Passing rules for
Drivers Education Events
The main
reason DE events are so safe is that there are strict passing rules which
prevent car-to-car contact. The Prime Directive is that a slower car must
let an approaching car pass it – you must not hold up faster traffic. Here
are the rules:
1. No passing is permitted unless the
car being passed gives a passing signal. (No passing is permitted in corners
[see below for important note], unless this has been expressly approved for
Advanced Drivers at the Drivers’ Meeting.)
2. All drivers are obligated to look in
their rear-view mirrors often, and to give a passing signal to cars which have
caught up with them. If a corner is approaching soon, it is ok to delay giving
the passing signal until just after the corner. As a courtesy, the car being
passed should make it easy for the passing car by lifting off the throttle
momentarily and not crowding him as the next corner approaches.
3. The driver of the car being passed
gives the passing signal by putting his left arm fully out the window
and points with the second finger to the left, meaning “pass me on the left,”
or bends the left arm and points over the roof to the right, meaning
“pass me on the right.” (It is very
important that the signal meaning “pass me on the right” not look like the “I
am pitting” fist-straight-up signal!)
4. The car being passed stays on the
racing line. Accordingly, the passing car goes off-line. (Restating this, the
car being passed stays on the racing line and does not move to the right or the
left – do not do it; it is very dangerous. You might collide with the
passing car.)
5. The driver of the passing car is not
obligated to accept a pass invitation if he does not feel comfortable making
the pass at that moment.
At any given
event there may be minor deviations from the above – they will be explained at
the Drivers’ Meeting. Pay Attention! It could your car (or you) which gets damaged by failure to heed the rules.
IMPORTANT
NOTE: Since there is
no passing in corners, this means that a car in a turn OWNS THE TURN. Its
driver can pay complete attention to driving the turn properly, without any
concern for other drivers.