Friday, September 8, 2017

Time Trial League--Replaced by RACE4Sport Fair Chance






R= Reciprocal  (see Additional Info below for more explanation of Reciprocal Altruism)
A=Altrusism
C=Cooperative
E=Excellence

We race according to the SIMPLE RULE:


Never take any intentional action that might harm or in any way slow down, or diminish the performance of another driver.


Think of it as the Golden Rule with Do No Harm added. With the belief that racing does not need to be a "Zero Sum" game. 

Membership requirements are:


1) Must share setups .sto and hot lap replay .rpy  files with other league members.


2) Must help other members with driving tips when asked.

We welcome ALL people without discrimination--AS LONG AS THEY AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE SIMPLE RULE above.


We welcome members with various skill and experience levels from Div 8 to Div 1. Unlike many leagues, we have no minimum iRating.  We would however, hope your SR is above C3.0. 

When racing in RACE4Sport Eagles Events, the application of the SIMPLE RULE is interpreted to include: A) A prohibition against positioning your car on the inside line approaching a turn where you cannot complete a clean pass or at least be in the lead before the braking zone; B) A prohibition against blocking or any "defensive" or "strategic" car positioning EXCEPT to protect a lead position during the last lap of a race, for the win; C) Use best efforts to maintain "racing room" defined as one car length behind and one car width beside another car. 


When racing in "open" iRacing events, or leagues that do not require adherence to the SIMPLE RULE the application of the SIMPLE RULE for RACE4Sport Eagles League Members is interpreted to include the same interpretation as above EXCEPT the following is allowed: A) A reciprocal action to regain and hold a position lost to a competitor that positioned their car on the inside line approaching a turn where they did not complete a clean pass or at least be in the lead before the braking zone--in other words to regain a position lost because the other driver passed using a late braking maneuver causing you to have to slow to avoid contact; and B) A "strategic" or "defensive" car positioning, according to iRacing Sporting Code, is allowed to maintain your current position against any competitor that is reasonably expected to position their car on the inside line approaching a turn where they cannot complete a clean pass or at least be in the lead before the braking zone. 


The League will be using VRS and many other tools to help improve the performance of all participating League Members. The goal is for every member to be the "Best they can be".


While most of our activities will relate to Time Trials and Time Attack competitions, we will also sponsor racing events from time to time.  We encourage our members to compete in the "open" iRacing series races to utilize and display their enhanced performance. 

We will focus on Road Racing with the FR 2.0 as the primary car, but will also work with other cars that are "purpose built for racing" to include for example the Lotus L79 and the C7 Corvette Daytona Prototype. 



History/Additional Info:

I am a 67 year olf Economist and a Mechanical Engineer. I make my "living" as an Economist and as such, I am a student of economic and behavioral science.  My passion for more than 40 years has been the "science" of motorsports and vehicle dynamics.  I am also a devout Christian. I serve as a Chaplain with Racers for Christ, an organization that serves the motorsports community in real life. About Team RFC


All of my life I have studied and contemplated the philosophy of competition in human existence (Business, Sport, Politics, and Life in General) and how it affects general "happiness".  I love driving race cars and building setups. I am a competent setup "engineer" with quite a bit of real life racing experience--at high professional levels many years ago. (FIA Grade B and NASCAR Gold Licenses--Winston Cup and SCCA Pro TransAM in the 1980's) I am a reasonably quick 67 year old but with slower reaction times, stiff joints, and poor eyesight, I am pretty much middle of the pack, generally 1-2% behind the really fast younger guys. (rated "Senior" in the recent FR2.0 Time Attack.) But, wherever I finish, as long as nobody hits or dive-bombs me, I really enjoy the sport. 

The concept of Reciprocal Altruism comes from behavioral science. More Explanation-Click. Essentially, it is very similar to the "Golden Rule" that has been promoted as a desirable ethical standard all over the world in many different civilizations going back to Confucius around 500BCE- "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others." More on the history of the Golden Rule  


Take the Golden Rule one further step in relation to differing views on human competition. Some see competition as a battle--all about winning--"2nd Place is First Loser".  Others see it differently, especially when applied to amateur "sport".  Add the concept of "Do no harm" to the Golden Rule and you get the picture. 


