Quote: "We can even crash the bowling alley and argu there, or kick in some pikies"
Speaking of Pikies in Harlow, I used to hang out down Megakart when it was open - I did some free marshalling and in exchange I got free racing.
This was all swell and good, particularly as the racing was almost as much time as the marshalling but one day...
You see the problem starts because I take my racing seriously, I raced to RACMSA regulations back then and I was quite an accomplished Go-Karter, the RACMSA incidentally where at that time the governing body of motorsport in the UK.
So to me, if I want a word with a driver because they are being 'over-excited' then I give them the black flag. That doesn't meen they are disqualified, it meens the clerk of the course (ie: me) wants them in the pits now for a good talking too, after which they may or may not be allowed to continue.
In professional racing the answer is often no, but in rental racing it just meens I want to cool them off a little bit. In either case it is given when visual cautions have not been obvserved and a verbal warning is required.
Had I known that the Megakart briefing had recently changed their disciplinary rulings I would never have 'disqualified' a certain Mr. Gumbal.
Now if you live near Harlow, you know who the Gumbals are. And yours truly well and truly ****** off Harlow's version of the Godfather.
I had him foaming at the mouth and threatening to kill me at the trackside, and all because I didn't mind a bit of argy bargy but I felt he should cool it off a little bit because his driving style was getting out of hand.
He actually accepted that he was driving dangerously, the 'confusion' of the death threats was because I disqualified him rather than cautioned him first - and that was because of... well anyway you get the idea.
He didn't kill me by the way, i'm still here and I don't recall even blinking, but I do recall sighing in huge relief when I walked outside and he wasn't waiting.
Harlow is a lovely town, really it is......
Pneumatic Dryll
