ATTN: PRO Drivers

[benf27]

Well here we go again with the radio issue. I thought we already put this one behind us, but I guess I was wrong. I know that most PRO drivers could care less about this issue, but I use radios and would like to keep using them. If you don't use them and don't really care then vote no for proposal #6 and lets put this one to bed for good. Thank you for reading this post and remember if you don't vote your only hurting yourself.

[BratChild]

??

To be honost, I'm still confused about the whole rule. The reason contridicts the rule, which doesn't make any sense. I'm in school and don't have the paper with me, but I still don't understand how the reinforced cockpits can be both capsule boats and regular laydown/kneeler boats, and the rule states. Can anyone clear this one up for me, please?

Amy

[Doug Hall]

Radios

Here is my two cents worth. I race a capsule boat and understand the importance of radios for us. The limited visibility makes it important to have them. I believe that it is a huge safety concern for those capsule boats that dont use them. As far as the open cockpit classes, I dont understand why anybody would use them. There is not a visibility issue here. I believe that if you didnt beat the competition by your own driving ability than what did you accomplish. Sure it makes it easier to not have to look around and your spotter can tell you where everybody is but doesnt that take away the skill of the driver? Not trying to start anything, just my opinion.

[BratChild]

I agree with this. But I know more and more people are starting to use the next restraint for saftey issues (in Eldredge Racing, if we don't have our neck restraint on, we don't race), and the purpose of this is to keep the next stable. Keeping the neck stable causes for limited mobility of the head. Especially in the laydowns, using a neck restraint means there is no possible way to turn your head to see who's on your inside that you might hit. The neck restraints are there to protect the head, neck, and spine. But they won't do much good if the driver can't see anything behind them. Having a radio will allow the driver to know where the other drivers are, and won't get into accidents that could be easily prevented. Just my 2 cents.

[ChrisH]

Vote "No" on Radios in open cockpit PRO boats

The safety aspects of having a radio on board are well do***ented. It can be very helpful in classes with drivers that have limited visibility. After driving a capsule boat for a year I would never leave the beach without it.

The negative aspects though of the radio in open cockpit boats in my opinion are much more dangerous. We have rules in place in the PRO division (i.e. overlap) to protect the laydown and kneeling drivers. It works very well. That rule is easily cir***vented when the radio is in use. Now that drivers are using the radio in a defensive manner it makes it very dangerous for a driver trailing a boat not expecting a sudden move by the driver ahead of him. Eating rooster tails at 80-100 mph not knowing what lies on the other side is not always fun business. Being run off the race course at those speeds or into a rock pier is not fun either. The only option is to run through the rooster tail, again, not always knowing what is on the other side. These things have happened numerous times in the past 2 years and have almost caused serious accidents. There is a lot more unnecessary movement on the race course than there has been in the past.

If the radio was policed like it is in other sports then these issues probably wouldn’t surface. We have a hard enough time getting enough volunteers to run a race in the first place but to add radio monitoring may not be feasible. We also have the issue were the referee would have a difficult judgment call to make if a boat is “bearing away” or not based on a radio transmission. The volunteer people are also our friends and competitors who are usually reluctant to make the tough calls. If we can’t do it right then it should be taken away completely.

The helmet restraint issue is weak. If they are that tight then they probably aren’t installed correct. If you can’t turn farther to look left and right (Coverage required by overlap rule) you need not be out there.

Let the bashing continue….

Chris Hellsten

[sesailer]

Let's talk SAFETY for a minute....

IF people use radios and there is an accident or hazard on the course, they could know immediately....

I can personally think of two such incidents: one resulted in a serious injury, one a death. I'm sure if I looked through accident reports, I would find many more incidents.

THIS is what I would like to see avoided. Communication is a wonderful thing! If people are worried about someone using a radio in the 'wrong' way, locate all the spotters in a central area and have someone monitor the conversations.

This isn't a capsule/non-capsule issue - it's a communication and safety issue!

My two cents worth...:-)

[ryan_4z]

The safety aspects of having a radio on board are well do***ented. It can be very helpful in classes with drivers that have limited visibility. After driving a capsule boat for a year I would never leave the beach without it.

The negative aspects though of the radio in open cockpit boats in my opinion are much more dangerous. We have rules in place in the PRO division (i.e. overlap) to protect the laydown and kneeling drivers. It works very well. That rule is easily cir***vented when the radio is in use. Now that drivers are using the radio in a defensive manner it makes it very dangerous for a driver trailing a boat not expecting a sudden move by the driver ahead of him. Eating rooster tails at 80-100 mph not knowing what lies on the other side is not always fun business. Being run off the race course at those speeds or into a rock pier is not fun either. The only option is to run through the rooster tail, again, not always knowing what is on the other side. These things have happened numerous times in the past 2 years and have almost caused serious accidents. There is a lot more unnecessary movement on the race course than there has been in the past.

