Grass Lake ASH Turn 1: You Make the Call

[bill van steenwyk]

This has been a very interesting thread............

............and as one who has absolutely no axe to grind or vested interest in either the drivers involved or equipment that was being being raced at this event, please pay attention to one part of my post regards the use of pontoon boats or otherwise suitable craft for the construction of a raised/elevated platform of 10/12 feet above the water so the turn judge might view the turn from a better perspective.

After many, many years of being a turn judge at PRO Nationals and other USTS races, I could not believe the difference being this distance ABOVE the action made in helping to make calls regards overlap violations. Nobody likes to be on the wrong end of an overlap violation call, either the driver harmed, the driver doing the chopping (well maybe) or last but not least, the turn judge. It does nobody any good and Nationals are too important to get it wrong, either way.

One look as Helicopter views of Unlimited races will illustrate how helpful a raised platform is.

[Big Don]

Don:

Too old (64) and too far away ( Nova Scotia).

The times I remember when the rulebook was overturned at the nationals include Balldacini's blueprinted A in 1954? , allowed because there was the driver said he didn't do anything wrong. Ron France with a lightened crank in the 70's, allowed because it was just balanced to " jet turbine specifications". DeFeo's not for racing block, allowed because A blocks were " so hard to find these days". I did not like any of these decisions but they are examples of overruling the inspector and the specs.

Tohatsu D's are allowed electric start. Therefore wiring to Tohatsu specs is legal. At the same time it is illegal. Do you think this contradiction will not be rectified to allow Dave's setup next year? Relying on a bad rule you have the power to change is irresponsible.

Don; I don't necessarily agree with everything you say either.

John

Most don't.

[mercguy]

This is totally different. This is arguably a speed advantage. Pickle fork roundness is definitely not.

"This is arguably a speed advantage"

.......................prove it to me!!!!!! If that was so, then why don't the Yamato owners get tossed out for having a HUGE hole cutout in the side of the front cowl or even allowing a homemade cowl to be made..........also, you might want to check out the 44XS's with electric start............they have the same hole size where the battery cables go through..............

PS............leaving the plugs out allows water to get into the cowl and into the bottom carb, etc...............definately NOT a speed advantage............been there.....done that...in testing...........is that good enough proof for you ????

PSS: I really have a very hard time believing that the inspector would toss out the driver for just the grommet missing where the battery cables enter.............something else must be involved...........

[pav225]

Race

I sure hope everyone has a race this coming weekend so we can focus on that and have some fun again...

Mike

[Big Don]

Mike, get off the computer and get back in the basement....2013 is just around the corner.

[bill van steenwyk]

For those interested on more on this subject.....

I sure hope everyone has a race this coming weekend so we can focus on that and have some fun again...

Mike

.....there is an upcoming program on the Food Network this evening at 8:00pm Central time I believe that can probably be found on Dish, Direct TV, or your favorite cable channel.



The name of the program is "CHOPPED".

[pav225]

Epoxy

Mike, get off the computer and get back in the basement....2013 is just around the corner.

....Just checking HR while the epoxy dries...

[pav225]

Da iii

Sweet!! 11-W will look awesome on the cover!!!

[D_Allen_III]

Don:

The nastiness from cental US racers towards Region 10 is actually shocking. What is wrong with you people? 400 memebrs and you feel you have to vilify the Pacific Northwest. A nationals in the 70's had 900+ entrants.

John McManus 69-CE

You must not have been at the Travel Lodge for 6 nights in a row. Man it got nasty between everyone.

On the flip cup table maybe...

[John Schubert]

Don Baldacini's KG$

Don:

Too old (64) and too far away ( Nova Scotia).

The times I remember when the rulebook was overturned at the nationals include Balldacini's blueprinted A in 1954? , allowed because there was the driver said he didn't do anything wrong. Ron France with a lightened crank in the 70's, allowed because it was just balanced to " jet turbine specifications". DeFeo's not for racing block, allowed because A blocks were " so hard to find these days". I did not like any of these decisions but they are examples of overruling the inspector and the specs.

Tohatsu D's are allowed electric start. Therefore wiring to Tohatsu specs is legal. At the same time it is illegal. Do you think this contradiction will not be rectified to allow Dave's setup next year? Relying on a bad rule you have the power to change is irresponsible.

Don; I don't necessarily agree with everything you say either.

John

I finished 4th in BSH in those nationals where Don's "A" DQ was overturned which gave Dick O'Dea 2 years in a row winning AU. I was 15. Doing the math you were 6 & you remember that incident. I'm just teasing you as that was a memorable DQ then after months reinstatement. The beginning of stock motors being blueprinted forever.

[jswain3]

Classy

I agree with most things Big Don says.

[rumleyfips]

Blueprint everything

John:

You're right I was 6 just taller and more mature than I am now.

When I started at 16 the story was still around. Ported engines, lightened everything and squooshed blocks were pretty common Saturday night topics.

I always thought it was intersting that the fully machined engine came to the fore so quickly after the introduction of KG4"s and 7's and hydros in stock.

John 69-CE

[rumleyfips]

Blueprint

Forgot until just now. Inspectors at bigger races expressed surprise that I brought a stock engine to a boat race. I can't remember them all but Dick Fickett , Jon Stone and Harper Chance stick in my mind. There was a famous Wisconson inspectors active from the 50's at Thompson . He said inspecting my engine was a waste of time.



John

[John Schubert]

One last comment

This will be a post somewhat similar to Bill Van's above. While it's true I wasn't at Grass Lake, but have had sufficient water time in most APBA categories & many know me or maybe don't want to acknowlege that they do, but what I have to say is pertinent. Matt won, deserved to win, was on the inside & fouled no one. It does appaer that Colin was chopped & as I said in my first post there was a driver to Matt's outside & that driver might have been the one that fouled Colin. However, that driver wasn't identified & if that driver ended up with a podium finish, then it's too bad that he wasn't. But, lets not fool ourselves, Colin Rucker comes from a long lineage of family that raced very successfully, I know I raced against the 2 Ruckers & Howard A. Colin is a talented driver & hopefully this incident doesn't take away his passion to race & win. No matter what the decision would have been, Colin was out of the running in the first heat & even a win in the second other then having several gun jumpers in the second, he would not have been National Champion. No amount of passion, agression, name calling, idle threats, allegations of Mid-West out to get the NW, and so on will ever change the fact that a good up & coming driver didn't have the opportunity to show his stuff & his ability to do well in the national championship finals.

[csh2z]

The offending driver did not place in the top five overall.