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Race stopped due to bad driving


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#1 Risil

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 19:13

A European F3 race at Monza was stopped today after "unacceptable driving" from several participants. After a Saturday in which Captain Domenicali was shocked, shocked to see drivers exceeding track limits and driving into each other, the drivers were lined up and were informed that any more shenanigans and we're calling the race off. After two(!) safety cars, Race Control abandoned Sunday's race as promised. All drivers were sent home, presumably with extra prep and no supper.

 

Has anything like this happened before? (I'm not going to allow repeated accidents due to bad weather.) Or is there something new under the sun after all?


Edited by Risil, 01 June 2015 - 17:49.


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#2 RStock

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 19:45

I've seen this happen on short tracks is some "starter class" races. Too many crashes and the race was running long or not enough cars to continue. I would not say they were stopped strictly from bad driving though.


Edited by RStock, 31 May 2015 - 19:46.


#3 Dick Dastardly

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 19:49

It's happened before in UK club racing, Formula Ford, Clio Cup and the like where there have been too many on-track incidents so the race is red-flagged and not re-started, drivers being given a b*llocking about driving standards by CoC


Edited by Dick Dastardly, 31 May 2015 - 20:14.


#4 Ray Bell

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 20:51

There was an incident at Oran Park once...

The Clerk of Course didn't stop the race, but after what he claimed that the whole field refused to slow down for a yellow flag at an incident he took the whole field into the bad boys' room and read them the riot act.

I don't recall the details completely, but one of the old Vee blokes here (Greg Mackie, Greg McCombie, Peter Houston etc) will definitely remember this.

The Clerk of Course railed at them, "I told you blokes five years ago," he began, "that this kind of thing wouldn't be tolerated..."

Most of the drivers in the room had been racing Vees for less than three years!

#5 alfsboy

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 21:28

The drivers were summoned to a late night drivers briefing on saturday  and bollocked for poor driving .As most are spoilt rich kids with power mad parents  quite prepared to sacrifice their sons  and  one daughter on the altar of boast they duly ignored it.


Edited by alfsboy, 31 May 2015 - 21:29.


#6 GMACKIE

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 21:47

There was an incident at Oran Park once...

The Clerk of Course didn't stop the race, but after what he claimed that the whole field refused to slow down for a yellow flag at an incident he took the whole field into the bad boys' room and read them the riot act.

I don't recall the details completely, but one of the old Vee blokes here (Greg Mackie, Greg McCombie, Peter Houston etc) will definitely remember this.

The Clerk of Course railed at them, "I told you blokes five years ago," he began, "that this kind of thing wouldn't be tolerated..."

Most of the drivers in the room had been racing Vees for less than three years!

 


Hey, what's this "old" business ?

Quote :- The Clerk of Course railed at them, "I told you blokes five years ago," he began, "that this kind of thing wouldn't be tolerated..."

 

I don't remembet that, but I may have been at the "five years ago" 'chat'. :blush: 



#7 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 31 May 2015 - 22:09

I have seen it happen a couple of times, and it was justified. There has been a few occasions where it should have happened in headline categories. too

Seen it too in speedway though it should have far more often, Over an hour to run a B main Sprintcar race is stupid. Worse, the support divisions miss out on their features totally because of time.

Crash fests should be rewarded with red flags and no points or prizemoney and the idiots that caused it can answer to their peers.



#8 Ray Bell

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 00:44

Greg, where are all the young blokes then? People like McCombie, Houston, Smith, Engel and so on... though I think that particular episode was after the Smith and Engel times...

Another one that more or less qualifies here is a race that was stopped due to the bad behaviour of one driver only. The red flag came out because the driver of an F3 Elfin 600 was rushing up behind the Cheetahs of Engel and Finnigan at Amaroo Park as they both slowed for the two yellow flags, one at each end of the circuit.

The medicos reported that the Elfin driver's behaviour was dangerous and so the red flag came out a few laps before the race should have ended. On seeing the red flag the aforementioned Finnigan and Engel slowed ready to stop at the start/finish line, the Elfin rushed past them and the driver later was heard to say he 'won the race to the red flag'.

#9 Stephen W

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 08:19

Back in the early days of Formula First there was one meeting at Oulton Park where the FFirst race was Red Flagged twice afetr massive first lap shunts. The race was rescheduled for the end of the day and after another 'big one' it was abandonded. Not sure if it was down to "driving standards" or just a 'God-awful' race car.

 

:well:



#10 BRG

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 10:17

Not sure if it was down to "driving standards" or just a 'God-awful' race car.

 

:well:

Formula First used a Ford Escort XR3 engine mounted transversely at the rear IIRC.  They were said to be difficult cars, with too much weight at the back and a short wheelbase which made them tricky, especially as it was meant to be a beginners' formula.  Not surprising perhaps that F. First disappeared quite soon.  

 

What happened to the cars, I wonder?  Assuming any survived.



#11 Jimisgod

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 13:14

As I recall they red flagged a V8 race at Winton in 2001 for too many cars bogged or in walls rather than any big accident. However that may have been time constraints instead.



#12 alansart

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 17:08

Back in the early days of Formula First there was one meeting at Oulton Park where the FFirst race was Red Flagged twice afetr massive first lap shunts. The race was rescheduled for the end of the day and after another 'big one' it was abandonded. Not sure if it was down to "driving standards" or just a 'God-awful' race car.

 

:well:

I think I was at the meeting. First time through Old Hall in one of the races a couple of cars spun and a driver at the back, some way behind the rest just piled in at unabated speed and collided with the wreckage. It's as though he wasn't looking where he was going! The early Formula Firsts had the front wishbones attached to the side of a chassis rail and had a habit of attacking the drivers feet when they were broken off, which happened in this case. They driver was lucky to get away with a few bruises and skinned ankles!

At Mallory Park Don Truman always ended his drivers briefing with "..and Formula Ford drivers don't do it". I was in one race which was stopped and the restart was put back to the end of the meeting but we did get a race .  I believe the same thing happened at another meeting but the Formula Fords were stopped again and there was no time left for a restart, so everyone packed up and went home.



#13 LittleChris

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Posted 01 June 2015 - 22:03

The Oulton F First race features in the documentary the BBC made about the new formula ( First on the Grid ). I think Chris Goodwin was carrying an onboard camera and was involved in one of the shunts. Ben Edwards won the championship that year ( 1987 ) and had what I guess was his first TV commentary job at the end of the documentary when they covered the winter series



#14 Stephen W

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Posted 02 June 2015 - 08:29

Formula First used a Ford Escort XR3 engine mounted transversely at the rear IIRC.  They were said to be difficult cars, with too much weight at the back and a short wheelbase which made them tricky, especially as it was meant to be a beginners' formula.  Not surprising perhaps that F. First disappeared quite soon.  

 

What happened to the cars, I wonder?  Assuming any survived.

 

Several have appeared in Speed events - a couple as was but one with a motorcylcle engine in place of the hefty Escort engine/box. None were successful.



#15 doc knutsen

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Posted 02 June 2015 - 19:51

Formula First used a Ford Escort XR3 engine mounted transversely at the rear IIRC.  They were said to be difficult cars, with too much weight at the back and a short wheelbase which made them tricky, especially as it was meant to be a beginners' formula.  Not surprising perhaps that F. First disappeared quite soon.  

 

What happened to the cars, I wonder?  Assuming any survived.

 About 20 of these cars were bought by a Norwegian enterprise, and are run at National Championship level...billed as Formula Basic. It is the ONLY single-seater category In Norwegian motor racing...