This has been a MOST interesting thread to follow and one that I've
tried very hard to stay out of...until now!
As a Divisional Solo II Safety Steward and the Editor of the Safety
Belt (where the heck is the February issue that I submitted for
publication on February 2nd or 3rd ?!?) I've wanted to see what others
have had to say about this topic before I chimed in. And I must say,
the general tone of the discussion has been most refreshing. I now
have nearly 100 messages on this topic saved on my hard drive and the
majority of these messages seem to say "keep it safe but make it fun!"
I would like to make two points:
FIRST, I think we all realize that there are certain hazards that go
hand-in-hand with any form of motor sports competition. And I think
we also realize that, since Solo II is the grassroots level of such
competition, those hazards should be kept to the bare minimum. But I
wonder how many have actually READ the rule book where it says very
plainly in Section 1.3 (Common Sense and Solo II Courses) on page 45
of the '99 rulebook, "Although Solo II Events are non-speed events
under the SIIR of the SCCA, speed alone is not the operative factor in
determining what is and is not a proper Solo II event. HAZARD (my
emphasis) is the operative word, and hazards must not exceed those
encountered in legal highway travel." That, IMHO, should serve as a
backdrop for everything we do in this sport.
SECOND, and this goes back to the original thread, how can you tell
how fast a car is really going on the course? Section 2.1.A (on page
50) says, in part "...Speeds on straight stretches should not normally
exceed the low 60's (mph) for the fastest Stock and Street Prepared
category cars." So, how do you tell if these cars are exceeding that
speed limit? Simple! You ask the drivers of the fastest Stock and
Street Prepared cars that have rev limiters at what speed those rev
limiters kick in in second gear!!! Then you monitor those cars while
they're on course. If a given car's rev limiter kicks in at 63mph in
second gear, and that car bumps the rev limiter a couple of times on
course without going into third, you know you're within limits. If
that same car has to pop into third momentarily, then drop back to
second, you're riding the border line. If that same car goes into
third and stays there for awhile, you know you're exceeding the
guidelines and need to do something to slow things back down. That
may seem greatly simplified but, I suggest, it works!!!
Keep the discussion flowing. I think this is a great topic for us to
be discussing on this list and one that carries far more weight into
the overall future of our sport than subframe connectors on Mustangs
or heat exchangers on Porsche 914s.
I don't think flame shields are needed here, but I'll put mine on just
in case!!! 8<{)
John (Old Fartz & TLS #37) Lieberman
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