Blocking... what is it?

[hgmonaro]

Ignoring what happened on the weekend, just what is blocking?

What's the intention of the rule? Why assign a certain number of laps that you can do it? Why can you do it at the end of a race but not earlier? Can you defend your position after a pitstop (tyre CPS) while you get back up to speed? Shouldn't the guy in front be allowed to position his car wherever he likes since, he's in front? What happened the interpretation of you only allowed to move once?

Should there be a line down the middle of the road and everyone use their blinker to pass?

[Raglanparade]

My guess is that it has been implemented to stop two car (or four car) teams employing team tactics.

During CPS, if HRT 22 pulls out with a full fuel tank and cold tyres in front of FPR 6, and holds FPR 6 up. Meanwhile, HRT 1 pits while FPR 6 is losing time behind the HRT 22 car. The net result is that HRT 1 passed FPR 6 in the pitstop.

This is why they banned blocking to the final 5-4-3 laps of the race.

However, in theory, blocking should only be banned until the closing of the CPS window.

My opinion is this. If you are racing for position, you should be able to defend your line and have a scrap whether its Lap 2 or Lap 122. That is racing.

Any other interpretation of the rule turns it into entertainment aka world championship wrestling style.

So when is Hulk Hogan driving a V8 supercar ??

[TSR]

Ask Garth TANDER.

[dsg]

Originally Posted by Raglanparade

My opinion is this. If you are racing for position, you should be able to defend your line and have a scrap whether its Lap 2 or Lap 122. That is racing.

I agree but would also like to see this interpretation adopted as long as the following car gets the benefit of the doubt if they achieve a reasonable overlap and the lead car gets turned around as a result.

This way the lead car can defend as long as it is done cleanly or get out of the way.

[RotorFan]

I thought blocking was where you changed your line more than once. That is not the way it was interpreted by the officials on the weekend.

The V8 officials showed they have no idea of their own rules. Sunday was the first time that they said you could do it within 2 laps, when before it was 3. For me, they have very little credibility.

Like Crompton said, they have wads of paper on what head gasket they must use, but very little concrete info about how to *race* (and clearly what they do have is meaningless or is informal and open to interpretation too much).

[TheTaipan]

I think the clearest indicator over the weekend, is the fact that as soon as Lowndes gapped Kelly in any race, the next available HRT/HSV vehicle dropped its lap time - sometimes significantly - eg Tander by over 2 seconds. By slowing at certain points it can make it impossible to pass. This allows Rick to catch up and have another go at passing and allowing him the opportunity to "legitimately" block from the front. All three of the other vehicles had toyed with some degree of blocking although Todd was somewhat more discreet than his boss, and Tander kept it up even after the warning.

There are other blocking rules, such as you can move across the path of the approaching vehicle (if you are both on the lead lap), once only. If the vehicle makes another approach from the other side, you cannot move to cross them again...

[rustyinsthoz]

Blocking some one when you come out the pits for a lap is acceptable. Blocking in the last few laps of the race is acceptable.

But continually blocking someone for lap after lap during a race is not acceptable.

[Armco Bender]

Simple....if its a Holden its blocking...and if its a Ford its defending the line

[speedreader]

Blocking ?

What I saw on the weekend reminded me more of Stock (aka dirt) Car Team Racing where the purpose is for the team blockers to take out the opposition team whilst protecting their own team rabbit and allowing him through to win.

Seems the Ford boys forgot who their rabbit was supposed to be although I recall Marcos complaining of a similar problem, maybe the blue boys are destined never to learn......

Professional race car drivers -

Stock Car Team drivers - "Yeah Baby"

[SSbaby]

That's the thing... I can't ignore what happened on the weekend, because what happened on the weekend, to me, was NOT blocking.

Clearly the HRT/HSV cars held Lowndes up, but I don't think they were blocking. If Rick was running in last place instead of behind Lowndes, I dare say the officials would not have given the Holden runners black flags. Therefore, the officials applied penalties based on different circumstances, which is wrong, in my view.

But to answer the question, blocking (IMO) is when there is door handle to door handle racing and the car in front keeps altering his line to take the defensive angle. That is, running off the racing line, veering towards the apex well before the corner, clearly protecting his position rather than focusing on what's ahead. There has to be a point in time when the driver in front must yield. If he fails to do so, it's blocking in my view.

[barney551]

SS there is more than 1 way to block ...and driving around over a second off the pace, braking early to take momentum out of the trailing car etc are all examples of this and even you would have to admit that GT was guilty of that.

Before you start about his lame explanation about fuel pickup troubles etc have a look at the times he was doing after the drive through. It must have miraculously cleared itself.

[peckstar]

blocking is driving down the inside line in a passing spot, its is not allowed and the rule has been there all year

GT and skaife were clearly doing this often on each lap.

you are allowed to do it occasionaly but you are not allowed to do it excessively, and if you do you get a bad sporstmanship flag if you do it again (and it now onlt has to be once, because you have been warned) then its black flag time which is what happened. the only dissapointing thing was that it took so long to come out. the official should be more liberal with the flag.

The weakness occurs when theer is a car travelling close in front, is the 2nd car bloking or trying to overtake

[SSbaby]

Originally Posted by barney551

SS there is more than 1 way to block ...and driving around over a second off the pace, braking early to take momentum out of the trailing car etc are all examples of this and even you would have to admit that GT was guilty of that.

Before you start about his lame explanation about fuel pickup troubles etc have a look at the times he was doing after the drive through. It must have miraculously cleared itself.

But how would you describe the racers midfield... they are around 1-3s off the pace, watching their mirrors and taking defensive lines... are they blockers too? Somehow I can't see half the field being black-flagged.

John Bowe was notorious for his blocking. He would never yield. That's why he was often taken out by his opponents. What JB did and what Garth/Skaife did on the w/end were different things as the HSV/HRT machines were strong out of the corners and (presumably) weaker under brakes - you can't argue that Skaife had his moments under brakes, yet he was suspected of blocking.

EDIT: There is a distinct difference between 'holding up' and 'blocking'.

[stoned pony]

SSbaby, I reckon you could make The Bible plausible!