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FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S PERSPECTIVE
I wanted to respond to the letters and E-Mails sent in from racers
concerning the Contingency program.
One of my jobs at Moroso Performance is checking for decal and product
verification at both IHRA and NHRA events. After the race is complete,
the sanctioning bodies have the sportsman racers fill out the paper
work at the end of the track, with runner-ups in one line, and winners
in the other. At this time myself and other manufacturers will check
for decals and product.
This sounds easy, and you would think that NO problems would occur
from this, but sadly I am wrong. So for every racer who has a problem
with some companies "screwing" them on product verification, which in
some cases we have been accused of, here is my side.
During the 2001 race season we at Moroso and Competition Engineering
posted on a total of 4 products, Oil Pans, Spark Plug Wire, Valve Covers,
and Shocks. I am fortunate that ALL of these products are very easy
to visually check on a race car, after the race when they are in line,
from the final round they just ran a few minutes ago. This means that
their spare engine with our parts is not there to see, their "other
car" that has our parts on it is not there, and the parts they just
changed for the final aren't there, just the ones that they used to
participate in the final round with, which by the way is what we pay
for. Not qualifying, not the semi's, but the finals.
So, at this time I can see what is on the car. Now on many cars I can
see the oil pan and shocks without having to talk to the driver, or
even identify myself. In the cases of hooded cars, I ask that the hood
is lifted or removed so I can check for Spark Plug Wires, and Valve
Covers. After that, I have my definitive answers. I write down my results,
check for decals, and go on to the next car. I know what our products
look like, I know how our oil pans and valve covers are welded, bent,
and where our logo is.
I now know if the decal is on the car, and what product is on the car,
not if it is ours, but WHAT COMPANIES product is there. When the sanctioning
body sends in the results, we check their result with mine. And believe
me, this is where all the controversy occurs.
We get racers who simply look at the decals on the car, and say "I
have that" and have no idea what they really have. So when we see they
claimed our product, and I don't have that down, we don't pay, plain
and simple.
In many cases this is the end. This maybe why some racers say we don't
pay, or we don't care, or say we are a bad company. The truth on our
part is we are one step ahead of getting ripped off by a racer who thinks
they should be paid because they run ONLY our decal and not the product.
This means that someone else made money off YOU buying their part, but
WE should pay YOU for not running our part. If you think this is alright
to do, then at the next couple of races you attend, put my name down
for receiving the winnings from the race YOU raced in. We then get racers
calling us saying that they "forgot to put down our product" but they
run it and have a decal, and in some cases have the receipt from the
part. O.K., we have a document with the racers signature stating that
you ARE NOT claiming our product, but after realizing what you forgot
to put on there, you now want to change it? I think this is why they
make pre-nuptial agreements!
I find that after a race is completed, the winners are as happy as
happy can be, and have better things to do that want to fill out paper
work. And the runner-ups are usually asking themselves what else they
could have done to win, and aren't in the mood to accurately fill out
paper work either. I know this to be true by the copies we get, how
illegible the address and signature are. It is a tough place and time
to do contingency. So I can understand how things can be misrepresented,
or not done correctly. But that one document, when done properly, will
give a racer all the reason in the world to complain when don't receive
a check due to clerical problems at a company. But take it from me,
there IS another side to the story.
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