Thursday, August 6, 2009

World's laziest?

I reckon I'm in the running for the world's laziest blogger ... maybe there are others that write less than I do, but they're probably resting comfortably in a cemetery somewhere.

I'm going to Phillip Island for a regularity event this weekend, so if you're all very lucky I'll have a massive off which will give me something to write about!!

For those that think I'm heading for a weekend of prune & bran eating ... this is a different type of regularity. It's a motorsport event, and I spend the weekend, as part of a team of four, doing laps of the circuit at Phillip Island.

Saturday is practice day - at the end of which each team member has to nominate both dry & wet times.

Sunday is the event, and the team that does the most laps as close to their nominated times, is the winner. One member of the team has to be on the track at all times, and there are minimum and maximum times that each driver has to meet.

But it's not as easy as just driving laps.

Say it rains .... it might take a few minutes before the track is declared wet (and your slower, wet time applies) - but the track is already wet and you have to slow down a little to compensate. And in the other direction - when it stops raining, there is a "no man's land" between the track being declared dry (and faster times applying) and it actually drying out.

In a Tarmac Rally, such as Targa Tasmania, it's unusual to see another car on a competition stage - we head off at 30 second intervals, so if I catch someone I'm going much faster, pass them, and that's it. The same if someone catches me - they appear as a dot in the rear view mirror, then they're on your back bumper, you let them pass (it's the rule) and they're gone.

I don't do lot of circuit driving, and when I do, it's usually a Club practice day: the field is seeded so that we're all in groups of similar pace. That way, in a 15 minute session you may pass or be passed once.

This event is different - there is fast traffic and slow traffic - all on the track at the same time. So I'll be passing & passed on a regular basis for the weekend. Should be fun (?)

Regardless, I'll be aiming to keep it on the black for the weekend.

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