ASH-- ASR lower the age to 12 ??

[Fast Jack]

With the lower entry age in K pro and AXSH classes should the A classes be changed to 12 ? or lowered to 12 with the driver having had 10 previous ( J ) races?

[pops67g]

That's iffy.

If the average 12 year old has no boat experience of any kind and A was available to race for kids that age it would be a mistake. A 50-55 mph boat like these are a handful many times for experienced drivers. It might be different for a kid with several years of J and a lot of races but absolutely not for a raw beginner. Another problem might be making weight because the size of an average 12 year old would mean absurd amounts of lead to hit the minimum. All that lead would likely mess up the handling and make it a dangerous ride.

[Tomtall]

Say what!

should the A classes be changed to 12 ? or lowered to 12 with the driver having had 10 previous ( J ) races?

No.

My personal thoughts are that the K-Pro class entry age is to young. To put a child with LIMITED driving skills in a kneel down boat going 55 MPH is not a smart thing to do. Sorry. Safety first. Speed second.

OK lets see how much flak I get from this post.

[modhydro]

A stock age limit

As a "retiring" J dad, active referee and just racer in general, I have to say that there is no way that the age should be lowered. There is already a stepping stone in the AX classes. I'll let others debate about whether it is a stepping stone or leap!

I have seen many kids with not only ten races, but a few years of experience and I shudder to think what would happen if they were cut loose into a faster class too early. While it is ultimately up to the parents to decide when kids are ready to handle rigs safely, we all know that if "Johnny" is old enough to race a class, he probably will with the parents permision to "gain experience." From my viewpoint, we already have suitable classes for that. Why put them at unnecessary risk? What is the reason. Remember that these are just kids and very few have the full reasoning and thought processes fully developed to make good decisions all the time. I am not trying to say that kids aren't smart, as we see several great young drivers, but if everyone is honest here, they will admit that those are the exception and not the rule. Let them gain the experience in more limited classes before putting them into the mix with far more experienced and aggressive racers.

Steve Roskowski

[Kev43V]

Doesn't K pro run deeper than A?


I think that since the A speeds have gone up so much over the years. I think if we were going to change the min age of A drivers. It should go up a year or two.

[Graham 18ce]

Since we have an AX Class which is a middle point between J and A. What about just making it that. A few years at a higher speed to gain expereince with a faster rig. Increase the A age to 16 or even 18 and keep kids building expereince?
I certainly wouldn't be decreasing the age to 12!

[sam]

I agree, I have never met a 12 or 13 year old who is ready to tangle with the aggressive drivers in A. Usually (there are exceptions) even the J champions are "put in their place" when they move up at 16 even if they have tried A sooner

[thepiranhabros]

No.

No.

My personal thoughts are that the K-Pro class entry age is to young. To put a child with LIMITED driving skills in a kneel down boat going 55 MPH is not a smart thing to do. Sorry. Safety first. Speed second.

OK lets see how much flak I get from this post.

What he said.

[Matt Dagostino]

Shawn....................

With the lower entry age in K pro and AXSH classes should the A classes be changed to 12 ? or lowered to 12 with the driver having had 10 previous ( J ) races?

This will never fly. You better see if Greg will return your check for that OMC engine.

[bill boyes]

K Pro entry age of 11. Some background. In around 1989 when my son was racing in then called "J" Pro with the Mercury 10x engine the speed was around 42-44mph. The entry age was 12. I proposed that the age be lowered to 11 reasoning that the J Catergory entry was 9. The Pro Commission agreed and the age for J pro was lowered to 11. Then a few years later the Pro Commission approved the OMC "A" engine for the J Pro Class. Later renamed to "K" (Kids) Pro along with lowering the motor to 1 & 3/4 of an inch. The age 11 entry has been overlooked by the Pro Commission. I really do not think that there has been many age 11 K pro drivers but nevertheless the entry age should at least be adjusted to fit the current speed of an ASH.

[Joe J]

Bill, this is not true. It has been discussed every year for the last 3 that I have been involved in the Pro commission. The accident information shows that there is not an issue here. Also the K-Pro class has a lower height limit, which is slowing them down.

Also a big difference is that there are not any veterans involved in this class, as opposed to the A class. the age limit takes care of this issue.

Joe Johnson

PS I would be against lowering the min. age for A.

The age 11 entry has been overlooked by the Pro Commission. I really do not think that there has been many age 11 K pro drivers but nevertheless the entry age should at least be adjusted to fit the current speed of an ASH.

[ian]

With the lower entry age in K pro and AXSH classes should the A classes be changed to 12 ? or lowered to 12 with the driver having had 10 previous ( J ) races?

A most definite no.

[bill boyes]

Joe, I do not want to start an argument here I just stated how the age for K Pro came to be 11 years old as I was the one who proposed it. if the Pro Commission does not think that age 11 is too young for K Pro then so be it.

[Steve Warnock]

12 years Too Young for A Classes

The statement above is true!

In our own experience for a new driver, it can be tough enogh to understand the rules of the road let alone the speed of the A classes.
Even for a 12-13 year old starting in the J classes. When we started Rachel she was 13 (with some testing at 12) and at the 1st race she went up against vets like Magret Allen (driving at 9 - an exception in most cases & same age as Rachel) and Bill Hemp (I think 11 years with 1 year under his belt). It takes a couple of years of seat time with different boats (usually involved) that these drivers are adapting too.
Yes, the AXS classes do compliment this training process but only when the coach and driver agree to move forward. The +10mph in the AXS classes is a huge difference from the J classes.
Case in point here locally, Jace Scheffler been driving the JH/JR for couple of years now and is now getting the game face of a seasoned driver. With 3 years under his belt and now driving AXS, he'll be a force in the AXS classes
for 2010 and 11. Pleasant Prairie in AXSH proves my point.

Ready for the A clasess yet, thats for Dad a Son to figure out!

Lowering the A class age limit is not a sound decision.

Matt, what age did Val start?? Big Don, Jeff S, Shep, Mackey - pipe in here!

Steve

[Matt Dagostino]

Starting Age..................

Lowering the A class age limit is not a sound decision.

Matt, what age did Val start?? Big Don, Jeff S, Shep, Mackey - pipe in here!

Steve

Both my kids were testing J Class boats at 8 years old and both Val and Justin started racing at 9 years old............which is still the minimum age for J Class. Justin won his first National Championship at age 11 and Val at age 16.


Kids all mature differently but for children ages 9-12 my opinion is we got it right by only letting them compete in JSH/JSR (or whatever we call it nowadays). 40-42mph is fast enough for kids that age.

Now 12-14 is another story. AXSH/AXSR seems to be right on the mark by letting the age limit start at 12!! I know some will argue the the AX speeds are approaching ASH/ASR speeds but i DO NOT agree with that position. In general a good ASH is 3-4mph faster than a AXSH. Plus lets not forget we have a 20 pound class weight difference!

Age, weights, heights, restrictors always make for good banter!!