As you said, mostly it is newbies, who by the very fact of being a newbie
are usually no threat.
So when I encounter that first I make up my own mind if it is a big
departure from the rules or something minor. As my region's solo chair, I
may let them run it anyway, but tell them that it is illegal and at the
Divisional/National level he would not be allowed to run it. It gives them
fun for the day (take the hassle out) and time to fix it (or decide to do
more and go to a different category).
But always I talk to the driver first. Usually they are 1) clueless and 2)
happy to comply if/when possible. Remember, being clueless also means not
knowing what class they should run and so we help them in that respect also.
Remember, on the regional level you can decide NOT to follow much of the
rulebook including the car prep rules.
My favorite example was the fellow who showed in the Ferrari-body kit car
with a bone-stock Chevy engine, and high-treadwear street tires. Technically
he was E Mod. Locally we ran him A Stock as if he was a Corvette with a
funny body (but when he tried a Divisional, he entered himself in EM).
Be understanding, be flexible as much as possible, be informative, helpful
and friendly. Save the protest for the repeat offender (or the major event).
--Rocky Entriken
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Steckel" <lorenzoscribe@hotmail.com>
To: <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 10:28 AM
Subject: Protesting parts at local events
> Guys,
>
> 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.
>
> Larry Steckel
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