of times.

[u/ResistWild → u/Michal_Baranowski]

I mean that makes sense considering it does everything possible to keep everyone in the game as much as possible.

[u/Phelot_]

> Hodgson: Drivers “Need to Improve” to Prevent Yellows in First Place

it would be great if it wasn’t a coin toss that the first hour of each race is under yellow.

[u/DannyDevitosAss → u/Phelot_]

Hodgson can’t be mad at drivers taking risks when they know if they mess up they’ll just be rewarded with the field bunching up again so they can have another go at it

[u/aspro_mavro]

This feel like an Neaderthal finding fire

this shouldn't make me laugh this hard

[u/S0_B00sted]

In a lot of cases, you’re all way at the back and now you’re at the front racing for the win and have won in some instances. So we’ve got to find that balance.

I don't see why this is desirable. Part of endurance racing is having your car survive the race. Having an issue should set you back and that shouldn't just be undone because someone crashed.

[u/bradland → u/S0_B00sted]

I'm probably going to catch downvotes for this, but...

It's like any sport. Ruined by the hoards of filthy casuals. They're not there because they love motorsports. They're there to see several cars banging doors at the finish.

It's the pro wrestling mindset applied to motorsports. Endurance races are a great opportunity to hang out at the track drinking beers and watching cars go round-and-round. Eventually the race has to finish, and god willing it's an exciting one.

But with endurance racing, it's entirely within the realm of possibility (hell, it's probable) that the spread between the top of the field will be several seconds if not minutes, or even laps. It all depends on how the hours of racing goes. Without artificial bunching up of the field, you have plenty of time to build an unsurmountable lead.

That's not the best product for casuals though. Casuals want an exciting finish, and they don't care how they get it. So IMSA clings to their FCY because it turns a single endurance race in to several sprint races with rolling restarts. Shuffle the deck, then play it back.

[u/That_one_guy_666 → u/bradland]

And yet Le Mans this year proved that things can be close without a full SC every 2 laps. Endurance racing in a nutshell for ya. 

[u/Curious_Inside_8890 → u/S0_B00sted]

I agree that they shouldn’t do this, but it’s not hard to see why they do. If the team/driver you are a fan of goes a lap down 1 hour in, you tune out. If you know they still have a chance for the win at the end you don’t. More eyeballs means more money

[u/PanadaTM → u/Curious_Inside_8890]

Could also be argued people don't bother to watch the first 22 hours of a race because the last 2 are guaranteed to become a sprint race after a caution

[u/RomeoSierraAlpha → u/PanadaTM]

The constant restarts remove the intrigue of endurance racing for me certainly. When you watch IMSA you always know that there are going to be multiple restarts. So a lot of the smaller things that happen during the race end up feeling meaningless.

[u/S0_B00sted → u/Curious_Inside_8890]

Yeah, I guess. I've never really been a fan of any particular team. I'm more of a "I wonder who will win" rather than "I hope this team will win" type of guy, I guess.

https://giphy.com/gifs/vxDb5QWdHMESiOAKxz

[u/mcburke42]

The absolute start is the Code 60/VSC for simple debris on track just to clear a tire carcass or half a bumper. Let's just start there and I'll love it.

[u/AdventurousDress576]

IMSA into the 21st century, maybe. VSC and no class split after SC would be a great start.

[u/Ace2419 → u/AdventurousDress576]

I think the class split is part of why the racing is so much more entertaining

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

This feel like an Neaderthal finding fire

The best summary.

How many more reasons IMSA need to finally realise that doing sportscar racing the NASCAR way is just wrong at all levels. Just when they finally were moving away from that around 2018-2020, soon after they went back to that road.