Hello All,

Firstly, congrats to a Alex on a fantastic double win!
Winning from the front is relatively easy when you are one of the fastest guys on the track but fending off Dan for almost half the race was from what I hear pretty special.

As always, it was good to meet the Clubmans brigade at Silverstone last weekend, although I personally spent most if it working my way backwards as a mobile chicane.

On that note, after a particularly hard fought race 2 I was taken aside by Chris and advised the following:
1. My driving was too aggressive (3 drivers complained!)
2. That Clubmans is a place for gentlemen/women drivers

My immediate reaction was b******* to that, did you see how hard I was fighting to hold position!
However, on reflection and a calmer head I decided to analyse the race footage from my on-board camera to assess the 'damage'.

I believe the 'incidents' occurred going down the pit straight. On 3 occasions with different drivers I assertively made my one move (thereafter leaving a cars width at the apex at Copse), blocking my competitor.
Having watches the footage again however, there is nothing I would not do again.
In my opinion, I was tough but fair.

Could I please have some clarification on Clubmans etiquette, as it appears to conflict with my competitive nature.
If required, I am prepared to perhaps re-calibrate when involved in Clubmans races and for example enter into a gentleman’s agreement whereby I will not block on the straights.

Your inputs are most welcome.
Borat.

Adrian

It must have been disappointing for you after Saturday's efforts to have appeared to go 'backwards' as you put it.

You undoubtedly have a lot of ability and natural speed.

I think that the only effective response to your very open posting is to say that our rules are:
- one move only
-do not crowd, therefore even when making the one move room must be left at the sides of the track for a competing car
- no 'voluntary' contact

To that I would add that lifting in mid-corner or anywhere from the point of entry to exit is damned annoying as a tactic and potentially dangerous [which is not FTAD an accusation against you!Sooner or later those who do that will get 'rear-ended' and doubtless wil not be amused and then refuse to see that their own driving brought it about.

We must never get complacent about the true speed of our 'little' cars - witness the average lap speeds at Silverstone and consider that the front runners were entering Copse at about 124mph...

As a non front-runner (I only managed 119mph into Copse) I didn't see any of the disputed action so won't comment directly but I would like to make a couple of observations.

Looking at your own in-car video (assuming that it is from a forward facing camera and that the aggrieved drivers were mostly behind you) is quite likely to reinforce your view that you drove within the letter and spirit of the driving standards requirements. Maybe pictures from other cars or from the sidelines might show something different. Maybe listening to the comments of people who were on the pit wall might enlighten you as well.

Whether or not Chris told you that this is a gentlepersons formula, it would appear that three drivers made complaints about your driving and as the majority of the people racing around you have been doing this for some time and are not overly timid it seems unlikely that they are all wrong. With the passage of time and the reduction in levels of steam coming out of everyone's ears maybe now is the time to ask the complainants what they perceived as overly aggressive in your driving? Probably by private email or telephone would be wise.

I don't think anyone wants this to be an "After you Claude" formula and equally nobody wants to go home with a wreck on their trailer. There is a fine line between aggressive and overly aggressive driving which the driving standards rules attempt to address and the driving standards officer tries to enforce. It may not be a perfect system but it might just keep wrecks off trailers.

B

My personal email is:
langridge.adrian@gmail.com

Hi Adrian

Firstly, I want to thank you for your very considered posting. I was not in a position to to see any possible issues that could have resulted in the comments made by the three drivers, but I agree with the forum replies and would welcome you entering into personal discussions with the drivers in question to uderstand their points.

No one likes their driving criticised of course. It is like an attack on your very being (at least that is how I feel when Arlinda complains about my road driving!) The natural reaction is to believe the critics are wrong. That is why I am very pleased to see your comment about adapting your driving if needs be.

We know how our racing is very cost effective, very fast and great fun, and Clubmans will thrive if we can maintain competitive but respectful driving across the board.

Brian, what's 5mph between friends?

About 5mph too much.

Talking about taking bent cars home on trailers, check out this link re the RML-involved Delta-wing Nissan which had an untimely end, into the barriers at le Mans after 6 hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJAiZVuC3YI

Brian, not quite so, having just looked at the video (Adrian’s) for the first time, the camera also shows the rear view mirror clearly and the people behind remarkably clearly.

It would certainly be very interesting to see say Pete's video and even discuss it.

Adrian as you know wants to analyse the incidences so that he can get what is and is not acceptable in his mind, so far nobody has contacted him so that he can do that, our in car video (with the lack of any other data or videos)appears to show no bad moves, so we await what may happen?

Listening to people on the pit wall is not recommended as they are not in the car and see action at angles and in one place only plus they can be somewhat biased?

More importantly I was surprised that the marshals waived drivers through the Parc Ferme, does anyone know if this is correct or to the rules as it rather stops anyone from being able to protest? Also the drivers can often have a friendly chinwag about the race.

Again please understand that Adrian is waiting for feedback so that he can decide what to do.

Andy you raised a question about parc ferme, and asked if anybody knows the 'rules'. They are of course published in the Blue Book although I accept I may have a bit of a head start as I wrote the pf rules many years ago...

I respectfully refer you to: D.10.1.27 and in particular D.25.1.18, but noting the opening words at D.25.1....: The organisers may at their discretion....specify....(a) the number and location of any parc ferme...

Therefore if they did not do so they acted within their discretionary powers...

That exercise of discretionary power does not prevent the lodging of any Protest (in accordance with the timelimits) defined by section C.5...

It is of course nice for the drivers to have a chat after the race, but not so nice if they start adrenaline-fueled arguments! Thankfully the latter is rare, or at least no more frequent than anywhere else..

Looks like we can blame you then Jamie?

...er no, I wrote the rules, I was not the one not reading them! Or have I misunderstood...

.....er... about 2 seconds a lap?

Hi Andy, It is scrutineer's decision if cars are to be held in Parc Ferme, the marshals will take their direction from whoever is on duty, usually the eligibility scrut for the formula. I don't know if Mike was at Silverstone or not. In this case you did actually go to Parc Ferme as per the SR's but just weren't held there by the sound of it. As Jamie points out protests don't have to be made in Parc Ferme, they can be made at anytime up to 30 minutes after conclusion of the race, full details in C5.
Hope that helps