E12: Sandown

[bpratt]

Seems that people got upset last year when drivers who ran off at turn 1 after the pit straight, were able to easily rejoin the track at turn 3, so just last night they've decided to put in a set of witches hats and tyre bundles as some sort of chicane to supposedly slow the cars right down before they can rejoin, so therefore at a slower speed.

Driving Standards Observer Tomas Mezera told all 28 drivers at last night's Driver's Briefing.

"Last year some people just didn't make an attempt and just came straight back onto the circuit at speed, so they can't do that this year."

Seems that they want there to be a significant speed difference between the cars on the track versus those rejoining, which to me doesn't make a lot of sense having speed differential... sort of like getting on to a 110km/h freeway, cars doing 60km/h and trying to merge unsafely.

When asked what the penalty would be for any driver who skipped the Ôgrass' chicane, Mezera said that the situation would be dealt with when it arose.   I haven't seen any photos or diagrams on exactly how it has been set up, so it might just be a bit of a dogs breakfast in real life. I think we'll end up with another farce like the bollardgate at the GC600, where some will get penalised, and others ignored.  Once again, my bet is that they delegate Judges of Fact, then totally ignore what they say/recommend and go with some ridiculous decision from upstairs. They then blaim the JofF for their poor decisions as they did at the GC600.

[adrenalinmatt1]

Looks like we are going to see a wet race today!!  There was finally some action in Qualifying this morning I will not spoil the results but the last 5 minutes of the session it was crazy!! Lots of action in the wet!! 

[bpratt]

For excitement, just add water. 

I wonder how that's going to alter the new off-road chicane they have added at turn 1, and then potential penalties for failing to explicitly do as they were told in a drivers briefing when the circuit/grass was dry ??


Dandenong Road corner should be interesting if we get some 'liquid sunshine' during the race. 

[bpratt]

Certainly an interesting race with Lowndes coming from the back. But on the other side of the garage, Whincup certainly wasn't all that good in the wet, as he kept on losing places after the SC periods.

A little bit disappointed that race control i.e. Tim Schenken, told them to put out double  yellow's after the cars went off at Dandenong Road corner near the race end, particulary when the flag point at the end of the back straight is mirroring them. It would have caused a huge problem if there was to be a second incident happening down there, or worse yet a big one after the end of that straight, as they had nowhere to go to increase the flag warnings, as they were already at the maximum warning level, i.e. double waved yellow's.

The turn 1 - 3 off track chicane seemed to stop people from going off at turn 1, but when Ingal went through he still managed to clip one of the witches hats, as he tried to drive straight ahead to get back on, lest the chance of getting bogged if he had've tried to go further to the right, then turn hard left as I believe the intention of the chicane was.

Murphy was lucky with his 'glancing blow' with the tyre bundles, just a shame that he couldn't get it moving a bit quicker, as it could've prevented the SC coming out.


Today's race will be interesting, even if they get no rain as the grass will still be sodden from the Saturday rain.

[adrenalinmatt1]

Well Jamie Whincup got away with this one, flashback to the Clipsal 500 this year, remember Craig Lowndes getting a drive through from making contact exiting pit road...

[bpratt]

I was surprised to see that he didn't get penalised for that, but I guess the goalposts got moved yet again. 

It seems we've gone back to the World Wrestling Federation style of show, where we got TWO SC's for pieces of floppy plastic/rubber laying down on the track, which I believe would've eventually flapped their own way off the track without any problem to anyone else.

Actually I thought there might have been a few more  for people getting punted off/positions unfairly gained, but there was only one or maybe two of them.

[blacknwhite]

Isn't it ridiculous.... You can get a guy merge into the pit lane and hit another car and nothing done but half a plastic ashtray on the circuit and it is too dangerous and get the safety car out
In Tony world the bit of plastic is more dangerous than contact in pit lane !
But of course giving the leader a drive thru does not bank up the traffic and encourage another incident at the restart ....close artificial racing= better TV
Tony dreams of being Bernie but in Tony World the bits on the road are plastic and not carbon fibre...WAKE UP TONY!