Raymond
Here are my answers:
Why are you not a Steward?
ANSWER- Over the last four years I have gotten to know several Stewards personally, they have helped me to understand the who,what,where, why and HOW of the process. I think that this helped the race weekend that I was protested by a fellow competitor for contact and was found guilty by the SOM. That was when the CSOM hung the label "Dangerous Dave" on me. The SOM refused to watch my video, refused to look at the physical damage on my car, and accepted, but put no stock in the witness statement that another competitor filled out in my defense, all of which showed that I was the victim not perpetraitor.
I later beat them in the National Court of Appeals, but only because I took the time to do it. Plus I found someone following us during the incident with some pretty daming video.
I am not a Steward because I am unwilling to get out of the racecar for the two year commitment to the program. Besides my region (DC Region) has plenty of Stewards.
If you were a Steward, how would you address this popular issue?
ANSWER- The GCR says contact is prohibited. If there is contact the Stewards need to be proactive about it. Many times it is a "racing incident" but if you have to go to the tower everytime it happens I bet there would be less "racing incidents". I also understand that the Stewards don't want to go "look" for trouble, but looking the other way while drivers violate the GCR is wrong too. Bottom line is that overly aggressive driving and boneheadedness need to be addressed. I think that the best penalty would be to send people home without allowing them to race. We have all seen that "probation" penalties do not work.
If you are are a Driver and you were "wronged" why didn't you protest?
ANSWER- I usually try to go CALMLY talk to the other driver right away. I try to get their insight on what happened, what led up to the incident, and what could we have done differently. Several times I realized that I was wrong and they were not. I also try not to let things get confrontational. If the situation starts to go bad that is when it is time to let the Stewards figure it out. One must also consider that we all have to race together and that allowing a guy a easy recovery is sometimes not a bad thing to do. We all make mistakes. But ultimately the other drivers attitude will determine how I am going act, or not act.
Saying "I am sorry" and meaning it, is tough but it can go a long way as well. Another thing to take into consideration is that sometimes drivers suffer from "shell shock" after an incident (be it crashing hard or seeing your racecar "wadded up") and are not really "lucid" (although they seem to be). Thirty minutes (protest filing time) can go by really quick when a driver is in this situation.
If you are a driver and witnessed someone "wronged" why didn't you protest?
ANSWER- I have protested a driver who wronged someone else. It is a very difficult situation. You will find that you have less friends in the paddock (and on the track) when you start trying to play "policeman".
I also found that the Stewards were not terribly cooperative in helping with this (they were looking for the "hidden agenda") and outright discouraged the filing of the protest.
My opinion and worth exactly what it cost you, nothing.
cheers
Dave Parker
WDCR HP#97
2007 MARRS HP Champion
"Ignore All Confrontations With Common Sense."
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