2008 Hillclimb and Sprint regs
Discussion
This was/is posted on the flatchat forum,
"I have been told this evening about an email from another source, suggesting that the MSA are not allowing the Scottish road classes for 2008.
While it is true that the MSA have not approved the regulations we have been using for many years, it has been discussed at length with the right people at Colnbrook and a solution is on the table that, if accepted by the MSA, will address their concerns but also allow these classes to continue (albeit with some minor changes in definition). It is not correct for anyone to suggest that the Scottish road classes will not continue.
As I am sure you will appreciate, this issue is consuming a great deal of time from the Scottish Championship executive committee. The full committee, including the club and competitor representatives, is completely up to speed with where we are and what has been going on ‘behind the scenes’, but the decision was taken not to be more public about this until the exact position was much clearer as it was felt this would cause undue panic.
We expect to find a solution to this issue very soon. As soon as we do, I will arrange for revised regulations to be published and will contact all those competitors who have already registered. In the meantime, I suggest we all carry on as normal. If you have genuine concerns, then do call me - if not, then please trust me to let you know when and how the issue is resolved."
The topic has now been locked
(on Flatchat)
"I have been told this evening about an email from another source, suggesting that the MSA are not allowing the Scottish road classes for 2008.
While it is true that the MSA have not approved the regulations we have been using for many years, it has been discussed at length with the right people at Colnbrook and a solution is on the table that, if accepted by the MSA, will address their concerns but also allow these classes to continue (albeit with some minor changes in definition). It is not correct for anyone to suggest that the Scottish road classes will not continue.
As I am sure you will appreciate, this issue is consuming a great deal of time from the Scottish Championship executive committee. The full committee, including the club and competitor representatives, is completely up to speed with where we are and what has been going on ‘behind the scenes’, but the decision was taken not to be more public about this until the exact position was much clearer as it was felt this would cause undue panic.
We expect to find a solution to this issue very soon. As soon as we do, I will arrange for revised regulations to be published and will contact all those competitors who have already registered. In the meantime, I suggest we all carry on as normal. If you have genuine concerns, then do call me - if not, then please trust me to let you know when and how the issue is resolved."
The topic has now been locked
(on Flatchat)Edited by fiestajohn on Saturday 16th February 11:35
Ok guys – I’ve been married to him for 30 years and know far more than anyone else what a cantankerous hot headed ‘act without thinking’ bugg@r he can be!! The thread on flatchat is now unlocked: hopefully what follows, which is also on flatchat, will hopefully go some way to answering the question.
We got news last night that someone had decided it was in the interests of competitors in another championship that they be told the MSA had problems with the regulations for Scottish road cars, jeopardising that championship for 2008.
This problem has been known to the SSHCC for a few weeks now. A lot – believe me a lot – of time and effort has gone into querying the whys and wherefores of what was meant, required, entailed, excluded by the changes requested by the MSA – David has taken days off work to try and sort this and prepare new regs, as well as spending his evenings and our weekends poring over the Blue Book and considering ways with various words to try and resolve this so our road cars could continue to run as previously. It looks as if we now have a form of words which involves a change of definition – it could be what were called road cars will now be called four wheeled non horse drawn chariots. Does it matter so long as we can continue to have a championship which caters for what we know as road cars, modified cars and racing cars? I’m sure if it makes people feel better the racing cars could be retitled ‘4 wheeled missiles with little body work’, and, speaking personally, the modifieds called ‘4 wheeled sports cars which have to be of Ginetta marque and blue in colour - and slow’...
All this was happening behind the scenes, no-one was worrying (except a few on the committee!), and shortly new regs would have gone out with a covering letter explaining the changes. The decision was taken, with which I do agree, of “why panic people when we don’t know exactly what the problem is and have no solution but are working on it”. If you think about it, how many problems arise in the work place which are dealt with in similar manner and we don’t know about, and are happy (ish!) when presented with a fait accompli?
However, back to paragraph 2. This happened late last night, and given the circulation of that correspondence, rightly or wrongly, David decided to try to pre-empt the inevitable flood of emails and phone calls to us – we do have a life outside motorsport! - by posting on Flatchat. What has happened in the few hours since then is maybe regretable, and brought on by a touch of red mist, which you men will know all about.
Unfortunately the name of the MSA cannot be taken into disrepute on a public forum – one of those things unfortunately. By private email, no problem – on a forum, it’s going to bring forth the wrath of the moderators, hence the deletion of Douglas’s (funny) cartoon. The deletion of the other post I think was unfortunate and smells a little of ‘dictatorship’ – my own thoughts – but the post would probably come under the PH ‘don’t slag individuals off’ type rule (which is why I’ve been careful not to name the source of the email which stirred this all up in the first place) – a moot point.
I will finish by doing what we don’t usually do but others do – a small bleat about what is going on elsewhere in our lives at present. Nothing major, just me trying to start work again after 18 months of ill health, from which I'm still suffering but I have to earn pennies to keep him in the manner to which he's accustomed, David’s own work ramping up the pressure on him, a legal case hopefully coming to its head next week, 2 ill parents, a few other bits and pieces – we could both have done without the permit query and subsequent hassle, but have dealt with it without complaint. To get news that our efforts to protect the greater community from the hassle that was going on had been wasted in one hit of the send key by someone who had been blissfully ignorant of all the work which had gone on, and which was doubtless going to result in more queries for us didn’t leave either of us particularly happy, and we can all react badly when under pressure.
