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Race line..

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Cosmik de Bris 
#1 ·
So the guy came to me and said sorry, I was like no biggy I was surprised there was room...

But after looking at the video maybe this was my fault? The track was new to me first time but I thought I was following the line...

about the 1:30 mark...

 
#2 ·
Should he apologize? No, he was the passee, not his job to get out of the way. Even if he's not on the racing line. You looked closer to the racing line by the way.

Was it your fault it was close? Sort of. Yes it's your responsibility as the passer to make a safe pass, but in this case I think you made the choice early to pass on the inside and the gap closed faster than you anticipated. No big deal especially since he was ok with it.

I would just look at this as a learning experience and maybe consider passing on the outside next time or making sure you're closer before you initiate the inside pass.

Bottom line, expect the passee to be on the racing line and pass accordingly knowing it's the passer's responsibility to do it safely. Every pass should be a surprise as the passee
 
#3 ·
Should he apologize? No, he was the passee, not his job to get out of the way. Even if he's not on the racing line. You looked closer to the racing line by the way.

Was it your fault it was close? Sort of. Yes it's your responsibility as the passer to make a safe pass, but in this case I think you made the choice early to pass on the inside and the gap closed faster than you anticipated. No big deal especially since he was ok with it.

I would just look at this as a learning experience and maybe consider passing on the outside next time or making sure you're closer before you initiate the inside pass.

Bottom line, expect the passee to be on the racing line and pass accordingly knowing it's the passer's responsibility to do it safely. Every pass should be a surprise as the passee
I was in front I'm not the camera sorry if I confused :(
 
#5 ·
It's not your fault, and it's not his fault. Nothing happened. Sure it was a pretty close pass, but it looked like there was just enough space. It's always the responsibility of the person behind to make a safe pass. But with that said, that doesn't mean you're free to go all over the place. You should always be predictable in how you behave on track, especially for a track day.

As a suggestion, which some may or may not agree with, whenever there is some sort of "kink" on a track, meaning a very slight turn on a straight that you treat as a piece of straightaway not a turn (full throttle) and the optimal line is to get really close to the edge of the track as you go through said kink...don't get that close. I've almost crashed multiple times in situations like that because I was about to pass someone and right as I was almost side by side with them, they moved over clear to the edge of the track leaving me no room, in which case you either grab the brakes, go off the track, or collide with that other person. In situations like that, I always leave about 3-4 feet from the edge, that way if there's a guy right behind me planning a pass on me and he maybe misjudged speeds, he'll have enough room to pass me. We have a kink like that at my home track and it's a good place to pass on the inside right before the fastest turn on the track, but it can all turn to shit in a split second if the guy you're passing moves over to the edge.

Here's what I'm talking about (right before turn 3):

 
#7 ·
Not your fault at all. The passer is the one who is responsible for passing cleanly regardless of what line the rider in front is on. Doesn't matter if the rider is wide or narrow or drifting out or whatever, the person behind has to make a safe pass. That being said, track etiquette is to hold your line if you are the rider in front and to not make any swooping or drastic measures to try and get back on line if you are off. Be predictable and hold your line, never try to get out of the way.

Nothing happened, it was a reasonably close pass for a track day and nice of the guy to come up and apologize. And good for you for posting up and asking for opinions in case it was your fault.

On a completely random note, I was surprised to realize it was Pacific Raceway!!! I enjoyed watching the lap because i haven't ridden that track in a zillion years and that is where I first started racing! YAY! Thanks :)

Misti
 
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