Those of you who were there know that there was contact between Canterbury and Zawrotny in T14 on the last lap, resulting in Steve spinning and losing several positions. After the race, contact penalty points were assessed to Bill (3) and Steve (1) but the results stood.
With the benefit of not having been there, I asked NASA for a clarification as to why there was no remedy offered to Steve for his incident. After further review by the NASA race officials, rule 27.11.3 has been invoked, restoring Steve to the position he held before the contact.
Accordingly, the middle part of the finishing order will be:
5 - Canterbury
6 - Zawrotny
7 - Al Taylor
and the next few finishers will move back 1 spot respectively.
This ruling was a judgment call on NASA’s part. It just as easily might have been ruled a Punt, which would have resulted in a DQ for Bill.
One of the NASA officials wrote to me the following:The reports we got was more than rubbing going on, and evidence by the the car that took the wild ride the whole group was… how should we say… a little amped up. I do feel for spec miata #36 he was like a pinball out there.
We all need to race hard, race clean, and race within the letter and spirit of the competition rules. That’s the only way to sustain a positive energy towards the series. I think that got a little kicked to the curb last weekend, and I hope to see it back at Road A next month.
