BMW were little happier, Vince Woodman having been disqualified after Thruxton on Easter Monday because the 635's front wheels protruded beyond the wheelarches- Perfornance Car again:
'This on the basis of inspections carried out at the meeting, and photographs that showed the left front wheel protruding beyond the bodywork by, wait for it, 1mm, equal to .039", or approximately one paint thickness! To be fair, it was stated by the RAC that the right front wheel was protruding a massive 3mm (Do I detect a hint of sarcasm in the reporting...?
),
but the photograph released for publication depicted an RAC Technical Commission member holding an official-looking plumb-bob beside the left-hand wheel. Quite apart from the questions raised by the 'evidence' (were the wheels pointing straight ahead, was the driver aboard, were the tyres correctly inflated, how was the clearance measured on the evidence of a photograph anyway etc?) we find the penalty imposed draconian. As Pete Clark of CC Developments, who prepare both 635s for BMW GB put it 'Had we been told what he was checking, ie the front wheels, we would have asked for them to be checked properly. Even if the wheels projected outside the bodywork at Oulton, they should have told us and we'd have put it right for Thruxton'
CC planned to appeal....
Apparently both CC and TWR had offered to submit their cars for inspection pre-season, specifically to avoid such issues- an offer that was allegedly declined by the MSA.
It certainly doesn't inspire confidence, disqualifying a car for a discrepancy of 1-3mm, on the evidence of a photo showing a bit of string with a weight on the end being held against the bodywork...