SHARE:  

WRL @ Charlotte '24

A message to our drivers

TEAM CAPTAINS - IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE ALL DRIVERS READ THIS MESSAGE ENTIRELY


Our mission is to provide the very best racing experience for our customers; blending our favorite components of pro-racing with the best parts of amateur racing in an environment where camaraderie and fun reign supreme. The last part is critical: Fun. We are of the opinion that fun must remain at the core of what we do, with competition trailing close behind. In order to meet those objectives it is imperative that everyone demonstrate respect towards their fellow competitors - on and off the track - at all times.


Please take a few minutes to review the points that will be reinforced in the WRL orientation meeting immediately following the Friday PM driver's meeting below.


We appreciate you choosing to race with WRL!

Pit Assignments


You can find the pit assignemnts at the link below. All stalls are 20' for this event.


Pit Assignments: WRL @ Charlotte Pit Assignments


NEW - WRL ORIENTATION


As part of our commitment to transparency, education and continual improvement - we will be hosting a WRL "series orientation meeting" that is REQUIRED for all driving for the first time this year with WRL (those who had to complete gear check at this race MUST attend this meeting) AS WELL AS drivers currently on probation. This meeting is also open to anyone who would like to attend. This supplement to the drivers meeting will cover what is expected from drivers in each class, endurance vs. sprint racing, a deeper dive into passing rules and an opportunity to ask questions in a smaller group. This meeting will begin IMMEDIATELY following the driver's meeting.

Charlotte Motor Speedway


Charlotte Motor Speedway's "Quad Oval" NASCAR course was built in 1960 and the Roval was added in 1971. The Roval course has seen multiple adjustments over the years with the current configuration popularized by NASCAR. The 24 degree banking encircles 17 turnes and 2.28 miles of road course that we'll be using this weekend. Charlotte has hosted legendary series such as Can Am, Indy Car, Pirelli World Challenge, IMSA and of course NASCAR over it's long history.


Charlotte's road course Roval unique in that it contains considerable elevation that adds to the character and demanding nature of the race track. Over the years mitigations have been added in the form of chicanes to slow the cars on the banking and for the entry to T1 that has us at the current 2023 configuration. One of Charlotte's defining characteristics is the tight almost "street-course" proximity of walls and barriers on the infield road course - a design element driven by the desire to utilize as much spaces as possible for the road course. The result is a surprisingly fast and flowing infield road course that offers driver's a super rewarding and demanding racing experience requiring maximum awareness, patience and caution in certain areas.


Some liken Charlotte to a "street course with elevation", this analogy checks out - there are several places where your track out area is, quite literally, a concrete wall. With this in mind we must remind drivers of the tired euphimism, "to finish first you must first finish". Anyone who has driven Charlotte in real life or even on a simulator will have learned that driving beyond your abilities here can quickly go awry. Please use Friday to gradually build speed, become familiar with the track and imparatively learn the areas that lend themselves to passing and those that do not. Driving beyond one's ability, trying to push through fatigue or attempting inopprotune passes will greatly increase the chances of an incident and as always our goal is to send everyone home with a smile and a shiny racecar and the decisions that inform that outcome lie in the hands of you, the drivers.


We mention this often, but PATIENCE and RESPECT are paramount here, the overtaking driver must be aware of the driver they're passing, where they're doing it and critically if that other driver has been given ample opportunity to see them. This is where hand signals are extremely beneficial to all, allowing passing in areas that can otherwise be difficult.



One instance of unnecessary car-to-car contact is too many, and this is why we officiate contact the way that we do. Per WRL rules, overtaking cars hold the bulk of the responsibility to complete a clean pass, but we can only hold overtaking cars to this standard IF the car being passed remains AWARE, predictable and consistent.


When being passed please stay on the racing line, use point-bys when possible and avoid, at all costs, moving "out of the way" of faster cars. This sort of unpredictability can make overtaking difficult if not impossible, and cars being passed can and will be penalized for not following this standard.


Awareness of your surroundings is absolutely required in multi-class endurance racing, and we require that drivers remain aware of their surroundings at all times. Faster cars - ENSURE YOU HAVE COMPLETELY CLEARED THE CAR YOU ARE PASSING BEFORE MOVING OVER. These instances will be ruled as avoidable as spatial awareness is a requisite skill of multi-class endurance racing.


