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[BAUS67]

Well, if @goatman or @goatman2 was still around he would know, he is a tech official for Ultra4. Seems the keyboard warriors around here have pushed him away, I haven't seen him post in awhile..

He gave us some inside looks back when the Broncs first hit Ultra4. I asked him to post some close-ups of the winch mount. The Fun-Haver Bronc looked like it had a home-made body mount.

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[userdude]

Well, if @goatman or @goatman2 was still around he would know, he is a tech official for Ultra4. Seems the keyboard warriors around here have pushed him away, I haven't seen him post in awhile..

He gave us some inside looks back when the Broncs first hit Ultra4. I asked him to post some close-ups of the winch mount. The Fun-Haver Bronc looked like it had a home-made body mount.

Is that half inch armor plating? I think that interior is almost cleaner than mine...

 

[BigMeatsBronco]

Just looked at the current rulebook and it doesn't look like it has changed. The wording isn't the best as it's a bit circular, but basically it still says you can't modify or remove body mounts. In this specific case I feel like you could make the argument that all the metal outboard of the actual mount is crash bar structure, not body mount, and is therefore legal to remove, but the body mount itself must remain.

Im sure this argument is easy for Ford to explain away to the inspector, however a no-name newbie might NOT get the exact same response w/o a $$$$$ big-name sponsored fancy team of blokes standing there arms crossed and peering over the top of their spectacles...to the point of inclusion.

there ain't any (visable) roll bar attached here folks!

glad my observation stirred curiosity.

I imagine as, with the rest of Life, some rules are just meant to be broken, like this one

 

[PEGB]

Is that half inch armor plating? I think that interior is almost cleaner than mine...

I’d gamble it’s UHMW.

 

[StinkBug]

Im sure this argument is easy for Ford to explain away to the inspector, however a no-name newbie might NOT get the exact same response w/o a $$$$$ big-name sponsored fancy team of blokes standing there arms crossed and peering over the top of their spectacles...to the point of inclusion.

there ain't any (visable) roll bar attached here folks!

glad my observation stirred curiosity.

I imagine as, with the rest of Life, some rules are just meant to be broken, like this one

The lead tech inspector for Ultra4 is a member here, and used to race 4600 himself. I know he's not purposely overlooking anything for anyone. He's a volunteer and spends weeks in the desert on his own dime. That said, tech inspection is for safety. They don't go through the cars with a fine tooth comb looking for class compliance at every race. Primarily because there is nobody there who actually knows every detail of every type of vehicle that might race. Can you tell me the original body mount configuration on a Samurai? What about a 1985 Toyota pickup? What about a Roxor? Can you tell me how to spot the difference between an 85 toyota pickup, and an 86 that someone swapped a solid axle into? Can you tell me what model year a 360 V8 is legal in a Jeep ZJ? I know a lot about a lot of vehicles, but I couldn't spot every possible rule break on every possible vehicle competing. I'd wager that the first time the 3 Broncos were teched was the first time anyone had seen a bronco in real life, and they had no idea there even was a body mount there.

The way it really works in 4600 is that the class polices itself. Ultra4 doesn't even look at anything other than safety until another competitor files a red card. THEN they inspect whatever thing the competitor says might violate the rules. I'm thinking nobody really cares about this, as it's not going to win or lose the race for anyone. To my knowledge the only time cars were really scrutinized was a few years ago at KOH. I was one of several people asked to do it, and it was really only for vehicles that were new to the class. We found a number of minor violations, told people to fix it for next time, and let em race. If it's not something that gives a real competitive advantage, nobody complains. Nobody is greasing any palms in Ultra4.

 

[StinkBug]

Also note, as I said before, I've been out of the game a little while and I know there was discussion in the class forums about this rule. It's entirely possible that it has been changed but hasn't made it to the official rulebook yet.

