[Ian K]

Chris,

First off, I don't want to sound as if I am bashing you, Mark,
or MDA. So, in advance, I offer up my apologies if I come across
as doing so.

Second, it appears that you have removed any info in your
signature/description that links you with MDA - was that
intentional? Are you still an MDA affiliate? I believe that
was what Mark was getting at, and Ron has made requests in
the past that if you are involved in any official capacity
with a GT40 manufacturer, to please state so.

Third, as far as individual's doing mods to a chassis - again,
that is not the point being addressed. What a manufacturer
sells to the public versus what a builder does in private
are two entirely seperate issues. The interest in safety
entails what the manufacturer puts out as officially endorsed
product. For instance, I'd be interested to see if Roy Smart's
GTD chassis has the chassis cross-brace that has caused such
a ruckus on this board. Obviously Frank Catt's Wealden
Engineering has done the modification for a number of customers,
and RF, Tornado, RCR and even the original monocoques have
some sort of cross-brace/reinforcement installed between the
rear suspension points. I'd be curious to see if ERA and CAV
do likewise (I think ERA does). So somewhere, someone thought
it was a good idea.

Again, I am not attacking you, Mark, or MDA. The concerns raised
about the chassis structure may be valid based on how many
manufacturers have some sort of reinforcement in place. But,
to challenge those assertions and requests for test results
with how the home builder has modified the chassis is a real
stretch. Now, I would like to see the numbers for a GTD chassis
as modified by Wealden Engineering, since they are an aftermarket
builder/supplier. That would be a more appropriate request.

I hope you understand my point.

Ian