Any good protest stories?

Gordon Lightfoot wrote:

Jeez, when it said "protest stories", I thought there might be some topless pix from some Roe v. Wade rallies. I guess it's the wrong kind...

Jeez, when it said "protest stories", I thought there might be some topless pix from some Roe v. Wade rallies. I guess it's the wrong kind of protest...

But, relative to the right kind of protest, albeit in the car racing vein, the most famous story I have heard over the last decade came from the SCCA Run-offs in 2014. That year, the top nine Spec Miata's in the final were blanket protested for an illegal engine mod, and all of the top six cars (and others) were DQ'd. In the end, the guy who finished seventh became the National Champion. Even crazier, the reason for the DQ was an "illegal" head mod, but the illegal mod was only created when the heads were legally cleaned up. Needless to say, the rules were heavily debated and changed for the next year.

For those who don't know, Spec Miata is like the PW or 65 stock classes but for grown adults with big bank accounts. At the highest levels, every and any tweak that can be added to gain an advantage, regardless of the cost, will be employed. While we all like to bemoan the over-the-top costs associated with the Mod'd classes, the ends guys go to to complete in Spec and Stock classes can be pretty crazy, too, and it all provides tons of fodder for those whose aim in life seems to be protesting the actions of the neighbor who beat them.

Kaaden'sTheory wrote:

LOL Spec Miata is insane. I owned and raced an SPO car where there are basically no rules as far as mods, but I did several...

LOL Spec Miata is insane. I owned and raced an SPO car where there are basically no rules as far as mods, but I did several Spec Miata races in a friends SM. His car was built by one of the top Spec Miata builders in the US, it was modded to the very extent of the rules and probably bit over here and there. I could pass really legal 'stock' Miatas on the straights at Daytona three or four at a time! The irony is guys get into SM because its supposedly cheap racing, but it turns out if you want to win you need to spend $40K plus! Two or four wheels it costs much more to cheat in a spec/stock class.

Gordon Lightfoot wrote:

Jeez, when it said "protest stories", I thought there might be some topless pix from some Roe v. Wade rallies. I guess it's the wrong kind...

Jeez, when it said "protest stories", I thought there might be some topless pix from some Roe v. Wade rallies. I guess it's the wrong kind of protest...

But, relative to the right kind of protest, albeit in the car racing vein, the most famous story I have heard over the last decade came from the SCCA Run-offs in 2014. That year, the top nine Spec Miata's in the final were blanket protested for an illegal engine mod, and all of the top six cars (and others) were DQ'd. In the end, the guy who finished seventh became the National Champion. Even crazier, the reason for the DQ was an "illegal" head mod, but the illegal mod was only created when the heads were legally cleaned up. Needless to say, the rules were heavily debated and changed for the next year.

For those who don't know, Spec Miata is like the PW or 65 stock classes but for grown adults with big bank accounts. At the highest levels, every and any tweak that can be added to gain an advantage, regardless of the cost, will be employed. While we all like to bemoan the over-the-top costs associated with the Mod'd classes, the ends guys go to to complete in Spec and Stock classes can be pretty crazy, too, and it all provides tons of fodder for those whose aim in life seems to be protesting the actions of the neighbor who beat them.

Kaaden'sTheory wrote:

LOL Spec Miata is insane. I owned and raced an SPO car where there are basically no rules as far as mods, but I did several...

LOL Spec Miata is insane. I owned and raced an SPO car where there are basically no rules as far as mods, but I did several Spec Miata races in a friends SM. His car was built by one of the top Spec Miata builders in the US, it was modded to the very extent of the rules and probably bit over here and there. I could pass really legal 'stock' Miatas on the straights at Daytona three or four at a time! The irony is guys get into SM because its supposedly cheap racing, but it turns out if you want to win you need to spend $40K plus! Two or four wheels it costs much more to cheat in a spec/stock class.

JazzyJJ wrote:

Also raced SM in the past. Even spending 40k on one, it’s cheap compared to other classes. Plus all of the consumables are stupid cheap.