This is just a hobby. This is not life, death, career, nor family. It is just a hobby, but it plays a damn important role in keeping me a happy person. We put a lot of time, effort, and money into this hobby, because it makes us happy. Carter Hunt dropped a big load on my hobby, and I am not a happy camper. I was there for the very first Spec E30 race, but I do no see myself racing again in Spec E30 Mid-Atlantic as long as he is the series Administrator.
I see two distinct issues with one common thread: Inconsistent rules changes, and inconsistent rules enforcement, both by Carter. Carter’s rules changes this past year and his ad-hoc application of the rules have resulted in me taking the short end of the stick one too many times. I do not think his efforts have been malicious, but he certainly has benefited very nicely from his decisions. Carter, I question your ability to separate the competitor from the administrator. You are always very quick to point the finger out, and I wonder how much internal critique you are capable of.
I believe that Carter has failed miserably in his duty to promote the series and be a champion. It is no coincidence that participation has dropped from last year. The fields at CMP and Hyperfest were almost half of what they were last year.
I drove my racecar to the track on Saturday with low expectations on finishing position, and high expectations for fun. With an untested car, and rusty driver, I did not expect to do all that well. I surprised myself by qualifying 4th, and started to believe that I could finish on the podium. I had a fantastic start, and was in P1 by Turn 5. Carter later shared his opinion that Jonny and I jumped the start. I’ll get video up and let you judge. He is way off base. FWIW, I never saw Carter during the race. It must have been the tires. Some 944’s got in trouble and caused a red-flag, which was followed by a restart. I got a kick-@ss jump, managed traffic well, and drove cleanly and defensively for the win. I benefited from Jonny and Skip battling behind me. It looked like they were having fun, but I was glad to watch it from my rear view mirror. I was not the fastest Spec E30 on track, but took home the win. Needless to say, I was pumped.
Following the race, I was fully aware that I might be protested. I was open with all the other drivers that I was running RA-1’s, and I even joked with my paddock-mates about being protested on slower tires, and the slower exhaust. I figured that Jonny and Skip would not raise a stink – after all, I had dropped a protest against Skip last year for illegal ram-air parts, and Jonny was the man that dinked me last year to snuff out my Hyperfest win (and the entire car by the way). But if someone did protest, I would understand. There would be no protest.
I was not caught completely off-guard when I saw Carter and Jim rolling over to inspect my car. When I asked Carter which driver protested, I was baffled to hear him say that there had not been a protest. Carter’s post fills in some blanks here. Jon Lindsey, who was acting for Cobetto apparently pointed out that Carter and NASA can make a “compliance call.” I learned from Chris later, that NASA Mid-Atlantic has NEVER made this kind of call before. So without formal protest from any driver, I was disqualified for non-compliance to the rules. Let’s be clear here. Carter, you are responsible for my DQ. Do not try to pawn it off on a NASA national call or decision. This was your doing.
Let’s look back at some past compliance issues. Everyone knew about Cobetto’s cut strut towers – Carter did nothing. I protested Jens and Skip’s cars last year at VIR for running ram-air – Carter did nothing (I subsequently dropped that protest – it was not worth the hassle, and they genuinely earned their finishing positions). Cobetto and I talked on Sunday, and he admitted that you could take just about ANY car in the paddock and find non-compliances. For the sake of arguing it, we talked briefly about “performance advantage.” Chris was the first person that I’ve heard say that the RA-1’s could be faster, but he said that the R888’s just go off quicker. This was a shortened race, and I doubt anyone’s tires had a chance to get greasy. I had no performance advantage. So why enforce this compliance issue, now?
I have tried to avoid the discussion on going to R888’s, but it is one piece that certainly gets away from the Spec E30 philosophy. I never understood Carter’s June 1 changeover date – wasn’t the idea of the series to keep it affordable? You’re looking at a $1200 investment for 1 dry set and 1 rain set of R888’s. And with my roller-coaster ride in Spec E30 these past couple years, I just didn’t have the funds for that kind of rubber – especially when I’ve got racks of RA-1’s (which are all old and heat-cycled to sh1t btw).
Let me be clear. I understand the rules (although I may not agree with them) and I understand the process. Yes, my car was “illegal.” I told every driver around me that I was running RA-1’s, and did not think anything of it until Carter made it an issue.
This was not the first time that Carter’s call shafted me. And while Carter is quick to call me a whiner who is playing the victim, it does not change the fact that he has dropped the ball in the Mid-Atlantic. The numbers are dropping, and with good reason. The lack of sound technical reasoning behind the rules changes are reason enough to worry. What will the next changes be? Will you close up the loopholes on ride height, diffs, gas tanks, fuel pressure regulators, airbox, weight distribution (and big bumpers over little bumpers), aero advantages, and all the other technical pieces which you have dropped the ball on? Or, like the exhaust, will the changes ignore the facts and move along the path that one man believes to be true? Well, I no longer care. I’ve been driven out of the Spec Carter kingdom. I did not race on Sunday (despite many offers from my fellow drivers to borrow R888’s), and I will not race with Carter again.
So yes Carter, congratulations on being the first in the Mid-Atlantic region to enforce this rule. Congratulations on enforcing absolute strict compliance this one time. Congratulations on robbing me of my victory, and congratulations on driving me away from this region. Good luck with your dwindling field. Keep driving racers away, and you you’re guaranteed to end up in first place.
-Vic
