Pace Car and race extensions introduced at AASA events
The Australian Auto-Sport Alliance (AASA) has adopted the name of Pace Car rather than Safety Car for all its sanctioned circuit racing events.
The Pace car has been introduced by the AASA which believes the name of Safety Car is outdated, the name of Pace Car simply states its primary purpose, to set the pace.
At AASA events, the Pace Car will be utilised to set the pace and create as much green flag racing as possible.
Like a Safety Car, the Pace Car is put on track to control the field while damaged cars are recovered and on track debris is cleared.
The Pace Car can set the pace entirely at the discretion of the Event Director/Clerk of Course.
The Pace Car will play a key role in controlling the direction of the race going forward and will be driven by an experienced driver who knows what is like from the competitors position.
This can even be used to maximise the amount of green flag action during a race by considerably slowing the field down as seen at the opening round of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.
On multiple occasions the Pace Car ran at a very slow pace to allow for the race to conclude under green flag conditions.
If the race looks likely to finish behind the pace car, under special circumstances, in specified races, the AASA can run the race into an extension period, similar to a NASCAR overtime.
If the prescribed race distance has been reached whilst the field is running under caution flags or under Pace Car conditions, the AASA has the right to extend the race by up to three consecutive green flag laps.
Only one attempt of race length extension will be attempted, if another caution is thrown, the race will conclude under yellow flag conditions.
It must be reiterated that the race extension is only mandated for select races indicated before the start of the race meeting.
Marcos Ambrose – AASA Competition and Commercial Director
“At AASA, we now refer to the vehicle on track controlling the circuit environment either under full course yellows, or in preparation for a race start as the Pace Car because it does just that - it sets the pace of the field under the direction of Race Control,” Ambrose explained.
“Using the old name of Safety Car does not adequately describe the role of this vehicle.
“At AASA, we now also have a dedicated safety and recovery team. So, to eliminate any potential confusion we have decided to separate the names and make it obvious for our AASA officials and competitors on the difference between our safety teams and the Pace Car. It's part of our new communication strategy.
“The Pace Car will be driven by an experienced racing driver at all times and will have the ability to speed up and slow down at the discretion of Race Control to assist in speeding up on track recoveries and preparations for race starts.”