rick_bostrom
Onda Kattan Racing
A spotter does more than just help avoid physical impossibilities (two objects attempting to occupy the same physical space - very bad) but is also the link to safety information and race administration.
Big wad of cars stuck into the barrier out of sight just around turn nine? I want to know about that well in advance. You are trailing seven feet of metal tubing torn out of one of your competitors during your last "rub"? That info is good anywhere on the track, even if you are not currently visable. Track goes full yellow for a sprinkle of rain or a nice thick shiny stripe of oil? Good to know. Stunningly endowed Linda Vaughn look-alike in a tube top jumping up and down waving both arms every time you go by? I'd want my spotter to tell me where to look. Interval and rate of change to competitors, what the car feels like and how I want to change it for the next run, reminders to scan the gauges, reports of debris ......
In reality, I have found the radio can be distracting because there is nearly unlimited amounts of useful information that COULD be passed.
Big wad of cars stuck into the barrier out of sight just around turn nine? I want to know about that well in advance. You are trailing seven feet of metal tubing torn out of one of your competitors during your last "rub"? That info is good anywhere on the track, even if you are not currently visable. Track goes full yellow for a sprinkle of rain or a nice thick shiny stripe of oil? Good to know. Stunningly endowed Linda Vaughn look-alike in a tube top jumping up and down waving both arms every time you go by? I'd want my spotter to tell me where to look. Interval and rate of change to competitors, what the car feels like and how I want to change it for the next run, reminders to scan the gauges, reports of debris ......
In reality, I have found the radio can be distracting because there is nearly unlimited amounts of useful information that COULD be passed.
