J motors...

[Ascencio Racing]

nascar?

Your right, comparing J and nascar is.... well enough said. But I can compare Karting to J, and SO in general. And the success is in Karting is do too, well many reasons but i have to think that it is because the most successfull classes motors are sealed. All the way up to the adult hot shoe classes. And if you don't think that is racing, because the motors sealed... well i guess we agree to disagree. Some 20 kart fields going wheel to wheel all race long. You are right, get off the couch and test (you child is going for a boat ride, they love it!) test wheels, your kid is in the boat, test set up... your kid is in the boat. Change the course around, let the child get seat time and enjoy a boat ride, learn how to drive. This isn't about slowing people down, IMO J is about participation, gathering new drivers, teaching the kids how to drive (and win) and making it easier on families to get involved. Changing wheels and set up is plenty to work with and you get to spend quality time with you kids. Dad, ripping engines open, spending hours in the shop while in participating in the j class to find the extra speed is missing the point (again, my opinion). Make the rule book idiot proof, limit the parts to easily available pieces and ones that anyone can get by picking up the phone and placing a call. Plenty of other classes as they grow up where the dads can tear them open at the shop. Just one dads opinion.

[Big Don]

I'm sure everyone agree's that the rule says mercury rings so let's just hope for the kids sake that they are. I know I'm bringing my extra original rings with me so if they need to do some comparing they can.
For those that may get tossed because they are not Mercury ring...I truly do feel for you. Hopefully you all have contacted the engine builder to find out the facts and hopfully your all safe.

[MGallagher]

A J Parent got his/her motor inspected before the nationals to make sure it was legal, just like measuring your boat, checking your safety equipment, etc,etc,etc. What they found were oversized non mercury rings(according to the certified inspector), which are illegal. So in order to avert what could and most likely will be a disaster the parent contacted the J committee roughly 2 week ago of what they found and where the motor was from, which more than a few J/ax drivers have gotten them as well. The reaction from the committee according to this thread, is to deal with the problem next year?

I agree it is all for the sake of compitition, but do it with in the rules. It was just a concerned parent(for the other non "ringed" motor owners) that this be addressed in a more urgent matter.

That being said, there are now "legal" rings in the said motor and time being put on them as we speak.

[wdlong1226]

yeah

participation how board do you think your kids would get being last all the time I love this sport but, now we,re saying when new kids come into this sport their parents have to become motor builders.only guys i know that are going fast enough to compete are the ones that have been racing for a long time. and i was born and raised around the water.that don,t help,worked in marina,s when i was younger for 4 years.MY POINT IS you want new people to join you must LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD

[14-H]

Intent

I find it absolutely amazing that everyone seems to know what the INTENT of the Mercury J rules are that are beyond what the rules actually say. Holt is right: Merc is legal, regardless of when it was made. If any one shows up in inspection and has non-Merc rings, the other competitors should protest. That is true regardless of what the J Committee has decided.

On to intent: As one of those closest to the development of the J Merc engine, let me enlighten you as to the real intent of the rules for this engine. Long about 1998, Eddie Hearn had lost his edge in the ASR class and couldn't get an OMC A to run fast anymore. Knowing that Grant Steven Hearn, the first born of Eddie's brother Richard, had just been born, Grandpops R. Steven decided it was time to put a new engine into the J Category that the Hearns could get to run when Grant turned 9 years old. As you all may know, R Steven was responsible for getting a motor to someone to build a conversion kit so this engine could race. That engine showed up at the 1999 annual meeting and was approved. Presto: J Merc rules.

Thus, the intent of the Mercury rules was to put a new engine in the J Class that would allow Grant Hearn to be able to win in the J Classes. Therefore, all J rules should be interpreted according to this underlying intent.

YOU GUYS WITH YOUR FREAKING INTENT! This is where it leads. Eddie.

[Big Don]

If you are not as keen on engine building as some, why should those that are keen and learned through trial and error be punished ? Seems like y'all are barking up the wrong tree. Git up off the dam couch and learn how to build yourself a screaming engine. One little secret... a motor is only as good the prop that is pushing the boat. Say I purchase Ralph Cooks Formula E powerhead because it is the fastesd in the country. I bolt it on my boat and go. It most likley is going to be a lot slower than what I currently have because nobody serious in racing will sell you the good prop....

