The disadvantage of running ahead of schedule is when you go for lunch or take a long toilet break and the race starts without you...

Mikko if you remember 2006 when I was the Race Director for the series, I start as soon as all drivers are on the grid.The in between time is only 5 minutes between classes. At the end of the day we save close to an hour. However if there is a problem with a karter who needed the time to repair or something, then we have to start at the time stated.

I will see what can be done for the rest of the rounds.

James Leong

Alex then have the schedule tighter to begin with so you know when to take care of your no.1s and no.2s . Drivers shouldn't be going back to town for lunch and how long do drivers spend in the toilet?...lunch can still always be a set 40 minutes or whatever - just take note of when the last heat ended. KKS have a megaphone so shouting around the paddock a few times that "lunch break starts now Cadet heat 1 starts in 40 minutes" shouldn't be too much of a problem.

In Indonesia the schedule was run a lot tighter, in the Philippines the schedule was run a lot tighter.. when I raced in Finland we would never have more than 2 minutes between race heats... yet for some reason in Malaysia everyone loves to sit in the sun for 10 minutes before the start of the next race heat.

We could for example have barbeques at the track or similar if we end a lot earlier - but with race events ending at 5pm+ after spending all day being lazy at the track everyone wants to go home.

Am I the only one that enjoys it when the racing is back-to-back and there is less waiting? Do drivers actually enjoy always waiting 10-15 minutes for free practice or a race to start?




This is the way I like it.

yeh... the organisation was awesome before...there was no screwing around. I used to laugh under my helmet when 3 minutes lasted 30 seconds but the karters where made to put their hands up to show they were ready. once confirmed.. it was all go! this is how it should be. Very efficient.

as for last weekend.....

I know the weather was quite erratic throughout the weekend... though this is where quick decisons need to be made. It was clear that the organisors had trouble making decisons... but the karters were their to help the organisors... though we were ignored for unknown reasons. After all, we know what is safe and what isnt.

Many suggestions were made to make a decison for the race. One organisor said that their was a puddle that was too big on the track. Mikko suggested he do a lap to look at the track which was a good idea though it was knocked back. The puddle was after all very small.. and off the wet racing line. The day before we were sent out with crazy puddles :S

Communication is the key...and the karters put the effort in.. it feels like the organisors are more interested in eating their lunch as we witnessed whilst attempting to push decisons. Even when several club members shouted for a decison... nothing was achieved.

I personally was shivering in a wet suit, and i was hungry as well.. wondering if i should prepare for my race.. or go and get some food.. and i could do nothing about it... but watch organisors eat lunch and make a decison after.

Theres not much we can do about it. I hope that lessons are learnt from the weekend... and lets hope for efficient decisions in the future wet races

Cheers

presumably you'll be praying for rain next time after the result of the final

Anyway, I'm with Mikko on the schedule - let's make it a lot tighter to begin with. If there's problems we'll have time to finish - running behind schedule is no problem if we're scheduled to finish early. We've done a full round of RMC in a day before - remember the back to back ones we've had sometimes. So, there's a serious amount of slack in the schedule.
The closer the races are together the better. The most fun I've had is when I've enter two classes and been twice as busy as normal

A final word on organisation and comms. If the organisers and particularly the Clerk of the Course would prefer it (and support it), we could nominate a drivers rep to help make decisions and also communicate to the other drivers. We could have one rep from each class and have one of them speak to the organisers and pass the info to the others, then they pass the info on. As I hardly work on my kart, I'd be happy to offer to be the Masters/Veterans rep and take the main load of speaking to the organisers and then briefing the other reps.

the replies posted so far on this thread send a clear and loud message on the shortcoming of the race organisation at the RMC which was most evident during round 3.

Various ideas were explored, suggestions made and something ought to be done (and done quick) so as to lend credibility to the race organisation and the organisers. I am surprise though that none of the organisers have said anything on this. Or are they in the world of their own again (as at the races)

To be fair, James has commented - although he is "just" the promoter. Also, remember this is a discussion forum, with mainly the drivers and parents involved. But, we do need a voice and to be listened to - without the drivers, there's no races.

How right you are, John. It really takes two to clap a hand. No drivers no race. No officials, no organiser and no promoter also meant no race. In essence we need each other.

There are short comings and they have been noted. Changes will be done but I sincerely hope that this issue be not discuss anymore. All you points have been noted and likewise I have said what I think would be appropriate for the organiser.

I am unable to do very much during the race as KKS are still the organiser. I would not want to be seen as putting my fingers in everything. I am there at the race to ensure that Rotax rules and Technical specs are followed. However, I will convey all your points to them and would ensure that we run a tighter ship at the next round.

James Leong

I agree John that this is an informal discussion forum and I commend James for his input and the fact that he is following the feeling of the masses albeit being just a promoter. His promise to convey the thoughts of the drivers and everyone else on the forum to the organisers is very encouraging.

The sad part (and what I was trying to say) is the lack of communication and the unwillingness, on the part of the organisers themselves, to listen to the views of the drivers as well as the parents. What we saw at the track manifest itself again here although I honestly do not expect any of them to come out with any statements on the forum.

Whatever it is I fully support your idea of a driver's representative and my vote is for you to take it on. My hope is that, apart from creating a channel of communication, decision making process can be improved. That we can achieve if the organisers are not arbitrary in their approach.