The history of the Olympics illustrates the development of this standard or goal for amateur "sport" competition.  Ethelbert Talbot was the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Pennsyvlania.  He was attending an Anglican conference in London in 1908 that coincided with the Games of the 4th Olympics in the Modern Era. He preached a sermon at a chuch attended by many of the officials and participants of the Games. His most memorable line was "..though only one may wear the laurel wreath (of victory) all may share the equal joy of the contest."  Full Article about Talbot


Essentially, the Golden Rule can be applied to racing in a way that does not discourage aggressive driving---"clean, hard racing" may only mean no intentional contact, but every other tactic to beat the other guy, including steps to slow him down or force him to make an error is seen as acceptable.   This is the feeling of the vast majority of the motorsports community. 

There are a few that take the Golden Rule one step further where any action that is harmful to another is prohibited, except in order to defend oneself (or others) from violence or aggression. Racers that hold to this philosophical view (Golden Rule and Do No Harm) see racing as a contest of skill in the mastery of the machine to achieve the fastest speed possible. 


The philosophy of the RACE4sport Eagles League is not about religion--it is about a form of secular competition that allows many to more enjoy the joy of competition without conflict. It is not self righteous or judgmental--simply a different point of view. For those that are interested in my Christian message, I maintain a weblog about that at Follow the Son Racing that covers my "journey" and points of view. 

The videos from three great movies below illustrate....













League Forum--Private at Proboards




Friday, September 1, 2017

A League with a Different Focus

A League with a Different Focus   
by Donald Wayne Strout   09/12/2017 
         


The concept of Time Trials and Time Attack attracts only a small group. Most want to do a little friendly "battling" in traffic. So--the RACE4Sport Fair Chance League is formed in Feb 2018.

During Season 3, 2017, iRacing introduced Time Attack.  Dave Gamble, Staff Writer for Game Nexus calls it, “online racing for introverts”.  Limited “focus group” research by others indicates it is a brilliant move by iRacing in that it recognizes an important “market segment” in the racing community.

First, while “introverts” may indeed be attracted to racing alone, the true aspect of competitive “racing against the clock” is not a sport just for introverts.  One example is major TV coverage of the well attended Indy 500 Time Trials. Another is the popularity of SCCA SOLO Autocross where more than 1200 participants show up annually for the National Championships—representing the best of the thousands who compete in the local competitions.

While it can be easily argued that the majority of drivers and fans enjoy the “battles” seen in wheel to wheel racing, there is also a real attraction by many to the drama of solo time trials, where speed alone is the goal.  To some, racing should be like the epic chariot race depicted in the film Ben Hur.  To others, racing is like the dramatic competition of runners in the Olympic Games as seen in the film Chariots of Fire, who not only run to win without necessarily battling with runners in the other lanes, but also to set new “world records” in competition with runners from the past that are not even on the track with them. The drama is not about “Who will beat the other guy?”, but rather, “Who will be the best?” and “How do I compare?”.

iRacing has even moved this form of competition into the “Professional” realm, by offering serious prize money for Time Attack in three series for 2017S4: Ferrari GTE, Xfinity, and 410 Sprints.

 iRacing Leagues are a great way for competitors with shared interests and values to form intimate “social” communities and share friendly competition.  That same benefit can be provided to those who enjoy the dramatic competition of “racing against the clock”.

Recently, a new league named “RACE4sport Eagles” was created.  The main objective is to form a social community of drivers who love driving “purpose built” race cars—open wheel and prototypes. They will concentrate on the FR2.0, the L79, and the Corvette C7 Daytona Prototype, running Time Attack and Time Trials.  League members of all skill levels will share setups, hot lap replays and driving tips. (Thus reducing the need for “fixed setup” Time Attack series.)  It is predicted that more of these types of leagues will be formed.  Maybe, they will not be “online racing for introverts” but rather, “online racing for drivers who want to concentrate on speed without the distraction of traffic but who enjoy sharing their experience with others”.

