Originally Posted by globecanvas

I have to step in to defend shovelhd, who is not the kind of guy who "makes up rules to enforce."

You know the rules. 1G6b: official's responsibility to ensure that "numbers are in good condition and properly placed." 1J7b: "Numbers may not be folded, trimmed, or otherwise defaced."

The rules do not address crinkling numbers or pins, but requires them to be properly placed and not defaced. If an official chooses to interpret an unpinned number as improperly placed, or interpret a crinkled number as defaced, that is the official's prerogative. As shovelhd has said in the past, the reason every possible permutation of behavior is not explicitly allowed or forbidden is specifically to give officials the ability to exercise judgement. A number that is attached as a crinkled wad is defaced and unreadable, so it would be absurd for the racer to protest that crinkling is not specifically disallowed. A number that is attached with one paper clip would not be properly placed, so it would be absurd for the racer to protest that paper clips are not specifically disallowed.

Gray-area behavior, like a number that is somewhat crinkled but mostly readable, will be interpreted different ways by different officials. So it goes. Most racers choose to avoid gray-area behavior for that reason.