Parade Laps at AX?

[Kim Crosser]

I am interested in the opinions of the membership about Parade laps at our Autocrosses. Do you like having a Parade lap as the first lap of each run group, or would you prefer to just start with a regular driving/instructional lap?

[Don Middleton]

I am interested in the opinions of the membership about Parade laps at our Autocrosses. Do you like having a Parade lap as the first lap of each run group, or would you prefer to just start with a regular driving/instructional lap?

Hi Kim, what's the point of the question/poll? When I was AX chair with Bill B., we used the parade lap as a means of giving everyone a quick look at the track in about half the time it took to run a lap at speed. Even with the cars running half speed in a parade lap, the minimal spacing needed would send the entire run group through the track in about 2 minutes. A lap, at speed, with proper spacing could take 4 minutes, or more, for a run group of 15-20 cars.

[jenniferreinhardt]

I would rather have a regular lap than a parade lap! I get to know the track by previewing the map and the track walk. Plus, if time runs short, the later groups lose out on that extra lap.

[Greg Phillips]

The parade lap makes some sense if you can send a group out for the parade lap while you are waiting for the corner workers to get set up, or an early start before the official 9:00 AM.
This works well for the first group of the day, but then to be fair you also need to do it for the other groups and then it does not seem to make as much sense.

I think the best is to concentrate on getting everything out on schedule and drop the flag at 9

Greg

[Carl Vanders]

A variation- BMW club has instructors do a couple of parade laps (closer to actual speed) before events starts. Cleans track a bit and helps instructors know the course for their students.

[ttweed]

My preference is for a parade lap of all the cars that want to take one before the event begins, first thing of the day, right after the driver's meeting, but before 9:00. This helps get the dust off the line, and gives people a look at the track from their car, which is different than walking (and some people miss the track walk because of other duties). Instructors would ride with their students and use the parade lap for track familiarization purposes, which would cut down on the total number of cars taking the lap.

To save time, the corner workers would be deployed during the parade lap, and the first run group would stage their cars in pre-grid after finishing the lap, while the other groups would take the track exit and go back to the pits. Since they would miss the parade lap, the first corner-working group would get an extra parade lap to start their first run session. All other groups would start with a hot lap on their first sessions, since they've had a chance for a parade lap already before the event started.

In my mind, that would be the best of all possible arrangements, but can we get track setup, tech, the track walk, the driver's meeting, and a parade lap for everyone except the deploying corner workers done by 9:00? I don't know. We often don't get everything done by then without a parade lap. It would take some major "schedule discipline." This is the way we ran some events in the "old days."

TT

[JERRY B]

I belive that only 3 of the last eleven events were started late. Due to reg. or tech or extended track walk or drivers meeting delays.
The parade lap is always ran during corner worker placement
Why change something that works so great.
A few instructors told me that "They missed the parade lap and the student blew threw the first or second corner"

[sean_v8_914]

I like the parade lap!!! works better than a 100 brooms.
I also really liked the way the AX was run this SAT. I will help yous guys any way I can to make the next one as good as this last AX. early, quick track walk...whatever ya'll need

[sean_v8_914]

OT: somebody help me load up an avatar

[lrayner]

If you add up the total time taken for each run group to have a parade lap vs. total time for every car to get an extra lap, it doesn't equate to an " either or" choice. As shown by past practice, our intrepid AX team likes to fit in as many laps as possible. As the days get longer we will be able to run right up to 5pm and have an extra lap or two. Great job to everyone on Saturday.

[gjb3545]

A "where did it come from spin" on parade lap = black flag, a spin on a regular lap no problem, no parade lap no black flag, no threats, no demoralising innuendos.
Greg 774

[Dave Diamond]

I like the parade lap; I get a feel for the way the track looks from the car. For me, the first full speed lap would be kind of a waste anyway if we didn't do the parade lap. I think Saturday's AX went very smoothly and efficiently (thanks to superb efforts by all involved), so if we can be that efficient every time, it probably isn't an either-or. Seemed like it was so efficient Saturday that we might have been able to do 5 laps in one of the practice sessions.
My 2-cents.
Dave Diamond

[lagrasta]

I need a third choice of "I don't care." Or, better yet, "whatever gets me the most laps during a day".

If I'm on my first lap of a track, I'm going to go as slow as needed to get that track in my head. Doesn't matter to me what you call it or if there happens to be a car in front of/behind me.

It's not like anyone is telling me I have to drive fast on my first lap.

[Kim Crosser]

FIRST - this is NOT a critique of the AX Chairs! They have been doing an awesome job and Saturday's AX was great. The Forum is a good place to toss out ideas, get shot down, open new dialogues, etc. Over the past 10+ years I have been driving with the Club, we have had years with parade laps, years without, then back, etc.

I didn't want to prejudice responses in my original post, but I will list my reasons why I would prefer to start without a parade lap:

1. It usually messes up the timing, requiring the timing to be reset after many of the parade laps. This either means holding up the first practice laps, or a bunch of cars in each group wind up with bad/no times. Ok - so this is just a pain for the timing crew, but it is a nuisance, and this is what got me interested in why we are doing parade laps.

2. It costs time (IMHO). Without a parade lap, you can immediately start the next group on the track while the previous group is still running AND you don't wait for anyone to get in line. We used to start merging cars from the next run group as soon as the previous group started going off the track - if there were a couple of cars that got a little late start and needed another lap, no problem - they just merged in line with the new group and kept going. With the parade lap, all the cars of the previous group must at least start their final lap before you can stage the next group.

3. I would rather have another lap at a speed of my choice than the slow pace of a parade lap - both when in the left seat and in the right seat. Corners are taken a lot different at speed than when following a slow line of cars, and I think having the cars bunched up is distracting. An extra lap at speed (IMHO) provides a lot more experience and instructional time. And - if you want to go slow on the first lap, no problem - just ask the starter for a little extra space.

4. It is better training for Parade AX and SCCA Solo events, where there are NO parade laps or practice runs - show up, drive the course 3 times and you are done. Learning the course in a hurry is a valuable skill. I would bet that most of us with a couple of years experience can drive one lap, park, and sit down and draw the course pretty accurately.


What about "my student went off the course?"
If someone exits the course on their first lap, they are over-driving and need to be reined in. I seriously doubt that one slow lap with a car right in front of you is going to solve that. The track looks a lot different when there is no car in front of you to show you the course.

Anyway, my $0.02. Let the comments begin!

[martinreinhardt]

I agree with Kim, but would even say scratch that extra lap all together and let's go back to 12 laps (2 x 4 practice and 1x 1 warmup + 3x timed runs). To me the parade lap is useless and I usually try to miss it.

The autocross chairs did a great job last weekend , but I witnessed some inconsistence in runs probably to catch up time , most run groups had 1 parade lap + 4 hot laps but at least one group only had 1 parade lap + 3 hot laps.