As for the Merc J having speed, so be it. Go get you some of those rings and get them in for this years Nat's. It takes only a couple hours to completely dissasemble the Merc J and re-assemble. The cost is very minimal to do this. It is not expensive. And to boot, what makes you think we are not already doing something similar to the OMC's J engines...............................

That is what MOD and Pro is for...for the guys that want to tinker inside their engines. Stock should be stock. (not saying it is)

As for go get some of those rings...well if they truely are old 1960 rings how the heck are most people going to get them??????????????????

And if they are not they are old mercury rings then they are NOT legal!

As Matt said, they know of one engine that did not have legal rings in it.

[Big Don]

I find it absolutely amazing that everyone seems to know what the INTENT of the Mercury J rules are that are beyond what the rules actually say. Holt is right: Merc is legal, regardless of when it was made. If any one shows up in inspection and has non-Merc rings, the other competitors should protest. That is true regardless of what the J Committee has decided.

On to intent: As one of those closest to the development of the J Merc engine, let me enlighten you as to the real intent of the rules for this engine. Long about 1998, Eddie Hearn had lost his edge in the ASR class and couldn't get an OMC A to run fast anymore. Knowing that Grant Steven Hearn, the first born of Eddie's brother Richard, had just been born, Grandpops R. Steven decided it was time to put a new engine into the J Category that the Hearns could get to run when Grant turned 9 years old. As you all may know, R Steven was responsible for getting a motor to someone to build a conversion kit so this engine could race. That engine showed up at the 1999 annual meeting and was approved. Presto: J Merc rules.

Thus, the intent of the Mercury rules was to put a new engine in the J Class that would allow Grant Hearn to be able to win in the J Classes. Therefore, all J rules should be interpreted according to this underlying intent.

YOU GUYS WITH YOUR FREAKING INTENT! This is where it leads. Eddie.

Come on Ed....you know the intent was not to allow 1960 rings. Does it say you can? YES but that was NEVER the intent. The gods of the J class would have never allowed that and you darn well know that.

[sax555]

Intent

Way to go ED !!

[14-H]

Intent: Add

BTW: for all of you about to type a post accusing me of defending my own equipement, don't bother. None of my engines have anything but Merc 15 cid rings in them as made for this engine. Why? Because I wasn't smart enough to read the rules and understand what they actually say.

But that does not give me or anyone else the right to insist that the rules be enforced according to what they DO NOT say. We can't expect competitors to be thrown out because they read the rules and didn't know what we thought the rule ought to mean.

Talk about doing bad for the sport: Jeez Louise! Eddie.

[14-H]

Come on Ed....you know the intent was not to allow 1960 rings. Does it say you can? YES but that was NEVER the intent. The gods of the J class would have never allowed that and you darn well know that.

Irrelevant, Don!

[ricochet112]

Don: I totally agree with you. I don't think that is good for the sport either. The problem is that we have to go with what the rule SAYS, not what you, we, someone else, INTENDED it to say. That is because anyone reading the rule has no idea what was intended outside what is said. Enforcing the rules by what was "intended" as opposed to what the rule actually says is just as bad for the sport. No one can tell just by reading the rules what was intended if that is different than what is said.

BTW: the longest word I used in that post was "anything": eight letters.

Enforcing, different; both have 9 letters

[Big Don]

Ed...

I agree that ANY Mercury ring is allowed.

I agree that ...how can anyone know what the intent was. We can only go by the written rule.


All I'm saying is I know that was not their intent to allow.

Once again for the kids sake let's hope that everyone is running a Mercury ring and they can prove it is a mercury ring.

[les]

Know what I like about inspection?

It is based on fact, Not opinion.

Larry

[14-H]

The J Class leaders ****
As a past SORC VP, APBA BOD member I am personnally appalled at the lack of leadership here to address this prior to the up-coming Nationals.

Steve Warnock
BSOA Commodore

Steve: Vote Obama! He's for change, I hear.

[17W]

Ha!

Steve: Vote Obama! He's for change, I hear.

Oh my that's too funny.