We need to be careful in this discussion not to conflate issues and push the thread off topic.
The original thread topic was plainly as stated a discussion of good practices among responsible photographers, be they professional or a team photographer. I do not in the least begrudge a team designating a team member to document their efforts --- BUT the team also has a moral obligation to pick someone for that task who has a grasp of what good photographic practice is as well as good safety practices for racing photographers.
As mentioned above we have drifted into a different issue here. There are a lot of random spectator photographers who "just want to get this shot" or simply are oblivious to rules and markers that indicate where they should be. Those are the largest worry for safety and degrading the whole starting line operation.
As mentioned above better signing and marking would help, but at some point you need someone to have the authority to "herd the cats" and keep things under control. When the popular cars like the streamliners head to the line it is like trying to keep ants away from a hotdog, and the SCTA starting line staff is simply not staffed to cope with that issue as well as running a safe starting line and race course. Too many challanges too few hands feet and eyes.
Due to the recent increase in popularity we have crossed a boundary into an area of over load where old measures are simply not adequate any more.
My suggestion would be to make the starting box a wider trapazoid getting wider toward the starting line. That would provide more "spectator elbow room" with an unobstructed view of the starting process, and also more work room for the teams as they get close to the line.
Put a heavy 1 foot wide blue line across the starting staging area, about 50' behind the start line and write with the blue dye "Restricted area, teams and authorized staff only -- NO SPECTATORS allowed"
Likewise some pennant banners flying up near the starting line, that say "starting box restricted area"
There will always be some spectators and random folks that think they are "special" and do not need to follow posted rules but it really helps if the people authorized to be in the starting box, could easily point at an obvious marker and say "you have to get back behind that or they won't run the car!"
The big problem is just the first 2 days it gets more controllable after the weekend but I have watched the leakage process as crowd pressure builds as a popular car stages. Sooner or later one or two people obviously just average spectators breach the barriers and go out where the don't belong. The crowd will watch what happens and if no corrective action is taken a few more leak out then it becomes an incoming tide as they figure it must be tolerated since everyone else is doing it.
The cure is good signs, (good human design of the spectator barrier -- make it difficult to step over or duck under) and a quick response to the first 3-5 folks who push the envelope.
It perhaps is not the job of the starting crew or the photographers, maybe we need to see if Lynda can round up a few extra security bodies to prowl around the starting box when the big guns run. Someone in a bright Red vest that says "security" or "safety" on it might be much better at shooing the interlopers away from the danger zone at the front edge of the starting box.
It is likely that with that marking they would not get any back talk from most people.