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BRSCC LMA Euro Saloon & Sports Car Championship 2007

In association with Practical Performance Car

Driving Standards

Having taken part in well over 600 races in my 30 year career I can honestly say that LMA Eurosaloons has been one of the “cleanest” series for driving standards that I have done, so a genuine letter, not of complaint, but of concern from one of our midst requires comment.

The concern centres on driving standards in the mid-field. The concerned driver states that he was “nudged into a spin from behind, and unceremoniously T-boned across the track and into the gravel trap”. He further goes on to ask what style of driving standards are acceptable, and makes distinction between Saloons, Sports cars, and single seaters.

Lets be very clear about this. Regardless of the category of racing, barging another car out of the way is unacceptable, and will not be tolerated in our series. Motor racing is dangerous, and I have unfortunately been at British club racing meetings, on several occasions when drivers have been killed. Fortunately it doesn’t happen very often, but I can clearly remember driving home from these races, wondering how I would feel had I been involved, or even worse the instigator of these events. OK, mistakes sometimes happen, and if you make a mistake the only way is to own up to it, but don’t think that you can barge another competitor out of the way, and an apology will cover it, the observers are too smart for that!

To overtake another car you certainly some times need a little co-operation from that driver, and he (or she) may have absolutely no desire to let you through. We see time and time again one car weaving, and blocking another. The generally accepted rule is that you can change direction once going into a corner; moving back over to your original line is generally construed as weaving, and is unacceptable.

Another problem that we all encounter is faster cars lapping slower cars,(I deliberately do not term backmarkers, as in a multi class championship like ours there is naturally a big difference in lap times between the classes). The faster bigger cars have no desire to spoil a class battle between lower class cars, but the drivers of lower class cars need to be aware of the speed difference. Waved blue flags do mean that faster cars are trying to overtake. If you are in a class battle generally the cars around you will all move over to let faster cars through, (note Simon & Mark at Brands Hatch last year got commendations for both carrying on racing each other, whilst letting the leaders lap them). If you are in that situation please try to make room for the faster cars to get past. The general rule is that if you cannot make room then stay on the racing line and let the faster car find a way around you, but if possible you can make that somewhat easier by moving over a little bit prior to any series of corners.

We can go on all day about driving and overtaking standards, but let’s recap. We are a club level series, with most of us owning and paying for our own cars.

1 –Deliberately barging another car out of the way is not going to be tolerated.

2 – Blocking another driver by weaving will not be tolerated.

3 – The drivers of faster cars should consider the class battles taking place when lapping slower cars, but the slower cars should also try to make room for faster cars to get past.

This is now my 3^rd year in LMA Eurosaloons. The first 2 years, and so far this year for me have seen little incidents, (I am still apologising to Tony for an over ambitious move of mine at Anglesey last year!). Let’s keep it that way, and let’s all enjoy our racing.

 If I can be of any help to our newer drivers and novices please do not hesitate to find me out in the paddock.

John Hammersley (ARDS Senior grade Instructor).