(PC) Baron's Evening Racing Club (Archive)

I feel urged to yap about this once before putting this to rest. The video does not make any decision clear on this incident as it does not discuss outside overtakes like the one I have attempted. This document (an informal but helpful resource) suggests more important to the analysis of outside overtake attempts is the corner exit, not the corner entry. The argument you make about braking points is a bit wonky, since my gallery of images below throws a gray area on the braking point real quick, and that argument would make illegal all of those cool, clean late-braking point overtakes--the ones where the overtaking driver is able to come into the picture safely before the corner entry. I will show below that I get alongside rainier just as we get to the corner so that when I get in front of him by the time we get to the apex, he is obliged to leave me some room at corner exit.

Albums are great so here's an album of images of the incident so you can follow along. Numbered points below describe what's going on in each image:
1. rainier starts braking
2. I brake just after rainier does. Take note that my braking is not "late" in any manner.
3. This is the moment I get alongside with rainier (front wheels parallel to rear wheels). Actions for me to cutback overtake or follow him through the corner would've been considerably more dangerous (required excessive amounts of braking) or just downright sloppy and cringe-worthy.
4. We are at the apex. I have safely braked not only to get alongside rainier but get my nose out in front of him! It is clear well before we get to the corner exit that rainier must give me space on said corner exit.
5. This is right before we make contact. Note without the contact I'm likely to be able to make the corner. Also consider that rainier has been aware of my presence alongside him since before the apex.
6. The contact changes the trajectory of my car so that I face this barrier and contact it head-on.

Judging from nrainier 's post, he intended to give me exactly the room I needed in 5 and 6 to make the corner but it didn't quite work out because lag, which is unfortunate, otherwise we would've had a bit more interesting final lap. Anyways, I think that's enough discussion about the incident (beyond further discussion in PMs). I'm gonna move on now.

this is the moment rainer starts braking, and from his visual position (the car on the left in pic) there is no reasonable expectation that a car is gona be next to him on the exit of the turn, and.. we all have the same braking power, he can't apply his brakes extra more than he already is in order to avoid a collision.. which means.. there was no reasonable expectation, or even possibility of him not putting you into the wall. so... if you combine these facts together.. it was really biggamer just taking too big a risk, since he's asking for a safety maneuver from rainer thats both impossible, given braking and turning power already maxed, and unreasonable, given the timing. it's not much different than a last second dive bomb and expecting the front car to instantly change their racing line to make space for an inside car that arrived too late in the situation to reasonably expect it.

I had a long chat with Rainier and I think there is fault on both sides, which is what I told him -- but only if we go by that footage alone -- since this has some lag, I think this ultimately is a racing incident. Given that this is PL I would have liked it more if Rainier waited, but if someone asks me to judge that's not the best overtaking move there is, either. The defensive line is shaky but up until the apex the attacking car has no claim, and while at the apex unarguably the attacking car has lead, by the exit I doubt it would be a lead that could be kept.

TLDR I would have preferred if rainier waited but in the end I think it's just a racing incident. There is no claim to outside line entering the corner and at the exit there isn't much claim, just that at the apex the attacking car is at front. My suspicion is without the lag, the cars would have been more or less side-by-side by the apex or perhaps the defending car little up ahead, which you can tell from jerky acceleration of the defending car.

But really next time the footage should only come forward when both parties agree, or at least when people who were involved all had a look + event host if necessary. I think everyone was civil and constructive in their assessments despite the fear I had from that video being public, which is good.

Thanks for you opinion man. Cheers.

They should play tennis to decide who is right, it's the only fair way

Always be safe at train crossings