New Pit Rules

[Insomniac]

Looks like Champ Car thinks what happened at RA was not what the pit rules were supposed to do.


Special to ESPN.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Champ Car announced this week that it's changing its controversial mandatory pit-stop rules, beginning with this week's race in Denver.

The new rule is that one mandatory pit stop, made under either green or yellow flag conditions, is required in a specified lap window during all Champ Car events. Cars must take fuel and four tires during the stop, which will be the only mandated stop during the race.

The pit windown -- which is supposed to keep races from becoming fuel economy events -- will vary from race to race and will be announced before each race. A one-lap penalty will be given at the end of the race to any driver failing to pit during the specified window.

Drivers had been critical of the old green-flag pit stop rule, which at Road America wound up requiring each driver to make three green-flag pit stops before lap 43 and led many drivers to claim the strategy changed the outcome of the race.

The new rule will go into effect at this weekend's Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver, round nine of the 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford schedule.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?id=1857397

[Railbird]

imo

less confusing but still a little wierd with the variable window. I understand the reasoning but it will still require an explanation every broadcast.

[Opposite Lock]

The variable window aspect seems a little "musical chairs" to me. Will they make known the specific lap window ahead of time, or will it depend on the flow of the race? (Quick - everyone find a pit!)

Would rather not see it go down to a "ten lap shootout". Especially with this year's timed races.

[Opposite Lock]

And I also want to say that it is way cool that OWRS is willing to take the risks to make changes on the fly, in response to the feedback from the fans. :thumbup:

[Robstar]

And I also want to say that it is way cool that OWRS is willing to take the risks to make changes on the fly, in response to the feedback from the fans. :thumbup:

Here, here... :thumbup:

[nrc]

I thought the best aspect of the previous rule was that it elimated the mad rush into the pits under yellow. I suppose we'll see how this works out. I just hope they can settle on something soon and stick with it.

[Lizzerd]

I would go for one mandatory pit stop, yellow or green, during a lap window that is fewer to the end of the scheduled distance than a driver could drive on a full tank.

In other words, as an example (picking numbers out of the air), a 90 lap race, a car can go 29 on a tank full boogie, or 32 conserving fuel. Make them pit once after lap 65, leaving 25 to the checkers.

This is sort of like what the new rule says, but I think I should be limited to the final fuel stint of the race.

Waddaya think?

[FRANKY]

I thought the best aspect of the previous rule was that it elimated the mad rush into the pits under yellow. I suppose we'll see how this works out. I just hope they can settle on something soon and stick with it.

Yea but that's not why they had the dumb rule.

Just eliminate the mandatory stops and let them race. I'll this BS just pisses me off. I thought they could only conserve fuel by lifting their foot, I don't care if someone wins by getting better fuel mileage, just as long as it isn't because of a turn of some stupid knob, beats the heck out of mandatory stops anyday.

[Clown]

And I also want to say that it is way cool that OWRS is willing to take the risks to make changes on the fly, in response to the feedback from the fans. :thumbup::thumbup:

[RARules]

I thought the best aspect of the previous rule was that it elimated the mad rush into the pits under yellow.
Of course, the compression and pitting discontinuities caused by full-course yellows are the real culprits.

It may be impractical to eliminate yellows, of course, but something could still be done to eliminate their effects.

Consider the strange idea of a "staged start" after a yellow - restarting each car from a standing start x seconds after the previous one based on the last documented interval (e.g., electronically via trakc sensors) between the cars before the yellow fell.

Certainly an idea with a lot of problems, but maybe it's worth considering something along this vein.

<asbestos suit on...>

[cart7]

:shakehead UGGG... Just givem all the fuel and tires they want and let'em go.

[Rogue Leader]

I hate to be the A-hole here, but Giving them all the fuel and tires that they want will turn it into F1, where EVERY race is won on the first turn and in the Pits. If we have races like that than our series will be done in a year. They need to pack a lot of excitement into that 1:45, to get new fans. They dont need to market to us, they need to market to the casual race fan, the one whos only tangible concept of racing is "that guy just got passed". That said even as a long time race fan, I like when theres more on track passing which the current rules have created.

BUT

The current rule was pretty bad because it created some very contrived finishes, like RA, etc. It worked, in a way, but has more wrong than right. IMO the Pit Windows from last season were 1000x better, because the cars prettymuch needed service (tires/fuel) in those areas anyway, and it just basically eliminated crazy pit strategies. However it screwed people who maybe spun and had to come to the pits anyway by forcing them to come in again during the "pit window". This new rule sounds like a better version of that because theres only 1 area of the race they have to come in, still allowing them to have some strategy pit wise, but still keping them from pulling a "Ferrari" every race. I look forward to see how it works out.

[Insomniac]

Haven't they had more than enough fuel for a long time now? I haven't seen anyone say I ran out of tires either. During FCYs, they need a way to just turn on everyone's pit speed lane limiter. You can go slower, but not faster. That way, no one can go all out (on a yellow course) to catch back up with the leaders. You want to catch back up, drive faster than them under green. Not when they're stuck behind a pace car.

[jonovision_man]

And I also want to say that it is way cool that OWRS is willing to take the risks to make changes on the fly, in response to the feedback from the fans. :thumbup:

I'd prefer it if they measured twice and cut once rather than constantly experimenting during the races... seems like a lot of these changes to improve the show were a litte too "on the fly".

Don't get me wrong - this needed fixing, but it didn't need breaking in the first place :)

[KLang]

Haven't they had more than enough fuel for a long time now?

Yep, been a long time since quantity of fuel has been an issue.

I think people are forgetting the long threads in years gone by complaining about the fuel conservation races which happened almost every weekend.

I'm glad it no longer takes a board meeting to make changes. I like that OWRS see's an issue and trys to address it ASAP. :thumbup:

Without making chassis changes would it even be possible to give the cars a larger tank? Ideally I'd like to see the tank big enough that they would only need one refill to complete the race, green or yellow stop. But is that feasable with the current cars?

[2DB]

What Insomniac suggested, if my memory is engaged, sounds like the old Pacer light system at Indy. It didn't work well or last too long.
I'll have to put my vote in for give them tires and fuel and drop the flag.


Kelvis

[4wheeldrifter]

Give 'em all the fuel they want, pit when you want. In addition, I'd suggest:

1) More FCY's for "Debris on the track". Bunches the field back up and makes for more wrecks.

2) Every driver required to have an American nickname, like "Bubba", "Spanky", or "Dick Trickle".

Hey, works for NAStyCAR, why not Champcars? :saywhat:

[G.]

< donning firesuit>
The racing has been better with mandatory pit stops.

RA is not the norm. Can it be fixed? I dunno.

Green flag starts after FCY's are quite possibly my favorite part of the race. If someone , I dunno, uses the chrome horn too aggressively, spins, catches up to the back of the pack, then proceeds to slice through the backmarkers, that is GOOD stuff. Didn't PT do exactly that in one of the Canadian races? Bunching up after FCY's must be maintained.

The racing has been better with mandatory pit stops.

<running>

[Ankf00]

I'd prefer it if they measured twice and cut once rather than constantly experimenting during the races... seems like a lot of these changes to improve the show were a litte too "on the fly".

Don't get me wrong - this needed fixing, but it didn't need breaking in the first place :)

indeed. changing rules midseason so often is ridiculous