>
>>This is not meant to be sarcastic, I truely do not
>understand
>>how all the route detail is important logistical
>information,
>>other than for a competitive advantage.
>
>1) Plan for contingencies if the car brakes down
>(technicians). Service roadbooks (when provided) rarely, if
>ever, give instructions on how to get to the start or finish
>of stages. Even if one can divine that from the service
>roadbook, having a map allows the technicians to take the
>route path to the stage.
Agreed, see above, better maps are required at the events. Sno*Drift has good maps - either free in the Spec Guide or buy a county map for a dollar.
>
>2) Plan for contingencies if the car brakes down (crew).
>The maps provided in roadbooks are typically photocopied b&w
>notebook paper and nearly impossible to read. Given the stage
>details, we can make detailed maps of the area on-line and
>print out. If we have a problem that renders us
>uncompetitive, but still able to drive, this allows us a way
>to verify whether there is a quicker way back to the service
>area.
Agreed, but once the car is done, with a good map it will only take a minute or two to figure out the plan of action, so no need to plan for every possibility, you just need the right tools to ensure you have the right info if you need it -- better maps at the event are needed for competitors and crews.
>
>3) Route verification. It allows the co-drivers to verify
>whether similar or the same stages are being run as last year,
>which allows for better planning of fuel consumption and tire
>choice.
This is the reason stage notes were brought here, to equilize the past and future. Is it an unfair advantage for a team with history to compete with a new team? Stage notes were sold to us to level the playing field between those with lots of experience on the same roads and those with none. I'll side with the level the playing field theory, it is unfair for those who have been to the event many many times to have all the details becuase it gives them a much better perspective than a new team. There is no way to eliminate the inherent advantage of experience and specific experience but we can at least provide the same amount of information accross the board, even if that means keeping some info "secret" until the week of the event.
>
>By the way, what do you mean "other than for a competitive
>advantage"? Giving co-drivers the same information they get
>at other world-class events allows the co-drivers to provide a
>competitive advantage to their team. That's the whole point
>of competing, is it not?
See above, it is a competitive advantage to the more professional teams, who have more infrastucture, to have more information. You have more time to utilize it, and more resources to exploit it.
If everyone shows up and knows nothing about the roads their is no, or at least less competitive advantage.
>- Christian
>
>Bjorn Christian Edstrom
>
www.christianedstrom.com