Here's my thoughts on the bottom line reason a claim rule is not an
acceptable idea.
When the claiming rule was in effect for SCCA road racing, a
Richmond, CA, driver's car --a street-licensed well-prepared Showroom Stock
Datsun 240Z--was claimed at a race at now-closed Riverside (CA) Int'l
Raceway. The following morning the Richmond driver and his friends talked
it over and fetched the Riverside County Sheriff and they all proceeded to
the track where the Sheriff pointed out to SCCA officials they had no right
to take away the man's car!!!
The key SCCA official, faced with arrest for stealing a car!,
handed the car back to the Sheriff who returned it to its legal owner. The
driver did have to hand over his SCCA driver's license and later he and
SCCA had a legal battle with attorneys, etc.
In other words, the claiming rule cost a lot of people money for
attorney's fees, etc. This is not how to run a club.
It's called "unintended consequences" from a well-intentioned rule.
--John Kelly
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