True or False you have to cheat to win

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was watching HRTV, and Charlie Coker said something that made me think "hmm, is it true". He said "In hot rodding you have to put your toe just across the start line, and not get caught, to win."

True or False?

[STINEY]

Define cheating. If the rules do not specifically forbid it, yet it is outside the spirit of the event, is it cheating?

If the answer is yes, then my answer is yes also.

[DanStokes]

If you have cheated you have already lost - and you're a loser. This is not to say that you shouldn't gain every advantage within the rules. Lying about your engine displacement is not the same as, say, finding a body mod that was available on your type of car but not fitted to your particular car. (I know - I sound like an LSR guy).

Dan

[A/Fuel]

I think it depends on a lot of things, what you are racing, who, how are you supposly cheating and so on. Probably the guys you think are cheating arn't, and the guys you would never suspect are. I've seen people cheat and still lose, it makes for a long supply of jokes later on.

[BBR]

I don't think it a requirement to win. "Cheating" being doing something blatantly against the rules. I do think a lot of it is mental (people thinking you are cheating) and some may be sleight of hand (actually cheating, but not where everyone thinks you are.)

[bishir]

Simple, make a class of racing that says it's okay to cheat. Then no one will.

[Ron Ward]

Man, I thought this horse had been beat to death, but here it raises its ugly head once again...

If the Wayne County guys say it was a broken distributor rotor, then I belive them.







Ron

[SuperBuickGuy]

Simple, make a class of racing that says it's okay to cheat. Then no one will.

I say it's been tried in every sport. If it weren't cheating, there wouldn't be a rule against it. Or put another way - good facts make bad laws.

I'm surprised no one has said "one man's innovation is another's cheating"

And Ron, leave it to you to bring out the clown

[Matt Cramer]

In general, I would say no. But there's a couple race series out there where cheating is so rampant that you may need it to win.

[1trickpony]

Double edge sword. I know a plenty a roundy pound racers
Who have built there cars up to and around the loop holes to stay competitive. Why do you think they get faster every year. It's all about what you can do and push the limits until breaking point. But yes cheating is wrong.

[Deaf Bob]

In a simple word..NO..
There are gray areas... Trodding there means cheating? ... NO
"Everybody does it so we have to". Makes it right? ...NO...

We bring legal cars to every derby... When others say " CHEATERS". We hand them the rule sheets, and say " PROVE IT"
it gets old running against plated and reinforced cars when ours are not... My son once said, "We can hold all the plate in my career (16years he is 32 now) in one hand". And it is TRUE... He junks cars we legally can plate... Just to avoud the controsovy. (sp?)

The main problem is tech who know not what they seek.. Or enforcing the rules.. Probably can be applied in ALL venues of motorsports

[Grumpy]

Back in the early days of Jr. Stock and Super Stock if you weren't cheating like everybody else you didn't have a prayer! Do I have stories, probably hundreds!

[TC]

If you know how to build a motor and setup a chassis, you will not need to cheat...........

[Bob Holmes]

I've had three rules written, in the class we are supposed to race in, in response to our car. Did I cheat, no, that's why they rewrote the rules. Interpretation of the rules is in the mind of the reader. Each time they rewrote the rules we discussed how the rules, as originally written, did not preclude what I had done. But in their minds my work was outside the "spirit" of the rules. "Spirit" of the rules is crap. But, rulemaking is hard, how do you think of every possible interpretation?

I think Corky is actually talking about pushing the envelope, not out-right cheating.

[CDMBill]

Interesting in that the poll question doesn't read the same as the thread title as that leaves room for interpretation just as Bob points out. I've cuased a few rules to be changed after certain antics as well. Weren't cheatin' just exploring the boundaries.

And no you do not have to cheat to win and if you are in a situation where everybody is as Phil mentions like pro-cycling or 70's stock eliminator you have to go with your conscience.