autox
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Fehn/Butler hyperloud RX-7

To: "George Ryan" <quad4fiero@webzone.net>, "Craig Blome" <cblome@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Fehn/Butler hyperloud RX-7
From: "Rocky Entriken" <rocky@tri.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 13:18:32 -0500

>I disagree. And I will tell you why  I feel  "Discretionary" is xot
>a valid rule.

Maybe, but it IS the rule at the moment. If you think it should be
otherwise, work to change it.

>
>The owners of a loud car, let's say a gray RX-7 for example,
>travels - - oh let's say from Texas to Kansas - -  for an event.
> ...
>Sat mornimg, as they pull into their assigned grid spot, revving
>their obnoxious sounding car to warm the engine up, they get
>stopped by the event chairperson. "At my discretion, I think
>your car is too loud for this site" says he.

First of all, the action as described is a capricious act by the event
chair, not a throughtful decision based on existing conditions. And like any
official action, protestable.

You rule on my car just because of YOUR opinion, and most would agree that
is just wrong. But if you say to me, "I'm sorry, but the police were just
here in response to a noise complaint and your car was specifically cited as
the offender," now the event chair has solid footing on which to base such a
decision.

Of course, if the event chair knows in advance that he is under the gun to
run a quiet event (previous complaints, limits set by the site owner, etc.,
that too would give him footing to address the problem of the hyperloud
mazda.)

>After much ballyhoo,
>the owners of this fictional little gray RX-7 pack up and return
>to Texas.
>

Well, before bailing out, the owners could attempt some sound-suppression
action. Like put the muffler on, add more plates to the Supertrapp (or
sometimes, fewer!), stuff some steel wool in the tailpipe and wire a beer
can over the end ... whatever. "Too loud" does not equate to "you must
leave." It means "Quiet it down if you can."

>Oh, BTW, what do you think would happen if the gent who was event chair in
>the example above, say he drives a  Spridget just
>for grins, happens to get  a passport  and go to Texas for an event, say a
>National Tour.
>
>Wow - -  now event co-chairs at that National Tour event are - -
>the owners of the hyperloud RX-7!!! Now, we see a Spridget
>going north up I-35 headed for Kansas ...

Nope. Again, the official's action is protestable, and the Spridget has the
same right to do so as the Mazda. And if the event is a Tour, you are
dealing with a higher level of protest responsibility than at a local event.
You don't think the average Spridget would win that one, no matter how
allegedly biased the hyperloud Mazda-driving event chair was?

>Could this happen? Damn right, it sure could !! Without standards, we are
>setting the stage for this type scenario to happen.

The standards that would prevent it from happening are the protest
procedures, which in this case are there to protect us all from arbitrary
and capricious actions such as you envision.

--Rocky

PS - Who's the Spridget driver in your example? Not me. I drive a Spitfire.
:-)


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>