mender

The testing: very specific impacts and angles, certainly not all-inclusive crash testing such as would be expected if a car was being designed for competition use. Pass/fail level acceptance based on a limited set of parameters. Lowest bid sourcing ensures the minimal expense to achieve the minimum in standards possible. Then after the testing, it's all about the accountants. Components re-specified after the test to save a few pennies per car (for example: cheaper plastic lines in place of the steel lines that were used in the test). Production changes that sneak in over time, material or source changes that can affect integrity. Having been working on cars for over forty years and seeing how the factories do things, I don't have much faith in stock tanks or fuel systems. Let's just say that I have no problem with the fuel cell sitting next to me in my Fiero but absolutely wouldn't put a stock tank in the same location.

Source?

Aggressive blocking.

I'm thinking lube of some kind: diff or trans cooler, electric pump still on? Hard to tell what's back there.

I would put in a plate that covers the top of the sill and goes down onto the floor, probably extending out about 4 inches onto the flat part to tie in as much structure as I could in that area. Wouldn't want that to punch through. Then build a box on top of that to support the A pillar. I'd consider that worth doing.

Good for you. Haven't snagged anything yet.

1. Not needed to get out, unlatch and go. Net slides over helmet and such. 2. Again, unlatch and go, no need to get the net to stay on the roof. 3. If you can't see the latch, you probably can't see your dash. Not sure why you think it would be that low. Saved me from losing a race when my net didn't quite get latched, it was easy to grab and fix without having to pit. Try that with a net that's flopping around on the outside of your door. Like I said, it's not as bad as you might think. But your choice.

Moved on to a different series?

I like my window net to be tight, not so easy to do with the spring-loaded bars.

Don't knock it 'til you try it.

It's not specified in the rules, and my car passed tech every time with it latched at the bottom. Please stop making up rules. I've used both. I personally like having it latched at the bottom, makes it easier for me hook it up by myself.

I use this style: The lever allows a person to pull the net up tight when latching and it releases with the flick of the lever. You could put a lanyard on it to make it easier to release with gloves on but I haven't felt the need.

No report from yesterday?

A long time ago the company I worked for did at-track support for the Fran-Am series. As part of the service we provided, I rebuilt shocks and ran the shock dyno in the trailer to provide the teams with fresh shocks as needed. Part of our support included the testing of the spec shocks to make sure no one had fiddled with the valving. The shocks were essentially Ohlins but with cheaper internals. They were externally adjustable as well. Not bad but definitely considered a wear item even for such short races. I'm pretty sure one team engineer thought I was a genius when I tested his shocks and asked whether his driver was complaining about a certain series of bumpy corners. They had been cranking up the adjustment to "fix" the problem, but the issue was that the shock was worn out and was bypassing internally within a lap or two after going out as the fluid heated up and thinned out. Rebuilt the shock, gave him the before and after dyno sheets to show him what was happening. I think they podiumed. The point is that a quality shock maintains its performance. That's the consistency. Just about any shock will work well for a few laps, but not for long. Check your lap times after a restart; if you see a blazer within 3-5 laps then a gradual slowing for awhile it could be the tires but it's also likely that your shocks cooled during the yellow and worked well again before they heated up, especially if the tires you're running are known to work well at higher temps and not get greasy until punished for awhile.

What does those guys know, they can't even get the engine in the right place. Missed it by two feet!