Bearing away..........

[L. Allen]

I always thought it was "bearing a way" vs. "bearing away" ...

(Where is Craig Bowman when you need him...)

[RandY Aveline]

Quotes From Jack Stots i posted below
call it as good as it gets in my opinion!

all boats hydro and runabout have a tendency to torque and or drift to the right at some point (especially when driven at wide open speeds), coming out of a corner.. to drift some or take a bad bounce and skip out a lane is not Bearing Away

if a driver deliberately turns right as to hinder another and interfere or slow down a boat/ driver within the 1 boat length(rule) from tail end to nose then its bearing away and probably intentional but to call a boat/driver for bearing away just because his rig drifts a little before it takes a b-line for next buoy is an abuse of the rule and happens all to often when you have an unexperienced turn judge

I totally agree with Jacks Definition
"Most comments on this subject have mentioned that the rule says "A boat shall not bear out of her course so as to hinder another in passing to starboard or port" (General Racing Rule 17, pg XX). The big issue is defining "her course". Some drivers tend to slide out as they exit the turn and that is "her course". Now if a deliberate turn is made, the offense is obvious but simply not going exactly where the approaching driver thinks the other boat should track is not a rule violation. The lead boat has the right to follow it's course and that's where it gets tough to call. I don't have a solution, but just because a driver thinks the boat ahead of him should prcecisely follow the buoy line the boat in front does not have to. It follows it's course. I know some will not agree with my thoughts but this is how I have applied the rule. If someone could write something better, then give it a try."

in fact we stock and mod guys (well some ) have a belief that we are like the unlimited s and can never change lanes unless half a lap ahead that too is wrong as we don't send a roostertail 2/3rds of a lap behinds us

if you are in lane 7 and they guy next to you is in lane 5 and moves to lane 6 then he is still not bearing away on you (you should have been in lane 6 if you didnt want him to move)
by the same thing a boat over taking another on the outside must in fact leave a lane for the inside boat or you are violating a rule as well

another form of bearing away to consider is when an inside boat has boats to his immediate right and at the turn buoy goes straight and chooses not to let the outside boats turn this is also bearing away he must turn when the buoy affords him to do so , or it should be called bearing away and offending driver should be thrown out

you must allow boats outside of you to turn

i only mention this as i have seen it done in the early and mid eighty's.. by some smart azz drivers, then trying to sling shot away after not letting them turn, and or maintaining his inside lane where he should have been to start with

basically leave a boat approx 5 foot inside you, and you have left him a lane all is good, or make sure you have a full boat length between your back side and his nose before you decide to take his lane


good luck have fun this summer "Think Drive and Live"

i hope to race some with you guys this summer,but this may just be a rebuilding year for me we will see

Randy

__________________

[L. Allen]

And there you have it!
Thanks.

[David Weaver]

Bearing Away

At what points does the lead inside driver have an obligation to back-off in order not to force the outside (and approaching or overtaking boat) into the shoreline? I assume that a safe lane must be left, but not much more.

Of course, if you are laying down, it is nearly impossible to look over the right shoulder and determine where another boat may be. I assume that the boat ahead of me and inside of me may very well take me to shoreline and adjust strategy appropriately. In PRO this also may apply setting-up for the entrance pin, as many drivers like to dart to the outside quickly to set-up the turn (especially on tight courses like Dayton).

[Dave M]

Until

You hire a professional non-boat racing crew to work as judges the problem will exist. You need an impartial crew to judge.

I think the rule as written is fine. However, one needs to use some common sense as on most of the race courses of today there is not enough room to have 12 boats side by side for 3 laps......... Once they move away from being side by side there is going to be bearing away.

I witnessed a severe bearing away in 750CCMH in Huntington IN going into the first turn. I was on the saftey boat so I was not a judge to make a call. The turn judge did not make the call either, as there was only one judge and to see it all would be impossible. A full field of any race boats is going to send up a wall of water in the turn and the turn judges view will be hindered. The angle they view it at is also skewed.

[Norm Schaub]

There is a very old saying:
The overlap rule is defined by the point of impact. lol

Just to lighten the mood.

Norm

[Brian10s]

A perfect analogy

And I quote:

"Bearing away is like porn - can't describe it but I know it when I see it."

Also to lighten the mood.

[DeanFHobart]

1/4"...

Yo,

I remember a Fred Miller quote at the 1975 Stock Nationals in Dayton, Ohio,
when he was asked about the Overlap Rule.

Fred was the Race Director, (and runabout driver), at the Driver's Meeting he was asked:

"How far in front do you have to be before you cut the guy off?"

Fred's answer: " One Quarter Inch"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[14-H]

***
Fred's answer: " One Quarter Inch"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now it is a boat length + one quarter inch!

[Hydroglobe17J]

I think chopping on third pin or fourth is very poor!

[14-H]

I think chopping on third pin or fourth is very poor!

Earl: are you saying that chopping on the entrance pin is okay?

[DeanFHobart]

Or So...

Now it is a boat length + one quarter inch!

Ed,

Don't you mean "One Boat Length... OR SO"!!!!!!!!!!

[Hydroglobe17J]

ANY chopping is not NICE........

Earl: are you saying that chopping on the entrance pin is okay?

Ed,
Chopping anywhere is not nice, however, the entrance pin one may expect it. When people come from the side on the 3rd pin you may not see them until it's to late, (DJ) rest at school for now!

Bearing away is not needed either but it does make for tougher racing,it could get boring like at Lambertville, when my brother-in-law told me I was being too nice to Mike Kench!

[blueskyracer]

Being new and just finished my 2nd race, I thought holding someone tight to the buoys if they are in lane one or taking them a little wide if you are on the inside was called racing.

[PopPop]

Bearing Away

[QUOTE=Jack Stotts;107099]"Now if a deliberate turn is made, the offense is [I]obvious"[[/I]QUOTE]
Jachs words here sum it up and like Brian said "like porn, hard to define but you know it when you see it".