Failure to adhere to these expectations, particularly in egregious situations, will compromise your ability to participate in this series. Driving privileges may be revoked at any time at WRL officials sole discretion. We owe this stance to the massive percentage of WRL competitors who do their very best to embrace these values.


While WRL's car to car contact statistics are typically industry-leading, we're still seeing too many single-car incidents. Please be aware of not only your surroundings and other competitors but also the limitations of your car and YOURSELF. Endurance races are not decided on the ultimate pace of a car on one flying lap. Endurance races are won by being clean, consistent and running without penalty on track or in the pits. This is not a sprint race, time trial or time attack, and the best thing you can do for yourself and your team is to hand the car off to the next driver in the same condition you started with. We have been and will continue to track solo offs, spins and solo contacts and those drivers who have multiple instances can expect to be accelerated to probation even without touching another car.


As always, I appreciate you reading this message and doing your part to uphold and build the excellent reputation that WRL has earned. We want to provide the safest, cleanest and most competitive endurance racing we can, but that relies entirely on you and your fellow competitors embracing and supporting the culture we've all worked together to build.


RJ Till

Vice President, WRL

The Golden Virtues of WRL


Patience: Endurance racing is a completely different beast compared to other forms of road racing. Most of the issues we see in race control are caused because a driver wasn't exercising one of the most important skills you can possess in endurance racing: patience. If you are in a faster car discretion is often the better part of valor. Brake a few feet earlier to follow a slower car through a corner instead of forcing your way through or attempting a last-second dive bomb. At best these dive bomb moves will slow both cars down through the corner as you drive side-by-side, at worst the few tenths you might have gained will be offset by a one-or-more lap penalty and the risk of driver probation. If you feel you are being blocked or chopped by a car ahead, do NOT take justice into your own hands or make a low-percentage move out of frustration - have your team notify a marshal and we will have the corners watch for blocking and warnings/penalties will be issued.


Unlike sprint racing, being just ahead or just behind a car (in class or out of class) at any given moment matters far less than assuming the risk of penalty for contact by making a low percentage move or blocking to keep position - especially early in the race.


Respect for your fellow racers is required. This means respecting your competitor's racing room on track, giving point-bys when possible and exercising patience as outlined above. Remember: we're all responsible for not only our own safety while racing but also the safety of our competitors and their equipment. We do this for fun, we do this because we love this sport, we all recognize the risks—but at the end of the day the most important thing is that we all go home safe to our families and friends. While WRL attracts some of the best drivers in the US and abroad, this is still an amateur series and you will encounter a variation in driver skill. Being prepared for it and reading the "body language" of cars around you is critical to being safe and successful in WRL or any amateur endurance racing series. As the driver of a faster car in GTO or GP1, understand and respect that the driver in the GP2 or GP3 car is racing just as you are, and dive-bombing to steal an apex from 100 yds back is not respecting them as a competitor. As the driver of a car in a slower class you also must show respect to the faster cars by being aware.


Please don't slow yourself down or risk your equipment by needlessly racing/dicing with out-of-class cars or when several laps down. Be aware of who you are and are not racing for position - this is partially the responsibility of your crew/teammates.

MULTI CLASS ENDURANCE RACING is a unique format that requires a unique set of skills and mindset that is much different than other forms of racing. This is a team sport, but in more ways than might be apparent.


In addition to those sharing and working on your car, you also must work together with others on track to find success. This mentality may be counter-intuitive to those more familiar with sprint racing, but we must remember that endurance racing requires a completely different mindset.


The opening minutes of a competitive sprint race require right-here, right-now moves with a linear and relatively high amount of risk taking to have a good outcome. The opening hours of a competitive endurance race should be spent turning CLEAN, consistent laps without penalty on track or in the pits. This means risk must be managed carefully the entire time and the right-here, right-now strategy must be set aside entirely.


Critically, we must consider that we have 5 distinct races in 5 distinct classes simultaneously and NONE of those races are more or less important than the one that you are competing in. Mutual respect is required at all times. This means patience from the faster cars at corner entry and in technical sections as much as it means point-bys and awareness from slower cars. Keep in mind that slower and faster doesn't necessarily associate to class.


Multi-class endurance racing is the most time-honored tradition of the sport and a format that is as old as racing itself. This environment of closing rates, traffic management and working with your competitors to get to the end is and has been a tradition of motorsport since the very beginning. We're excited to bring you that experience once again this weekend and will be available for anyone who has any questions about this format or the mentality required to succeed here.