Originally Posted by Dunk Mckay Originally Posted by

I don't buy into the argument stating that because it wasn't highlighted in pre-scrutineering that they can't fault you in post. The responsibility for ensuring that the car is legal under all possible conditions lies with the team and the team alone. Just as engine bores are not checked in pre-scrutineering because it is not feasible, it is also not feasible to take detailed measurements of the cars in order to provide guarantees to teams that they are completely legal. The focus should be on safety.



Thermal expansion and other forms of variation are always a possibility. And teams must realise that scrutineers are not going to be using measurement arms, or giant verniers to check dimensions, and cannot demand they do so. A tape measure was always going to be the most likely candidate, and the parts should have been dimensioned and toleranced accordingly, to insure no one would have grounds to argue their car was not legal.



I don't want to be critical of the teams involved, I do not believe they deserved to be disqualified, although some sort of minor penalty would have been in order. At the end of the day, there is no good engineering reason to push the limits of the rules so tightly, in FSAE. Any good simulation will tell you the points difference gained by an additional 3-4mm on the width of the wing is insignificant compared to the points gaps seen at competition, as such, taking the risk of failing scrutineering (pre or post) is a poor decision.