Karl Witt sez:
<quoting me>
>> Exactly what IS an
>>"enhancement" if this isn't?
>Ok, we've gone into anal mode...
No, we're in "call it what it really IS" mode.
>how bout we move toward "performance
>enhancement" as a buzz word...a little more descriptive of what
shouldn't
>be allowed
The Stock rules do NOT allow arbitrarily-chosen alterations based
on a claim of "no performance advantage." Even if they did, I'd
say an RX-7tt will actually peform better if its turbo hoses are
connected. Maybe Mazda should do something about that, huh?
>Those other things also gain you a performance advantage.
Since when has that got anything to do with what's legal and what
isn't? Is it "appearance, comfort, or convenience?" These are the
only mods for which performance advantages are a criterion. Read
the rules, it's all in there.
> Let's get real
>here, folks. I can understand where "maintenance" fixes
consisting of
>replacing weak stock parts with sturdier ones (neon motor
mounts, 911
>tensioners) aren't allowed because they become something that
everyone HAS
>to to do stay competitive, and that raises the cost of of racing
in the
>class.
No, they're not allowed because the rules don't have specific
allowances for them. The motivations for not allowing these
things are unknown to us, since we didn't write the rules.
> But, we're talking about the price of GLUE here. No parts are
being
>replaced. The analogy to retorquing bolts is very fitting here.
If Mazda originally provided a fastener or other retaining
device, replacing that with an equivalent would be legal. And I'd
wager that a PC would allow quite a bit of leeway for replacement
hose clamps being different than the OEM ones. Again, this seems
like an issue to take up with Mazda, not the SCCA.
>>IMHO, no such ruling is required. This is clearly illegal as
the
>
>Frankly this makes me glad you're not on any of the boards that
make these
>decisions.
What makes you think that "any of the boards" will deviate from
many years of precedent in refusing to interpret the rules in a
non-literal fashion? There's a world of model-specific weak spots
that you can't legally fix in Stock. And, in every case, all that
would be required is for the manufacturer of the car in question
to issue a TSB recommending the fix. I claim you're barking up
the wrong tree here.
Jay
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