The RACE4sport Eagles have incorporated one other, perhaps unusual concept: the idea that racing does not need to be a “zero-sum” game. Members of the league agree to abide by a simple rule: Never take any intentional action that might harm or in any way slow down, or diminish the performance of another driver.  Think of it as the universal Golden Rule with ‘Do No Harm’ added.  While the league concentrates on Time Attack and Time Trials, it also encourages members to race in the “open” iRacing series races, abiding by the “simple rule” as an “example” along with a defensive concept called reciprocal altruism, borrowed from the scientific/academic field of competitive game theory. 


Monday, August 14, 2017

The End

When Season 3 of the 60PLUS Racing Adventures ends with the last race at Sebring on August 30, the league as it has been, will end.

After the Road America event, a controversy arose as to the "spirit of competition" that was appropriate and desired. According to Strout, "The vast majority of our participants thought our event at Road America was a good one. I did not share that view. With deep regret, I concluded that the competition was not much different from a high SOF race in 'open' iRacing, with the only exception being drivers under the age of 60 had been excluded."

Donald Strout created the league in 2016 with the goal, "To create a kinder, if not gentler, place for guys over 60 years of age to race competitively."

A large number of participants objected to a proposed "tightening" of the passing rules proposed by Strout, who then concluded that his efforts, while having some positive effect, did not produce the results he had hoped for. 

League ownership was transferred by Strout to the Racing Steward, Joel Martin after the Road America event. Strout will no longer participate as a driver and will no longer design the setups.

Strout's Farewell Message to the League

My sincere best wishes for all. 

I think the League accomplished a part of my goal in that it clearly is a much more "friendly" League. The sense of fraternity is wonderful and admirable. 

My complete goal was for racing that went "above" the concept of "hard but clean" to a concept of competition that was not a "battle" but rather a recognition of the "mastery" of car control and speed--racing in a way that minimized, if not eliminated any action that would interfere with the other contestant's best performance. This is much more than just avoiding contact. This is keeping with the simple message I and Team RFC promote: Love God and Love Each Other. This message is focused not just on life on earth but in preparation for life in our ultimate and eternal destination. 

My exit was motivated by the simple fact my continued leadership and "sponsorship" would have been hypocritical, signaling my acceptance that racing as a "battle" was consistent with the message I promote. (Keep in mind that less than half of the 70+ League Members actually continued their regular participation---some who dropped out did so because the reality they observed was different from what they thought I was promising.) 

A "Friendly" League for Men/Women over 60 Years Old is a good thing. Stay consistent with the clear message and the League will be a fun and pleasant place for many. 

May God Bless you all. 

You will see me actively participating in Time Attack--most probably in the FR2.0. And, just as I am "in the world but not of it", you may also see me occasionally participating in "open" iRacing. 

Donald

Thursday, August 10, 2017

60+ Racing Adventures-9th Round at Road America

60+ Racing Adventures-9th Round at Road America



The 9th Round of the 60+ Racing Adventures League (12 Event Season 3) for drivers age 60 and older ran Wednesday, 8/9 at Road America, running the Pro Mazda.  24 drivers participated. It was broadcast by RaceSpot TV.
Portugal’s Antonio Reis posted his second win of the Season in a Group 1 Race. Ann exciting event with lots of action, especially the competition for 2nd place. The Group 2 “second chance” race was won by Florida’s Mark Robertson, the first for him this season.

With 18 races now completed in 9 “events” there has been seven different winners. Three drivers, Antonio Reis, Steven Carkner and Donald Strout have each won two Group 1 races. Reis and Strout have each won 5 races (2 Group 1 and 3 each Group 2).


Reis started on the Pole for the Group 1 race. A clean but crowded three wide entry into Turn 1 at the start.



Not long after the start, a hard charging and impatient Jos van de Ven, starting in P2, assumed the lead using the draft to pull aside Reis entering T5.  The draft would prove to be both blessing and curse here as it enabled cars to pull beside, but not necessarily ahead. Many lead changes and passing for position would occur with “late braking contests”. Some, drivers would “go defensive” like John Unsbee in the yellow car in P5 is doing above. Others would go “aggressive” and drive two wide, side by side thru the corners to fight for their standing. The ends of each of the three long straights were scenes of battles nearly every lap, ad nauseam. To some, it was exciting—to others simply frustrating.



