Howdy MRP folks!

I’d like to start by letting everyone know that we’ll be providing an update on the points after races 11 & 12 on July 31st on this page so stay tuned. For scoring, Stacey Gunn has been very supportive in keeping us up to speed on the fundamentals, however we are awaiting some additional help that will be coming the next race that will bring us current on points (minus drops of course which will be applied at the end of the season).

We are quickly approaching the twilight of summer which means we are close to the end of our race season. Theres been a lot of great racing, good camaraderie and memorable experiences. Today I’m here to address the not so good, unfortunately. Our on track conduct needs to be addressed…

Disputes Over The Apex

I’ve made things clear from the last drivers meeting that our MRP team has become very observant of some pretty aggressive driving out there in all 4 classes this year. I know we are all passionate about what we are doing out there but we need to redefine where the line is.  We’re at the point now where the majority of the field has proven their conduct has gone well beyond the forgiving notion that “rubbing is racing”.

The textbook method for overtaking in a corner is: the attacker takes an inside line, gets alongside the defender in the braking zone, and beats the defender to the apex. If the attacker is ahead at the apex, there is no dispute over ownership of the racing line. The defender must yield. But what if the attacker is just partially alongside?

Different racing series have their own criteria for how far alongside an attacker must be to have a claim to the apex. Today, we are stating here clearly that the attacker must be at least halfway alongside the defender when they reach the apex to have a reasonable claim to this piece of track. Moreover, the attacker should not have achieved this position by carrying too much speed to make the corner  — this method is called dive-bombing and this is what is leads to people getting hurt.

A. If the attacker more than half-way alongside:  the attacker is definitely more than halfway past the defender at the apex. The attacker has the right to the racing line. A collision at the apex is entirely the fault of the defender.

B. If the attacker less than half-way alongside: the attacker has only their front wing alongside the defender’s rear wheel. The defender has the right to the racing line. A collision at the apex is entirely the fault of the attacker.

C1. (is where racing becomes the most contentious and where grey scale occurs but the rule generally goes as follows…)

C2. If the attacker approximately half-way alongside: the attacker’s front axle is ahead of the defender’s rear axle and the two cars are approximately halfway alongside. Both drivers have a reasonable claim to the apex. If contact occurs, blame will have to be shared. It is in this zone that racing incidents can occur.

These have always been the general rules of racing at MRP. Recently we’ve experienced things like dive-bombs, steering people off track and putting a nose up into turn 1 and then waiting to see what happens. Frankly it’s not cool. People devote a lot of heart, money and effort to be present every weekend and it’s not fair for someone to spoil another persons’ weekend because the spun in lap 1 and want to cut their way through the field to scrounge as many points back as they can.

One great aspect about karting is that it’s practically the universal starting point for racers of any kind of series. It can be Nascar, Sprint, Indycar, Formula 1, etc. Each series has it’s own mentality and it’s own discipline and it’s a great we have a place for those to all meet in one place. That said, we still have to adhere to the proper conduct required for this racing series. It’s open wheel racing.

We are perpetually working to be more consistent with our calls but more attention will have to be devoted towards ambitious moves going forward, therefore you may see more penalties handed out in the future.

I hope everyone has a good couple of weeks before race weekend 6. See you all soon.

Alec