Another Blur book clarification please - mod prod brakes and relocating battery

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by redturner37

If I want planning permission for a new building, the planning authorities nail copies of the application to the local telegraph poles and put it in the local rag. Surely, any proposed alterations/ amendants should be posted at a place where it will be seen by concerned parties, ie Uphill Racers in our case. There will be absolutely no excuse for some-one not seeing it. I am confident that some-one on this forum is in contact with a member of the committee concerned and could invite them to be our 'proper' eyes and ears.........

The equivalent of the "local telegraph pole" is Motorsport Now (or whatever they are calling the MSA magazine these days. In there they itemise the changes in advance so there can be no excuses.

On the subject of the whole of the Blue Book being as one, I believe that the MSA are aware of the short-comings and are seeking to rectify. Obviously if any license holder spots such a contradiction or possible misunderstanding they should let the MSA know.

As I said before if you want something changing let the MSA know!

[Hasta]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

The equivalent of the "local telegraph pole" is Motorsport Now (or whatever they are calling the MSA magazine these days. In there they itemise the changes in advance so there can be no excuses.

On the subject of the whole of the Blue Book being as one, I believe that the MSA are aware of the short-comings and are seeking to rectify.

Having had a very small part in updating an obscure section of the Blue book (nothing to do with Hillclimbing and Sprinting before anyone asks) I know it will be an herculean task. The best of luck to anyone who has to do it .

Hasta

[BigYin]

Originally Posted by onomatopoeia

As AD-L frequently says, the MSA don't write the regulations. The specialist committees write the regulations and they are not MSA employees.

You are fortunate in being a master of the "nested if" and having no trouble interpreting the Blur Book. But 50% of the population are of below average intelligence and few have any training or experience in Boolean logic and so most struggle. The size and activity of this forum is evidence of that.

I find it difficult to believe that the unpaid volunteer members of the committees actually write the rules.

My experience of professional and governing bodies is that the paid staff write the rules and put them forward for approval/modification by the volunteers.

Are you really saying that the volunteer committee members alone have been responsible for some of the recent "controversial" rules eg the Roadgoing List 1A/1B confusion, compulsory yet totally ineffective exhaust cats, fuel sampling points, the nonsense that appeared in the 2011 Blur Book and had to be "clarified" (not corrected you'll note) almost immediately?

We have to remember that the MSA has a quasi-judicial role. It can fine you, suspend you or ban you for infringing its rules. It therefore has a concomitant responsibility to ensure that the rules are of the highest quality possible and we, as participants, should expect no less.

If you are right and the people writing the rules are all unpaid, it does raise the question as to just what we are paying for (directly through the licence fee and indirectly through entry fees) if it is not for clear and encouraging rules.

[onomatopoeia]

Originally Posted by BigYin

Are you really saying that the volunteer committee members alone have been responsible for some of the recent "controversial" rules eg the Roadgoing List 1A/1B confusion, compulsory yet totally ineffective exhaust cats, fuel sampling points, the nonsense that appeared in the 2011 Blur Book and had to be "clarified" (not corrected you'll note) almost immediately?

cats and fuel sampling are across the whole sport, not just our corner. So won't have originated in sprint & hill sub-committee.

More generally yes, discipline specific stuff gets written by the sprint & hill sub-committee. I understand that there are some things the MSA says have to be implemented due to external factors (e.g. insurers requirements).

If you think it's being done wrong, ask to be nominated to a specialist committee, or attend your regional association council meetings on behalf of your club and talk to the association's delegate to regional committee if you think more wide ranging changes are needed to the governance of the sport.

If people just complain here, nothing will get done. There is a system in place for things to get done so you have to work within it. I could draw a parallel with the judicial section of the book and people that come up to me after prizegiving on days I'm wearing my clerking hat saying " so-and-so shouldn't have been in my class as his car has an xyz modification that makes it ineligible", which gets my stock answer of "why didn't you put your money on the table and protest it then? I can't do anything now." (I get cross when that happens, can you tell )