ATTN: PRO Drivers

[Dave M]

Right On

Good Post Jerry, or Amy.

Enforce the rules radio or no radio.

I for one don't race against certain people in a certain class for this very reason. They have zero respect for the speed and it seems zero respect for the saftey of their fellow racer. Point proved more than once. When going 90 MPH plus one needs to exercise some common sense when going into a turn with others. Drive hard, and safe. Just because there is room to come down does not mean you are making the best choice.

My Two cents worth.

[nicf14]

mail them off today!

[Al Peffley]

Radios Rule

All - The #6 rule change and reason are poorly written and confusing. I took the subject APBA Pro Class ballot recently to a local boat racing club meeting where there were at least five national pro racers present. None of them could understand why the #6 rule change proposal reason did not match the proposed rule statement. APBA needs to send someone to school who wrote the ballot to learn how to communicate better in the english language (not that I'm that good in writing either! LOL). I voted "no", when I maybe should have voted yes! Another reason why APBA rule-making is so messed up the last five years, in my opinion. They can't get it right even when we get the right to vote!

If someone "prominent" in pro racing had not previously been caught dishonestly communicating with his driver in the same race from a turn judge boat, this issue would have never been brought up (misuse of equipment and poor sportsmanship.) Another case where one or two jerks in racing ruin it for the rest of us. This is the "information" age the last time I checked. Blocking information access to one class in favor of another is a prejudicial and hypocritical view in my mind. Physically blocking the lane at the corner against other faster racers who want to pass is a racing move that happens in every motor sport. Eliminating radios will not solve the problem.

If you other pro guys who want radios banned from open cokpit [sic] boats were just as "hard over" on making sure that enclosed capsule windscreens were built to safer standards, with a wider required field of view area, and policed the windshield's clarity more with more pre-race safety inspections (enclosed capsule windshields must be replaced if it is too scratched or clouded) we would have less potential for race course accidents. The worst incidents are usually those people at TESTING that don't have a radio and run into another boat because they are cutting the course or entering the course at a bad angle and can't see existing traffic!

Poor driving in a capsule boat is not eliminated by a radio, nor is a poor capsule windscreen condition corrected by having a radio!

There are more ways to cheat than just using a radio -- the judging needs to be consistently viewed as fair to ALL types and classes of boats and it must have some exceptional integrity at the leadership levels of pro racing. This is yet another APBA "parity" BS issue...

Quit wining(sp?) about this stupid issue, and when you catch someone cheating or being extremely unsafe, have the guts to have an Official yank/suspend their racing membership card for the rest of year!

Al Peffley
R-25

[m58rr50hydro]

MR Al
Yery Well Said
But Let"s All Say Thanks To Are Reps That Try To Do A Good Job For Us in APBA All That Tuff Work And Time they do To Put Up With All Of Us..!!
I Went To Helmet Restranits Last Year And I Cant See S$IT, Added Mirrors, All I Can Se Is A Wall Of White. I Know At Some Race You Will Try To Pass Me I Want To Know Your Coming...!!! CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE IT LOOKED LIKE AL GORE WAS IN ON IT......!!!!!!
PM ME AL OR CALL

[Composite Specialties]

Ruling

I just received my latest Propeller magazine and see where the rule passed to eliminate radios from the open cockpit Pro boats. Amazing!!!!!! Maybe we should get rid of shiny paint next because it might impair someone's vision while racing and they might cut someone off and hurt someone's feelings. This is Professional racing , correct?

[nicf14]

I think this is a great rule! The only problem is we missed a few other things, this rule should have baned mirrors, turning your head, and getting anybody wet. This is the only way to keep that select few from crying.

[pro350hydro]

I just received my latest Propeller magazine and see where the rule passed to eliminate radios from the open cockpit Pro boats. Amazing!!!!!! Maybe we should get rid of shiny paint next because it might impair someone's vision while racing and they might cut someone off and hurt someone's feelings. This is Professional racing , correct?

I can't f^&*ing believe it. What will they take away next???

[Kristi Ellison]

They did not take it away you voted it away....I hope those of you who are unhappy at least sent in your ballots!

[Composite Specialties]

Yes I did send in mine.....one vote from the non-whiners radio group

[sesailer]

What happened to freedom of speech/communication???

This is sad....we have, for years, attempted to make this sport safer. This is going to wrong direction for the WRONG reasons....

I just hope others will see the good in radio communication because I'm sure this subject won't die easily. I just hope it doesn't take a lawsuit....

And, yes, our team voted...

[Kristi Ellison]

I was NOT polling as to who voted and I am sure that you all voted.....I hope all those who are upset about the outcome voted is all I said and all I meant. No need for personal attacks and name calling it becomes juvinile and people stop paying attention. It was a vote of the drivers....if you don't like it call your Commissioner and make some suggestions. Just don't call me today or for a little while more important things going on then this!

Kristi

[roperz111]

Voting is good.

Hey,

At least you PRO guys got the OPPORTUNITY to vote on a rule change. Unlike the transom rule.

Chris Johnson

[Composite Specialties]

Juvenile

Juvenile! The only thing that is Juvenile is this stupid rule that was voted on and passed. Name calling, if the whiner fits then so be it! This is the stupidest thing that I think I have ever seen in the PRO division for the past 30 years that I have been a part of it. People have already stopped paying attention.

[Al Peffley]

How do I know what I really voted for?

As I said before: the explanation of the reason for making the rule in the Pro voting pamphlet that I received contradicted the way the proposed vote measure was phrased. I voted and really still am not sure how my vote counted, pro or con to the rule change.

I was against the radio ban rule for ANY hydro class, and I thought I voted as such. Maybe this english grammer/context terminology mix-up in the Pro Class voters' ballot was not intentional. However, you would think that two overly pro-active lawyers (who seem promote most other class' rule changes but the ones they primarily run/ran in) could make sure the ballot was clearly worded before it went out. Also, the REAL root-cause reasons for the radio rules change should have been revealed to all of the eligible voters prior to the vote.

What is the UIM rule on radios? Do they also ban use of radios in open cokpit [sic] hydro classes?

Does a non-APBA sponsored USTS race (co-sponsored by UIM or AOF) have to follow this APBA Pro Class radios restriction rule? Does USTS have its own soviergn(sp?) rules set standard on radios usage when you are not racing in an APBA sanctioned event (or is there no such type of USTS race that is independent of APBA)?

Al

[David Weaver]

Al,

USTS races are sanctioned by the APBA and race under the rules of APBA's PRO category.