Now I look forward to being censored for saying too much about the source of this latest aggravation – but what the hell!
We got news last night that someone had decided it was in the interests of competitors in another championship that they be told the MSA had problems with the regulations for Scottish road cars, jeopardising that championship for 2008.
This problem has been known to the SSHCC for a few weeks now. A lot – believe me a lot – of time and effort has gone into querying the whys and wherefores of what was meant, required, entailed, excluded by the changes requested by the MSA – David has taken days off work to try and sort this and prepare new regs, as well as spending his evenings and our weekends poring over the Blue Book and considering ways with various words to try and resolve this so our road cars could continue to run as previously. It looks as if we now have a form of words which involves a change of definition – it could be what were called road cars will now be called four wheeled non horse drawn chariots. Does it matter so long as we can continue to have a championship which caters for what we know as road cars, modified cars and racing cars? I’m sure if it makes people feel better the racing cars could be retitled ‘4 wheeled missiles with little body work’, and, speaking personally, the modifieds called ‘4 wheeled sports cars which have to be of Ginetta marque and blue in colour - and slow’...
All this was happening behind the scenes, no-one was worrying (except a few on the committee!), and shortly new regs would have gone out with a covering letter explaining the changes. The decision was taken, with which I do agree, of “why panic people when we don’t know exactly what the problem is and have no solution but are working on it”. If you think about it, how many problems arise in the work place which are dealt with in similar manner and we don’t know about, and are happy (ish!) when presented with a fait accompli?
However, back to paragraph 2. This happened late last night, and given the circulation of that correspondence, rightly or wrongly, David decided to try to pre-empt the inevitable flood of emails and phone calls to us – we do have a life outside motorsport! - by posting on Flatchat. What has happened in the few hours since then is maybe regretable, and brought on by a touch of red mist, which you men will know all about.
Unfortunately the name of the MSA cannot be taken into disrepute on a public forum – one of those things unfortunately. By private email, no problem – on a forum, it’s going to bring forth the wrath of the moderators, hence the deletion of Douglas’s (funny) cartoon. The deletion of the other post I think was unfortunate and smells a little of ‘dictatorship’ – my own thoughts – but the post would probably come under the PH ‘don’t slag individuals off’ type rule (which is why I’ve been careful not to name the source of the email which stirred this all up in the first place) – a moot point.
I will finish by doing what we don’t usually do but others do – a small bleat about what is going on elsewhere in our lives at present. Nothing major, just me trying to start work again after 18 months of ill health, from which I'm still suffering but I have to earn pennies to keep him in the manner to which he's accustomed, David’s own work ramping up the pressure on him, a legal case hopefully coming to its head next week, 2 ill parents, a few other bits and pieces – we could both have done without the permit query and subsequent hassle, but have dealt with it without complaint. To get news that our efforts to protect the greater community from the hassle that was going on had been wasted in one hit of the send key by someone who had been blissfully ignorant of all the work which had gone on, and which was doubtless going to result in more queries for us didn’t leave either of us particularly happy, and we can all react badly when under pressure.
Now I look forward to being censored for saying too much about the source of this latest aggravation – but what the hell!
fiestajohn said:
I cant find a way to edit the title
I know what you mean though, nobody else seems concerned.
Perhaps,it is because there is no cause for concern?I know what you mean though, nobody else seems concerned.
At least not until the MSA make a decision, Iknow of at least two other championships still waiting for the MSA to approve the regs, for various (unknown?) reasons they appear to be playing obstructive this year.
SportsLibre said:
Perhaps,it is because there is no cause for concern?
Clearly you dont run in a road saloon class... You'd be a bit concerned if it was your class that the MSA had issues with.
All my fellow road saloon class competitors i've spoken to are all concerned & share the same view that its crazy that the MSA put the cat amongst the doo's 2 months before the start of the season.
With any luck everything will turn out for the best but we dont need this kind of hassle going on.
Edited by D-Speed on Wednesday 20th February 17:43
I think in many cases there may have to be a bit of leeway in respect of scrutineering for the new road car classes. A lot of last years road cars were used for both trackdays and hills/sprints and would be illegal under the new rules as bodyshell modifications had been done previously for lightening etc. and would be difficult to rectify in such a short timescale. The talk I've heard is mainly concern about whether a car will or won't pass under the rules, with 2 competitors I know of not bothering with the Hills or Sprints this year and going to trackdays instead. I may join them as the track time versus cost issue is looking more attractive now, but am undecided yet.
I know the comittee have put a lot of effort into finding a resolution and I appreciate the situation could have been worse had they not fought our corner, but overall there's many competitors feeling they've been left high and dry with such little time to make their cars comply to the new rules.
I know the comittee have put a lot of effort into finding a resolution and I appreciate the situation could have been worse had they not fought our corner, but overall there's many competitors feeling they've been left high and dry with such little time to make their cars comply to the new rules.
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