OP-Ed – Does INDYCAR’s “Faux-vertaking” Rule Encourage Avoidable Contact?

Comparing the number of accidents in Formula 1 and other open-wheel series and in IndyCar in the past couple of years has me wondering if the INDYCAR overtaking rule (faux-vertaking as @MikeOpenPaddock would call it) doesn’t in fact encourage avoidable contact rather than discouraging it. There has been a lot of talk about INDYCAR’s overtaking rule on road and street courses that demands that a driver leave open the inside line in approach to a corner, and usually not in happy tones. This rule comes from Tony Cotman and the…

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F1 – Right! Who kidnapped my F1 and replaced it with exciting racing?

The 2011 Formula 1 season has been nothing short of spectacular, and this week’s race in China was one of the most exciting Formula 1 races I’ve seen in a very long time. Best of all, there was overtaking! And not that silly meaningless back-n-forth type of passing you see in some left-turn-only races, but well planned, well executed, well defended passes for position and even the lead! For the past few years, the Pinnacle of Motorsports has been trying to find ways to enhance the ability of drivers to…

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OpEd – Blocking in Modern Motorsports

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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F1 – Bernie Lost the Plot, Mumbles About Shortcuts

Just when you thought Bernie might be slightly humbled after FOTA and the entire F1 following public voiced such a huge outcry against his ‘medal system’ idea at the beginning of last season, the ancient billionaire has reared his head again with a new idea sure to make him the but of the same type of jokes again. Bernie has made his ideas known on increasing overtaking in Formula 1, “I think it would be very easy for us on each circuit to have an area where you could gain…

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