By the end of the first lap, Reis had regained his lead and the order remained the same as the start, as they enter three wide into turn 1 with Andrew Fidler either trying for an inside pass or playing “head games” with Carkner beside him.  (Only Andrew knows the intent.)


Entering T5 on lap 3, Steven Carkner passed van de Ven for P2, while John Unsbee dives into the turn to pass Andrew Fidler for P4. Donald Strout (P6) is braking early, thinking “These guys are wild!”



On the next lap, van de Ven watches as Steven Carkner uses the draft to execute a very late pass into T1.  Later, Unsbee moves into P3, passing van de Ven, who now, perhaps may be thinking the same as Strout.














Sure enough, after continued battling, Carkner spins it in T8, causing mayhem behind---allowing Reis to gain a significant lead. (As viewed from van de Ven’s cockpit.)

Avoiding a spinning Carkner, Strout and Fidler came together with both suffering damage. Carkner’s teammate Mark Robertson was able to steer his way through to take over P3!


Unsbee, with some aggressive driving was able to hold off van de Ven and led after T5 on the next lap 7, but the side by side action bunched up the field, now three wide exiting the corner. Strout would take over P3, passing Robertson before the bridge.













On lap 8, van de Ven is back in P2, with Unbee pushing Strout off track as they go side by side in T5, contesting P3.  This enabled Andrew Fidler to pass Strout who by now is a bit frustrated.















  
Following behind Fidler, Unsbee and van de Ven on lap 10, Strout gets a massive draft as the three cars ahead go three wide entering the Canada corner.  As Filder moves right to avoid Unsbee, he bumps Strout who maintains control and passes them both.









On lap 12, Fidler attacks Strout on the inside at the entry of T1. (Déjà vu Lap 1) It would not work, but it apparently unsettled Strout enough that he began “looking in my mirror for Fidler or Unsbee on the entry of every turn” and ultimately Strout lost control in the Canada corner, ending his race.









John Unsbee would draft past Fidler and they battled for P3 much of the last lap. Unsbee forced Fidler off track on the straight as Fidler was about to leapfrog past.  Unsbee would hold off Fidler for the rest of the lap and finish 3rd behind van de Ven in P2, and the winner Antonio Reis.
Reis essentially was unchallenged after Carkner’s spin on lap 6. He would finish with a 3.8 second lead.

Donald Strout set the pace with Pole Position for the Group 2, “second chance” race, joined on the front row by Steven Carkner. Interestingly, the second row was taken by Mark Robertson (Carkner’s teammate) and Joe Renn (Strout’s teammate).  Strout led the field for the first lap until the Canada Corner where Carkner used the draft to make a bold inside pass.







Carkner would go off track on the exit, but masterfully maintained control. Later he would comment, echoing Senna about the pass, “
the opportunity arose and I took it!”
With Strout in hot pursuit, and surely (Strout) now not in the mood for moderation, Carkner missed the exit in the last turn and slowed slightly. Strout was hard on the gas toward the apex, closing at a more than a 5 mph speed difference (89 vs 84) and ran into the rear of Carkner.

Strout spun, hit the wall, ending his race and a very frustrating day.
Carkner, although damaged, was able to soldier on essentially following his teammate Mark Robertson, protecting him from challenges mounted by John Morgan and Remigio di Pasqua who would finish P3 and P4.







Strout, the League Organizer would comment, John Morgan gets the award for “best sportsmanship” of the race.
After nine events, the Team #1 of Carkner, Lawrence, Robertson, and Andy Morgan still holds a substantial 45 point lead. Team #8 with John Morgan, Marcel Guiterrez, Ron McManus, and Richard Coulombe held their 3rd position, but fell to 22 points behind the 2nd place Team #4 of  Remigio di Pasqua, Jose Campodonico and Antonio Reis.

Only 3 points behind in 4th is Team #2 of Fidler, Raspaldo, Bonasera, and Dummer. Team #5 with Strout, Renn, Baldwin and Galloway falls to 5th place, 2 points back. Team #6 of John Unsbee, Jim Oliver, Michael Key and P J Salley is in 6th only 4 points behind Team#5. 

