Audi Club of North America adopts new passing protocol

[breakaway500]

"Adoption of Turn Signals for Passing

For 2016, ACNA has adopted the use of turn signals to indicate the following car(s) are free to pass. This new turn signal protocol shall be in lieu

of the traditional out-the-window hand signals which the Club has used historically.

The Club has chosen to adopt turn signals for a variety of reasons:

• Leaving two hands on the steering wheel is fundamentally safer, and

• At tracks with high speed passing zones an arm out the window can be uncomfortable, and

• There is real inconsistency in the quality of hand signals given, and

• Turn signal use is consistent with global HPDE and track protocols, and

• Some student and/or Instructor cars have window nets or fixed side windows preventing hand signal use, and

• At certain tracks, we are allowed to run with windows-up (obviously making a rainy session much nicer), this protocol allows

consistency

The new turn signal passing protocol shall work in the following manner across all student and Instructor run groups:

• The leading car which sees car(s) behind them will wait for one of the communicated passing zones, same as usual

• As early as practical at the beginning of the passing zone, the lead car will use their indicator to communicate which

side of the track they will be driving

• Generally, it is the case that the car being passed will remain on the “line” and the passing car(s) behind will go off-line

• The car being passed shall leave their indicator activated (i.e. “blinking”) until the passing car is parallel

• If there is a queue of cars behind and the zone is ample to effect a number of passes, the indicator shall remain activated until such

time as it is unsafe to allow any other cars to pass

• A quick “dip” of the indicator – which on most modern cars will action three “blinks” – may often be sufficient to allow one car to

effect a pass.

• Drivers of passing cars need to use judgement around whether a pass can be safely performed before the end of a given zone

An example:

• Tracking out of the Downhill and on to the front straight at Lime Rock, the driver of an S4 sees a rapidly approaching TT-RS in the

rear view mirrors

• The S4 driver puts on the left hand indicator to communicate that s/he will remain “on line” on the left hand side of the track

• The TT-RS driver is free to pass on the right hand side of the S4 driver giving them a safe and courteous amount of space

• Using judgement, the TT-RS driver either transitions back to the “line” in front of the S4 driver or remains “off line” into Big Bend at

the end of the front straight"


I just got this in an email today (Tuesday), and feel so strongly against it that I won't attend an Audi event as long as this rule is in effect. I was looking forward to this coming Thursdays NEQ event at Limerock..but want no part of this experiment.This new rule applies to all run groups.

Am I overreacting? Probably…I'm primarily angry for being blindsided at the last second by this ruling....but, I really feel strongly this new passing protocol is a giant step backwards in teaching new track drivers how to get along/signal/communicate with other track drivers,and corner workers.
Sure..it may be difficult for some to learn point-bys/hand signals at first...but hand signals are how all on track communication happens from the beginning of your first time on track, right on up to an F1 driver.

I don't even have working directionals on the Atom..

[jeffw]

I was at NJMP with the Audi club a few years ago when they tried this.

Someone forgot to turn off their turn signal and was shocked to get passsed. twice. late in the passing zone.

Someone else (in a poorly driven vette) had one of their turn signals fail and it turned into a CF because no one would pass them.

I'm just going to stand here and point and laugh at the Audi Club at this point.

[SEISAN]

Just last year I was spot checking my turn signal and found that one was out. After taking the light out I found out one of the thin light wires broke off.

That would have been wonderful with one side not working. Next, we will have everybody blowing horns and getting annoyed.

Maybe they could use the emergency flashers and then the person who wants to pass can decide which side he would prefer.

Anyway, keep it simple, hands and fingers work just fine.

BB

[TXBDan]

Wow. Yes, while the probability of accidently hitting your turn signal is somewhat low, the consequence could be quite severe.

[Stynger]

Race cars don't have turn signals...

[dinoracer]

"At tracks with high speed passing zones an arm out the window can be uncomfortable"

" At certain tracks, we are allowed to run with windows-up (obviously making a rainy session much nicer)"

That's all I need to know about running with Audi club...

They are correct that on the 'Nurburgring you use turn signals. Doesn't mean it's a good idea for us.

[DanDarcy]

I drove this event onThursday, the turn signals worked out pretty well but there was very few drivers and all were instructors. Not all cars had directional so those that didn't just used standard point byes.

[6PAK72]

So I really can't believe I'm saying this...because I was extremely, extremely skeptical.

It Really Works!

I instructed two days at LRP. By the end of the first day nearly everyone had the protocol down. By the end of day two, it was smooth, effortless and produced the following results, both positive and negative:

1. My "first time on track" student did not exhibit the usual "drive all over the track surface while not pointing correctly" behavior.
2. Both my students (1-day and 12-days) got their signals on WAY before the apex, thus setting up MUCH earlier passes than usual. More detail below.
3. There were several "stuck blinker" situations, where I as instructor in the following car had to manage the advanced student to not attempt a late pass (she was very fast)
4. I was one of the "stuck blinkers" in the open passing instructor group. I experienced two 911's taking me inside at West Bend...good thing a. I'm heads up and b. I've raced...
5. When i had the steering wheel hard right, it's damn near impossible to find the blinker stalk...hard left is easy...


Detail on passes.

At LRP historically Audi permits Front and Back straight. They also have a "wheels straight" rule except for instructors, and are moving the solo students into "after the apex" passing.

This results in the student settling the car after the downhill, pointing by, and there is a mad rush while a couple or three cars try to get by on that really short straight. It's obviously worse on the back straight.

With the use of the turn signals, By the end of day 2, turn signals went on at the top of the hill before the turnin, and passing was setting up through the downhill - NOT thru the apex, but setting up. Many more cars got by, and there was a real flow as the first car overtaking moved over with the blinker on and the next car in the train passed, etc. Very smooth, and we got 5-6 cars by. The "train" problem went away nearly 100%.

I'm not suggesting we convert, however this worked, it worked well, and although some of the arguments National Audi made are downright silly, I feel it is not at all unsafe. It was a real help when I had my side net up dicing with the Porsche's.

[breakaway500]

Anything would potentially work to signal other drivers.

You could launch red or blue balloons out your window to signal left or right passes as well.

You could text the car behind you instructions too.

Or maybe mandate a giant neon arrow sign on all roofs...

My argument is if someone is going to learn to use a race track that they should learn how to use hand signals, which is racing lingo.. like 99.999% of track drivers use every day.It works..it's universally recognized, and easy to apply for every kind of vehicle in existence.

I honestly do not understand WHY point bys are considered too difficult for people to learn; therefore lets invent something completely different. It's a "solution" to nothing.

[jeffw]

One of my concerns is that one or two clubs teach 'turn signals', when those drivers decide to branch out to other clubs that use traditional arm signals, the drivers will be quite lost.

[Mick]

It's a "solution" to nothing.

Yep!

[cmm3]

To me it seems to be an way to make it he easy for a novice driver to trivialize the significance of being on a track traveling at double digit speeds with other drivers depending on what you're doing. Most cars that make their way to the track have traditionally been standards so taken a hand of the wheel IMO is not a factor. Relying on an electrical / mechanical system to communicate is just asking for trouble when a hand signal is 100% reliable. There is also no potential for lame excuses when a lack of a point by or an incorrectly done point by occurs, there is only one cause driver error. Throw this idea in the trash it's garbage.