 

[Bmadda]

The lead tech inspector for Ultra4 is a member here, and used to race 4600 himself. I know he's not purposely overlooking anything for anyone. He's a volunteer and spends weeks in the desert on his own dime. That said, tech inspection is for safety. They don't go through the cars with a fine tooth comb looking for class compliance at every race. Primarily because there is nobody there who actually knows every detail of every type of vehicle that might race. Can you tell me the original body mount configuration on a Samurai? What about a 1985 Toyota pickup? What about a Roxor? Can you tell me how to spot the difference between an 85 toyota pickup, and an 86 that someone swapped a solid axle into? Can you tell me what model year a 360 V8 is legal in a Jeep ZJ? I know a lot about a lot of vehicles, but I couldn't spot every possible rule break on every possible vehicle competing. I'd wager that the first time the 3 Broncos were teched was the first time anyone had seen a bronco in real life, and they had no idea there even was a body mount there.

The way it really works in 4600 is that the class polices itself. Ultra4 doesn't even look at anything other than safety until another competitor files a red card. THEN they inspect whatever thing the competitor says might violate the rules. I'm thinking nobody really cares about this, as it's not going to win or lose the race for anyone. To my knowledge the only time cars were really scrutinized was a few years ago at KOH. I was one of several people asked to do it, and it was really only for vehicles that were new to the class. We found a number of minor violations, told people to fix it for next time, and let em race. If it's not something that gives a real competitive advantage, nobody complains. Nobody is greasing any palms in Ultra4.

Is there a post race tech?

 

[StinkBug]

Is there a post race tech?

They used to do a post race for the top 3, but not sure if they still do or not, or even how hard they ever looked at those vehicles. Even then you still have the limitations of the inspectors knowledge of the specific vehicle. The reality is Ultra 4 has never really had a desire to devote a lot of resources to this class, they instead rely on the red card system. It's up to the class to police itself. If another racer doesn't call you out, nobody will.

 

[Bmadda]

They used to do a post race for the top 3, but not sure if they still do or not, or even how hard they ever looked at those vehicles. Even then you still have the limitations of the inspectors knowledge of the specific vehicle. The reality is Ultra 4 has never really had a desire to devote a lot of resources to this class, they instead rely on the red card system. It's up to the class to police itself. If another racer doesn't call you out, nobody will.

Unfortunately if more money and resources get poured into it, that will likely change! We raced $700-win to $2000-win payouts all over the midwest, and the race really gets won at the scales at the end of the night! Once Ultra4 competitors figure that out? Maybe I have a cynical attitude, but thats how stock car works! Hope offroad racing can look at our mess and say "that isn't us"

 

[StinkBug]

Unfortunately if more money and resources get poured into it, that will likely change! We raced $700-win to $2000-win payouts all over the midwest, and the race really gets won at the scales at the end of the night! Once Ultra4 competitors figure that out? Maybe I have a cynical attitude, but thats how stock car works! Hope offroad racing can look at our mess and say "that isn't us"

$2000 barely covers your entry fee at KOH. The competitors take it plenty seriously, it's Ultra4 who doesn't pay much attention to the class.

 

[Bmadda]

$2000 barely covers your entry fee at KOH. The competitors take it plenty seriously, it's Ultra4 who doesn't pay much attention to the class.

So what are the payouts?

 

[StinkBug]

So what are the payouts?

That depends on how many people enter, and what contingency programs you qualify for. This year Ford put up $50k for the winner in 4600 if they were running a Ford. The actual purse would be a lot lower though.

 

[Bmadda]

That depends on how many people enter, and what contingency programs you qualify for. This year Ford put up $50k for the winner in 4600 if they were running a Ford. The actual purse would be a lot lower though.

I kinda meant the actual race payouts. I totally get Ford putting up a "marketing prize" (which me being a Ford guy would TOTALLY take advantage of). That's kinda where the "field policing itself" deal comes into play. I finish 1 spot behind car x, I know xyz is illegal on car x...what do I make by getting car x DQed? If its $100 I probably keep my mouth shut, but if its $1000 or more? But in stock car we have competitors that will raise a stink over $25...honestly I think they will for free, cause they are that way

 

[StinkBug]

Like i said, it depends on the class size. Last time i raced it was several thousand. No idea what it was this year. We honestly never really paid any attention to the payout since it would barely make a dent in the race budget. By the time you pay the entry fee, tracker rental, tech fees, tent rental, pit passes, fuel, etc the potential prize money starts looking pretty pitiful.

 

[userdude]

@Tor148 Any updates on your portal's rubbing?

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