The series maintains a Driver Championship and a Team Championship.  Team assignments are determined by the League Organizer to pair up 3 or four drivers that together have a “fair” chance compared to other teams.  

In other words, less experienced or accomplished drivers are paired with the more experienced so each team is deemed to have a “fair” chance to win the Team Championship that pays $100 to the Winning Team, $50 to the 2nd Place Team and $25 to the 3rd Place Team for the Season. 

In an effort to insure this continued “fair” chance, three teams that have had members unable to participate/contribute were combined for the second half of the 12 race season--this change tightened the race considerably with only 31 points separating 2nd from 6th.

In the Driver’s Championship, Jos van de Ven still is in 1st. Bill Lawrence is 3rd.  Andrew Fidler jumps to 2nd. Steven Carkner is 4th.  Strout drops to 5th and essentially is out of contention as he does not plan on running the last three races. Neither Lawrence or van de Ven plan to race at Richmond, so Fidler could theoretically pull ahead of van de Ven if Fidler were to win.


The Driver's Championship counts only finishes in the Group 1 race and uses the Grand Prix points system, so a driver winning a race scores 25 points, where a driver placing 3rd scores 15 points--hence with the points standings this close, with 3 races to go--the Driver's Campionship is far from being decided. 


Winning drivers this Season:

Steven Carkner (2) Grp 1
Antonio Reis (5) (1 in Grp 1, 3 in Grp 2)
Donald Strout (5) (2 in Grp 1, 3 in Grp 2)

Bill Lawrence (2) (1 in Grp 1, 1 in Grp 2)
Andrew Fidler (2) (1 in Grp 1, 1 in Grp 2)
Jos van de Ven (1) (Grp 1)
Mark Robertson (1) Grp 2

The next event for the 60+ guys is Richmond (oval), on August 16.


Thursday, August 3, 2017

60PLUS Racing Adventures-A Thriller at Road Atlanta


60+ Racing Adventures-8th Round at Road Atlanta



The 8th Round of the 60+ Racing Adventures League (12 Event Season 3) for drivers age 60 and older ran Wednesday, 8/2 at Road Atlanta, running the Pro Mazda.  25 drivers participated. Pennsylvania’s Donald Strout posted his second win of the Season in a Group 1 race remembering advice 32 years ago from Motorsports Hall of Famer Elliott Forbes-Robinson-"Always take the inside line at Atlanta".



As he had done at last week's race in Montreal, Donald Strout started on the Pole for the Group 1 race. But, after only one lap, a hard charging Jos van de Ven, starting in P2, assumed the lead.  Turn 5 at the end of the of the Esses is a challenging turn. Below is a shot of Strout getting "air" exiting T5.  If the steering is not straight when you land, you see the wall as did Antonio Reis, running in P3 on lap 3.












A lot of action occured in the Group 1 Race in S-Turn/s 10a and 10b. On lap 4, Jos van de Ven surrendered his lead after losing control here.

























Moving up from P6 at the start, Las Vegas's John Unsbee took over P3, passing the fifth place starter, the UK's Andrew Fidler.  After van de Ven's bobble, Unsbee was in P2, then in the lead briefly and then back to P2. On lap 8, Andrew Fidler drafted by Unsbee with a masterful pass into Turn 10a.







































That order, Strout and Fidler, followed by Unsbee continued until Fidler bobbled in T5, and Unsbee lost control when having to lift to avoid a slowing Fidler. Until lap 18, then it was Strout, Fidler and van de Ven who had recovered from his lap 4 mistake. 3 laps from the end of the race, it was time for "strategy" which is always important on these tracks where drafting is important.

Strout and Fidler upped the pace, with Fidler drafting past Strout entering turn 10a. But, two times, on laps 18 and 19, Strout would execute the "over/under" manuever exiting turn 10b, and drag race Fidler up the hill and under the bridge to overtake.
























Fidler held the lead for the entire lap 20. Then, on the last lap, Strout drafted beside Fidler for the classic "late braking contest" entering T10a. It was close but Fidler entered and exited the S curve ahead of Strout.  Fidler would later recall, "I thought I had him."  But, as he had done on laps 18 and 19, Strout executed a near perfect "over/under" exiting T10b and finished less than a half car length in the lead for the win.

