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ask the people that used it before
I remember when Todd B. and I decided to have a new boat built for Tim the winter before the 125 WC several years ago, we were faced with several options/bones of contention. One of the bigger ones was bottom specs on the boat to assure it came off the beach well so as to have an equal opportunity with the foreign contingent that would be coming here to compete in the championship race. The other was how to provide an opportunity for our (US) drivers to practice the beach type of start so as to be proficient, both driver and pit crew wise. for that event so as to give everyone an equal opportunity to do as well as possible.
Both these problems went a long way toward being solved by USTS using the beach start in the 125 races that summer. I don't remember now if it was all of them, but it was enough in number to answer the type questions listed above. I commend USTS for once again trying to help the US drivers become proficient in this type of start, especially as the WC's planned for this fall are for more than just the one class as was the case before.
Here in the midwest and other areas where we are not blessed with the number of test sites and many more months of good weather, it is difficult anymore to even find a place to test, much less a site that has ambulance, pickup boats, extra pit help, etc., to enable our drivers a chance to practice this type start. I saw a post the other day, that this type of start was much harder on cranks, etc., than a regular start. It is not any different than you see all the time at race sites during testing when a boat is started in the pits and goes out on the race course to test, assuming the driver stays on the throttle which most seem to do, to avoid the motor loading up when the boat breaks over on plane.
Before either side gets too much in an uproar, perhaps Tim Brinkman, Buddy Tennell, and others who participated in the 125 WC several years ago could chime in and give their opinions on whether it was a benefit or not. I can certainly understand why competitors who might not be planning on attending the fall WC's and don't feel a need to practice this type start might be upset, especially if they depend on pit help that they normally pickup at the regualrly scheduled USTS races. Perhaps this type start at 1/2 the races prior to this fall would be a good compromise, or even a vote of the drivers, but I don't agree that Title Series is trying to make things hard for anybody.
Infact exactly the opposite, they are trying to give the regular USTS drivers every opportunity to do well this fall, in arguably the biggest event of 2008 for PRO drivers.
I remember when Todd B. and I decided to have a new boat built for Tim the winter before the 125 WC several years ago, we were faced with several options/bones of contention. One of the bigger ones was bottom specs on the boat to assure it came off the beach well so as to have an equal opportunity with the foreign contingent that would be coming here to compete in the championship race. The other was how to provide an opportunity for our (US) drivers to practice the beach type of start so as to be proficient, both driver and pit crew wise. for that event so as to give everyone an equal opportunity to do as well as possible.
Both these problems went a long way toward being solved by USTS using the beach start in the 125 races that summer. I don't remember now if it was all of them, but it was enough in number to answer the type questions listed above. I commend USTS for once again trying to help the US drivers become proficient in this type of start, especially as the WC's planned for this fall are for more than just the one class as was the case before.
Here in the midwest and other areas where we are not blessed with the number of test sites and many more months of good weather, it is difficult anymore to even find a place to test, much less a site that has ambulance, pickup boats, extra pit help, etc., to enable our drivers a chance to practice this type start. I saw a post the other day, that this type of start was much harder on cranks, etc., than a regular start. It is not any different than you see all the time at race sites during testing when a boat is started in the pits and goes out on the race course to test, assuming the driver stays on the throttle which most seem to do, to avoid the motor loading up when the boat breaks over on plane.
Before either side gets too much in an uproar, perhaps Tim Brinkman, Buddy Tennell, and others who participated in the 125 WC several years ago could chime in and give their opinions on whether it was a benefit or not. I can certainly understand why competitors who might not be planning on attending the fall WC's and don't feel a need to practice this type start might be upset, especially if they depend on pit help that they normally pickup at the regualrly scheduled USTS races. Perhaps this type start at 1/2 the races prior to this fall would be a good compromise, or even a vote of the drivers, but I don't agree that Title Series is trying to make things hard for anybody.
Infact exactly the opposite, they are trying to give the regular USTS drivers every opportunity to do well this fall, in arguably the biggest event of 2008 for PRO drivers.
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