Catching other cars

[expat]

Suppose it is clear from times for stage 1 that you will catch the car in front of you on stage 2. This will certainly cost you time but what can you do? Any good ideas?

[Rallynavigator]

It is quite a difficult situation when at times it can be a seeding issue. It is also more of a question if there are Championship points at stake as well.  I feel the one option is to drive the stage as you would normally and hope that a passing oppurtunity would arise at a safe juncture. Speak to the driver of the fore mentioned car and advise him what you intend to do if he sees you aproach, what action can the driver do that would cause you the least time loss. The least favourable would to book in early at the next time control and get ahead of him, but the penalty there could be greater than the time loss if you catch him
There is always the "red mist" scenario which could cost you more time of course. Do you know for a fact that this will happen?

[expat]

I wouldn't book in early to get ahead of the slower car. If you are among slower cars due to poor seeding or running late after a problem then you would just swap one slower car for another. Even if it is just 1 slow car, the penalty for booking in early is usually severe and almost certainly more than you could hope to gain by not catching the slower car.

I would consider booking in a minute late at a stage arrival. The penalty for that is usually only 10 seconds and it should mean starting the stage 2 minutes behind the car in front. If you can gain more than 10 seconds by not catching the slower car, this can be worth it. If this gives you a 2 minute gap on more than one stage and so prevents you catching them on multiple stages the cost-benefit is even better of course (since you only arrive late and get a penalty at one stage) but the 2 minute gap will disappear at the next regroup.

I will be doing an event where this may be an issue. The event is part of a championship. When I last did this event all championship crews were seeded first and we were the highest-seeded non-championship crew. This meant we started behind the slowest crew in the championship even though we were far quicker. Not a problem on shorter stages but we caught them on a longer stage and were unable to overtake.

[Rallynavigator]

Which course of action have you decided on Expat? Are you competing in the relevant event??

[expat]

Yes, I will be competing on the event, but it is not until April. I will lobby the organisers for a sensible seeding, then see what our start number is and who we will be starting behind. Luckily the first 2 stages will be short so I will have time to judge the pace before there is a longer stage where I will need to make a decision. If I do have to do something I think booking in a minute late at the stage arrival to create a 2-minute gap ahead of us - at a cost of 10 seconds penalty - is the most likely option.

[Rallynavigator]

You may not have to consider this until you know your seeding.

[expat]

Yes, true, but it is best to be prepared and the seeding could well be an issue.
Last time we did this event we were not seeded on merit because championship contenders were seeded first, followed by crews not registered in the championship. As the quickest of the non-championship crews we had the slowest championship crew ahead of us and they were much slower than us (over 4 seconds per km). This cost us a lot of time because we couldn't overtake.
The problem will be worse this year because we will have a faster car, and catching someone we can't pass could slow us enough to ruin any chance we have of winning the event. This is why I am trying to think of a solution in advance.

[expat]

Ha! A bit of lateral thinking and I have found a solution with no booking in late or early and no penalties:) It involves a rarely-used rule that no longer appears in the MSA Blue Book but is still present in the equivalent regs for some countries, including the location of this rally. I guess that proves the old advice about always reading the regulations.
I hope the seeding this year will avoid the problem, but if needed I have an ace up my sleeve. I'm happy now.

[Rallynavigator]

I see , can't wait to see this in action.

[expat]

AHA!! The entry list for this event is now seeded and we have a sensible number. No need for any tricks because we are unlikely to catch the car in front of us. So all my planning was unnecessary.

[Rallynavigator]

That's good news. It is always pays at looking at this scenario even if you don't implement your options ? What event is it Expat as a matter of intrest?

[expat]

It is the Rallye terre des Ca usses (http://www.rallye-des-causses.org). The first round of the French gravel championship.