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Behra and his 1/7 points


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#1 Jimisgod

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 21:44

If you check the wiki, in the 1954 season Jean Behra scored 1/7 points, somehow. What can you possibly score 1/7 of a point for?

Is this true or is someone having a go on Wikipedia again?

Edited by Jimisgod, 13 December 2012 - 21:45.


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#2 Barry Boor

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 21:52

Seven people shared the fastest lap at the British Grand Prix.

They timed the cars with an hour glass.


#3 john winfield

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 21:53

If you check the wiki, in the 1954 season Jean Behra scored 1/7 points, somehow. What can you possibly score 1/7 of a point for?

Is this true or is someone having a go on Wikipedia again?


British GP, one point for fastest lap, shared between seven drivers!

http://www.silhouet..../1954/54gb.html

The year's table has an odd look to it too:

http://www.silhouet..../1954/f154.html

Barry, sorry, you were too quick. Any news from tonight's Grand Prix?

Edited by john winfield, 13 December 2012 - 21:54.


#4 D-Type

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Posted 13 December 2012 - 21:57

At Silverstone in 1954 the timekeepers quoted lap times to the nearest second so seven cars shared the point for fastest lap.

The reason for this was that the chief timekeeper was a physicist from the National Physics Laboratory who maintained that that was the accuracy they could guarantee for hand timing.

Edit: Barry and John both beat me to it

Edited by D-Type, 13 December 2012 - 21:58.


#5 Risil

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 13:35

At Silverstone in 1954 the timekeepers quoted lap times to the nearest second so seven cars shared the point for fastest lap.

The reason for this was that the chief timekeeper was a physicist from the National Physics Laboratory who maintained that that was the accuracy they could guarantee for hand timing.

Edit: Barry and John both beat me to it


Perhaps, but your detail was the best part of all. :up: :kiss:

#6 arttidesco

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 14:17

At Silverstone in 1954 the timekeepers quoted lap times to the nearest second so seven cars shared the point for fastest lap.

The reason for this was that the chief timekeeper was a physicist from the National Physics Laboratory who maintained that that was the accuracy they could guarantee for hand timing.

Edit: Barry and John both beat me to it



When I was at skool IIRC I did an experiment that showed my reaction time to a light being switched on was something like .3 of a second, if a hand held timer needs to be activated and deactivated that would be .6 of a second lost.

Too bad I did not realise this when I timing the Kilton GP last night to the nearest tenth of a second :blush:

#7 john winfield

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 15:43

When I was at skool IIRC I did an experiment that showed my reaction time to a light being switched on was something like .3 of a second, if a hand held timer needs to be activated and deactivated that would be .6 of a second lost.

Too bad I did not realise this when I timing the Kilton GP last night to the nearest tenth of a second :blush:

Arti, I would think timing the Kilton GP to be far more pressurised than for the British GP, with more chance of fist fights breaking out.

I think Duncan's 1954 physicist was being pedantic wasn't he? Given a good view of approaching cars, a timer's reactions could be less important than a smooth, visual 'panning' action as the cars sweep past. I have the reactions of a sloth but could always wield my Trusty Tim (Gordon Spice warehouse 1976, staff discount) with confidence at Woodcote or Clearways, accurate to a couple of tenths!

#8 David McKinney

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 16:24

But if your reaction times are 0.8 slow at the end of the first lap and 0.8 and subsequent laps, his individual lap-times will be correct (apart from the first)

#9 Bloggsworth

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 18:48

When I was at skool IIRC I did an experiment that showed my reaction time to a light being switched on was something like .3 of a second, if a hand held timer needs to be activated and deactivated that would be .6 of a second lost.

Too bad I did not realise this when I timing the Kilton GP last night to the nearest tenth of a second :blush:


Ah! You do not allow for the knowledge of when the car will pass the line, it then becomes a question of syncronisation, which would be far more accurate.

#10 D-Type

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 19:23

When I was at skool IIRC I did an experiment that showed my reaction time to a light being switched on was something like .3 of a second, if a hand held timer needs to be activated and deactivated that would be .6 of a second lost.

Too bad I did not realise this when I timing the Kilton GP last night to the nearest tenth of a second :blush:


But surely your reaction time was also affected by the blood/alcohol level!

The National Physics laboratory tale came from Denis Jenkinson - presumably in a reflective piece in Motor Sport

#11 arttidesco

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 19:36

But surely your reaction time was also affected by the blood/alcohol level!

The National Physics laboratory tale came from Denis Jenkinson - presumably in a reflective piece in Motor Sport


I don't think, non alcoholic, ginger beer is going to have affected by blood alcohol level though it may have had a significant impact on my blood sugar level  ;)

#12 ChrisJson

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 20:44

Seven people shared the fastest lap at the British Grand Prix.



The other six being:

Onofre Marimon
Jose Froilan Gonzalez
Mike Hawthorn
Alberto Ascari
Stirling Moss
Juan Manuel Fangio


Christer

#13 ryan86

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Posted 14 December 2012 - 23:22

I was looking at a lap chart of that race recently and noticed that Marimon (I believe) managed to make up over 20 places on the first lap. Pretty impressive feat!

#14 scheivlak

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Posted 15 December 2012 - 00:03

I was looking at a lap chart of that race recently and noticed that Marimon (I believe) managed to make up over 20 places on the first lap. Pretty impressive feat!

He went from 28th to 6th in the opening lap: http://forix.autospo...&...0005033&c=0

#15 Roger Clark

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Posted 15 December 2012 - 06:12

I thought that the reason the Silverstone timekeepers issued times to the accuracy they did was not their ability to time a single car. It was the difficulty of issuing accurate times when two or more cars crossed the line very close together.

See this old thread for some more on this.

http://forums.autosp...showtopic=51592