Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-10
PENALTIES FIXED
FOR RELIABILITY
important Amendments Adopted
to Rules Governing
Contests
SCHEDULE is MADE DEFINITE
Just What Equipment Car May
Carry Is Clearly Laid
Down


over those Of last year will be found
in the adoption of the fixed penalty
schedule, which is applied at the final
examination of the cars at the COM
pletion of a contest. In this schedule
each Of the essential parts of car are
given a definite number of points PEN
alty for defective condition, greater
or less, according to their relative i'm
portance to the whole makeup Of the
car and the condition in which such
part is found at the finish of the con-
test.
The adoption Of this schedule at once
does away with the somewhat uncer-
tain and indefinite penalty of points OF
the 1909 rules for time consumed and
money value of material used in plac-
ing a car in safe and satisfactory
operating condition and places each
and every contestant upon the same
footing, with the same penalties ap-
plying to all for each defective and
damaged part which the contest may
develop; in other Kords, 1t reduces the
penalization scheme to as nearly as
possible an exact and known proper
sition instead of an uncertain and
varying one.
The avoidance of work on a car
after final examination and the cal
culation of time consumed and frac-
tional values of material used enables
a rapid determination of the relative
merits of each of the cars and en-
sures a speedy settlement Of the con-
test after the cuose of the last day $
run. The elimination of fractional
penalizations also facilitates the an
nouncement of the scores of the cars
at the end of each days run during a
contest
To determine the operating condition
of a car at the conclusion of con-
test, test of brakes, clutch. transmits
sion and motor are provided for, with
suitable penalties for defective oper-
alton.
Just what equipment a stock car
may or may not carry in reliability
contests is very clearly laid down. 1t
may carry special mud aprons in front
of radiator or bonnet screens between
the side members of ehe frame; rub
Der bumpers for springs and rebound
straps; tire initiating tanks. 1t may
not have special springs or spring
windings; shock absorbers may not be
added unless part of regular equipment
and covers over coil boxes, magnetos
or any other part of mechanism, or
screens around carburetor are not
permitted unless part of regular equip
ment
Tools are carried in a special bag
and sealed, the observers only having
access to same.
TO enable an observer to keep a moro
accurate record OF work done on a
car. metal and wire seals will be af-
fixed to the bonnet, coil box, trans
mission case, differentlal case, mud
pan or apron and parts of ignition
system not protected by bonnet seals
and any other parts, as may be neces-
sary. There will be no penalty for
breaking a seal, which will be re-
placed at the official garage at the
end of a days run, but the observer
will note the seal broken and must
report how many times thereafter ac-
cess was had to the part or parts pro-
tected by such seal.
A half hour is allowed at the end of
each days run for proper fabrication
of the car in the official garage, seals
being broken for this purpose and re-
placed.
The rules concerning observers have
been broadeped and strengthened and
the duties of observers enumerated
in greater detail than heretofore, the
following rule among others having
been added
Observers must not interpret rules
for entrants or drivers and cannot say
what work may or may not be done
without danger of penalization, their
duties being solely to record what is
done and the exact length of time con-
sumed in doing it.
TO induce entrants, who appoint OBJ
servers, to use the greatest care in
their selection, the following penalty
is imposed on an entrant for the act
of the observer he has appointed
If an official observer shall desert q
disabled car without first obtaining
the drivers signature to a statement
that he has withdrawn from the con-
test the entrant who appointed such
observer shall be disqualified and must
either withdraw from the contest al
together or continue as non-contest-
ant. BY desertion is meant leaving
the car without taking with him the
driver and passengers. This rule will
disqualify but one of the cars of an
entrant in case of multiplicity of en-
tries.