Road Atlanta Results

#41

I, of course, spoke to both Alex and Chris in order to get their take on the issue prior to making any decision as to what ought to be done. I then took my recommendation to Jim Pantas.

Fred can’t be everywhere and see everything. Other guys should have seen it tho and helped fix it.

Re. protest procedures are written rules. This was not a protest. This is no different then when I checked your cabs a couple months ago. That was a different outcome tho because there was no obvious performance advantage, and I also took the issue to all the drivers present and asked them if it was ok for you to race with your noncompliant cabs. The group unanimously gave you the thumbs up. My point is that the fact that formal protest procedures exist does not constrain us from dealing with issues in other ways. The important thing is to try like hell to be fair and consistent.

#42

[quote=“bedmonds” post=81420]Rule change:

[b]Rule 9.2.5.4.6.a.f.5: Air intake modifications

Front grille may be modified with a big ass piece of PVC pipe coming out the front of the car and to that will be affixed a 5 gallon bucket that I use to wash the cars I own that I actually like. I’m going to bypass the air filter and send that ram charge right into the throttle body.[/b][/quote]
That was really funny. This whole issue sucks, but that was still pretty damned funny.

#43

[quote=“Patton” post=81356]Congratulations to Alex Barosso for TWO race wins at RA this past weekend.
With the Sunday win he is no longer just a first time winner and joins an pretty big group of names throughout these 10plus years.

More stuff later.

RP[/quote]

Wish I knew how to spell, Barrosco.

#44

I, of course, spoke to both Alex and Chris in order to get their take on the issue prior to making any decision as to what ought to be done. I then took my recommendation to Jim Pantas.

Fred can’t be everywhere and see everything. Other guys should have seen it tho and helped fix it.

Re. protest procedures are written rules. This was not a protest. This is no different then when I checked your cabs a couple months ago. That was a different outcome tho because there was no obvious performance advantage, and I also took the issue to all the drivers present and asked them if it was ok for you to race with your noncompliant cabs. The group unanimously gave you the thumbs up. My point is that the fact that formal protest procedures exist does not constrain us from dealing with issues in other ways. The important thing is to try like hell to be fair and consistent.[/quote]

re fred: I was only saying no one reported it to Fred Saturday so it didn’t make the protest cutoff. Fred did a great job as he always does. He weighed people and DQd accordingly and had to deal with the tic tac mayhem on Sunday.

we’ll agree to disagree that this was a protest. I don’t know the inside scoop, but if the headlight issue came from anyone other than a race director, that’s a racer protest in my book. Alex and Chris should have plead the fifth. And I’m not salty about the cabs at all. I was prepared to change them by the deadline of next season that you gave me in email, it was only when that it was brought up in a 7am driver’s meeting and the deadline changed to “by the next race” that I freaked out a bit. But that’s water under the bridge and off topic.

Sorry for the ranting, but this pisses me off quite a bit (not at you, at the protest). Thanks for hearing me out as a fellow racer with no stake in the outcome (actually I think I picked up $25 more toyo bucks with the DQs which I will give to Chris and Alex if they will accept.

#45

The original results for Alex and Chris stand. No DQ nor move to the back of the finishing order. Sorry to put everyone thru a nut-roll. I don’t want to go into the details as to the reversal. Whole thing was unhappy. If you see your buddy in the paddock with an issue that might get his butt in the wringer, go help him out. Watch each other’s back. Lets move on. I look forward very much to seeing many of you guys at VIR in a couple weeks.

#46

Thanks for going to bat for the guys. Understandably Miller had a point that had to be considered and discussed.

RP

#47

Woo hoo!

#48

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time and opening this up in public forum. Alex and chris owe you beer!

#49

I’m glad things are back to normal… Or whatever normal is for Spec E30. :stuck_out_tongue:

It was up in the air whether or not I’d even make it this weekend after my car took a heavy hit up at VIR two weekends ago.

The driver’s side frame rail was bent and the strut tower was pushed in and back. Zintar’s was able to get it straightened back out mid-week and we managed to get it back together just in time for Friday. I was just happy to make it to the race.

Rob and I had some pretty crazy racing over the weekend that I’ve got some great footage of. We almost killed a Miata coming through twelve where I just barely eeked out the win by .030 seconds. :woohoo: I’ll get the video edited soon and get it posted.

-Alex

#50

I think you guys that came after Gress on this issue got it entirely wrong. Gress has done more for SE30 in the Southeast than most of the entire field that ran on Sunday, myself included. He has the best interest of the series in mind, and, candidly, got it right with the DQ issue. I like everyone involved, but if you don’t bring a legal car to grid, protest or no protest, you should get a DQ. I’m too old to really give a shit about any of it anymore, but it shouldn’t just be incumbent on a racer to lodge a protest and then be deemed a “dick” for doing so. A director should be able to do this on their own as well. As a note, there was plenty of grumbling in the pits on Saturday night about the lack of headlights. The difference is, and one of the reasons why I like Gress, is he wouldn’t have grumbled, he would have gone and fixed the problem.

