The Silly Season

[hshawwpba]

Yellow and red cards are a joke when given out to drivers at the races they simply appeal them and based on who it is getting the cards they are not supported by the commissions and therefore are a waste of the referees time!
There should be no appeal process for yellow or red cards! Remember if you ask anyone in jail they will tell you they are innocent!!!
Enforcement of rules would be a great thing if they were no appeal process that allows for non enforcement!

[Ram4x4]

Boring???????????

Wow, maybe you've been at it too long then?

[ryan_4z]

Maybe it is not the circumstance that is unsafe. Maybe it is the drivers. The fact is our races are boring already. This would make them so much more boring we might actually start having a suicide problem in the pits.

[GrandpaRacer]

I agree we need to enforce the rules perhaps better but this one rule being only one boat length allows an unsafe chop that is currently legal. If the rule were two or three boat lengths or a rooster tail, there would be a lot less chopping. And if a chop happened at a more reasonable distance there would be a lot less damage and risk to the guy being chopped. The race would be safer, shorter and more fun for all involved.
John Adams

[ryan_4z]

Maybe the rule should be changed. Too lenient on inside charging drivers. Cockpit to Cockpit!

[ryan_4z]

The lead driver must have two boat lengths, nose to nose, and I as a driver feel d@mn good if I get that. More that enough room to do what you have to do. That EXTRA boat length is built in so that the driver on the inside knows if she is not clearly there then she better get out. As a driver, my number one priority in every heat is to safely bring my craft around the course and back to the pits. In order to acheive this I must not drive my boat into situations I cannot drive out of. As Matt and Dad say, all you can really do is glance over the inside shoulder. If you are coming up the inside, you can see the lead driver the whole way. You know if they looked or not. And, unless you are stupid, you know if they are about to hack you off.

[csh-2z]

If you have drivers that pull that kind of crap, then it is up to the referee's at your races to get these guys under control. If it is a recurring problem there are a number of ways to handle it. Yellow cards, red cards or unsportsmanlike conduct.

Rules without the willingness to enforce them are worthless. This can only be fixed, locally. The rule is not the problem. And changing the rule is not the solution. Make your officials (including turn judges) accountable. Apply peer pressure, but settle it on land.

A few months ago I offered to help referee at Moses Lk. next year. I was thanked for the offer but told SOA had it handled. The offer is still available if you need help.

[Ram4x4]

I don't know so much that anyone doesn't want to make a call is it is they can't always be 100% sure. I'll raise my hand in that regard because I got caught out in that exact scenario this past year. Sometimes it's hard to see everything that happens in a turn, especially when you have a pack of boats that span all the way around the turn. Your head is on a swivel.

In my case, the two lead boats entered, went through the turn very close to each other, but there was a pack of boats right behind and I was trying to watch it all. I managed to glance back to the two lead boats as they were exiting the turn. From my angle and the brief time involved, it appeared the lead boat cut the 2nd boat going around the last buoy, but I wasn't sure. Fortunately, the rescue boat was sitting close enough to the line they assisted in the call. The 2nd place boat couldn't hold his line and slipped out through the 1st place boat's rooster tail as they exited the turn. I agreed on the call, not because I know that for fact, but it made sense when considering the physics of turning. Do we have enough eyes in the turns?

I've been chopped more than once, or at least I thought I was and have never had it called, but I also didn't take it to the referee because I wasn't sure and we weren't exactly battling out front of the group.

I do agree, though that 1 boat length is not safe. I've remained outside a line many times, even when I clearly had at least a boat length, if not more, because I don't want to blow someone over or cause other problems. It's not worth it when we're running in the middle or back of the group.

[GrandpaRacer]

Good points John, that scenario can happen as well. Also, the lead boat driver sometimes looks you in the eye and grabs a hand full of wheel and saws you off! What we need to talk about is why we have a rule that allows a boat to be sawed off at one boat length when every drivers knows it is unsafe to do so! The current rule says you can go out and at full speed chop a guy off at one boat length. As a minimum, the person being chopped can not see for 2 -3 seconds, will travel blindly for 100-200ft or more at 60mph, often get his windshield and boat damaged and worse get blown over with all the associated risks. What possible value to the sport of racing does this rule contribute?

[Harold8]

I find that turn judges don’t want to make the call because they aren’t 100% sure and they don’t want to cause any trouble!

[Matt Dagostino]

John...........you need better turn-judges maybe! This 'hopscotching' crap they do during milling is illegal as milling counts as being under race rules! Maybe pitch some of these aggressive drivers and they will get the message! I for one support 'eyeball to eyeball' racing hence if the trailing boat can't make it to the throttle of the lead boat they better back off or be prepared to get chopped.

[GrandpaRacer]

I have not been chopped in 20 years (haven't been in a hydro that long either) but have witnessed the carnage at the end of the tow rope and watched the anger on the beech. You can believe it is not a factor, I think it is. Since you have to get in front to do the chopping often it isn't a fast guy being chopped. And the fast guys don't drop out of racing much either.

[csh-2z]

John, I look at this issue from a different perspective than most. As a Referee, I make it a practice to inform the drivers and the turn judges to be very careful with their judgment about the overlap rule. I've spent much of the last few years, after retiring from driving, as a turn judge in the patrol boats. What I've noticed, as both a driver and turn judge, is that in most cases it isn't the lead boat cutting off the guy behind him on the inside lane, as much as the inside boat trying to force the overlap. When in that position, it is almost human behavior like, to hold that throttle until the last possible second and try to squeeze into a lane that won't necessarily be there once at the buoy. Also, in doing so, the "overtaking" boat is now going too fast to hold the inside lane around the turn, which makes it appear as though he was cut off. Chances are, the whole incident was self inflicted.

Something else to consider in that scenario is, there is too much responsibility put on the driver of the lead boat. The lead driver has to take his eye off of what is in front of him to look behind him and judge the distance between boats. I don't know if I trust their judgment going 55-60 mph or more in the split second he has to make the right decision. The inside trailing driver is in a much better position to make the decision to throttle it up or be prepared to back off.

Also, many young drivers are much more aggressive behind the wheel for their own, or somebody else's good. Don't be afraid to talk to any driver about this subject. And make it very clear to all that enforcing this rule consistently and confidently is very important. It is mostly about safety. By making the call when necessary helps to prevent what could be a serious injury in the future. Everybody needs to know they're being watched.

John Runne

[Big Don]

Dana, I was amazed at how brutal it is out West. Watching them battle before the 1 minutes is as exciting as the first turn.

[dholt]

You guys out west must be some cut throat SOB's because I've never heard anyone on this side of the Mississippi say they quit racing because of getting chopped too many times.
Usually the guys getting hacked are running near the front of the field because a battle for 1st means a heck of a lot more than a battle for 10th. So if you're battling near the front...why quit?
I've been chopped plenty. My reaction? Beat the guy the next time we race!