DSH at the Nats.

[14-H]

***, the Merc's are dead- just like Wienandt's dyno reports said.

I hope the new SO Chairman will carry on my committment to ensure this does not happen. If we can bring the principles from the J and AXS classes to the D Class, we should have a good combination. The Tohatsus were impressive. Makes me all the more sure the decision of the Parity Committee to leave the 1" restriction in place was the right one. The Tohatsus clearly could have won either the DSH or DSR, but they did not. That had only to do with the driving and starting. No one can credibly say the Tohatsus do not have a chance to win, now. If future changes are needed to ensure either make can win, they should be made.

Congratulations to Bass Machines for such a good showing. Your patience has clearly paid off and contributed to a revitalization of these classes. That was my goal all along. Congratulations to Dan Hauenstein and J.W. Myers for their wins. Best of luck following this good start to the next SORC and the next SO Chairman. "Don't screw it up!" Ed Hearn.

[reed28n]

Safety

Side impact did not seem to be the cause of injury as much as the driver of the on coming craft this year. T Boned boats- the driver was OK. The reinforced cock pit idea didn't come into play. Everyone wants to be safe but there is no safety device that will prevent every incident. Cock pit safety should be considered but the materials should not be made mandatory yet.... and existing boats need to be grandfathered.

Everyone racing is aware of the risks involved in our sport. It is a known and accept risk we enter into when we register.....picking, policing and supporting good race sites is of more benefit.

They still have yet to come up with something prevents injury when walking in front of a bus but we still cross the street.....I suspect we will all continue to race with all of its known and implied risks.

[sponsonhead]

T Bones, Sides and the DSH Wreck

As the owner of the boat in question with lots of boat repairs in his future, I can tell you that one of the first things I am going to do is have the cockpit sides changed to a composite material, and probably will retrofit it to comply as closesly with the current UIM rules as is practical.

-Would that have changed the outcome of the damage? Possibly, but I still would be the owner of One Messed-Up-With-A-Capital-F DSH.

-Would having reinforced cockpit sides have prevented the accident? Of course not. In this particular case, the tube on the saddle part of the Towerhousing broke. The fact that this happened right after the start of a heat when my driver was breaking out of the middle of a pack of full throttle DSH's, skidded across the water on his little tushie and by nothing more than dumb luck avoided getting hit by anyone, PRIOR to his boat serving as a ski ramp for Corey is reason enough for me to believe that A Power Greater Than Myself is not yet ready to deal with another Cougar...not just yet, anyway. While a number of things went wrong, more things went right. And I'm lucky that my driver walked away from this.

-In the wake of this, do I feel reinforced cockpit sides ahould be mandatory? I think that's a decision that every driver needs to answer on their own. It's kind of like legislating morality. In our case, we gotta rebuild the cockpit sides anyway, so this is a good opportunity to not only give us a little more safety, but add some height to the sides to offer additional protection. That's something I have thought about doing in the past, but never had a compelling reason to do (be careul what you wish for).

Finally, as someone who works in the Marine Safety Industry (and still speaking for myself, not my employer), at the end of the day, we are playing the percentages out there. Just like winning a Nationals, safety in boat racing is driven by possessing top-notch equipment, driver preparation, experience and a certain amount of just racing luck, good or bad. Until we develop boats made out of Aircraft Black Box Materials and Nerf Propellers, there will always be an element of danger in this sport, just like driving to work every morning. If that overly concerns you, you do not belong in racing.

R-19

[guedo499]

luck?

The fact that this happened right after the start of a heat when my driver was breaking out of the middle of a pack of full throttle DSH's, skidded across the water on his little tushie and by nothing more than dumb luck avoided getting hit by anyone, PRIOR to his boat serving as a ski ramp for Corey is reason enough for me to believe that A Power Greater Than Myself is not yet ready to deal with another Cougar...not just yet, anyway.

I'd rather be lucky than good anyday....

[mercguy]

I hope the new SO Chairman will carry on my committment to ensure this does not happen. If we can bring the principles from the J and AXS classes to the D Class, we should have a good combination. The Tohatsus were impressive. Makes me all the more sure the decision of the Parity Committee to leave the 1" restriction in place was the right one. The Tohatsus clearly could have won either the DSH or DSR, but they did not. That had only to do with the driving and starting. No one can credibly say the Tohatsus do not have a chance to win, now. If future changes are needed to ensure either make can win, they should be made.

Congratulations to Bass Machines for such a good showing. Your patience has clearly paid off and contributed to a revitalization of these classes. That was my goal all along. Congratulations to Dan Hauenstein and J.W. Myers for their wins. Best of luck following this good start to the next SORC and the next SO Chairman. "Don't screw it up!" Ed Hearn.

1"????? It was changed to 1/2" right Ed, during the latest parity meeting.....

[14-H]

1/2"

Darren: You're right. How could I forget? I made the motion.

We agree on 1 item & admit )ou're right on another all on the same day. What's goin on?

[Cameraboy]

Darren: You're right. How could I forget? I made the motion.

We agree on 1 item & admit )ou're right on another all on the same day. What's goin on?

And there's photographic evidence of you two standing w/in 5 feet of each other

[mercguy]

Darren: You're right. How could I forget? I made the motion.

We agree on 1 item & admit )ou're right on another all on the same day. What's goin on?

maybe the earth will start rotating in the opposite direction tommorrow.........

[sponsonhead]

Just Say NO

Careful, Daren. He might kiss you.

R-19

[mercguy]

Careful, Daren. He might kiss you.

R-19

ugh..............trying not to visualize that!

[Russ Birch 45R]

team Tohatsu

I will try to answer some of the questions . "BOAT" the boat was a small DMH (B&H) Sam and I talked about it , next year we should have a bigger one.
"FASTEST", Kurt is very fast but out of control. He has not been able to beat us because he can not turn the boat. "HATS OFF TO ALL THE TOHATSU'S", Thank you all for such a great job of show casing the motor. I hope that maybe this will let people see the future of DSH and DSR.
Russ Birher TEAM TOHATSU 45-R/151-R

[Fast Jack]

DHS boats

Daren, I remember when you got a new boat you were playing your cards tight to the vest. How is it working ? Are there any recomendations you would have for someone building a new boat for the 3 cyl.

[ram95]

Parity be Pee. I see tremendous competition between two major brands. Sadly, one of them (may Carl rest in peace) has dumped us 'little racers' as being a hindrance to the botoom-line. Then enters Sid Bass and the Bass Tohatsu to fill the void. The 44XS is still a heavy hitter in the right hands. But, if you're tired of ferreting for parts, the best way out might just be to "get-a-HAT". That's what my Mom used to say when I was launching out the door on a minus 28 degree February school-day.... "Get a hat, son" she'd say. WELL..... I done GOT a freakin HAT..., and my sweet ole MK58"H" is sittin on the rack.
MAD RUSSIAN RACING, 12A
Richmond Maine