Super Fast Matt's new Youtube video

[racergeo]

  I'm bringing this to your attention because I made an honest mistake the first time I went to Bonneville and Matt's experience at World Finals reads like an honest mistake to me. Matt's Youtube channel probable brings more awareness to the Bonneville hobby then anyone. If you were thinking of spending countless hours and a whole lot of money you would think twice after reading his account.  I hope there is a rational explanation to the harshness of the penalty that the SCTA handed down. Some times honest mistakes are made and should be taken into account.Between the widely published "bad salt" and accounts like this, can this hobby last much longer?  200ish entries at Speedweek and now 70 at World Finals, I feel reluctant to finish my race car. Please help me fill in the blanks. I definitely need some encouragement

[gowing]

It's club racing.

A small select clique makes and enforces the rules.
You are either part of their club... or you are not.

Seems like maybe someone with authority doesn't like superfastmatt.

[racergeo]

 You know, I heard that from a lot of people when I first got involved in this hobby. My experience hasn't actually proven that to be entirely true. I have been treated fairly for the most part. I do think that Lee Kennedy's statement " we are getting tired of scraping friends up off the salt" has a strong bearing on a lot of decisions. When you have put as much effort into building and racing a car as Matt has it has got to be disheartening. I actually think that a lot of folks that have awesome cars but are staying home have thrown their hands up and said F it.

[gowing]

Understood

[racergeo]

 
  I believe that my tongue in cheek saying that I came up with about 50 years ago explains what is going on with Bonnevilles low attendance. " ANYONE CAN AFFORD A RACE CAR, FEW CAN AFFORD TO RACE THEM'.  Example is the overall expense of say coming 900 miles away and having to get two over priced rooms for 6 days, entry fee, food, race fuel etc. and if your class record is slightly over 200 and the requirement is Goodyear LSR tires at about $900 plus freight each and all of a sudden it $8000 to attend a race, well. The wife says , "were going on a cruise".When I  started racing in the Alcohol Dragster category in 1991 I built a complete program for under $40k. By 93 I won the championship, by 97 I couldn't afford to race.There were 300 TAD cars nation wide when I started. Now there are about 40.

[rockracer]

So what did "sorta fast mat" do ?

[TrickyDicky]

So what did "sorta fast mat" do ?

257mph

[rockracer]

So... what's wrong with that ?
He did 270 last year.

[TrickyDicky]

So... what's wrong with that ?
He did 270 last year.

He was on a licensing pass - target speed 175mph.

As a know-not-very-much keyboard warrior, I don't understand why he needed to do that (given last year's speed).

[1leg]

If he was told to keep it too 175 by an offical and he went 257. You can't blame that on anything but the driver. E

[37 ROADSTER]

He had unsecured ballast that dropped on the coarse last year,so they had him relicence as a penalty.

[desotoman]

Hello George,

I sent you a PM.

[1leg]

He had unsecured ballast that dropped on the coarse last year,so they had him relicence as a penalty.

That is very common penalty, and justified in that case.

[racergeo]

  I am not saying that there wasn't a good reason for him being required to make a 175 mph run. I get that, as I had to do the same thing once and totally understood why.  I'm saying it may have been an honest mistake when you are just being reliant on electronics that let him down. Back in the day when I was just getting into this hobby there was a fellow that I think was named Dolan??? Seems he tried to start a Land Speed organization to compete with SCTA. Anyone remember that. 

[Dynoroom]

George, you are talking about Jack Dolan (RIP), he posted here a lot in the early years of the site.
Anyway he, Cook, & Legget? started the LSA, Land Speed Authority. It didn't get too far...
As far as Matt goes, 257 vs 175 is a big difference. The SCTA has people miss speed limits by not knowing the gearing in the trans or rear end. It's the competitor's job to follow the instructions, they need to figure it out. With all of the electronics Matt has there is no GPS speedo? Even I have one in my car....