IMHO anytime there is a competition of any type there is a set of rules, and
those rules must be adhered to or else why bother having them. Newbees
should realize that and do some homework before/when entering an event if
what class they run is important to them. Granted SCCA had been way too anal
about publicizing their rule set until this year, but now the rules are
available to everyone. It is too insignificant is NOT a reason to disregard
rules, rules are part of life and everyone should be held equally
accountable to them if for no other reason than to get them off on the right
foot (There was a car at a National tour that attempted to run in stock
class with a full aftermarket suspension under it. When brought to his
attention in grid by fellow competitors that it was illegal, his excuse was
"I've been allowed to run it all season like that in stock class at home".
He, and his codriver were still unwilling to run in their proper class and
requested a DSQ for their runs when faced with a protest, they still wanted
to run stock class at home!). It is not the "fault" of the SCCA or the event
sponsors that someone has made mods to their car in ignorance of or
disregard for the rules, but it is the responsibility of the sponsors to be
sure they have a CURRENT rulebook available to all at events and preferably
someone intimately familiar with those majority of those rules. Case in
point: at a local event recently the newbees were given a classing
"worksheet" that was incomplete and full of errors. It was not policed so
there were a number of badly missclassed cars, such as a Miata in HS and a
Eagle Talon and MR2S in GS. To the organizer's credit once brought to their
attention (and checked in their rulebook), the cars were moved to their
correct classes for results.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Andy" <mark@sccaprepared.com>
To: "autox mailing list" <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: Protesting parts at local events
> Howdy,
>
> On Mon, 2 May 2005, Larry Steckel wrote:
> > The issue of illegal parts at local events isn't trivial in my opinion.
> > Since cars are not tech inspected at events for illegal parts, it is
> > indeed up to the competitors to police their class. It seems that
> > everytime I went to a Regional event, I always found several cars in my
> > class running something illegal, whether it was a rear sway bar, or a
> > gutted air intake or an upper strut bar or whatever. I would make a
> > list and present it to the event Chair and ask him to re-classify the
> > offending cars into the proper class.
> >
> > Now I'll grant you that a majority of the time it was newbies who hadn't
> > bothered to buy a rule book. But ignorance of the rules is not a defense
> > at any level of our sport.
> >
> > If such drivers aren't going to bother to learn the rules, then the only
> > way they are going to learn the boundaries is to be on the short end of
> > a protest. Isn't that the way this game works? Plus, it isn't fair to
> > the people in a class who work to make their car legal to have to put up
> > with running against people who don't care, or figures it just doesn't
> > matter. Even on a Regional level.
>
> So you don't talk to the driver's first? Just tally up a list of stuff
> that's wrong and expect the event officials to do your dirty work for you?
>
> I'm a big believer in knowing and following the rules. I'm also a big
> believer in making autocross accessible, attractive, and fun. Sometimes
> being anal about rules enforcement, particularly with newbies, is not the
> proper message to send as a fellow competitor.
>
> Mark
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