IMSA rules on Long Beach protest

UPDATE IMSA stewards have ruled on a protest filed following Saturday’s Long Beach Grand Prix, Round 3 of the American Le Mans Series. The protest concerned maximum driving times during the 100-minute race. In reviewing the matter, the stewards declared the matter to be “non-protestable", meaning the provisional results will stand. Penske Motorsports’ Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas retain their overall victory.

The total time of the race used to calculate the maximum time allowed for any driver is the posted race time, not the actual time of the checkered flag. In this case the total posted (scheduled) time is 1 hour, 40 minutes (100 minutes), so the maximum time allowed in the car is 70 minutes. To calculate a driver’s time in the car, the total time the car is in pit lane is not counted. In essence, the race clock begins for everyone at the first green flag. When a car enters the pits (for a driver change) the time for the driver currently in the car ends when the car crosses the pit entry time line. The driver clock begins for the next driver when he exits the pits as determined by the pit out time line. The time in the pits, from time line to time line is not counted for either driver when a change occurs.

04/15/07 IMSA stewards have ruled that a protest filed following Saturday’s Long Beach Grand Prix, Round 3 of the American Le Mans Series. The protest concerned maximum driving times during the 100-minute race. In reviewing the matter, the stewards declared the protest to be without merit, meaning the provisional results will stand. Penske Motorsports’ Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas retain their overall victory.

The total time of the race used to calculate the maximum time allowed for any driver is the posted race time, not the actual time of the checkered flag. In this case the total posted (scheduled) time is 1 hour, 40 minutes (100 minutes), so the maximum time allowed in the car is 70 minutes. To calculate a driver’s time in the car, the total time the car is in pit lane is not counted. In essence, the race clock begins for everyone at the first green flag. When a car enters the pits (for a driver change) the time for the driver currently in the car ends when the car crosses the pit entry time line. The driver clock begins for the next driver when he exits the pits as determined by the pit out time line. The time in the pits, from time line to time line is not counted for either driver when a change occurs.