Speaking as one who had a hose disconnect itself (a 5 second
fix with the able assistance of Erik Strelnieks *thanks*) between
two runs of the Club Challenge in Jacksonville last year...well,
I suggest that perhaps preventative maintenance type acts with
no effect on performance (except to *keep* it to stock
standards) should be considered legal. Especially when they add
weight ;-)
Long version: I actually made the Club Challenge at the Jacksonville
Pro last year, and the final four included myself (SSL '93 RX-7),
Beth McClure (SSL '93 RX-7), Andy Poling (BS Miata), and
Vince Bly (BS Miata). As it worked out, I ran against Andy and
Beth ran against Vince. Which, in a way, was really kewl because
we had the opportunity to make the 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th place
runs RX-7 vs. RX-7 and Miata vs. Miata (not necessarily in that
order). When I ran against Andy, I had the left side first. (BTW -
does anyone think it's strange that an SSL car got a jump on a BS
car due to indexing??) Anywho, I made it back a few tenths ahead
of Andy and was busy swapping sides with him when my car
started stumbling...badly. Knowing something about my car, I
was pretty sure that one of the turbo hoses had deserted its assigned
position at a terribly inopportune moment. But I heard the Voice
announcing that there were "no mechanicals between runs". Hoping
that I might have a chance even without my second turbo, I lined up
on the right. Unfortunately, I was so freaked out that I red-lighted.
C'est la vie!
I still had another pair of runs to make (to determine 3rd/4th place),
so while Beth and Vince ran I pulled up into the staging lane. I
popped the hood and Erik, who had also apparently figured out what
was going on, quickly helped figure out which of the little buggers had
come off and pushed it back into place. Now tell me, is this truly
what our sport is about? It is easy to argue in this particular
situation
that the driver error caused the lack of competition. But if my car had
limped around the course because it was not "allowed" a simple wire
tie, would this have better displayed the true spirit of the SCCA?
Just my $.02...
Jen Wilson
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