Your concerns are very valid -- this layout is difficult to chase cones on because of the many double-back portions of the course. The only logical places for corner workers are above and to the right of the figure 8, near the start, and near the finish. We'll just have to run a bit to clear some of the cones.

If no cones are hit during a run, the 2nd car will be released as the first car leaves the right side of the course towards the 360 turn cone. Depending on the nature of the cone that has been downed, the 2nd car will be started appropriately.

A vehicle must pass entirely through the gate before turning around. If someone is really adventurous, they could attempt to begin the u-turn before the gate, however the car would still have to completely pass through the gate (corner workers will act as spotters and call DNF appropriately). Trying to u-turn before the gate is not encouraged.

And, finally -- all of the above is subject to change. As you know, autocross courses take some "finessing" on set-up day and the layout may be tweaked slightly. We will also gauge the layout for safety as we drive it and try to place corner-worker stations appropriately. This is the layout we will try to run for all 4 events at both venues, but it may not work. This is our first hack at this whole gymkhana thing, and we're going to concentrate on making it as fun and competitive as possible.

Thanks for your questions, keep them coming!