While no expert, it seems obvious to me that folks don't understand what a blue flag means.

It DOES NOT mean 'get out of the way!' It means, in essence, 'be predictable--you're being overtaken.' In fact, the OVERTAKING CAR is responsible for avoiding an accident.

That said, if you're way back in the pack and the leaders are catching you, you really should make it easy for them to pass.

But the racing is hot and heavy and some guy behind you is overtaking, you DO NOT have to pull over and let him pass. You MAY hold your racing line, and HE must avoid sticking his nose inside you on sweapers or at slow corners. Indeed, he can't pass on the inside UNLESS he has a subtantial overlap (his nose is visible to you) before the turn in point.

And yes, you CAN take an inside line to make it hard for him to pass. And yes you CAN make one blocking move on a straight away (but only one). Unless of course it the leaders blowing past you.

And if you're hit from behind HE is the jerk, wrecker, ****, etc...not the driver of the car being overtaken.

At least that's my belief. And like all my other beliefs, this one is subject to revision too, if someone can convince me I'm wrong.

Thoughs?

Thoughts? :P

I agree with this, personely I let groups of peeps pass me under blue flag, specialy when I've just joined and left the pits.

Sadly, most of the super fast people see blue flags as get out of the way :/.

Quote from fragile_dog :

Sadly, most of the super fast people see blue flags as get out of the way :/.

I guess that's because most of the fast people are there in front fighting for the box and each second lost behind a driver getting a blue flag lowers their chance of winning. It really is iritating for me when I(for example) catch up to the leader and am slowed down in a corner by someone who gets a blue flag - as if all the effort and increased tire wear went to waste.

It happens in real racing, tis just a hazard really. You can't expect say someone in 10th place to just pull aside for the leader, when that person is also racing others (say 9th place..)

According to MSA regs you can't make a blocking move or drive defensively under a blue flag. Other than that a worth while post, did you see this thread on the same topic?

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=10324

though youve made a good point, its just true that some people do not really care about the blue flag, no matter what their told.

Quote from kamkorPL :

as if all the effort and increased tire wear went to waste.

Sure thats bad for you in that situation, but these are the rules.
I for myself drive until a overtaker comes near me and stays near enough to even get the chance of getting aside me.
Because sometimes these overtaking cars get there and suddenly disappear due to a mistake.
sad for them, true, but i find it kinda funny, (not perfect either, BUT) if you stress someone in front of you, say the 4th place, and you don't overtake, stay behind her/him, and wait till you can say if it's a bold driver with "nerves of steel" or makes a mistake...
it happenens quite often to me too, and i like these little psych-games, it's like that driving "door to door" at unsave velocitys.

regards

I have never seen anyone in F1 make a defensive move while under the blue flag. I would be upset when someone attempt to do that if I was about to lap them.

Like someone else said, blue flag means you're being overtaken so drive predictable and make it easy for the person to pass. You can move off the line if the person is still coming up on you, but its often best to stay on your line and if possible lift off the gas (do NOT brake).

• If its a straight and its a blue flag

1. I expect someone to move out of my way
   
2. I move outof others way

• if its a series of easy corners

1. I expect someone to either a)move out wide or to stay on line, and let me make the move
   
2. I move out wide to allow them to stay on course

• if its sharp corners or a harpin

1. I expect someone to DEFINATLY move out wide or to just get off the racing line
   
2. I move off the racing line, to a side which is appropraite for the corner

(but im such a 1337 dude, i rarely get blue flags )

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

if its sharp corners or a harpin

1. I expect someone to DEFINATLY move out wide or to just get off the racing line
   
2. I move off the racing line, to a side which is appropraite for the corner

omg.. there is NOTHING worse than having someone under blue flag go through a fast chicane (ei: FE Green) go.. really slow and then you come onto them so fast you .. screw yourself (literally) into them

I read somewhere, that blue flag means, let the car behind you pass, because he is a lap (or more in front) and do it in a way, that the overtaking car does not have to slow down to overtake you. But yes it does not mean "GET THE **** OUT OF THE WAY". Im not sure if Im right, but I think in real life the car getting blue flag has 3 corners to let the car behind pass. But as far as I can say, in LFS the blue Flag is shown really early, so that if you are not that slow, you have plenty of time, to find a good spot to let him/her past.

I'm by no means a fan of regulations written by the FIA, but appendix H of the 'International Sporting Code' (which covers F1) has this to say on blue flags:

"d) Light Blue flag:
This should normally be waved, as an indication to a driver that
he is about to be overtaken. It has different meanings during
practice and the race.
At all times :
- A stationary flag should be displayed to a driver leaving the pits if traffic is approaching on the track.
During practice :
- Give way to a faster car which is about to overtake you.
During the race :
- The flag should normally be shown to a car about to be lapped and, when shown, the driver concerned must allow the following car to pass at the earliest opportunity."

