From: jbp@rti.rti.org
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport
Subject: Little Al v. Danny Hollywood  [WAS: Re: Mario, .. Anyone home ?!?]
Date: 16 Apr 92 00:51:47 GMT
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC

In article <515@rehab2.UUCP> dans@rehab2.UUCP (Dan Schein) writes:
> Way to go Danny!   I fully feel he had the right on that turn and that
>perhaps Little Al should use his mirror a bit more.  Thats the way the
>it goes... 

Given the inevitability of a collision under the circumstances created 
by Sullivan, anything could have happened --- and, yes, that's the way 
it goes.  This time Unser lost out.  Luck plays a big role in the 
outcome of many races.  But let me show you my thinking on this 
"racing accident":

FACTS (from my memory -- I did not record this race, but the incident
was shown a few times in slo-mo.  Corrections are welcome.):
1.  Sullivan could not pull up along side Unser under acceleration
    along Seaside Drive.  (he pulled out to try to pass under braking)
2.  Sullivan could not pull up even under braking for the corner
    (his poor situation was excacerbated by the considerable bumpiness
    on the side of the track that he was attempting to pass under
    braking on).
3.  Sullivan went hard into the corner with a trajectory that was
    going to give him a late apex and take him to the outside (left)
    of the track.
4.  Unser took the (his) normal racing line.  He did not take a blocking
    line, nor did he weave.
5.  In the middle of the corner, where contact occured, it was 
    Sullivan's front of car (f. tire or wing, I am not sure) which
    made contact with Unser's rear tire.

INTERPRETATION:
Danny never had a chance to make that pass unless Little Al had: (1) gone
way off line *and* (2) not accelerated normally from the corner.  Even 
if Little Al had gone off line to avoid the collision, I am not sure 
that Danny would have had an opportunity to make a pass stick because if
Little Al accelerated normally up to the next corner (Valvoline?) -- a 
left hander -- Danny would have had to be well past Unser to stay ahead.
Another way to put it, perhaps, would be to say that Danny really had
no positional advantage over Unser, and by the way, both Galmers were 
working well and, it seemed to me, just about equally.

So what could Little Al have done to prevent the accident and still have
kept up the fight?  Well, this is really speculation, but I would say 
that if we assume that he has a reasonable feel for what the general 
situation is then he has to believe that if he doesn't make a mistake 
and doesn't get hung up in traffic, then Danny has no clean shot to get 
past.  Based on what was happening on track, it was a stalemate, and 
there appeared to be no weak spots of Little Al's nor strengths of 
Danny's.  So he keeps his racing line.  Furthermore, if you get off
the line in the braking zone for the end-of-Seaside corner, you get
into those damn bumps which will screw up your braking.  The the 
rational thing to do if you are in Little Al's situation, based on the 
circumstances of the track and the competition, is to take the normal 
line under braking and through the corner.

Now, the comment above implies that Little Al wasn't using his mirrors. 
I doubt that in a generic way. Let's face it -- he had Danny on his 
heels for several laps and he was not pulling away.  I think you watch 
your mirrors then(!).  But what about at that corner?  Could Little Al 
had taken evasive action?  The answer is not obvious, but I think the
answer is No.  If Little Al is committed to his line before he *knows* 
Sullivan is going to try to put the front of his car in, then it seems 
to me it is impossible to hold Little Al at all responsible for the 
accident.  I do not believe that Sullivan's merely pulling out of the 
slip-stream warants evasive action.  As the passing driver, you have to 
get your car up to the point where you at least have the possibility of 
passing and the liklihood of being seen in that position.  Danny did not
meet any of those criteria until just shortly before they collided. Even
at that point, he was well behind Unser on the trackand was way off
the fast racing line.  Of course at that moment in time, Little Al is 
totally committed to his line.  You might say that Little Al could have 
possibily intimidated Sullivan to staying back by taking a more blocking
(inside) line, but I do not believe that Little Al had the opportunity 
to do that in response to Sullivan's coming out of the slip-stream 
(check the tape here).  Really, this does not matter because Little Al 
cannot read Danny's mind and it is his perogative which line he takes 
into the corner.  It wouldn't be "evasive action" either, it would be a 
prediction of the future.

I don't blame Danny too much on this one, though.  He wanted to win and
he went for it.  He just could not pull it off cleanly.  It would be
interesting for him to explain how he thought he could out-brake
Little Al at that point on the track (!!).  Frankly, until the incident,
it was a heck of a great race.  But I am afraid that I have to say that 
the accident was entirely Danny's fault.  I suspect that we will see a 
change in driving style soon from Little Al  (I'll bet he is pissed off
in a big way!).  More blocking lines -- maybe some weaving.  That's
what they do in F1 and isn't that where Little Al wants to race?

OTHER SNIDE REMARKS:
If it had been Michael A. following Little Al, this would not have 
happened.  If it had been Mario behind, it would have happened several 
laps earlier.  :-)

Back to the regular programming..........
-- 
John Posthill  jbp@rti.rti.org