LA 2000 PRO Racing Series in the Streets of Los Angeles
July 14-16, 2000
"NSX-Files Spy Cam Uncovers Timing Scandal"
(So who was really faster at the LA 2000, Doug or Wayne?)

Okay, so I have been enduring for the past week having to listen to Wayne talk about how he was so much faster than me at the LA 2000 PRO Racing Series Race.  I told him that this is NOT true, that he got really lucky on the mandatory 3 minute pit stop.  The procedure is suppose to be:

1.  As soon as you get into the pits, the stopwatch starts ticking.

2.  You park in front of your pit until 2 minutes and 30 seconds have gone by.

3.  Then slowly proceed to pit exit, until the timing guy lets you out when his stop watch hits the 3 minute mark.

Instead, by my calculations, Wayne got out much earlier than I did.  And, I have the proof, in all the gory details, in four pictures:

Exhibit #1,  Wayne turning into Pit Exit for the start of his pitstop

In Exhibit #1, we see Wayne's car (yellow arrow) making the turn into the pit area.  Note the time on the SpyCam is 42 minutes, 38 seconds.

Exhibit #2, The NSX pulls into the pit area 5 seconds later

In Exhibit 2, we see the NSX pulling into the pit area at approximately the same spot where Wayne turned in.  Note the time is 42 minutes, 43 seconds.

Exhibit #3, We have Wayne pulling OUT of the hot pit area

In Exhibit #3, the yellow arrow points to Wayne's car which is rolling out onto the track.  He passed the timing guy (red arrow), and is about five feet from where the standing yellow flags are being held.  Time is now 45 minutes, 15 seconds.   Uhhh.....Hey, Wait, let's do the math:

In pits:    42 minutes, 38 seconds
Out pits: 45 minutes, 15 seconds

This calculates in my mind to be 2 minutes, 37 seconds.  He gained 23 seconds on his pit stop, AND thus exited in front of the pace car.

Exhibit 4:  I am exiting the hot pit area on the track, and I wave to the flag guy

In Exhibit #4, I am leaving the pit area (I just started to move, MPH =1), and as soon as I get out, I am BEHIND the pace car.  My time in was 42:43 or so, and my time out is 45:38, which is 2 minutes and 55 seconds for my pit stop.  But they could have measured the start time as soon as they same me come around the turn, which accounts for the five second discrepancy. 

In conclusion, by a stroke of luck, Wayne gets out of the pits about 23 seconds earlier than he should have, makes it in FRONT of the pace car.  And that was why he beat me.  Of course he will dispute this, and say that's the breaks you get in racing, and that I should have shut down his pass on the first lap in turn 2, and then I would not be 2nd into the pit stop after him, I would have then made it in front of the pace car, not him.....

Any any event, we know how we are going to settle this once and for all.  Next year, at the LA 2001 PRO Racing Series Event!