I remember the first race I had in my “new” SE30 that David Walsh and Scott set me up with. We were at CMP and I was all excited. The Toyo RR was the new tire and we were ready to go. Problem was, we were already running pretty wide on the RA1 tire and nobody measured the car with the RR on it. Come to find out, the RR is wider. I failed a post race inspection because the car was too wide. I didn’t say anything. Car wasn’t legal. We thought it was, but it wasnt. I took my beating, took the spacers out and moved on.

Nationals, 2007. I had my Factory Five roadster there, and won the first qualifying race. Sitting in tech, somebody noticed that the gas tank looked a little lower than the car next to it. And it was, the builder of the car, that wasn’t me, had it mounted wrong and it was literally 3/4 of an inch low. DQ. Started last in that year’s race. I didn’t say a word. Pat Wehmeyer and I sat up with grinders and welders and sawzalls all damn night long fixing that car, in 30 degree weather, to get the car legal.

I’ve sat through a pile of other actual protests and come out clean, because I try to bring legal equipment to every race. Nationals 2014 (in the Mustang) was a good example of that. Every hater on earth came out to try to DQ that car. Hell hours after the race was over they were back in my trailer trying to find things.

The no headlight thing is just stupid, and to make it worse, we’ve been through it before. Those DQ’s should sure as hell stand. Take your damn beatings like men.

#51

And, while we’re ranting, let me say this: I was secretly hoping that when Sandro won the west coast nationals, they’d open that damn engine up and find out that its really some 3.5 liter hybrid of some sort, with a ported head off of an Audi. That way I could rationalize away that he’s not actually better than me, that he’s just a cheating Mexican. You can, therefore, imagine my sadness when they tore his stuff down to the connecting rods and found it all legal.

In all reality, I was pretty siked they tore him down (sent him home “in a cooler” as the Spec Miata guys say) and found him legal.

For those of you that don’t know, when SCCA tears Miata’s down, nobody usually has a box around to throw their parts in, so they literally dump the beer cooler out on the ground and just put heads and cams and cranks and bolts and stuff right in the damn cooler, hence the reference.

PS if you don’t like the drama of the missing headlight from this weekend, DO NOT GO TO A SCCA SPEC MIATA RACE AND ATTEND TEARDOWN. There are some super sad faces in the teardown bays.

#52

Very rarely do we see a black/white rule violation…Scott was 100% correct in the DQs. I suspect the affected drivers were quite aware of the violation…suck it up and live with it.

#53

I don’t want to publicly debate about the DQ debacle that I created. For or against what I did, it’s on me for good or ill. We as a group are the best friends an adult male could have. Sometimes shit doesn’t go perfect, but even buddies hit occasional potholes. Come bitch at me in private if you’ve thoughts that have gone unexpressed.

Scott and Chuck, pls don’t tempt folks to continue the debate. Lets move on to race stories and videos.

I remember the tire width debacle. That was before I had any formal role. I was pretty hot about you getting DQ’d over it. NASA gave us a new tire, that even tho it was still 205/50 it was magically wider, and then SpecE30 failed to change the CCR to accommodate the wider tire. I saw it as a SpecE30 CCR failure and you got punked because you were the one that found the flaw. Seemed unfair.

#54

All I can say is that I’ll make doubly sure my shit is legal from now on. I wasn’t aware of the headlight issue as I haven’t been around here long, but I’ve since learned better. Chris and I have been thinking about some self-imposed repercussions for Roebling. I’m sure McKay can come up with some well deserved hazing ideas. :evil:

#55

Given the situation, Group 3 Racing feels as though a post awards party is needed at Roebling
Chris and Alex will provide the beer and we will bond in our usual spec e30 fashion:
Shirtless wrestling.
Sandro will provide the dequila and after mckay gets done stuffing Alex and Chris’s heads in there air intake all will be good again.

#56

[quote=“Laszlo” post=81446]Given the situation, Group 3 Racing feels as though a post awards party is needed at Roebling
Chris and Alex will provide the beer and we will bond in our usual spec e30 fashion:
Shirtless wrestling.
Sandro will provide the dequila and after mckay gets done stuffing Alex and Chris’s heads in there air intake all will be good again.[/quote]

I am 100% for this. Man I wish this thing would stop sending me emails every time someone posts. Let me say one last thing–I really hope I don’t sound like I’m down on Scott in any way. He has a tough job and he does it well. I was only giving my opinion on the DQ. And regarding that, I fully agree that those guys should have been DQ’d…ON SATURDAY. Before the awards ceremony. Or on Sunday after the race. I just don’t agree that you can DQ 3-4 days later after young Alex has his shiny mug perfectly placed in his bedroom under his favorite One Direction poster. That’s why we have the timely protest rule.

#57

There is an unsubscribe button at the bottom of each thread.

#58

One Direction…classic.

#59

You think you’re so smart, don’t you Rutzky? You know I’m oldschool. I’m more of a Backstreet Boys kind of guy.

#60

I agree with most people here, Scott got it 100% correct. DQ, plain and simple. It’s unfortunate the issue went unaddressed at the track and on into the week. I would never intentionally cheat or break the rules, but ignorance is no defense. I was in the wrong. I fully accept whatever penalties are deemed sufficient by Scott and the rest of the group. Scott does great things for spec e30 and I don’t want to ruffle feathers with the rest of the group. You guys(and girl) are like a second family. I got you guys covered on beer for Saturday night at Roebling!

Harkins