So your kid goes out on the track and races their little heart out. You're so ecstatic because they kicked butt in qualifying. They come off track and must go over scales to make sure they are at the proper weight for their class. Then they drive onto a board where alignment type things are checked (i.e. are your wheels outside the roll cage).
If it's a qualifying day, tires get "stamped" (basically branded to make sure you don't change tires).
You also get your motor sealed. Sealing means someone comes around with paint and paints 13 different points on your motor in the pretty color of the day. The spots are a little different for different types of motors. If they don't paint all 13 points, you will get DQed (by tech) and it will not be the painters fault - it's yours. Here's how our days mostly go:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, shit - I lost count. Did we get it all? Is there enough paint so it wont come off throughout the race day?? Is there any old color that looks like it should be painted? Can we paint the whole thing so we dont have to worry about it?
About that time the painting volunteer (who is usually a track mom) hands us the list of what SHOULD be painted. And mostly, I don't remember what part is what anyway so it's fairly useless.
So your kid goes out on the track and races their little heart out. And since they did so great, straight to impound their car goes - to wait for tech. If there's no paint and it was qualifying - guess what? DQ!
So at the very end of the day, after all racing is finished, Tech starts looking at cars. They check fuel w/ a sniffy thing. If you are not within proper numbers - guess what? DQ!
They look at your tires and who knows what else. If you pass this part, and it's a full tech day, they have you pull your car up to a big long "Tech" table.
"YOU WANNA SEE MY WHAT?!"
I hardly think that's appropriate to ask! Oh, you're tech? Okay then.
"No, really, what the crap do you need from me?"
Tech will ask for anything they want. One time we got asked to see our muffler (uh, hello?! the thing that gets a bazillion degrees and has more than likely been rusted on the car for years because nobody touches those things). Yes, there is really rules about the INSIDE of that thing! Wow!
Another time, I got asked for - well, I can't tell you because I still don't know what the hell I was asked for but it was WAY deep in the thing that makes the car go... uh, the motor.
Problem #1 - "How the hell do you recommend I get it off to give it to you?"
So, I still haven't quite figured out the 2 pit cart/tool problem but just so you know, you are supposed to bring your tools to tech. Also, have something to drain whatever it is you may need to drain.
Ummm, so thank god for people willing to tell me/loan me some tool to get the thingamajig off the whatchamacallit so I can give the doohickey to tech.
Tech uses all sorts of special "tech" tools to make sure you didn't do something??? to something??? inside the motor. Luckily I do not know enough to cheat, but I do cross my fingers everytime that whoever had the motor before I bought it from them was also not a cheater.
So after you get done with Tech, you get your stuff back.
Problem #2 - "What the hell do I do with this?!" aka HELP!
Umm, I have seen tech look at junk so far in the motor and then just hand a bunch of parts back to the owner. Good luck Chuck - hope ya have more knowledge than me!
I will say that there are so many people willing to help--- but the crap is very intimidating!
Stuff I have seen go wrong firsthand: So ya forgot to seal your motor, huh? Wasn't your car supposed to go to impound after you placed? There's something wrong with your slide?
Nothing feels worse than knowing that you caused your kids to get DQed after they did awesome. But, I bet the same mistakes aren't made twice.
And for all you people that actually understand this stuff....here's some light reading:
http://quartermidgets.org/documents/Tech/Honda/2011_Honda_120_Tech_Manual.pdf
And if you do understand it, I'm looking for pit crew! =)
After all this I feel compelled to tell you, Tech directors are volunteers from the track and they take some of the most heat from angry racer sponsors (i.e. parents). They deal with Why do we hafta (insert foot stomp)? And probably some other not nice encounters.
But in my experience if you catch a tech director or former tech director when they are not busy as heck, they are knowledgeable as hell and will bend over backwards to help you/educate you/keep you from getting DQed.
So go give your tech director a big smooch! =)
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