What's the deal with Time Attack?

"AntiSpeed" (AntiSpeed) 03/14/2018 at 18:54 • Filed to: None

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I was just watching this video about them. There’s some awesome cars, but they just do practice and qualifying sessions and go home? Why not race them wheel-to-wheel?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 18:56

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As someone who wants to do time attack eventually, because faster cars + proximity = brown pants.

Basically, I’m a wuss.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 19:03

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James Houghton is also a hell of a driver too.

His new set up looks soo good.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 19:05

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It’s just trying to set the fastest lap time possible. Like an autocross but way faster.

chaozbandit > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 19:37

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Gridlife, outside of pure HPDE, is pure time attack. Global Time Attack is more of the same but with even higher quality builds, although at some events like M1 Concourse they do 1v1 knockout brackets.

CSCS (Canadian Sport Compact Series) is our version of homegrown Canadian time attack although we only compete within the province. It’s more of the same morning practice and afternoon lapping but for a few rounds they did try this idea. CSCS Max Attack, scheduled at the end of the competition day, brought together the top 2-3 cars from each competition class (street, super street, unlimited, exhibition) and put them on track for an all out, cash-price heat. What this meant was while we got some exciting racing, a lot of teams were hesitant on risking their machinery and the turnout didn’t exactly meet expectations.

Although I think the last time I watched Max Attack was back in 2016. Reality is the Unlimited cars would absolutely steam roll the slower guys, so better to keep them in their own class. Having it start as a reverse grid helped prolong the on-track action, but they still managed to blow by with ease.

chaozbandit > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 03/14/2018 at 19:41

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Like autox but with bigger oopsies.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 19:47

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I don’t get it either. Driving fast around the track is one thing, but without race craft they’re missing the whole other half of the equation that makes a driver, and the racecraft is way more fun than the driving fast for me anyway.

Back when I was willing to die in stranger’s street cars did a lot of instructing, one thing I noticed was that the time attack and lapping guys had a very different focus than road racers and/or the folks that became road racers later on. For many of them, the focus was the car and the track was a way to play with the car. Most of them were emotionally involved with the car, and I got the impression that relatively few could afford (financially or emotionally) to potentially wad the car up and walk away from it without a penny.

Road racers know, or learn, that the racing is the focus and the car is the means to that end. We all know and accept that the cars are potentially disposable, that bad things can happen at anytime, and that sometimes they will happen through no fault of our own.

Not everyone is a fighter. Driving fast is fun, but racing wheel to wheel is a different skill. Ultimately it is a more advanced form of a fist fight that plays out over a longer period of time.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > chaozbandit 03/14/2018 at 19:51

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Much bigger oopsies.

daender > AntiSpeed 03/14/2018 at 20:05

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Less chance of crashing in TT versus wheel-to-wheel. Ever volunteered at a SCCA or NASA road race? I’ve seen a few nasty SCCA crashes but I heard of a majority of a NASA Spec-944 group get taken out by a single pileup into the first corner.

Also, there’s something about throwing down the fastest lap line possible. It’s like qualifying in F1, we want to see a wild Senna-like run or a lap record get broken. There’re no excuse about traffic getting in your way, it’s down to the driver, their car, and the track.

MonkeePuzzle > AntiSpeed 03/15/2018 at 09:06

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becuase you cant set the best lap possible if someone else is crowding the racing line.

Doctor of internal combustion > AntiSpeed 03/15/2018 at 12:16

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Time attack gives you the excitement of competition without as much of a worry of destroying your car. I only do HPDE, but people I know that do TT couldn’t afford to replace the car if it were destroyed in a crash. Wheel to wheel racers typically have sponsors to help cover costs.

AntiSpeed > Doctor of internal combustion 03/15/2018 at 13:00

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That’s a good point, except I can tell you for a fact that most wheel-to-wheel racers do not have sponsors. Even in the professional levels.

AntiSpeed > MonkeePuzzle 03/15/2018 at 13:01

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True, but most racing has a qualifying session that is dedicated to 1-lap flyers. It just seems to me they’re missing out on the best part of racing.

MonkeePuzzle > AntiSpeed 03/15/2018 at 13:15

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much in the way there appears to be enthusiasts who like to buy and modify such vehicles as the Nissan Juke, there is a type or racing for everyone’s tastes. time attack is just folks who think qualifying laps ARE the best part of racing.