Dennis Grant writes:
>The "It'd be too much work for the SEB" argument isn't valid. The SEB
works for
Us, the Membership. If We decide that specific car allowences are what We
want,
then the SEB had better put its heels together and do it. The SEB works for
the
Members, not vice versa. (sorry SEB guys - sometimes "right" and "easy" are
mutually exclusive)<
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Rob Pickrell responds:
>Uh No, they do not "work" for us. They volunteer thier time to help us and
our
sport.
Like and orgainization you and everyone else has the right to apply form
the SEB,
lobby to get like thinking people on the SEB with you and attempt to
rewrite the
rules.
Do not expect support from me or many others however. Then we could sling
mud at
you,
flood you with requests to spend all of your free time legislating
everybody's wish
list,
or make my car competitive list. I KNOW you did not sling mud here and that
is
not meant as an attack on you, but as an example of why i disagree with
your
comments on the SEB.<
-----------------------------------------------
Thanks for the defense, Rob.
Ok, I'll bite, and share what my personal opinion is of what my duties are
as a SEB member, and the perspective necessary serve in the position, and
what I put into SOLO rules changes and writing.
1) Check your self interest at the door. Especially if you do not have an
understanding of the development and history of how the rulebook has been
written. Consider the overall implications that would happen with changing
preparation allowances over a category wide basis like Stock or Street
Prepared. Never ever have there been specific allowances written for an
individual stock or street prepared car to overcome some type of handicap.
If someone want to volunteer to rewrite the rulebook to class cars based on
all the unknown performance potentials of all those "but its just an itsy
bitsy change/replacement for <insert reason>" Don't forget to include a
mechanism to make the competition adjustments that would certainly be
necesary to make "on the fly".
2) Consider the importance of rules stability. Hypothetically, a 1"
reduction in wheel diameter for a stock C5 Corvette would by precedent have
to be made stock category wide. No big deal you say? Make it 18" to 17"
only? Doesn't that implicitly discriminate against all those members who
have vehicles with smaller diameter wheels; why can't they have the same
type of allowance? Same thing goes for subframe connectors, aftermarket
diffs, etc. What seems so logical an allowance for one car could be a hell
of a competition advantage for another.
3) I am not complaining but, for the most part, it is a thankless job. No
malicious intent or not, but think how nice it is to read something like
the above.....;-P I took the position to give something back to an
activity that I have had an absolute blast doing for the past 14 years. I
also knew warm fuzzies would be few and far between. In the past year I
have burned 5 of my 19 allowed vacation days on SEB business. Not to
mention hours of conference calls, correspondance reading and response
writing, and attendance at Divisional functions where my presence was
expected.
4) Are we clear on exactly HOW rules are changed? All eight of us don't
just sit around a table and hold hands and chant and make the text of the
book change. The SCCA is as much of a democracy as any organization.
Rules are not changed by decree. If a letter is written it is debated and
discussed and considered among ourselves, besides having been routed to the
applicable classification advisory committee for review and input.
If in the concensus opinion it might be worthy, it goes to Fasttrack in
SportsCar for member comment. I can assure all that there are always at
least two opinions to a proposal; the yes's, the no's, and the what the
&%$! were you thinking you stupid !$#&%, both for yes and no. After this,
there will be further discussion. If we decide to implement it, with
member comment a major consideration, we recommend it to the Board of
Directors for approval. They "work" for the membership too. :-)
I don't mean to lecture, because I know no slant was intended, but the big
picture HAS to be considered.
Rob Foley
Speaking for himself right now, but on the SEB
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