El Mirage classicfication

[dwarner]

As most of you know, the only time a vehicle is checked for the proper class is when a record is set and the vehicle is in the impound area. The pre-race tech check is for safety only and not classification.

Beginning this season all vehicles will be under scrutiny in regards to classification. This means that anyone wandering about will be able to bring to offical attention the classification of any vehicle.

Why is this happening?

It boils down to points and lineup position. In the past there have been incidents of vehicles running under the class record and amassing individual and club points. This effects both the lineup and season ending championship.

Not my personal favorite, was much easier in the old days.

DW

[narider]

Most know, but there are still many that think tech inspectors are judging classification also.
Integrity(or sometimes the lack there of), usually rules format.
Good luck with the changes Dan,
Todd

[desotoman]

Beginning this season all vehicles will be under scrutiny in regards to classification. This means that anyone wandering about will be able to bring to offical attention the classification of any vehicle.

DW

Dan,

Sorry it might cause some more work for the tech inspectors but look at it from the other side, it will hopefully eliminate the times when you must go to someone after the fact and take their record away from them. That I am sure is no fun either. I think it is a good move.

Tom G.

[JackD]

Taking a lesson from the way bikes were done finally ?

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Disclaimer:  I inspect bikes at Maxton and Bonneville - but not El Mirage.

It adds a good bunch of time to inspect for class conformity during tech inspection, because the inspector will have additional items to consider before approving a vehicle for racing.  The inspection sheet would likely be necessarily made appreciably longer and more complex -- maybe to the point that there'd need to be one for the different classes so that all pertinent differences can be spelled out for the inspector.

We get many class questions at Maxton -- more (on a percentage of racers basis) than at Bonneville, and this is perhaps due to the number of newbies that race at Maxton.  It's pretty common for us to be asked/to have to tell the new racer what class his bike will be in, then we have to explain our reasoning, and this takes time.  There are fewer "novices" at Bonneville, and more of them already know the class they'll be in because they've pre-registered.  They still show up -- but not as many of 'em.

So - if we were to adopt a class-conformity-during-tech-inspection protocol at Bonneville -- the short times in inspection that we enjoyed last year might become a one-time-only happening.  If we don't inspect for class and then the racer does qualify for a record and gets to impound for certification -- and finds then that he isn't legal for his declared class -- well, yup, he'll have some boo-hoo moments, I agree.  But by the same token, if we inspect for all this stuff during tech inspection -- lots of racers will be cranky because they've waited longer than they want to wait for their inspection.

Now -- to EM (and also Maxton) -- the situation is different because of what Dan mentions -- the "points race".  We're going through a "controversy" on class conformity and points right now at ECTA -- so I might change my story (about the extra time it'll take in inspection) once the issue is sorted out.

So as an inspector, if presented with the need to check class in tech -- I think I'll vote for additional items on the inspector's checklist so we get it right on the first try, and maybe some Prozac for the racers that are in line and getting ticked-off 'cause the wait is so long.

Okay, boys and girls -- it's your turn to tell me what I've missed/overlooked.

[JackD]

Well to start with you missed the days that it was done at Bonneville and El Mirage and without the delays you mention the racers were pleased to know from the beginning at least the entry looked OK at the time.
The rulebook as a guide is a very good checklist if it is worded logically and in a suitable order.
That was the reasoning behind requiring the class designation be listed on the number plate to quickly identify if the bike entry was suitably equipped.
It not only caught errors but reduced the cheating to a minimum.
Subsequent to that, their are some records that made it to the book that were absolutely not correct.
If you want to start at the top, the fastest AMA MC record is listed with a wrong vehicle by the rules.
 SCTA suffers from the same malady because of the administrative procedures they have adopted.
I always thought the entries deserved more attention.