NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN

One of the great things about racing is that you learn something every time out. Sometimes you learn something about your car, like the chatter I was experincing in a high-speed corner got worst when I increased rebound dampening when I expected the opposite (the shocks were packing up, not pogo-ing). Sometimes you learn something about your fellow competitors, like this guy always get a great start but fades mid-race. Sometimes it’s about yourself, like how you react to the heat if you haven’t stayed hydrated, or how you get faster after you’ve been passed. And sometimes you learn something about the rules of racing when you thought you knew them well. This weekend I learned that you can pass (or get passed) under the ‘White Flag with Red Cross’. I had always thought of it like the Yellow Flag, ie no passing until passing the incident, but it is just an advisory flag unless a yellow flag is flown with it (as it often is). Some clubs will only fly the Emergency Vehicle flag at the start/finish station.

White Flag With A Red Stripe Or Cross – This is an advisory flag. The white and red flag means there is a vehicle (or vehicles) on the track at non-racing speed. This could be a slow moving race car or emergency equipment (ambulance or tow truck). Should a driver approach emergency equipment on track they will be advised by emergency personnel on how and where to proceed. This flag may also be displayed at start/finish to denote that emergency vehicles are on the course.