Validity

[Bob Orme]

We finished up running our 1 round of qualifying and class around 10:30. The protest came up around 11:00. We were scheduled to run 1st round at 3:30. We didn't run 1st round until 5:30 or so, but this still would not have given Paul time to get his engine back together had he been legal.
The protest should not have been allowed to happen in the 1st place. That was not enough time to get reassembled.

Good luck to all you points leaders later in the season when your opponent wants to keep you out of competition for the race. Just protest---on the day of eliminations and your competitor won't be able to get back together in time to race.

If the one round of qualifying wasn't also class eliminations, class contingency money wouldn't be a consideration, and it'd be easier to say no protests. I'm just asking here -- would you all be in favor of no protests, knowing that everyone knows the night before you make a qualifying pass that it is also a class eliminations winner or loser pass? If someone running in your class runs best-of-class, a number better than they ever have before, would you point to the rulebook and say I'm not going to think about protesting because the rulebook says I can't because of the one-day prior stipulation? Again, I'm just asking. A class win can be much more than just a small Wally. Should there be a provision in the rulebook to cover such a situation, or should it be, no same-day protests, no matter what?