If the slower car has to move off line, then the overtaking driver is at a disadvantage. He has to wait until the slower driver sees him and moves over. This puts the faster driver at a disadvantage. Many times I have set up my pass coming out of a corner since I know where the other driver will be. I have run where there was not much pointing done. Slow cars just hold their line.
wbjones wrote: and even in actual races I'll still give a point a lot of times …
That isn't a "point-by" because there is no obligation on their part - if they want to go around the other side... It's just good communication among racers. I always give a wave in the mirror when the leaders come up fast to let them know I see them... but I don't always make a hole if I'm in a fight with another car. It's up to them to figure out how to get around us.
FWIW, it isn't a hopeless goal for DE either - I've been instructing with a few groups in the NE that have been opening up the intermediate and advanced groups to some new skills. Doing a bit of 2 or 3 wide thru corners and late passing leapfrog drills to get them used to the idea of "negotiating" at speed.
Faster cars...If you WANT a point by ...present yourself off line toward the side you want the point by on. Typically I'll present left of the overtaking car if the next corner is a left and this shows my intention to pass and should remind the slower car that I want by. Many times I will lay back on corner entry so that I get a better run out of the corner and after trackout present my car while accellerating to show my intent.
If you are all over there ass but 10-20mph slow at corner exit your pass will take longer and may not happen do to running out of distance. I find that changing the picture in their rearview mirrors, closing rate or moving left/right, gets their attention...
Passes should be completed prior to the 1st brake marker for the next corner.
Point bys should not just be a quick flick of one finger...Use the "Disney hand point" with all 4 fingers extended and hold it out for at least a "one, onethousand" count and one point by per car. Be clear in your communication.
Overtaking drivers should acknoledge point bys with a hand wave up inside your car. Be nice!
Check mirrors just prior to braking into corners. Do this quickly to take a snapshot of who is behind and if they are closing on you. Check mirrors just after trackout to see if the snapshot changed and point by as necessary.
Slower cars...be prepaired to only use part throttle for the 1st few hundred feet of a straight to allow passes by less powerful but ultimatly faster cars/drivers. Then follow them and learn!!!!!
If you are following a slower car but the car behind you was WAY quicker, let them by and then tag on to get the point by with them.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: The over-taken car's job is to leave room and BE PREDICTABLE. That means staying on line.
I have never done a track day in my life or received any track instruction ever. And with the question that the OP posted this is exactly what I thought is makes the most sense from a safety standpoint. At least if you assume the leading car is going to try to stay on line you generally know where they are going to be. You cant predict what is going to happen once try to drive off line.
I never thought about it like that because I never really needed to. I never had anything tangible at stake. Ive been the slow shiny happy person that tries to get out of your way while sim racing then ends up blocking you on accident. My bad.
Echoing what others have said, the slower car stays ONLINE, the passing, faster car goes off line.
In our NASA region, Rocky Mtn, even for TT we don't pass in a turn unless clear direction has been made. Either with a point by, or the slower car leaving an obvious space/line through the corner. It's TT, not racing and there should be no car to car contact at all, at any time.
I've always seen that passED car stays on line, passING car maneuvers. Usually passed car will crack the throttle a bit once the passing car makes the move, to reduce the side-by-side a bit, especially at a track with short straights or in the case of similar power levels. I have had a few cars point by as they were going offline a bit, but it was in a situation where it was reasonably predictable, like by corner exit going to a straight and they stayed a little tight to the inside to let me hammer down at track out and carry momentum into the straight for the pass. They usually pointed fairly early in those cases, too.
admc58 wrote: Faster cars...If you WANT a point by ...present yourself off line toward the side you want the point by on.
I disagree with this.
You should be paying attention to your mirrors if you are in a slower car. I was sent out many times with the "fast" group at Hallett because I can handle myself and pay attention to the other cars.
I'm in my 1.6 Miata on R888s with guys in Vette's/BOSS 302/etc on Hoosiers.
There was more than one time I had a guy in a much faster car tuck in behind me for a lap. 
