Tag: blocking

IndyCar – Sato: Blocking or Fair Play?

Doug Patterson
Takuma Sato of A. J. Foyt Racing team

I don’t think you’ll find anyone who watched today’s Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 that didn’t think it was one of the best IndyCar races in a very long time. What you will find is a lot of controversy over A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato and his driving style in the final laps of the race. While defending his position first against Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing’s Josef Newgarden and finally Andretti Autosport’s James Hinchcliffe, it appeared to many that he actively blocked and chopped in front of his competitors. To…

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IndyCar – New Blocking Rule, …no wait, it’s the same one.

Doug Patterson

Well, ok. The headline is a bit misleading if I’m honest. The blocking rule in the 2012 rule book, which the teams now have, but media and fans do not as of yet, is unchanged from the 2011 rule book. The interpretation of this rule, however, looks like it will change dramatically. 9.3.Additional Provisions and Guidelines B.Blocking – A Driver must not alter his/her racing line based on the actions of pursuing Drivers or use an abnormal racing line to inhibit or prevent passing. Blocking will result in a minimum…

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OpEd – Blocking in Modern Motorsports

Doug Patterson

The Blocking Problem Blocking is certainly nothing new in motorsports, or racing in general for that matter. As soon as two people raced each other on foot, I’m sure that the leader blocked the person behind and probably violently. In various types of horse racing, we see blocking and crowding a competitor against the rail, and given that automobile racing is simply an extension of horse racing, its no surprise that we see blocking in modern motorsports. The challenge of the various sanctioning bodies of modern motorsports series is to…

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