> If you browsed the rules that Shawn provided a link to, you would see that
> they are quite specific. Your strip-built-cement-ballasted entry would
> never be allowed on to the water. Sure, there are some who bend the rules,
> but competitions like this are meant to stimulate innovation. Some people
> think that NASCAR and other auto racing is a waste, but you'd be surprised
> how many technologies have trickled down from the race vehicles to your
> own daily driver.

I have never heard of a NASCAR team bending the rules!! {:o)

When I was doing my apprenticeship training several years ago the college was holding a spaghetti bridge building contest. The trick was to build a bridge that was one meter long, that you could drive a toy car across. You then attached weight to it until it broke. (The bridge could not weigh more than 750 grams.)

I got the brilliant idea that we could compete! So we built a bridge.

We got a ruling by the three engineers who were judges and they all agreed that our bridge was within the rules. (Good thing there was no ugly rule!)

The previous year the winning bridge held 35 pounds. The first weight for everyone was 25 pounds. This eliminated about one half the entries.

When one of the judges saw that our bridge was still in it he reversed his decision and asked for our bridge to be disqualified. It was. I asked if we could still participate to see how strong it was. The other judges thought this would be a good way to stop us from making a scene.

Our bridge held 40 pounds (Broke after 45 seconds at 45 pounds.) So we beat the record from the year before. We were the only non-engineering participant. The new record was 102 pounds. Two bridges tied because the metal hooks could no longer handle the weight.

Did we bend the rules?? You bet! All the way to the breaking point.

Ian {:o)