Wet racing and espn

[chrisrb2002]

Why do the cart racers have trouble in the rain, is it a green track or drivers unable to control the engines will the reduction to atmo engines solve this problem. they are good drivers so what gives, is it lack of practice????

ESPN will they ever manage to keep lip sync on the inserts they do during the races, it is just sooo annoying and silly.

[SL]

Any idea what the record number of laps under yellow is to date ??

I'm sure today will beat it hands down.

Oh no Gulgimen is off now.... and Tracey......9th yellow of the race.. YAWN

Lessons in wet weather racing anyone M.Schumaker@IMAHERO.com

Simon

[enemy-ace]

In addition to my other post in the "Good Job Max" thread, I think you have to consider the fact that CART hasn't had a wet race in what I believe is two years. The fact that CART won't leave cars in the run-off areas also contributes to the number of full-course yellows, in contrast F1 leaves the cars out in some cases. Which contributes to the field getting strung out. It's much easier to drive in the rain by yourself. If you noticed, after every restart the majority of the pack were driving in the spray, which is very blinding. In the wet there is also very definitly a preferred racing line, and when you are forced off that line (as will happen when you are racing in a pack) the combination of oil and water just isn't conducive to good (managable) traction.
I think the only guy running a full wet-set-up yesterday was Max Wilson, so a guy in an underpowered and underfinanced team gambled on set-up (as the rain was forecast to stop) and was able to finish fourth. So I don't think it's that CART drivers aren't good in the wet it's just that there are a lot of variables that make they're job difficult. Just look at one M.Schumacher in Brazil, who ran the wrong set-up and had a pretty horrendous day in the wet for him.

[KC]

Another aspect that must be taken into account is thatthe cars still make around 850 horsepower, even in the lean fuel setting and with cockpiy boost adjusted low as possible. the weather report for the day was for the rain to clear before the end of the race and the teams went for a compromise setup somewhere between dry and wet. unfortunately the weather did not let up and the cars were essentially hard to drive. I can't imagine what its like to drive a car that can give that much power with such little input from the throttle.

The liability laws in America will not allow for stranded cars being left where thay might be struck by another car. I know in F1 they leave cars sitting by the side of the straight away, but that is not possible in CART. If there is any chance that a car can be struck by another, it must be removed before racing can continue.

[JCmpCarUS]

One of the reasons they have a hard time is because they do not race that often in the rain. Most of the time they are lucky enough for it to have stopped raining by the time the race has started or they are able to dry the track with the blowers. Also you have to remember that these cars only weigh 1550lbs. but have the power to move a tractor trailer truck. These cars depend on downforce and tires with no tread--throw in the rain, tires with treads,(channels to move excess water), and little or no downforce what car would not lose traction and spin. The F1 cars are heavier and almost half of their races have rain, so naturally they are more accustom to the wet conditions.

[chrisrb2002]

F1 cars weigh 650kg or so what do Indycars weigh?

[ma]

F1 cars are about 250 lbs lighter than CART cars (sorry - I don't remember the kg to pound conversion off hand). The extra weight of the Indy cars works against them in the rain - once you start to slide, they are harder to get back under control.

Compromised setups are also a handful - they are terrible in BOTH wet and dry!

Turbos also make wet driving trickier - the power tends to come on all at once. It's extremely diffucult to modulate that power in the dry & damned near impossible when wet.

Portland is a tricky track when it is wet - you lose an inordinate amount of traction when it rains, much more so than most other tracks.

Yea - the crash looked like an amateur crashfest, but when you consider the difficulties that the drivers faces in those circumstances, it's amasing that more of them didn't slide off!