Why Do We Still Use Racing Flags?
We are finishing up our series on racing flags and their meanings today.
With the advent of two-way radios, you may be wondering why racing flags are still used so much today. Most drivers today do not necessarily rely solely on the racing flags in order to be communicated with by officials; they are typically given warnings by their crew chiefs and spotters, or by yellow and red traffic lights that are often found on tracks today. So why keep using a seemingly antiquated system?
One reason why racing flags are still in use today is in the case that a radio malfunctions and the driver loses the ability to be communicated with from their crew. The flag system is the backup system for communications. In addition to this, flags have the ability to communicate to spectators what is going on in a race. Fans aren’t able to hear what’s going on inside a car, but can still see the flags from quite some distance away.
Road racing also heavily relies on the flag system as it is difficult to have spotters and crews see what is happening with a particular driver’s car over the course of long and winding roads. Race officials posted at lookouts almost always have the best seat in the house when it comes to predicting and communicating road conditions, so their expertise is still heavily relied upon to this day.
Well that’s it for our series on racing flags. We hope you’ve found it to be informational. Remember, if you need racing flags for any reason what so ever, make sure that you check out Parker Flags wide variety of different racing flags.