Here is a view from "outside" on the reputations drivers have.
Like illegal cars, this is where we have to police ourselves. Dave did by protesting me for rough driving and I was reprimanded. Seems like the system worked per the GCR in that respect, no? This is Club Racing and we will probably never have the Sanctioning body hand down penalties in a proactive fashion like SWC or GAC - and that is the way it should be because we don't have the advantage of multiple camera angles to place appropriate blame.
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Sometimes historical perspective is a wonderful thing.
15 years ago, the Rabbit (ne Golf) Cup drivers had a reputation for viewing racing as a contact sport. It was deserved. A rule of a $500 no fault per contact fine put a very fast end to that. (And back then, that was 2 sets of tires!)
For a number of years, the Spec Racers in the Northeast had that reputation as well. Racing for them was a contact sport. The prod guys who ran with SR bitched back them, too. It still is today to some extent, but much less than when it was Sports Renault.
Today, the IT guys (and gals) must all own body shops. Or so it seems based on the amount of bent up cars. One of the things that tech did this last weekend was to write up everyone in impound for the "no body damage / neat and clean" rule because the IT cars had started to look like a demo derby class. The chief steward felt it nessesary to comment about the amount of metal to metal in the mandatory drivers meeting for the IT cars.
(And, SM/SSM is quickly gaining the same reputation, BTW.)
So, what does one do?
Well, (IIRC) without a rule change, the Chief Steward could fine each party involved in any Metal to Metal $100 per hit. "Unsportsmanlike conduct, here is your fine, protest my action if you don't agree."
Also, maybe the PCA/BMW, etc. 13/13 rule has a place in cleaning up the contact.
Opinion:
I don't go to races to watch people crash. I rather see a contact free but very close race. Formula Vee at the Runoffs has just that reputation. Half a dozen good drivers in the front pack swaping positions multiple times on every lap.
On a much higher level, it may be that more and more of the drivers in IT/SM lack the respect for each other that there has traditionally been in SCCA racing. Certainly not true for everyone, but there sure seems like less than there used to be. (Of course, those who read and post here are NOT the ones I refer to. :P )
With that change in attitude, the "old time racers" like Dave and Andy are not going to see it get cleaned up by driver action.
Dave Lyons - TACT is for people not witty enough to be SARCASTIC.
Latte is French for "You paid too much for your coffee."
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