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Block pass?
- Thread starter timtune
- Start date
There's an optimal racing line around the track - there is a best place to enter and exit a corner for the best lap-time.
If Racer One cuts to the inside of Racer Two before a turn, he blocks Racer Two from entering the turn at the optimal place. Racer Two is forced to take the turn wider/later, potentially losing speed and momentum around the corner, and also having to cover more distance since he's riding an arc outside of Racer One's line.
If Racer One cuts to the inside of Racer Two before a turn, he blocks Racer Two from entering the turn at the optimal place. Racer Two is forced to take the turn wider/later, potentially losing speed and momentum around the corner, and also having to cover more distance since he's riding an arc outside of Racer One's line.
The overall fastest way through many corners requires focusing on the acceleration out of the corner rather than outright speed into the corner. So the optimal/fastest line & speed usually sacrifices a bit of entry speed to maximize the exit speed, assuming that there is a relatively long straight section after the corner.
A block pass usually sacrifices a bit of exit speed in order to have a better entry speed, so that the pass can be made. This means that the passing rider will actually be slower exiting the corner than the rider he passed, so the "block" part of the pass is necessary to place the passing rider's bike in the way and disrupt the natural exit speed of the rider who has been passed. In extreme cases it's like a brake check. A usual side-effect is that both rider's lap times suffer as a result of the pass.
The suitability of a block pass depends on the timing of the pass and the nature of the corner. If the corner is wide and open you usually see the passing rider attempt the pass but go too deep/far into the corner, while the passed rider simply adjusts their line and blasts back into the lead on the straight.
A block pass usually sacrifices a bit of exit speed in order to have a better entry speed, so that the pass can be made. This means that the passing rider will actually be slower exiting the corner than the rider he passed, so the "block" part of the pass is necessary to place the passing rider's bike in the way and disrupt the natural exit speed of the rider who has been passed. In extreme cases it's like a brake check. A usual side-effect is that both rider's lap times suffer as a result of the pass.
The suitability of a block pass depends on the timing of the pass and the nature of the corner. If the corner is wide and open you usually see the passing rider attempt the pass but go too deep/far into the corner, while the passed rider simply adjusts their line and blasts back into the lead on the straight.
In the junior classes like Moto3, it's common for the race to break up into two or three big groups of bikes with some space in between the groups. Occasionally you will see one of the riders in the trailing groups pat their own butt/tailsection. This is a signal to the other riders in the group to "please don't block pass me, so that we can catch up to the faster group of riders ahead of us". I usually laugh out loud when I see this, because I don't think this signal has ever had the intended effect in the entire history of motorcycle racing.
Like cockblocking but with a bike
There are rules about when you can make a pass on someone. Basically, you've got to be certain that your front wheel is ahead of the other racer's front wheel before corner-entry, for the pass to be considered successful. Otherwise, you're just T-boning the rider ahead of you or using them as a berm, which can result in a penalty.
Sounds like you’ve never raced. Racing there is no set rule for passing, they can be close and uncomfortable, racing is rubbing ...Track days there are rules for passing.
There are rules to racing and penalties for breaking them, but they're more focused on any action that can be seen as a direct threat to other rider's safety, so they usually only come into play when one rider causes another to crash out. It's always the responsibility of the rider making the pass to do it safely. What "safely" means exactly is a matter of convention. The usual convention is whether the passing rider's front wheel could have been seen by the rider in front. If the rider in front had no chance of avoiding the contact because he didn't even know the other rider was making the pass, then the fault for a crash is almost certainly on the rider making the pass. This analysis obviously works a lot better in televised classes where Race Direction has access to instant replays.
Cases where passes go wrong and cause the other guy to crash are usually described as "dive-bombs" rather than block passes. By it's nature, a block pass requires the passing rider to actually get in front, while a dive-bomb implies a reckless attack, often bouncing the other guy into the weeds.
Cases where passes go wrong and cause the other guy to crash are usually described as "dive-bombs" rather than block passes. By it's nature, a block pass requires the passing rider to actually get in front, while a dive-bomb implies a reckless attack, often bouncing the other guy into the weeds.
What camera are you using ?
Yes, they were early on the breaks, especially the first guy, but that doesn’t excuse what I did.
I was later on the breaks than I should have been given the situation, I should have only gone around the first guy and I shouldn’t have been riding that aggressive at a track day.
My camera had died partway through the day so I was using a buddy’s GoPro. Not sure what it was though.
@smergy ?
boyoboy
Well-known member
lil rude but left him a wide piece of pavement on the outside lol
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