----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Babcock <BillB@bnj.com>
To: <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, September 20, 1999 11:26 AM
Subject: The good news/ Bad news weekend
> I had a great weekend racing at Seattle International Raceway in SOVERN's
> fall finale. The TR3 ran perfectly, I drove fairly well, though I had some
> concentration problems at the end of the last race. I was too far back
from
> the first six pack, and too far ahead of the second pack, until a Lotus
> Elite started running me down. Bugger passed me in the last corner, last
> lap.
>
> I usually run in with the Vintage group, but my registration was late so
> they bumped me into the historics, where the cars a typically much faster.
> My lap times would have put me in the top three in vintage, but the best I
> could manage was eighth in historic (out of 41 cars on the grid).
>
> The bad news was my car was randomly selected for detailed rules
inspection.
> Sovern has been very loose about originality, engine tweaks, etc. until
just
> recently (except for the Porsche guys, who were continually flogging each
> other in the pits over originality issues). So now they're going a little
> far the other way. Basically I'm going to have to completely rework the
TR3
> if I want to race it next year. They even want me to put an original
> generator back in, and a lucas distributor in place of the mallory. Of
> course all the fiberglass I have on the car is verboten, so I'm going to
> have to find a bunch of tin (or rework the junk I've got). I'm not sure
it's
> worthwhile, especially since I have Peyote to play with, but it seems a
bit
> too sad to take literally the only TR3 running up here off the track (for
> that matter, oftentimes the only Triumph).
>
> I certainly understand the reasons for the rules, but we're all just doing
> this for fun. I don't give a hoot what someone else does to their car as
> long as I can get on the track and race with someone. I know most of you
> guys race in organizations that have always been strict, but I've never
> really understood how that all influences the amount of fun anyone has
doing
> this sport.
>
> I'll have to wait until my ox heals from this goring to figure out how I
> really feel. I know there's no such thing as a set of rules without a
> political agenda. Maybe I just need to go back to SCCA racing to
experience
> complete frustration for a while. Then this will seem minor and completely
> reasonable again.
>
> Ah, well, great weekend anyway.
>
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