Say NO to CCTs

Let's talk about the CCT segment in trackdays.

CCT stands for "Circuit Component Test". It's an euphemism for an unsanctioned race, usually organized at the club level. The problem is that Sepang cannot conduct races without authority since it is bound by FIA rules and regulations which are very stringent. However component testing is allowed. In component testing, one or more vehicles are allowed on track, and timekeeping is permitted. Thus a "CCT" is exploiting a technicality in the rules.

CCT participants commonly cite the thrill of "the chase", "driving their best under pressure". They claim the adrenalin rush makes trackdays interesting, and is the ideal platform for showing their skills and machines.

What a load of crock.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's just a bunch of people with big egos out to prove that they're "the best" (whatever that means). What's worse is that the car clubs are fueling the fire by going out of their way to make CCTs a point of attraction.

Today in Sepang, there was a car which left oil on 11 out of 15 turns. After hitting one such oily patch, a driver lost control of his car and ended up in a gravel trap. Scrambling out of the stricken vehicle, he tried to warn oncoming traffic about the danger, only to have another car coming his way at high speed. The second driver also lost control of his own vehicle and subsequently slammed into the former. Fortunately the first dude dived for cover and managed to escape with his life.

This is fun?

This is not an isolated incident. Over the past several years bad wrecks have become a common sight at track events. In the purest sense an oil spill would put even the best driver to the test; but in a CCT, one's better judgement is easily impaired by the "red mist" and rivalry. If someone isn't trying to beat someone else to the corner, then maybe, just maybe, he could've seen that safety marshall frantically waving that yellow flag and slowed down to avoid the crash.

It's one thing to lose control and crash when one is trying to improve one's driving ability, but is well-prepared and willing to take the risk. It's quite another thing altogether to be maimed or even killed by someone who is not qualified to drive his vehicle at eleventh-tenths.

Which brings us to this observation. Most of the drivers taking part in a CCT have no business participating in a race at all, because:

a) they lack the necessary skills to control their vehicles at the limit
b) they do not possess the knowledge to bring their vehicles back under control
c) they have no respect for the rules of racing
d) they have even less respect for the well-being of their fellow participants

CCT junkies aside, the car clubs, and Sepang International Circuit itself have a moral responsibility of ensuring the safety of everyone. And by allowing CCTs to go on unchecked, surely some of the blame must lay at their feet. It is my wish that it should not take a serious injury, or fatality, to make everyone involved come to their senses.