The extra 1 mph exit speed and the "inside" shorter line down the hill and thru T11 and T12 was the winning "factor".  As Elliot Forbes-Robinson had advised, "Always take the inside line at Atlanta".



































Last Lap Video







In 1985 and 1986 Strout competed in the SCCA National Runnoffs, then held at Road Atlanta. He hired Road Racing Specialist and Motorsport Hall of Fame driver, Elliot Forbes-Robinson to be his "coach" in 1985. According to Strout, "Elliott had won the Runnoffs 3 times at Road Atlanta and was the 1982 Trans Am Champion. He later went on to win the Overall 24 Hours of Daytona in 1997 and 1999. I always considered him one of the best American road racing drivers of all time. So--when he talked, I listened and remembered."



The Group 2 "Second Chance" race was equally exciting, at least for the first few laps.  Antoinio Reis redeemed himself from the first race, and as he had done at Montreal--sat on the Pole and led the entire race. Reis would set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1:17.690.




On the first lap, nearly three wide going thru T2, as the cars checked up for a single file thru T3, there was a collision between several cars, ending the race for Scandanavian Frans Brink.(Yellow car behind the 27)


Third place starter, Joe Renn was able to pull ahead of John Unsbee at the start, but by the end of lap 1, Unsbee had re-asserted himself and for the rest of the race, it was Reis, Unsbee and Renn. You can see Reis had out a lot o
f distance between him and P2 by the end of the first lap. 

More action in T3 on lap 2. "Always take the inside line at Atlanta" did not work for Andy Morgan who collided with John Morgan.












Italy's Paolo Bonasera was the most accomplished in the Group 2 race moving up 8 positions from P12 to finish 4th.






















After eight events, the Team #1 of Carkner, Lawrence, Robertson, and Andy Morgan still holds a substantial 64 point lead. Team #8 with John Morgan, Marcel Guiterrez, Ron McManus, and Richard Coulombe fell to 3rd, but only 4 points behind the now 2nd place Team #4 of  Remigio di Pasqua, Jose Campodonico and Antonio Reis.

Only 2 points behind is Team #5 with Strout, Renn, Baldwin and Galloway who jumps to 4th place. Team #2 of Fidler, Raspaldo, Bonasera, and Dummer is in 5th.

Team #6 of John Unsbee, Jim Oliver, Michael Key and P J Salley is in 6th

The series maintains a Driver Championship and a Team Championship.  Team assignments are determined by the League Organizer to pair up 3 or four drivers that together have a “fair” chance compared to other teams.  

In other words, less experienced or accomplished drivers are paired with the more experienced so each team is deemed to have a “fair” chance to win the Team Championship that pays $100 to the Winning Team, $50 to the 2nd Place Team and $25 to the 3rd Place Team for the Season. 

In an effort to insure this continued “fair” chance, three teams that have had members unable to participate/contribute were combined for the second half of the 12 race season--this change tightened the race considerably with only 17 points separating 2nd from 6th.



In the Driver’s Championship, Jos van de Ven jumps back into 1st. Bill Lawrence is 2nd.  Andrew Fidler jumps to 3rd, only 15 points behind van de Ven. Steven Carkner is tied for 3rd. (Lawrence and Carkner missed the Atlanta race and Lawrence is out for the next three races due to family committments.)  Strout moves up to 5th, only 16 points behind van de Ven. 


The Driver's Championship counts only finishes in the Group 1 race and uses the Grand Prix points system, so a driver winning a race scores 25 points, where a driver placing 3rd scores 15 points--hence with the points standings this close, with 4 races to go--the Driver's Campionship is far from being decided. 

























Winning drivers this Season:
Steven Carkner (2) Grp 1
Donald Strout (5) (2 in Grp 1, 3 in Grp 2)

Bill Lawrence (2) (1 in Grp 1, 1 in Grp 2)
Andrew Fidler (2) (1 in Grp 1, 1 in Grp 2)
Antonio Reis (4) (1 in Grp 1, 3 in Grp 2)
Jos van de Ven (1) (Grp 1)


The next event for the 60+ guys is at Road America, on August 9. It will be "televised" with a broadcast and video on YouTube by RaceSpot TV.