Marty, I'll answer question #2 with another question. What is the pass (or defending the pass) worth given the $$$ it may cost one or both of you to repair (and ill will) vs. what the financial and personal gains may be? I know in the heat of the battle, I've not done a good cost analysis at times(and regretted it), but we don't have much time to make that decision either. In the big picture, we are just amateur racers racing for a wall hanging, not professionals where a position or two means the difference between million dollar endorsements or full-time employment. We are all driving at our limits, and occasionally make mistakes. However, the risks that a person is willing to take should be tempered by whether it is 1) a practice day, 2) qualifying, or 3) race. Obviously, the higher risk passes and defenses should not be taken during #1. During #3, as a passee you should be more aware of the aggressive pass attempts and as a passer you must be able to more precisely control your car. Come spring we can talk more at Grattan.