Safety Car (For Drivers)

Safety cars are a subject in their own right, if you are a flag wallah or an official! Without Inducing boredom the story is that until the beginning of 2004 there wasn’t a standard set of Safety Car regs. The clubs/organizers made up their own, which meant as many as 7 different sets per meeting. The MSA introduced a standard set at the start of 2004. These have now been replaced for 2009.

So that’s the background, but what is a safety car? The answer is that it is a means of neutralizing a race in the event of a serious incident without resorting to a red flag. The principle is that a safety car joins the circuit and shepherds the competitors around until the problem is resolved and then lets them lets them go again. How does this happen? I shall endeavour to explain, using the standard MSA regs.

When the clerk of the course calls for a safety car the vehicle with it’s flashing yellow light joins the circuit hopefully (but not necessarily) picking up the leader.

Simultaneously A Safety Car SC board and waved yellow flags are displayed at the startline and all flag post around the circuit, these will travel both ways around the circuit from the startline as the marshals posts pick it up.

The next part is the important part. All competitors must form a “crocodile” behind the Safety car which is travelling at considerably reduced pace. With yellow flags being displayed at each post there is no overtaking, so it is the RESPONSIBILITY of ALL competitors to catch the crocodile as soon as is possible within the bounds of safety. Obviously slowing considerably and exercising extreme caution if you pass the scene of the incident whilst catching the crocodile. Problems are often caused by drivers who see the SC boards and slow right down, sometimes to a pace slower than the safety car. This causes several packs of cars to form around the circuit, prevents marshals from working at the scene and makes a restart very difficult.

If you are behind the Safety Car and you are not the leader (I hope you are aware of this), the safety car may signal you to pass in order to pick up the leader. If this happens the recommendation above is even more important as you have a whole lap to catch up.

It is very wise to check you championship regs, and the supplementary regs for any variation on the standard MSA rules, sadly some organisations have made “alterations” in the past.

All flag posts will wave their yellow flags, so from a driver’s view you are driving through a “tunnel” of waved yellow flags. At the scene of the incident there may be double waved yellows as well as other flags where appropriate and the safety car will slow and perhaps take an avoiding route.

When the incident is resolved the safety car will turn off its yellow lights at any stage during the lap. This is the signal for a restart. As the crocodile approaches the startline there will be a green flag waved as well as green lights being switched on, simultaneously the flag posts will withdraw their yellows & SC boards and wave a green flag to indicate that the race is back on. It is against the rules to overtake before the start/finish line.

It is very wise to check you championship regs, and the supplementary regs for any variation on the standard MSA rules, sadly some organisations have made “alterations” in the past.