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Originally posted by rlearp:
I'm new to this and maybe shouldn't comment, but here goes anyway.
Actually your viewpoint is important because of your newness...
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It seems to me the protest system is difficult, at best, to use. And, if you do use it you just created some seriously bad blood between you and whomever you protested, regardless of the outcome.
Bingo
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The lottery system was suggested which would seem relatively fair. Variations of the scheme could be picking from the top five cars at a race, or having a maditory insepction once every year or so that be done without prior knowledge.
Here are some issues. (And I should go on record here that I would support a better system, as I agree the current one is not without its drawbacks).
1- The biggest issue it the tech staff, which varies greatly between regions. Having enough knowledgable staff is difficult to get at any race, and finding those who are looking for "more work" thins an already light crowd.
2 Procedural issues. Like the legal system, many cases get decided on procedural mistakes or inconsistancies. Its a fairly complicated procedure, and demands a lot of time to administer, separate from the teardown mechanics of it.
3- Knowledge base. As you pointed out, there needs to be proper knowledge, but that will have to come from the crowd. Conflict of interest anyone?
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Seriously, the way the protest system is now I really don't see how anyone could use it. I've not been out there, but I've received a lot of help from IT folks in the 6 weeks I've been working on my car. Very knowledgable folks that I like and look forward to meeting in person. Using the protest system seems to be difficult if you wish to keep any friends on the grid. Not to mention the cash portion of it since it can cost considerable money to do something that should be happening anyway.
Ron
And that, my friend, is why you rarely see a mechanical protest at a regional event. The Runoffs, the ARRCs, or othr "marquee" events are different, but it rarely happens locally.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to quash ideas...but it's helpful to undrestand the monster before you can dicover it's achilles heel!
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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]