Baltimore ALMS: FUBAR

Here's an idea for the United Sports Car Racing series if the new Grand-Am management wants to tinker with rules: ban street racing.

All street races are disasters.  Many street races are unmixed disasters.  Baltimore was FUBAR.  Five GT cars and two P2's were taken out at the start.  When a car gets turned in a narrow concrete canyon at the start (as a P2 car did), it's bowling pins from then on.  The remainder of the mishaps, which were frequent, were magnified into mini-disasters by the concrete canyons.  If it could happen, it did. Baltimore wasn't a race, it was a demolition derby.  This kind of crap has no place in front-rank sports car racing.

There was a time when Dyson Racing was an admirable organization.  It was competitive, and, after its Porsche 962 IMSA days, always looked for technical advantages through design engineering.  Rob Dyson's pit interviews were interesting and informative.  The team is now an embarrassing self-parody.  After the last couple of seasons generally, and Baltimore in particular, Chris Dyson wins my Paul Tracy Memorial A-hole Driver Award.  He caused the starting line wreck, did the same thing on the restart, was penalized, feels wronged, and will protest.  We need a "three strikes" rule for drivers like him.  First strike: a one-race suspension.  Second strike: a half-season suspension and forfeiture of driver championship points.  Third strike: competition license revoked for a year.

Sunday (09/01) update: The IndyCar race was as ridiculous, in more customary ways.  And Baltimore's IndyCar contract is has not been renewed at this point.  There's a no-brainer for IndyCar...