For the upcoming Cup Nationals, do we have a rolling start or a standing start F1 style with a staggered grid? The World Challenge starts are all standing starts and so they are accustomed doing these the right way. There is a certain appeal to having all the cars on grid before the start with grid girls holding flags, cameras strategically positioned.

Vote for your choice

Some more to think about. With Chris driving both days last weekend I had the opportunity to watch the rolling start for two Cup races. I was surprised to see just how unfair a rolling start can be. The gaps that existed between rows was varied from very close to substantial space, with the cars near the back being disadvantaged worst. Because a car cant progress before the car in front of it, if the car in front of you decides to lag back and get a roll, you are then also forced to lay back. Also noticed a couple of cars jumping the start, which is more subtle with a rollong start and harder to enforce.

We wouldn't do standing starts on a regular basis because of stress on equipment. But 2 standing starts a year would not have a significant effect on the 944 clutch. Now if a driver dumps the clutch and stalls the car, driver behind need to be on their game and get around.

You said the magic words: grid girls.

Clutch = Wear Item. Agreed

Standing start + sticky hoosiers = reciped for new ring and pinion. Which WILL put you out for the weekend.

Having done standing starts in other series, it's not a comfortable thing to do, even after a year of doing it. Risks are much higher than a standing start.

Other factors to consider.

- How are Supercup cars going to be gridded? Will they be in their own separate standing start area? First, the S2/968 cars will be given a free 8-10 car lengths advantage (by my estimate and experience as an SC racer) as the turbo cars try to get spooled up.

- Second, if the SC cars are mixed in with the Cup cars, the turbos will serve as slalom cones for the lead cup cars to dodge, and then the situation will reverse itself by T1 as the SC cars get up on boost - causing a really big stack up. More so than a rolling start.

- There will need to be flaggers for each row of cars ("bookler flaggers") in case a car stalls. This is a basic safety requirement.

- What if it rains? Front of the pack car may be really slow or stalled off the line. Cars further back will have zero visibility due to spray that a car has stalled and may cause a really nasty accident. It's one thing if cars are going approximately the same speed on a rolling start and there's contact. A 60 or 70 mph rear ending is another story entirely. No chance to take avoiding action. This particular scenario will get people hurt - whether you're on your game or not.

As to the jump start/people laying back, I agree that this can be an issue. especially more so towards the mid-field where you can't necessarily see the flag.

However, people with radios have a large advantage, especially in the mid-pack. They will be notified of the green before the other cars around them can react, and therefore get a "jump"

As an aside, it would be interesting to have someone shoot video from the flagstand of one of our starts at the Summit race so we can take a good look at what one looks like. I think some self-policing might resolve at least some of this.

WC places a grid girl and flag by each prior to the start. WC seems agreeable to giving up there girls for us which includes the Toyo girls and each WC team is required to provide a grid girl . I know this is a lot bells and whistle that we dont need, but it does give us the opportunity to have a setting and feel for something above and beyond the norm ----a special event --- making Cup Nationals just that.

Self-policing takes people which are scarce when it it comes to volunteering time.

What Super Cup cars?



While NASA uses flaggers, most series dont. But maybe we can get the grid girls to do double duty.

I have the opposite opinion, standing start is much safer then a rolling start ---lower speeds at thegreen and in T1 and less spray for both. From my experience from the back of the field, nothing worse then a large pack of cars going 60 mph in the rain for a rolling start -- that's zero visibility. Not any spray while sitting on the grid making much more likely everyone gets to see the green flag and easier on equipement as tire and torque on clutch and tranny is reduced.

Self-policing = racers taking responsibility to not jump the start. The one jump start I've seen this year, the racer realized he'd jumped the start. He went by me from the row behind before the green waved. Realized it, and lifted.

So I'm clear, we have the track to ourselves for this race? As we have a pro starter on the stand, seems to me that they can be trusted to wave off a start if someone jumps it - even in the middle or end of the pack. We wouldn't have to worry about GTS barreling down on us if we had to re-form and do it again the next lap.

However, I would be interested in hearing from the others out there who voted yes for the standing start as to their reasoning. Perhaps I'm missing something here that hasn't occurred to me and I'm sure others.

It's about the racing - the girls are a bonus.