don't mind the middle finger, its an odd tradition of the team....
What you can't see is that the bottom of the front is sitting on a single point(in this case a counter-sinking bit). Basically the car is allow to move(read, twist) about that point once the load is applied....
If the chassis is in contact with the front piece would, in effect, partially restrain the chassis at that point and the results would be more a reflection of the bending stiffness (it would essentially be a cantilever) rather than the torsional stiffness.
If the chassis isnt in contact with the front piece, how can you be sure it is bending around the centre of the chassis?
What moment arm do you use? The distance from the load the centreline?