| Author |
Message |
MFZ (Kiyoharu)
Member
Username: Kiyoharu
Post Number: 311
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2003 - 3:14 am: | |
I think they do know the rules, it's just that it's one of those weird instances where things that aren't supposed to happen happened.
There was one incident last year in the World Superbike Championships. Troy Bayliss crashed his Ducati bike in a race, he and his bike were horizontal on the sand traps. By regulation, when a bike is horizontal (not upright), the engine automatically switches off if it's running to prevent fires in case of fuel spilled. If you want to restart the engine you need the external starter motor (like the ones used by F1 cars). You can't even push start it if the engine stalled.
However the bike didn't stall and Troy picked it up and continued the race and finished in the points. The rival teams demanded that his bike to be disqualified since the engine didn't stall when it laid there horizontally on the sand traps. However when the scrutineers checked the bike post-race, (started the engine, and laid it horizontally), the engines stalled as it was supposed to do. They allowed the results to stand.
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N'din (Abangdin)
Junior Member
Username: Abangdin
Post Number: 69
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2003 - 7:42 am: | |
Pity about the disqualification. But Prodrive should have known the rules. |
David Seibert (Historics)
New member
Username: Historics
Post Number: 4
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 8:22 am: | |
The stall test is a normal part of ALMS Tech Inspection, both pre-race and for the podium finishers. (Both Dyson and Panoz entries have failed the test in the past.)
In the case of the ProDrive 550, the airbox collapsed during the test, which is a failure. In their appeal ProDrive will likely argue that it was a component failure, and the collapse of the airbox, in effect from the suction of the engine intakes, proves that there were no leaks. |
Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 768
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 5:48 am: | |
Is Prodrive appealing? |
Racer Nika (Racernika)
Junior Member
Username: Racernika
Post Number: 69
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 10:31 pm: | |
checking the race data the car was fine and legal - after the fact there was an issue and lots of pressure from GM.
Even if the car cheated - remember the Vettes were LAPPED half way thru - LAPPED!!! The manager told me Laguna is hard on the Vettes tires
It still was a super race - I was glad to be there
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Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 765
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 2:54 pm: | |
Yes, it was the one that won. So the one that came in second place ended up the winner. That made the Corvette second. I imagine the winners are always teched after the race.
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Rikky Alessi (Ralessi)
Member
Username: Ralessi
Post Number: 319
Registered: 5-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 1:11 pm: | |
was this the one that won? man, that really sucks...
I wonder if they "enhanced" their engine on purpose. Do you know if this is done after every race, or is it random?
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Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 764
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 11:13 am: | |
Let me answer my own question:
The stall test is designed to determine if the engine in a car is drawing air from an unapproved source. Technical officials block the normal air intake of the engine and the engine should then stall. If the engine does not stall, the car fails the test.
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Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member
Username: Lawrence
Post Number: 763
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 6:01 am: | |
I missed the ALMS race on TV read that one of the 550's was disqualified because it failed the post "stall test".
What is the stall test? |