For me, it just takes a little common sense. If the car being shown the blue flag isn't quicker, they should minimise the delay to both themselves and the car catching them by selecting a sensible place to allow the car past, with no sudden line changes or speed changes. If they are truely quicker, they'll soon 'shake' the blue flag. If they get shown the blue flag for a full lap in LFS, there's a good chance they're holding someone up. Even if they think they're 'as fast', they will usually be slowing the lapping car. Quick 'backmarkers' should be allowed to wait for the lapping car to get close before being expected to allow them to pass. I disagree with backmarkers racing the leaders or blocking the leaders, although the views on this seem to vary quite a bit between different racing diciplines (oval racing seems to be less strict with backmarkers as F1, for example)

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

• if its sharp corners or a harpin

1. I expect someone to DEFINATLY move out wide or to just get off the racing line
   
2. I move off the racing line, to a side which is appropraite for the corner

Club racing tends to be fairly clean compared to proffesional racing on the whole but I can count several accidents (mostly big ones) that have happened when people try to lap cars at harpins, and accidents involving lapping cars usually end up with the faster driver getting a good bollocking from the clerk of the course. Thankfully IRL common sense and general value of life means even the hardest chargers think twice about making moves on fast, dangerous places.

Quote from Tailspin :

And yes you CAN make one blocking move on a straight away (but only one).

Uhm, I disagree with that. Most major series have in their blueflag rules that the flag means "hold your line, faster car(s) coming through." You do NOT have the right to block a leader coming to lap you when you are shown the blue flag.

It's worth noting that (apparently) because of the algorithm LFS uses to determine whether a driver is shown the blue flag or not, a lapped driver can be shown one right after he passes a slower driver in front of him. This does not mean he must yield if he continues to drive faster.

I just mention this because an incident like this happened to me where the slower driver complained after I passed him that I had a blue flag.

--
Rob

I believe the explanation of the blue flag in the first post is just plain wrong.

The blue flag has absolutely nothing to do with passing when on the same lap and therefore the normal racing rules do no apply.
Normally, the leading car is allowed 1 blocking move on a straight and if overtaking someone you need to get enough overlap before the corner.

Now since the blue flag means that you are being lapped, you are not allowed any blocking moves at all on a straight and you should ideally (if it's possible of course) make way BEFORE a turn. And yes, I do believe the car blue flagged must make way.

The blue flagged driver is NOT allowed to actually race with the cars behind him, in the sense of making passing attempts and blocking moves or putting pressure on the drivers on other laps than him, because it interferes.
It would not be fair in the event that, for example, a friend of the blue flagged driver is running in 2nd place and the blue flagged driver "helps" him by slowing the 1st placed car down. That would not make sense, and that is why the blue flagged driver cannot make a move.

Now that said, since we are racing in a virtual world, some common sense must be put in there. For example, if you join mid-race and it happens that out of the pits there is a guy behind you who is 3 laps further and you get blue flagged, but you are actually faster than him, just continue driving in front of him since being faster you should not interfere with the racing.

In the real world, being faster or slower is the cause of the blue flag. Everyone starts the race at the same time and the slower cars eventually get lapped and get blue flags to show them they have to let the cars lapping them pass them.

sorry i'm colour blind, you put out a blue, I see red and start foaming at the mouth.

Sorry for not taking the thread too seriously, give me a few more days and i'll be ready for another blue flag thread.

What amases me is the thought process that leads to somebody thinking a motor racing forum would not have thought to discuss this previously...

I mean there's not using search, and there just out right avoiding it...

Thread merge?

Whisper - sounds good to me.

Quote from Tailspin :

And yes, you CAN take an inside line to make it hard for him to pass. And yes you CAN make one blocking move on a straight away (but only one). Unless of course it the leaders blowing past you.

Sure, you can block all you want

Then they give you a black flag

Last time I checked in the F1 rulebook you had to let them through in before you get shown a 3rd blue flag.

Quote :

Club racing tends to be fairly clean compared to proffesional racing on the whole but I can count several accidents (mostly big ones) that have happened when people try to lap cars at harpins, and accidents involving lapping cars usually end up with the faster driver getting a good bollocking from the clerk of the course. Thankfully IRL common sense and general value of life means even the hardest chargers think twice about making moves on fast, dangerous places.

Just saw this and thought I would add that during a club level race I broke 3 ribs passing a backmarker around the outside... It somehow seemed rellevent to mention . He got to see the clerk of the course btw - What I got from the stewards was pieces of my kart back which where found scattered at various parts of the track .

was your kart made from spaghetti?

i think backmarkers have a responsibility to be aware of leaders behind them and let the leader pass as time efficeiently for both the backmarker and the leader as possible.

Quote from Tailspin :

That said, if you're way back in the pack and the leaders are catching you, you really should make it easy for them to pass.

Agree with you.
It doesnt mean "Get out of my way now" but "pls let me pass as soon as possible." Also: Being lapped is not an easy situation though. Always having an eye who is cathing up behind me keeps busy.

I'am not sure this is the correct way but when I get hit with a blue flag, I usually let off the gas, break softer and a bit more earlier before the corner, stick to the left, and/or tell them to go ahead and pass me. Would this be ok?