Both our postings may have crossed each other, James.

Anyway enough is said and lets hope for a more enjoyable meet next month.

Hey Mikko,

I didn't manage to stay till the end of the Meet. But did you manage to get home in time for the F1 race?

I've found that KKS and others involved with the organisation/promotion of the events actually take constructive criticism extremely well - if the criticism is given to them in an appropriate manner. There are KKS people reading these forums so I'm sure they take note of the comments here as well, however we should remember that they are under absolutely no obligation to to respond on these forums, and we shouldn't think that they are trying to avoid anything by not responding. Some guys in KKS have actually told me that they are getting valuable feedback through the forums - so rest assured they are listening.

It's great that James for example is taking part in the discussions here - he has added a lot of info and filled in answers to questions that nobody else could've answered and hopefully he'll continue to do so. He also seems open to criticism because he sees it as an opportunity to either improve or clear up confusion/misinformation.

I'm interested in the idea of the driver's rep thing as well which would be one driver reporting on the issues of all the drivers - it could even be one driver from each category reporting to one or two people that then report all the issues on to the club/organiser. Of course this has to involve ALL drivers, so that everyone has a say and knows what is being discussed.

CRG Asia: I got home fairly quick and in-time for the re-start .

I guess this thread is appropriate to talk about this subject.

James, I am not implying any thing here but seek a clearer picture on how the scrutineering and sealing are being conducted in such a successful race program over the years.

There may have been issues raised and suggestions put forward in this particular area.

How did you managed them? Do you have a panel to witness the process?

Well, a good procedure is the best insurance against all unfair claims later on.

Do you care to share with us? Thanks.

Ron, I thank you for your note and would like to offer you a reply.

During the time when Mofaz was the organiser of the RMC series, engines were sealed but not checked during scrutineering prior to official practice and time trial. This was done for the purpose to make sure that the engines were used throughout the meeting. After the final the top 6 karts were subjected to post scrutineering where the engines were stripped and components checked. Any engine that does not meet with the regulations were disqualified. This procedure takes time and there were delays in getting the prize giving ceremony going as well as complaints that the drivers and mechanics were going home very late after the race meeting. At the same time drivers were complaining that they were unable to use the engine again for the next race or practice since the mechanic had to put the engine back together.

For 2007, we (KKS and Promoter) decided to follow the methods used in other countries whereby the Rotax distributor will check and seal the engines before the event. This could be done anytime from a month or two weeks or even a few days before the race meeting. During the pre-scrutineering, the engine has to be stripped by the owner concerned and if everything is in order the engine will be sealed. The seal number is recorded in a Log book and will be checked during post scrutineering. At some point in time there are about 10 engines to be checked and sealed. Various mechanics were always at hand to look at the procedures. If anyone is interested to have a look at the sealing process, they are always welcomed. There is no secret in the sealing. There were a couple of occasions where the engines were not sealed due to parts not conforming to the regulations. Until the parts were replaced the engines were not approved for use.

The 2008 season is coming soon and I would like to hear from the drivers if they want to continue the system used in 2007 or revert back to the old procedure of stripping the engines after the race. I personally have no problems with either method. I do not condone cheating and will continue to advocate this. There is no fear or favour in our method of checking.

The KKS scrutineers were trained and tested by Rotax Technical personel who came to KL in 2007. They have all undergone a test and a certificate have been issued to them by Rotax.

I would like to hear from you on this topic and would like to comment here that you should direct your questions or doubts directly to me. I would advice you all not to listen to some who are out to sabotage or disrupt the RMC series for whatever personal reasons they have. Both KKS and myself have worked very hard to bring some respectability to this series. We would like to continue doing the same.

James Leong

Personally I prefer the 2007 system - it saved a lot of time and hassle.

What we did was to bring our engines in pieces to SHAP a few weeks before the season started. They were then assembled and sealed under the watchful eyes of whomever James appointed. After that we did not have to worry until we broke the seals to rebuild the engines several months later.

Of course this did not satisfy the gripers. My standard answers to them were (i) "don't talk to me, talk to James - his organisation sealed our engines" and (ii) "our engine is for sale, pay up and you can have it immediately after the final". Strangely the moaners and groaners did not take us up on our offer but that did not stop their bitching.

.....

For 2008 I would suggest that the procedures be tightened up and made unambiguous:

(i) The sealing responsibility should be taken away from SHAP personnel and given to an impartial third party. [Please do not get me wrong - I am not suggesting that SHAP did anything wrong in 2007, but the fact that they also ran a very competitive race team made them easy targets for criticism.]

(ii) For Malaysian license holders a clear deadline has to be set for every round e.g. sealing ends at 5 pm on the Thursday before any local race. Any engine which is not sealed before then would not be eligible for that race. This would allow the scrutineers to focus on the races during race weekends without having to worry about sealing more engines.

(iii) Foreign ASN license holders would be allowed to seal their engines during scrutineering without stripping them down. Engines would be checked for conformity at any time during the race meeting at the discretion of the Race Director and Chief Scrutineer.


We just want a level playing field. What ever the rules are we would like to see them written down and strictly enforced. Any exceptions or exemptions or "extenuating circumstances" only give rise to suspicion and more unpleasantness.