Speaking largely in support of the officials, and as the Dad of a cadet who was taken off 4 times in 4 races at the same meeting, these are the issues that this sort of topic raises:
1) The rules are a license to drive badly
Project 2 has hit the nail on the head. The rule book gives the bad driver lots of chances to commit an offence and escape punishment.
Either way, it's the innocent victim that currently bears the true cost (in terms of result and £), with no justice available via the "Protest" system.
Unless and until the rules are changed so that poor driving is discouraged (rather than positively ENcouraged), then we all have the choice of deciding whether to stay MSA (and press for change) or not.
The officials at Kimbolton can't be blamed for being governed by a set of rules that the drivers have all accepted as part of each entry process.
Hopefully this is something that the new Drivers Association representative on the ABkC might want to look at.
2) If the starts are so difficult to manage, why not video them?
There's nothing in the rule book that prevents an official from reviewing video evidence if it's available.
Video technology is cheap as chips now and the results can be reviewed immediately and completely impartially.
Knowing that offences WILL be spotted should start to reduce the frequency of problems.
3) Do the results matter that much - really?
The industry sells "the dream" of karting being the first step towards Formula 1. The reality is that almost every dream ends well before that point.
Unfortunately, rather too many drivers (parents? teams?) believe the hype and think that cheating in whatever form is perfectly excusable, even if this risks the safety of other competitors.
Some of us are prepared to accept the reality of the position and recognise that the main priorities are safety and enjoyment, seeing youngsters maturing and gaining skills and experience that will benefit them for life. This includes learning how to handle things when they haven't gone your way (eg being spun by off-centre rear contact coming over the start line!)
4) Officiating Standards
I have no doubt as to the integrity of the officials, who are largely enthusiasts and shouldn't be measured as if they were a professional organisation, eg football referees.
The priority of the marshals is safety.
Would those that complain about the quality in this respect be prepared to fund the increase in standards towards "professional" levels?
We might find quite a few less drivers around if that were the case...
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