All yellow flags are supposed to pull down as soon as the green is thrown. If you witness delay it is usually only because of a communication delay (i.e. T8 would only know when the green is thrown through the announcement from Base Comm), then that turn's communicator tells the flaggers. One reason it's important to have flaggers and communicators within hollering distance from each other. Sure is hell being human sometimes.
I really don't disagree with T6-left being a well exposed flag location, but the reason that the flag station was moved in the first place was because of the chain link catch fencing that they put up many years ago when they replaced the armco. There was then, as there remains a lack of complete visual track coverage (entrance-exit-T7) when flagging from the ground. That hasn't changed, and actually with the new configuration it's worse that it was for visibility down to T7 & into T8. That is an important area that the T6 crew must keep covered... to be safe. Some drivers have a problem seeing the flags, some don't (I have asked around). I agree that the "Minimum Security" location is not ideal, but still better than the alternative.
Somebody have an extra Turn Station tower that we can use? There are other stations that need upgrading also.
If we had a tower built to hold 3-4 people up high enough to sufficiently cover the territory, then the station could be functional. Right now it's called Alcatraz for very good reason. It's only good for a response/safe haven as things stand. This comes from my hanging around there in Safety-Lite more than a couple times. Photographers like it too.
It's nice when we have enough people to run T5 and/or T7 too, but we haven't been able to train enough people to cover those position yet. I see more new faces, some only once, or twice, but sometimes. Keep pulling them in you guys. The safety of YOUR racing depends on it.
So, I'm not totally disagreeing with you John, but you have to get out of the cockpit and work the area to see how functional it really is in the whole scheme of what F&C must attempt. I certainly wouldn't expect anybody to consider the opinion of the previous ORSCCA Chief of Flagging and Communication of the last eight of his 26 seasons working this track. I earned my license too.
Come and look for yourselves. Enduro's coming. If you're not racing, ask Dan Wilkins for T6.
But we were talking about the pace car/Starter procedures being compatible with the views of the drivers, so I'll repeat what's been said three times already. Talk to the Pace drivers, get their take. Find out what the Starter thinks is good 'enough' for the field to get the green. If you want the best of both worlds, talk to Tim "Sterling" Stanley.
Then tell them what they will need to do to make you happy. Do it at the social Saturday night, and discuss it at the Meeting for Drivers Sunday pre-races too. Eventually something compatible will evolve.