Start (motorsport)
The start or the start clearance of a motor sport competition on a circuit can basically take place standing or rolling. Special forms are the so-called Le Mans start and the safety car start.
Standing start
A standing start , also known as Grand Prix start or countdown start , is the start of a racing vehicle from a stationary position. For this purpose, on a circuit, the vehicles are located in start boxes, which are usually drawn on the start-finish straight , which result in the grid formation . In exceptional cases, the start and finish are at different points on the circuit. For better orientation, yellow lines are also drawn at the level of the front axle on some racetracks, which protrude over the start box and are visible to pilots of monopostos from the cockpit. When the start lights go out, earlier when the green lights at the start lights come on or the start flag is lowered, the race is released and the vehicles start moving. The start of the introductory round is always standing. For the standing start of the race, the vehicles stop in their start box after the introductory lap.
Flying start
A flying start , also known as a rolling start or Indianapolis start , is the start of a racing car that approaches the start line at slow speed. A flying start is preceded by a standing start to the induction lap or laps. Here the starting field follows a lead vehicle of the race management, which is called a pace car in English . This vehicle gives the starting field the speed. At the end of the round, grid signs are shown by the sports officials so that the field occupies a two-row grid formation. In races on oval courses like the Indianapolis 500 , the starting field even takes up a three-row formation. Before reaching the starting line, the lead vehicle leaves the race track and the starting field continues behind the lead vehicle, maintaining the order and speed. For additional order in the starter field, the sporting regulations sometimes stipulate that the vehicles must drive over the start boxes recorded on the racetrack. As soon as the red traffic light goes out, they can accelerate and leave their grid formation.
In racing cars, the flying start also has technical effects on the dimensioning of components in the drive train such as the clutch, which are significantly less stressed with a flying start than with a standing start.
Le Mans start
A Le Mans start is when the participants in a motorsport competition are not sitting in or on their vehicle at the moment they are given the go-ahead , but a few meters away from it like athletes behind a start line or in circular markings, then run to the vehicle and start it . This start was invented in Le Mans in 1925, but abandoned a few decades later for safety reasons. In a broader sense, the term is also applied to other sports or competitions that start away from the sports equipment or venue (for example windsurfing ).
procedure
At a Le Mans start, the vehicles are usually outside and along the route in the start area (diagonally in the direction of travel), motorbikes are usually held by helpers. The opposite boundary often represents the driver's starting line, so that all drivers are the same distance from their vehicles. After the start signal (lowering the start flag), the drivers sped across the route to their vehicles, get in or sit on, start and drive off.
Origin and history
The term has its origin in the 24-hour race of Le Mans , in which this variant of the standing start was introduced in 1925 and retained until 1969.
In order to lose less time, the drivers decided not to put on their seat belts before setting off, but rather at the next opportunity in the current race. Jacky Ickx protested against it at his first Le Mans participation in 1969 by walking briskly to his Ford GT 40 after the start signal , but not walking, and slowly and carefully buckling up his seat belt before finally starting the race well behind the other participants . The driver John Woolfe , who was not yet wearing a seat belt , had a fatal accident on the first lap of that race. Ickx and Jackie Oliver won the race by a few seconds despite the initial deficit.
In 1970 the drivers at Le Mans started sitting in the vehicles with the engine stopped (this starting variant can also be seen in the 1971 film Le Mans with Steve McQueen). The cars stood at intervals of ten meters and at an angle of 20 degrees to the direction of travel at the edge of the track at the start and finish. Since 1971 the 24 Hours of Le Mans have got off to a flying start after an induction lap. At the 1000 km race on the Nürburgring , the Le Mans start was replaced by the flying start as early as 1969.
With the exception of a few classic car races, the Le Mans start is no longer held in motorsport for safety reasons.
Some races nowadays have a fake Le Mans start, that is, the drivers run to their vehicle and get in or on. The race will only start normally when all drivers are buckled up.
Others
To speed up the starting process, Porsche placed the button for the starter on the left of the steering wheel , which enabled the driver to shift into gear more quickly . To this day, Porsche cars have the ignition key on the outside.
Safety car start
As a safety car start , both the standing security start behind the safety car called also the flying restart after neutralization.
The standing safety start behind the safety car usually takes place when the race management classifies a conventional standing or flying start as too dangerous. In this case, there is no introductory lap and the racing cars start directly from the starting grid behind the safety car under neutralization.
A safety car phase is ended with a flying restart in order to reopen the race, which has been neutralized for safety reasons. In contrast to the conventional flying start, the vehicles follow the safety car in a single row. After switching off the warning light on the safety car, the leading driver of the field is responsible for the speed and may also increase the distance to the safety car. Overtaking is allowed, depending on the sporting regulations, from the finish line or from a separate safety car line, which is usually at the height of the pit entrance or at a point specifically defined by the licensing motor sports authority.
Individual evidence
- ↑ ISG - International Sports Act of the FIA ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , PDF file, Article 8.4, DMSB homepage, accessed on January 13, 2017.
- ↑ ISG - International Sports Act of the FIA ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , PDF file, Article 8.3, DMSB homepage, accessed on January 13, 2017.
- ↑ Alfred Prokesch: Knaur's great book about the car . Droemer Knaur Verlag Schoeller & Co., Ascona 1980, ISBN 3-85886-089-1 , p. 195.
- ^ Lothar Boschen: The Century of Motorsport . Südwest Verlag, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-517-01042-1 , p. 99.
- ^ Film from the start in Le Mans in 1969
- ↑ autosport.com about the Le Mans start after 1969.
- ^ Program booklet for the 1000 km race on the Nürburgring in 1969.
- ↑ Michael Behrndt / Jörg Thomas Födisch / Matthias Behrnd: ADAC 1000 km race . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-89880-903-0 , p. 64.
