I love this conversation we have going here. But first I want to address Charlie's post about his mishap on lap 19. I hope you didn't interpret my comments as anger or hostility in any way. Things happen and I know you weren't mic'd so you couldn't give me a warning. It's all racing, no problems here at all
As to contact and fighting for position:
-given our lack of peripheral vision I always try to leave a good space cushion between me and another car if I think we're side by side in a turn.
-if I outbrake someone and set up the turn properly I can usually grab the inside line but am guilty of pushing out from understeer and sometimes making contact with the car next to me. I've been working on doing this less, as I feel like a jackass that should know better after the fact
-If I'm diving into a turn with another car on my inside, if he's overlapping with me to around 1/3-1/2 a car length I usually concede the turn. If he's just behind me then I take the inside track and shut him down. If he's just barely overlapping me then I'll usually stay on the outside of the turn to accommodate his line and try to avoid any contact but also not give up any ground (which can depend given the turn type).
-I know I'm notoriously bad about this (and probably have a reputation) but I KNOW I'm bad about rear ending people coming into a turn sometimes. Its usually just a light tap, but sometimes it sends people off their line. If that happens I ALWAYS pull back to keep them in front of me. I'm truly sorry about that and believe me when I say that I'm conscientiously working on improving that (always).
-FINALLY, when encountering lapped traffic (or just competitors driving off pace) the last thing I want for is them to pull over and let me by or concede to me (without a fight) the best driving line. It's a RACE! And just because you're not on the lead lap doesn't mean I've got to right to deprive you of doing your best. Lapped traffic should maintain their line and drive to the best of their ability. It's the responsibility of the leaders to pass you. That is part of what racing is all about, and always has been.
Hope that post made sense to everyone