If the radio was policed like it is in other sports then these issues probably wouldn’t surface. We have a hard enough time getting enough volunteers to run a race in the first place but to add radio monitoring may not be feasible. We also have the issue were the referee would have a difficult judgment call to make if a boat is “bearing away” or not based on a radio transmission. The volunteer people are also our friends and competitors who are usually reluctant to make the tough calls. If we can’t do it right then it should be taken away completely.

The helmet restraint issue is weak. If they are that tight then they probably aren’t installed correct. If you can’t turn farther to look left and right (Coverage required by overlap rule) you need not be out there.

Let the bashing continue….

Chris Hellsten

I had always heard that the PRO overlap rule worked so well because the drivers repected one another. If they put a radio on they all of a sudden don't give a sh*t? That doesn't make much sense to me.

[ChrisH]

Ryan,

Don't believe everything you hear....it's still racing!

Chris

[shadowracerwoo]

Proposal Confusion

Hey Amy....What are you doing on Hydroracer at school?!?!?!?
For those who have not received their ballot yet, here is why Amy is so confused.....

Proposal #6:

Change: Add new sentence, (Also revise first sentence as necessary.) "Radio communication with the driver shall not be allowed in PRO classes that do not require reinforced cockpits." (500H, 700H, and 1100H may use radio communication with the driver. Other PRO classes may not.)

Reason: Allow PRO drivers in non-reinforced cockpit (capsule) classes to determine if they wish to race with or without radio communication with the driver.

This is exactly how the proposal reads on the ballot......Which statement are we voting on?

Sherry

[Joe J]

Neck Restraints

I do not agree that radios are need because of the neck restraints. I wear them, and can still look over my shoulder far enough to see about 2 boat lengths behind me.

I agree with Chris's comment, vote to ban them!

Joe

[diamondprohydro]

It is a little tougher to look back in a laydown. I went to a radio a few years ago to see if that helped. In a race in Eatonville, WA while I thought Mike Satler was stuck on the beach, I was driving a big looped pattern and without knowing it, Mike was out and closed fast on the inside. I dumped him on his head. The radio had fallen off and was in the bottom of the boat not working.

From that point on, I went to mirrors instead and it accomplishes what I need to know, if someone snuck up underneath me. Mirrors work just fine for us older-stiff necked guys.

[benf27]

Joe, try that laying down. Its very hard to see past 90 degrees. When I kneel I can see alot better. Take my radio away and I wont have a clue whats going on around me. Now just how safe does that sound. Send me out with a blind fold on.

Chris, I have been run into the same rock pier by a person with out a radio! I have been cut off when the driver in front did not look back. That stuff happens. If you guys think that my radio man is telling me how to drive you are sadly mistaken. I tell you what, go sit next to him when he is on the radio with me. I dont understand how you people can say its safe for capsules and dangerous for open cockpits. Is the guy on the radio with the capsule driver any different than the guy on the radio with the open cockpit??

[sesailer]

NASCAR uses radios....

So, I wonder why NASCAR has mandated radios for years and years....a long time prior to the hans device being mandated.....they have mirrors and no water spray to contend with.....and they have brakes!

Think of the safety issues here.....

Chris' comments about driving the guys into the rocks and shore happens in capsule boats too (Nationals 2006) so this issue isn't capsule/non-capsule. Let's get to the meat of the problem guys!

Just stirring it up a little more!:-)

Vote to keep the radios and help with the safety of the sport....

[Composite Specialties]

Radios

I agree with Ben 100%. Question, of all the people that have posted on this issue so far, how many have actually used radios in an OPEN cockpit? This is racing not pleasure riding, use whatever it takes to gain an advantage to win and to also be as safe as possible. If someone thinks that another driver with radios is doing something wrong, then have a backbone and confront that person about it, but don't take away something that can help some to just feel safer with no other motive in mind.

Radios are also used for other things during the race: another set of eyes to inform the driver of safety issues such as stalled boats on the coarse, counting down the clock for the start, rough water conditions on the other end of the coarse, other boats around so you don't do something unsafe yourself. I could go on and on but I have used them in a capsule 500cc, a 250cc open cockpit and a c-stock open cockpit and it helped me in all of these classes.

[benf27]

Well put Mr. Johnson!!