In message <
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"Andy" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Dave Gibbs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Richard Brookman wrote:
> >> Dave Gibbs wrote:
> >>
> >> || Did anybody else suffer from the same organisational slip-up as us?
> >> || Nobody at the main showground had told any of the off road coarse
> >> || ticket holders that they had to be scrutineered at the showground.
> >>
> >> <cough> It was there in black and white in the programme, and the
> >> announcer guy must have mentioned it over the PA at least once every
> >> half-hour ...
> >
> > The PA's no good for those that arrived, picked up tickets then went
> > straight to the course, same for the programme. The course organisers
> > were very apologetic and were turning back loads of people. Still it was
> > only a minor thing and in the end improved the course with the rain.
> >
> > Dave.
>
> I nearly missed it too as I didn't get a programme, it was bad planning and
> I only found out by chance. I thought the off-road course was crap
> personally, there was nothing to test your skills or abilities other than
> the rain which as you say did make it slippy, glad I bought the AT's for my
> Disco 
Quite why there was such strict scrutineering for a forest track
> drive is beyond me. I drove around the Britpart course at last years show
> and it was much better, no-one even looked at my motor for that one???
>
>
There's an unfortunate trend in the off-roading world towards the
need for "experts", often ordinary individuals who for commercial
or ego reasons feel the need to define themeselves as being the
"expert". Mosty they forget that the whole thing should be a bit
of fun, but at meetings or in artlicles in magazines they simply
have to make some easotric point that makes them appear clever,
which later turns up as a "rule". This inevitably ends up being
reflected in "the rules" for events, or as a requirement
for a commercial organisation, and is picked up by insurers when
it then effectively becomes "law". I once listened to the
discussion between a "Blue Book" Scuitineer and a competetor at
an ARC event. The competetor had a Comp. Safari motor that he
wished to enter in the CCV. Though it's roll cage massively
exceeded the current requirements, and had until 2 year perviously
year been ARC "legal", has was not allowed to compete, even
"under licence" which was a possibility. Now, rules is rules,
and whatever the rights and wrongs of this particular case,
they have to be obeyed, at least within the sprit of the law,
if not the letter - but what got me was the Scruiteers ego!
Rather than help the competetor to compete, which surely is the
second function after safety, he was simply unloading his ego,
with endless, pointless and petty details to demostrate how
important he was. Needless to say, neither myself or the
now ex-competeter were even remotely impressed. I'm not having
a pop at Scruitineers in general (in fact the ARC log-book
scruitineers are stunningly helpful), but this bloke was
no engineer and yet was talking as though he was because
someone had given him authority, and he was frankly wrong
on a number of issues. [1]
At last, the point of this - many years ago a number of
people got themselves a hang-glider, and hurled themselves
of places such as Westbury White Horse. No doubt they had
terrific fun, and learned as they went along. Now however,
they are the "experts", you need a licence to even think about
having a go, and they are doing very nicely thank-you out of it.
Why should we, if we desire to launch ourselves into oblivion,
not have the same opportunity to have fun?
I can see the day comming when it will be necessary to have
a competetors licence to do an RTV, off-road sites will be
stunningly expensive due to insurance, clubs will not
be able to put on events since there will be more officials
than entrants (indeed, that's already the case unless one
person is prepared to wear many hats) and insurance will be
withdrawn for such Green Lanes as remain - all down to a few
"experts" who feel the need to pontificate publically rather
then give a few quiet words of advive to a novice.
Richard
[1] this was the point at which I decided having CCV motor was
going to be far more hassle than fun, since two Scruitineers
could not even agree on the rules, never mind me getting it
right. The competetor, faced with rebuilding his trialler,
gave up and ceased trying to compete.
--
