This forum seems as close as any to approach this subject. Hopefully, Murry Chalmers and others concerned with the grid alignment for the rolling starts will visit here.

One---It is virtually impossible to get competitors to "leave an open hole" in the grid when a car drops out prior to the start or during the pace lap. I've seen that system tried in VARA for years and all I see is a miserable failure.
Perhaps we drivers are just not smart enough to grasp the concept. It's damn hard to leave one or two car lengths open on "your" side of the line up on the pace lap, mea culpa.

Two---Let's try the SCCA approach of putting a steward/marshall at pit out as the cars leave the paddock behind the pace car. That marshall simply points each car to the side of the track that he/she should line up on. Simple, effective for most cases, absent the car dropping out on the pace lap (rare, but it does happen). At that point, I guess all bets are off and we are back to the present "fill the hole" approach. At least, for most starts the grid will not have holes in it that tempt us to "fill". ;o)

Rod #130 CS Mini Cooper

My great story of B.E. with 60 cars in the group and a lot of once a year racers coming out for this event , and the cars are quite out of cadence going left or right lane and the back third of the grid is so strung out that the back 1/4 of the pack is still coming thru the esses.....if you dont have radios your sunk...either that just take a chance that there was a green flag?

I do find that if the pole sitter advises the #2 what side he wants and walks the line a few cars back that it helps. Also "pass it along" to mid-to- back cars to close up prompty and just forget trying to do a hula warming up tyres at the last minute.

End of rant.

Oops I just got caught up with this thread. The procedure is in fact to close up all holes directly in front of your position, but no changing of side to fill a hole. As to the procedure of pointing right and left, first we have nearly killed several grid marshals (we have too few to sacrifice any)trying to do that and even when we get it done, by the time our drivers complete 3/4 lap in single file warming tires way to many have now forgotten where they were told to go.
At the Oktoberfest I will be moving down the grid to give final instructions as to start procedures to each car and see if we can get things a bit tidier. Shoot, if those redneck NASCAR duds can get tight orderly starts, surely the highly intelegent VARA folk can do as well.

""""""""""""""""""""""", by the time our drivers complete 3/4 lap in single file warming tires way to many have now forgotten where they were told to go.
""""""""""""""""""""""""

Murray......your funny

Murray Chalmers wrote:...Shoot, if those redneck NASCAR duds can get tight orderly starts, surely the highly intelegent VARA folk can do as well.

Most of them are using the 'braille' method to keep 'er tight.

Someone has been watching tooooo mutch NASCAR. We have never had choise of lane. The rule has always been odd left even right. Pack up tight before the last corner and let er rip on green. We have forgotten that letting someone hold back for a jump is a NO NO. It ruins the start for those behind the offender and often causes a pile up started by the offender. In the old days a flaygrent or repeat offender was called to black flag right now. If not mannered sent home.

Bruce,

No the rule has not always been odd left, even right. Read C.3 of the rules--pole position gets to choose which side. Las Vegas for example; not many pole position folks are going to choose the left side.