John "NNTO" Engstrom wrote:
>.since the rule states the overall width of an F500 is 55" maximum.
Yep, good catch. Sorry for the misprint.
>.Seems to me that would have been the sporting thing to do. Then
>again, and this is just speculation on my part, maybe the protestor
>is more concerned with winning a National Championship by protesting
>faster drivers instead of setting up his car and out driving them.
Hmm.I missed your smiley, so I assume you are serious.
I don't have time to explain why this insinuation is absurd, but I will
point out to anyone who missed it that this is a clear example of the
unfair treatment heaped upon anyone who dares to follow the rules and
employ the protest process. This one is particularly below the belt
considering the driving history of the person casting aspersions and the
driving history of the person at whom I believe this is directed (Clint
MacMahan).
>.It is my opinion, however, that competitors should take the time
>(if it's available) to talk to people about what they think is
>illegal with their cars and give them a chance to fix it before
>filing protests - especially if the illegality appears to be either
>a) an oversight or b) something that provides no competitive
>advantage.
Who makes the determination as to whether something is an oversight or
provides no competitive advantage? The protestor felt that the protested
parties had been given advance notice, and that the items in question
did provide a competitive advantage. The protest committee agreed with
the advantage of the exhaust and you yourself agreed with the advantage
of width. It sounds like reasonable people agree with the protestor.
Maybe we should stop inferring that he is a weenie or unsportsmanlike?
As for giving advance notice, how many times does someone have to be
told to make their car compliant before it becomes protestable? Does
each time have to be documented and witnessed? Is videotape of the
conversation admissible or does the fact that it can be tampered with
make it suspect? I'm at a loss for how to manage this.
>By the way, we did ask one of the protestors (via email on another
>list) what it was that was illegal with our cars. We received a
>reply that stated "I would be happy to talk to anyone. I will not,
>however, be telling individuals what I think is wrong with their
>individual cars."
That is Chris' prerogative. I believe notice has been served on the
class that if one person is going to be held accountable for following
the rules with zero tolerance than everyone will be, and therefore it
would behoove someone driving a formula car at the National
Championships to ensure that their car complies with all the formulas.
Read the rules (about 2 pages in the GCR) if you don't think you can
rely on someone to tell you what is wrong with your car. It's your
responsibility to prep the car properly beforehand, not someone elses.
J. Brett Howell (aspiring to mAs)
www.PebbleMotorSports.com <http://www.pebblemotorsports.com/>
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