rb92673 wrote:They don't hot pit at West Coast races...
Speaking as a native of the Pacific Northwest, I'll point out that The Ridge is, in fact, on the West Coast. Lemons has had hot-pit fueling there for the last few years.
rb92673 wrote:...as there are too many cars.
Admittedly less of a problem at The Ridge. Still, under the current social-distancing requirements, I wouldn't rule out mandatory hot pits at any event until HQ makes a specific announcement for each race.
To answer Limonaid's other questions:
At races with mandatory hot-pit fueling, the spaces are not allocated. Everyone uses the same area, which is typically long enough for at least six-ish cars to be fueling at the same time without any crowding, even without anyone explicitly directing traffic for the efficient use of space. There is usually more than enough room. Each team has to haul all of their fueling gear to and from the hot pits for every stop; nothing can be stored there and no spaces can be "kept" from stop to stop. People do indeed wave signs or banners or something to draw attention to themselves when their car is approaching, so bring something distinctive. Some teams put a spotter near (not in) the hot pits, but really there's not much advantage between that location and having a spotter elsewhere with a good view (which isn't necessarily true of the hot pits). Driver, fuel, and ice only. Nothing else. If you get caught checking tire temperature you can expect to be told to stop and potentially get a black flag, as the whole idea is to minimize the number of people over the wall and the amount of time they spend there. There's no absolute rule about how many people you can use, but if you've got "extra" people over the wall either standing around for no reason or engaged in disallowed activities, expect the pit stewards to notice and be displeased.
1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally