# Standing start > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Standing_start > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Standing_start.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_start > Source revision: 1327390447 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Type of start in auto racing events}} {{refimprove|date=February 2016}} [[File:2009 Malaysian Grand Prix start (cropped).jpg|thumb|A standing start during the [2009 Malaysian Grand Prix](/source/2009_Malaysian_Grand_Prix).]] A '''standing start''' is a type of start in [auto](/source/automobile) [racing](/source/auto_racing) events, in which cars are stationary when the race begins (different to the [rolling start](/source/rolling_start), where cars are paced). Some categories of [land speed record](/source/land_speed_record) also require a standing start, although the absolute land speed record uses a '''flying start''', where the vehicle has reached its top speed by the starting point of the timer.{{cite web |title=Official List Of World Speed Records Homologated By The FIA In Category C |url=https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/basicpage/file/Category%20C_0.pdf |publisher=FIA |access-date=9 April 2023}} ==Procedure== In a standing start, cars are completely still but with their engines running when the signal is given to start the race. This is often preceded by a set number of lights. Standing starts are common in many [motorsports](/source/motorsports), including most single-seater ([Formula 1](/source/Formula_1) and [Formula 2](/source/FIA_Formula_2_Championship) notably), Touring Cars (most notably [British](/source/British_Touring_Car_Championship) and [World](/source/World_Touring_Car_Championship) Touring Cars), [drag racing](/source/drag_racing), the [Supercars Championship](/source/Supercars_Championship), [kart racing](/source/kart_racing), and many types of short-course [off-road racing](/source/off-road_racing). In a typical standing start, the [formation lap](/source/Parade_lap) takes place, giving time for team personnel to get clear of the starting grid and back into the pit boxes. Once the formation lap is over, all cars position themselves in the order that they qualified, and the Medical Car positions itself behind the pack. Once the Medical Car is in position, a light system consisting of five lights will be shown, and in the process, a marshall walks or runs across the grid while waving a green flag to signal that all cars are correctly positioned. After a predetermined number of seconds, the lights go out, and the race is underway. However, first-lap crashes are common.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} American-based series such as [IndyCar](/source/IndyCar), [NASCAR](/source/NASCAR), and [SCCA](/source/Sports_Car_Club_of_America) have traditionally utilized rolling starts. During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the [IndyCar Series](/source/IndyCar_Series) adopted a rule for standing starts on a trial basis for selected events.{{cite web|last=Glendenning|first=Mark|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108699|title=IndyCar updates 2013 standing start procedure|publisher=[Autosport](/source/Autosport)|date=July 9, 2013|access-date=2013-10-01}}{{cite web|last=DiZinno|first=Tony|url=http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/01/grand-prix-of-indianapolis-set-for-may-10-2014-on-revised-course/related/|title=Grand Prix of Indianapolis set for May 10, 2014 on revised course|publisher=[NBC Sports](/source/NBC_Sports)|date=October 1, 2013|access-date=2013-10-01|archive-date=October 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006020332/http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/01/grand-prix-of-indianapolis-set-for-may-10-2014-on-revised-course/related/|url-status=dead}} IndyCar dropped the procedure after the 2014 season, due to numerous start aborts and a start-line crash at the 2014 [Grand Prix of Indianapolis](/source/IndyCar_Grand_Prix).{{cite news|last1=Olson|first1=Jeff|title=IndyCar eliminates standing starts in 2015|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motor/indycar/2014/12/02/indycar-double-points-races-in-2015-rules-changes/19782467/|access-date=11 October 2017|work=[USA Today](/source/USA_Today)|date=December 2, 2014}} ==Le Mans== [[File:1949-05-29 Coppa Intereuropa Monza start, Ferrari Maserati.jpg|thumb|The Le Mans-style start of the 1949 Coppa Intereuropa, held at [Monza](/source/Monza_Circuit)]] [[File:DSC03817-Le Mans Classic 2018.jpg|thumb|Le Mans-style start at [Le Mans Classic](/source/Le_Mans_Classic) in 2018.]] A [Le Mans](/source/24_Hours_of_Le_Mans)-style start was used for many years in various types of motor racing. When the start flag dropped, drivers had to run across the track to their cars which were parked on the other side, climb in, start the car, and drive away to begin the race.{{cite web|url=https://www.lemans.org/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-ickx-marches-to-victory-at-the-1969-edition/52586|title=24 Hours of Le Mans – Ickx Marches to Victory at the 1969 Edition |publisher=[Automobile Club de l'Ouest](/source/Automobile_Club_de_l'Ouest)|access-date=2019-10-02}} thumb|left|Cars starting from "launch point" at the 2013 EFRA European 1:8 IC Off-Road Championship. Such starts were unsafe, with drivers usually postponing the donning of safety equipment such as seat belts and not checking their vehicles in order to drive as soon as possible. Drivers also ran the risk of colliding with other vehicles as they took off. Britain's [RAC](/source/Royal_Automobile_Club) prohibited the use of the Le Mans start in English racing in late summer 1962 for this reason.{{cite magazine | ref = IMS10 | title = Från skilda fronter |trans-title=From different fronts | page = 30 | language = sv | editor-last = Björklund | editor-first = Bengt | location = Lerum, Sweden | magazine = Illustrerad Motor Sport | number = 10 | date = October 1962 }} In 1969, [Jacky Ickx](/source/Jacky_Ickx), who always considered this type of start to be dangerous, decided to walk to his car instead of running. Taking the time to secure everything made him effectively start in last position; however he still went on to win the race. Minutes later, [John Woolfe](/source/John_Woolfe) died after crashing in the first lap at the Maison Blanche curve, as he did not fasten his seat belt prior to taking off. Both incidents led to the running start being abolished the following year. As a result, they are no longer used in any motorsport except for endurance [motorcycle racing](/source/motorcycle_racing), such as the [Suzuka 8 Hours](/source/Suzuka_8_Hours) and the [24 Heures Moto](/source/24_Hours_of_Le_Mans_(motorcycle_race)), bicycle endurance races, and (due to their vulnerability to [flameout](/source/flameout)s), in nitro powered [radio-controlled](/source/Radio-controlled_car) racing, except when they are held above the ground until race start by their mechanics.{{cite web|url=http://www.ifmar.org/pdf/rules/ifmar_wc_8th_track_2013.pdf|title=IFMAR 1/8th I.C. Track Racing and Technical Rules|publisher=[International Federation of Model Auto Racing](/source/International_Federation_of_Model_Auto_Racing)|page=11|access-date=2014-12-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101231613/http://www.ifmar.org/pdf/rules/ifmar_wc_8th_track_2013.pdf|archive-date=2014-11-01}} thumb|Land rush start (2010). A Le Mans start variation called a "land rush start" is used at [short course off-road races](/source/Off-road_racing) at [Crandon International Off-Road Raceway](/source/Crandon_International_Off-Road_Raceway), where the vehicles start lined up side-by-side on a wide part of the track. The "land rush start" is based on the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans start, and is used in historic races at Le Mans in some situations.{{cite web|url=http://www.off-roadweb.com/tech/0402or_corr_off_road_racing/index.html|title=Land-Rush Start Sets Tone for High-Speed Weekend|last=Blumer|first=Kevin|date=February 2009|publisher=Off-Road magazine|access-date=2010-03-01}} However, unlike the true Le Mans start, engines are already running and the drivers are already sitting behind the wheel, wearing their [safety belt](/source/safety_belt)s, when the starting signal is displayed.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} A second variation is used in the endurance races at Highlands Motorsports Park in New Zealand that integrate the Le Mans start and the Land Rush start for multiple driver races. The primary drivers are in their cars at the start on pit lane, with the engines running, with each car having a flag attached to the rear of the cars. Co-drivers are positioned about {{convert|250|m|ft}} from their cars in uniform with a marshal next to them, lined up in qualifying order of their cars. At the signal from a [starting pistol](/source/starting_pistol), the co-drivers make the run from the start line to their cars, pulling the flag from their car once they reach their respective cars, with the primary driver then moving the car only after the flag is pulled. Drivers must stay at pit speed limits until they exit pit lane.{{cite web |title=Highlands’ unique endurance race start back for 10th Anniversary 6 Hour Enduro |url=https://www.highlands.co.nz/news/highlands-unique-endurance-race-start-back-for-10th-anniversary-6-hour-enduro |website=Highlands Motorsports Park |access-date=2025-05-20 |ref=Highlands}} ==Safety and precautions== The alternative to a standing start is a [rolling start](/source/rolling_start). Standing starts are often deemed safer in Formula sports, due to the higher acceleration speeds, which could cause problems if a rolling start were used, based on the speed of the safety car and regulations regarding the start (some forms of motorsport are strict on when cars may accelerate after the safety car enters pit lane—some do not permit acceleration until the cars are near the start line at starter's orders). A standing start can cause problems, however, such as stalled cars being hit by drivers who start behind them on the grid. [Riccardo Paletti](/source/Riccardo_Paletti) was killed in just such an accident at the [1982 Canadian Grand Prix](/source/1982_Canadian_Grand_Prix). Another example was the [2007 Champ Car Mont-Tremblant](/source/2007_Champ_Car_Mont-Tremblant), where multiple cars stalled on the start, resulting in a safety car{{clarify|date=August 2023}}. Motorsports using standing starts usually penalize drivers who "jump the start" by moving before the lights are extinguished.{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} ==See also== * [Rolling start](/source/Rolling_start) ==References== {{reflist}} Category:Motorsport terminology Category:Sports techniques --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Standing start](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_start) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_start?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.