trekkor wrote:Funny thing is, that lap time the whole race with ZERO penalties or mechanicals may win the event overall!!
I'm telling my drivers, "just turn consistent 2:40's and stay out of trouble".
It's amazing how hard it is to get racers to believe that penalty avoidance is THE key to taking the overall Lemons win. Stupidly long driver stints and super-quick refueling stops won't make a damn bit of difference if you get even one black flag. Sure, if you're in second place with an hour to go and you're two laps back of the leader, you'll want to shave seconds off your lap times, but you need to get to second place for that to matter.
See that horrible '81 Malibu? That thing has been one of the slowest, if not the slowest things at the MSR races, yet it has finished in the 20s or better (out of 100+ entries) every time, making them one of the most successful Chevrolets in Lemons history. I can't even remember what the team members look like, because I've never seen any of them in the Penalty Box. If these dudes ever swap out that 267 for something a little more powerful- look out! Actually, they'd probably start spinning out and/or blow the engine, but you never know, you know?
That means that a car that's quicker than, say, 1/3 of the field can take the overall win.