On Cheating and Dirty Driving

Louis Stone-Collonge www.scatracing.com

As a race team owner (S. Cat. Racing) I have spent a lot of time learning. Paying dues and learning from others (from reading, listening, watching, etc.) is not just for rookie drivers. Two issues that have come up where S. Cat. Racing competes that I think are important to talk about: 1) cheating & 2) dirty driving.

My first point is that racing is NOT about following the rules. Racing is about learning the rules and figuring out how to bend them in order to get an edge. While I know that driving skill is important, you can have all the skill in the world and be handicapped by inferior equipment (Shawna Robinson is a good driver, but lets see how good Jeff Gordon would do if they switched cars).

There has been a great joke in F1 for years and that joke was traction control. The FIA had outlawed traction control for years, but the rule was impossible to police. F1 cars are mainly driven by computers whose programs are made up millions of lines of computer code. Since it was impossible for the FIA to police millions of lines of code in each car, they eventually gave up and removed the rule. Everyone knew that F1 cars were using traction control, but no one could catch them. And, the same thing is going on in CART (not sure about the IRL).

A race director I have a good deal of respect for, started the 2001 season by stating that it's the job of the race teams to get away with as much as possible and the job of the offices to try and catch them.

Most major innovations (not necessarily including safety technology) in racing has come from cheating and bending rules. If, when you are building your racecar, you are not thinking, gee, I wonder if this is 'really' legal, you are not working hard enough to push the edge.

Some people talk about grey areas in rules. The grey areas are those bits where you think, "well, it doesn't say I can't mount the radiator in the rear of my car/truck." Those can often be safe areas to push the rules. If your rules state that you cannot use a hot coil (or MSD Box), you should keep in mind that almost anything can be hidden on a race car if you work hard enough at it (and, if you are creative enough). I think all racers should push the limits as much as possible.

Having said all of that, I must note that not everyone agrees with me. In fact, many do not. And, if you get caught, you are very likely going to pay a permanently of some kind. That is the way it works.  If you are going to push the limits, once and a while you are going to get dinged. And, please, if you do get caught, don't get in the face of the officials like so many guys I have seen do. If you get DQ'd or whatever, take it standing up like an adult. If you are going to dance on the edge (or over the edge of the rules), you are going to get caught every so often. Just take whatever comes like an adult.

One more thing. If you are going to push the limits of the rules to the max, I strongly advise learning what the penalties are for what you are doing. It would be pretty stupid to get yourself tossed out of a track permanently because you were not paying close attention to the rules. Pay attention, weigh the risk and make your choice.

On the subject of dirty driving. I make a distinction between dirty driving and what I will call fighting back is also a big part of racing. Now, I have to be careful when I say this because sanctioning organizations have varying tolerances for on track contact. NASCAR is pretty tolerant of on track contact. Esp. on short tracks (1/2 mile and smaller). And, this is even more true for Weekly Racing Series events. Where S.Cat. Racing completes (the greatest track in the world: Altamont Raceway Park in Tracy California), the racing often resembles a full contact sport.

So, I am speaking primarily about oval short tracks (but, this applies to all racing). When my current driver went out on the track for the first time, I told her not to fight back when on the track. If she feels she is getting beaten on, I want her to tell me so I can make sure she is talking about the right driver. This is because it is often very hard to tell exactly who is beating on your rear bumper (I do not allow my rookie drivers to run with mirrors--I want them looking forward). I told her that if I see someone beating on her more than what is reasonable, we will deliver pay back when we can.

Now, why on earth would I say that? The reason is simple. In my rookie year as a team owner, I was privy to many conversations where other drivers would talk about how to get the female drivers out of the way. "Just beat on them until you scare them and, they will move up the track and let you by." I am not joking I heard that (or a version of that comment) on many many occasions. While I want my drivers to pay their dues, I do not want them to be a target. Racing is pure aggression. And, if you are not the aggressor, you are the victim. If you do not make it clear that you are willing to fight back, you will be a target--a sitting duck.

I would rather get black flagged for administering 'payback' than have my driver get punted out of the way because she is seen as an easy target.

Having said that, I want my drivers to race clean and race fair. As a rookie driver she is going to have to take some lumps and just sit on it. That is just part of the game. We have a lot to learn this year and, there really are dues to be paid if we want to grow as a team. Still, no one can afford to be target.  Respect on the track is both earned and taken. The best drivers know how to reach a healthy and constructive balance.

Louis Stone-Collonge is the team owner for S. Cat. Racing (www.scatracing.com) in Campbell California. S. Cat. Racing is a sophomore race team that fields exclusively female drivers. Currently, S. Cat. Racing is racing Mini Super Trucks at a local NASCAR track (Altamont Raceway Park) and, has plans to expand into SCCA and NASA divisions. When Louis is not racing, he is also works as a web designer/manager, has a degree in Religious Studies and far too many graduate units in Media and Cultural Studies