Start in Front, Midfield or Rear????

[fj40]

348 Dan Wright-2nd RS
349 SCOTT WOODEN-1st RS

First Rear Start
Second Rear Start

Starting in the rear of your class is something you ask for in the registration form, and you are first or second depending of the starting spot you draw.....

Inquiring minds want to now whats your favorite starting position.... and why some racers prefer rear starts (Is it strategy, fear or a dust eating disorder).

I personally prefer 2nd or 3rd spot, to see who is dictating the pace of the race, the guys in front or the ones in the back, and front starts only if your chase crew in putting attention to the other competitors.

[Blanco]

or a dust eating disorder

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[Tazz]

#348-2nd RS

Courtesy, on our part, not Strategy, at least for the other Class 3 entries.

It's a never been raced vehicle and though we will have tested it, it is unproven for reliability from my stand point. We are using Primm as a shake down run for Baja. Expensive shake down run mind you, but that is esentially what it is. The team of drivers have a diverse back ground in differnt types of off road racing and other types of racing, but never as a team and never at this venue. Some not for 20 yrs :). It's a test of the vehicle and the team under race conditions, out of courtesy for the those that race all the time, I felt they shouldn't have to deal with our potential unforseen issues.
And if everything works as it should then, were still in the race just at the back. A finish at the race no matter what position with a lot of valuble info, and a couple of months prior to baja is a win for us, if no finish, then we still have a lot of info and time to change things prior to baja.

Dan

[straightaxle]

Boy, I sure wish we could get the Class 9's to take a rear start! Sending some very small, stock VW motored cars out in front of the V8's on a dry lake bed is slightly nuts. Some day, when we all don't have anything else to do, we should suggest that be changed. Sometimes you catch the starting line guy in a good mood and he moves the whole group up, like they did at the Baja 500.

[AngerIssues]

Well, in the interest of fun and competition, I'll throw out my two cents. Maybe my father will read and change his mind (and monkeys might fly out of my butt) :o)

Anyway, having been doing this in various vehicles a few years (and "riding" prior to driving), there really IS something to be said for starting in the rear, in certain places. San Felipe for example, is very easy to pass when they run the course clockwise... for like 20 or so miles! If you start at the back, and pass the guy in front of you, you know you have at least 30 seconds (normally) over this person. If you can finish the race, with him behind you... or if he gets around you and you just finish in his dust, you know you have him. Granted... most of our races don't come down to this - but I'd rather know where he is...than rely on crew's split-times and wonder if he's making up time behind me and I don't realize it until the finish. How frustrating would that be... have a great day, come across first, and NOT know the winner was behind you just watching your fanny. Well... it hasn't happened, so perhaps it is a unlikely scenario. Still... San Felipe, and a short race like Laughlin, I'd rather watch what is going on up front, pass who I can, and see what happens.

NOW... having said that - places like Ensenada, or Primm.... unless you have that DED (dust eating disorder), you are a bit crazy to do it, unless it is a courtesy thing (thanks for thinking of others), or a situation like Cervantes who goes to Laughlin just wanting to finish in the allotted time (but has taken 2nd!)... I can understand that. But for those who want to be competetive, starting off behind Raffo in 05 is a great example of why that sucked!! I ate his dust for probably 10 miles... not able to close to gap due to my bouncy rear-end.

One last thought - per what Moss says... if there are slower cars ahead of you, each one you pass puts another dust cloud between you and the guys behind you. If you can start up front, pass a couple of people, you are just putting speed bumps and dust out there for the others to deal with (just don't hit them (arf) when you try to pass them!

Well... that is my two cents. In case you didn't gather... my crew HATES my RS requests!

ken

[Dave G]

How frustrating would that be... have a great day, come across first, and NOT know the winner was behind you just watching your fanny. Well... it hasn't happened, so perhaps it is a unlikely scenario.

It's beyond frustrating, it tears you apart inside! - I'm pretty sure it was the 1995 B1K - Ensenada to LaPaz - It took us a little over 28 hours and 32 minutes. Our quad was the first across the finish line, but the celebration ended before Kevin got off the quad - the Court brothers started 1 minute and 30 seconds after us but finished just 1 minute and 14 seconds behind us! We lost the race and points for the year by 16 seconds!

While it sucks to lose a race by hours, it's far worse to lose it by seconds. After the race is over, you can look back and see too many places where you could've saved a second here and two seconds there..., so you beat yourself up over it for years!

[fj40]

#348-2nd RS

Courtesy, on our part, not Strategy, at least for the other Class 3 entries. It's a test of the vehicle and the team under race conditions, out of courtesy for the those that race all the time, I felt they shouldn't have to deal with our potential unforseen issues.

Great, that is a good plan, good luck to you and your team.

[Blanco]

Great, that is a good plan, good luck to you and your team.

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[retroblazer]

I have to admit it was a mistake to rear start at the 500. I ended up behind some jams that consumed hours of down time. Both Moss and Evans were able to get ahead of the major ones without getting caught. I know they had some to deal with, but not the two hour one that I was in.

[Moss2]

I have to admit it was a mistake to rear start at the 500. I ended up behind some jams that consumed hours of down time. Both Moss and Evans were able to get ahead of the major ones without getting caught. I know they had some to deal with, but not the two hour one that I was in.

I dont think starting a few minutes back had anything to do with those situations, but yeah the 500 is a race you dont want any more cars ahead of you. Lots of places to get blocked in. I still want to know how those clowns got that 7 truck upside down where they did after Mikes.

[retroblazer]

I dont think starting a few minutes back had anything to do with those situations, but yeah the 500 is a race you dont want any more cars ahead of you. Lots of places to get blocked in. I still want to know how those clowns got that 7 truck upside down where they did after Mikes.

It was the difference of getting stuck behind some 5-1600's on a hill just after the first silt beds fifty miles into the race. I lost close to a half hour while I waited for cars to take their turn trying to get up the hill.It's funny because it was exactly the same spot in the 1000 that I ended up parked on your bumper. All things being equal, I still think it is an advantage to start in front of the class. FIFO, first to the mess is first out.

[chupakabras]

if you start first, at least you know that you wont have to eat the dust of another class 3, well, that if you step hard on the gas, and the most important, FIFO, that's gonna keep hapend to our class, too many guys in the front, you only need a guy with a lot of money but no brains for off road racing,, ok ok, not neccesarly a lot of money, but enough to have a class 7 or 16-100s , right, that's what i think.

..at last baja 500, at rm 212, where the pilp up was, a few miles before that, there was a class7 ahead of us, and every 2 miles, he was on a fullstop, he climbed off his truck to talk to me, (there was no room to pass him) and everytime he said to me, THERE IS A SILT BED AHEAD, YOU HAVE TO WAIT SOME MINUTES BEFORE YOU TRY TO GO THRU.. BECAUSE THE DUST WONT LET YOU SEE WHAT'S AHEAD AND BLA BLA BLA, , well that was the way he was running the baja 500, and the funny thing was, that the other class 7, the one that was behind me, he also reached me and said to me, well he was mad with the guy infront, saying that he was scared , that they do always the same, what a loosers and bla bla bla, i was just loughing everytime because there were some times where there was room for him to pass me, he keept following me, i was able to pass the guy infront before the pilup, but the guy behind me, he pass me way to many miles after, that truck was beautifull, sound it like a trophy t.. :D