by BIG E » Tue Jul 16, 2019 4:36 pm
Yes, it's been my experience that the drivers who can run consistently quick are aggravated by this system. I know I've never liked being told at the end of an event that I've run a few laps that were "too quick" and were going to be deducted from my total score. Just as with Indy Car or F1 racing, there is always the possibility of pushing the envelope and turning a few "magic" laps during an event. Ever run your car into a corner fully expecting to deslot but the car hangs in there and comes out the turn exit in perfect form?
Also, a good pre-race tech inspection helps to keep things on an even keel. If someone's got to cheat to win, they're winning nothing, and should be told as much right up front. There will always be the fast guys, the better than average guys, and the drivers that need improvement. I have tried to be there to offer any advice or driving tips (if I am in the position to do so, of course) to the competitors that are having trouble keeping up with the pack or running consistent lap times. Having one of the better drivers take a competitor's car for a drive will help to find some of the weaknesses of a car or prove to the car owner that his racer is already competitive. Most of the better drivers that I have raced with at commercial raceways and some clubs will offer to do the same. Having to "sandbag" just to run within a specific lap time is - for me personally - just no fun at all, at least on an oval or road course. I believe this goes for all scales, 1/24 to HO racing on commercial or club tracks.
IMHO, I say leave the breakout racing to the bracket drag racing guys. What I like about that is you can run whatever car you like, so long as you stay within your "dialed in" elapsed time. But that's another thing altogether!
All this is just one opinion of a racer with 50+ years of experience. Whether it be taken as positive or negative advice for a particular scenario, I can't say. My objective in typing and editing for an hour is that it may provide some help.
Hope your group finds a better solution to good competition than penalizing legal drivers for running "too fast."
Enjoy... and remember to have FUN! -- Ernie :>)