Code 60

[Mike Crow]

At Brands this last weekend CSCC used Cade 60 to recover a stranded car on several occasions. It all worked very well with far less disruption than a safety car and consequently no ruined races. Why is it not more generally used?

It was a fine weekend all round. Big grids, big crowd, huge variety of cars on track, absorbing racing, hordes of classic car displays, Le Mans Jaguars making a noise, Spitfire overhead. And all without breaking the bank.

It was good for MSV too judging by the size of Dr P’s helicopter

[Plantagenet]

I can certainly see the advantages, especially at Brands where races are frequently disrupted with cars in the gravel at Paddock.

The only issue I have is both of the cars I've raced (both historics) don't have a speedo, so unless you have some sort of GPD derived digital speedo (which I suspect only a handful of cars have), it's very difficult to adhere to 60 accurately.

At a rather comical HSCC drivers meeting a few years back, they suggested using Code 60. When we asked how would we know what speed we are doing, we got a response (no joke): "work out from your tyre circumferences, gear and diff ratios what rpm 60 would be in 4th gear and adhere to this". After some gentle mocking they reverted back to SC procedures.

[Lancsbreaker]

As one who has raced with CSCC for quite a few years until recently, I can vouch for the fact that Code 60 works well - means a lot less disruption to a race than a Safety Car. Also, bear in mind that as most CSCC races include a pit-stop - with a pit speed limit of typically 60kph, most competitors are used to having a means to gauge their speed. A cheap (plenty available on Ebay for under £20 ) GPS speedo is all that is needed if you don't have a working OE speedo. Of course the proposed MSUK regs change would mean that organisers would have to specifically allow GPS meters in their regs, but that isn't too arduous an issue.


Mind you I did note that in one race at Brands yesterday every competitor who completed the race was marked as having a penalty for exceeding the speed limit during Code 60.......but I suspect that was more to do with either a faulty club radar gun, or an excess of enthusiasm on the operator - drivers are instructed to back off and slow to the 60 limit, specifically not to brake, so maybe someone was checking a little too early.....

[Gerard C]

Code 60 or 80 is better than a SC IMO. The fact that drivers have to join the SC queue as quick as possible is not really safe depending on conditions. And with all the electronics as you say the speed of any car on track can be all-time monitored by the RC and marshals.

[bauble]

I knew a driver who hated Code 60 as it meant he had to speed up