Clubs that I have run with designate which side passing is done. So point byes are not critical. The most important thing is keeping aware, as z31 said.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: FWIW, it isn't a hopeless goal for DE either - I've been instructing with a few groups in the NE that have been opening up the intermediate and advanced groups to some new skills. Doing a bit of 2 or 3 wide thru corners and late passing leapfrog drills to get them used to the idea of "negotiating" at speed.
Our Nasa region (south east) has started to inject some more advanced spatial exercises for the intermediate/advanced HPDE groups. We have started sessions of just trying to negotiate with gear changes to slow yourself aka the "no brakes drill" to learn about carrying speed through corners and what to do if you actually do loose your bakes. Also a "side by side" drill where participants take turns going around the track side by side alternating left or right side of the track. I have found both exercises very useful in becoming more comfortable and aware of track position. Keep in mind these sessions are for the advanced drivers that might be considering Time trails or wheel to wheel and hopefully already have the skills of 360 degree awareness.
How ironic this came up as I was running and instructing at a PCA track today; slower car stays online, point bys on straights, in the drivers meeting they remind everyone that you must lift off the throttle when waving people past, they have also brought people in if they blatantly fail to get with the program (fortunately this doesn't happen much) My gutless little Datsun is generally sited as an example of car that is faster in corners, dog slow down the straights and 6-10 seconds a lap faster than guys in 300 - 400 hp cars. On a personal note if some guy is really plugging up the works I pull in to get some space and after the session go introduce myself to the driver.
As for the point buys what a I will say as club racer to track day participants who do not like this and it applies to most track day events, you do not wear any gear other than an open face helmet, your car has no cage no fuel cell it's not uncommon for experienced professional road racers to misread another drivers intentions and get it wrong.........new flash you can get hurt doing this.
The whole point of a DE is to give people who like to drive fast a place to run thier car without having to worrry about some RV pulling out in front of you or a tourist making a U turn right in front of you and without needing to have a race car.
I even point people by while racing because being in a small bore car in general I want you past me because you are going to be in the way mid corner. The lower powered cars are generally lighter hence the higher corner speeds.
As for being busy in a slower car; having spent spent 20yrs racing a gutless wonder production car and also having run a fast single seater, if you are racing a Miata (me), Spitfire, Datsun 1200 (me), ITB Rabbit and you can't drive the car on the limit and work out approximately where and when faster cars are going to catch up to you, either you are new/inexperienced or very likely need some coaching or should take up tiddly winks. I love momentum cars but compared to something like a Formula Mazda, D-Sports Racer or GT-1 car they are not exactly mentally taxing, again you should be able to drive them and work out traffic................ So what does this have to do with point bys at track days? Lets be honest the vast majority of track day runners, even in the advanced group, are not at the level where they can run 10 tenths and work traffic. I have run with some groups with open passing, most of the time it's not an issue but in my opinion there seem to be more guys loosing the car right after passing/being passed than I have seen at club race weekends, purely anecdotal but having also been involved from an organizing stand point do I want to see uncaged cars mixing it up wheel to wheel........not really.
Also as a former motorcycle roadracer, you only need about 14 inch wide hole to get by so passing is so much easier.
Finally I will say again DE / track day is just a chance for you to have fun with your car while minimizing as much risk as possible.......I'm OK with pulling a slide job on people in a 95 mph kink with my old Datsun but I'm pretty sure that M3 or Z06 driver won't be, especially considering like all club racers I'm going to fling rocks all over the front of your car..........do we really want this level of aggression at these events.......the answer is obviously a definitive no.
Tom
With the SCCA PDX group I instructed with we followed what the instructors - nearly all very experienced racers - know to be safest: Car giving the point-by stays on line, car being pointed overtakes safely. Instructors all know to remind a big HP driver pointing by a "slower" car that's doing much lower lap times that they'll need to reign in that big motor for a sec.
Before a driver is signed off to solo, assuming their basic line and control are solid and they're executing a plan, the biggest concern is "plays well with others".
The advanced group is pass w/ point anywhere, and the point is a formality. A pinky or other single digit will briefly pop out as you squeeze by wherever. The obligation however is fulfilled.
In the instructor group a point means "Ok, ok. Uncle, you got me"
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