Ha ha! Good man Lion-o (snarf snarf)
I think youve solved it. (at least part of the way!)
At a race a while back, I needed just a bit more shock travel so unscrewed the ballcups slightly to give me a couple mm.
Totally forgot I had done it, and with the ballcups Im using (not kit) its hard to even tell visually.
This is probably exactly what is causing the fouling.
Thanks again BigRed. Much appreciated m8