new web site for OSY-400...

[sam]

We've run Le Mans starts at our C Stock mini marathon at Sharptown, MD. It's pretty cool

[Bill Huson]

pretty cool?

Lemans starts ROCK! And the Pits stops RULED! NASCAR we ain't, but several teams grabbed the coasting boat - spun `er around, gassed `er up, and fired it up in what - 20+ seconds or so? I believe John Runne told his crew to pour gas for 22 seconds and send him out. What a hoot!

[DougMc]

Doug would this be one of them photos? http://thairacing.freeweb.hu/kepekfresh050.htm

Yes! I e-mailed the guy last year and he said they are the Funky Fresh girls, a Hungarian singing group.

[Corin_Huke]

That is a cool site, and i've always liked the idea of modifed le-mans starts, but how would you get your starting position? do they run qualifing laps or are they assigned by world ranking, or even points? i've been wanting to run a race with just le-mans starting and try and get the general public involved.

Traditionally positions on the start jetty are dictated by qualifying which can be either time trials (an open 30-60 mins of timed practice, or a couple of timed 'hot laps') or qualifying races. If there are too many boats for the water capacity, you'll find that qualifying races will be used with an A race, followed by a B race and then a repercharge race (for those that didn't qualifying in either A or B).

In Europe for international race meetings I would say that 99.9% of races are a modifed le-mans start - it works very well. Going back a few years there were clock starts for hydros, but the last one of these was abolished following a fatal accident. It is argued, rightly or wrongly, that the modified le-mans start is a safer approach for the type of racing we do in Europe - a high % of races are run on river circuits (and smaller lakes) so we don't have the luxury of having lots of space to mill before the start

Hope that this answers your questions, but if you have any more, just ask

Regards

Corin

Photo source; www.formula250.org

[DougMc]

The Lemans/jetty start would require each team to have a pit crew, which may create a man power problem. Also, it requires a different design of boat and prop - its mostly accelleration off the dock.

I have run both a clock start and a lemans/jetty start and like the clock better. My reason is that maybe I could make up a short fall in horsepower or acceleration in a well timed start.

I think the lemans/jetty start is much safer, and my accident at Lakeland in OSY wouldn't have happened with such a start. At a 1989 race in Germany, I remember a clock start where a girl in OSY was killed in an accident, but I think it happened on the second lap or so not on the start. I can still remember seeing her standing on the dock before the heat started and driving around the two boats involved in the accident.

(On a side note, With a lemans/jetty start, the 302s would become the dominate motor in OSY/CSH as would laydowns.)

[Corin_Huke]

Doug

Sadly I was in Brodenbach in Germany too when that accident happened. If my memory serves me correctly, it was only her first or second race in OSY and she was racing in an international event with lots boats. They had at the time a situation in Germany whereby with no experience you could buy yourself an outfit, get a licence and race in whatever race you wish.....

The incident I was referring to was when Andy Chesman was tragically killed in Hamburg in a Formula 500 (pro outboard) race. Andy was an very very experienced racer. The fast flowing river circuit didn't lend itself to a lemans start, so it was a clock start, with the drivers turning the top buoy turn for a full speed run in to the start from approx 500yds away. Andy was tagged from behind, spun around and hit by another boat on the start. He was driving a Fort capsule boat at the time, but sadly there was no hope for him due to the size of the impact

With a lemans start, any bumping and boaring (and yes it still happens) occurs whilst the boats are at a slower speed. The boats with better acceleration can 'escape' from the rest of the field, leaving room for others. It is not a fool proof system, especially when you have a faster boat at the tail end of the jetty which gets away well and makes a b-line to the first turn.

There is a concept of boats staying in their lanes until the first turn, but we all know that this is unworkable and 9 times out of 10 it is left to the skill and the common sense of the drivers to ensure that incidents are kept to the minimum. But accidents still happen - the World 0-500 in Lakeland springs to mind - that was incident packed, with lots of arguments about lane changing....

Corin

[DougMc]

Most of the OSY racers in Germany at the time were young, as was I. It was kind of their youth class. The girl that hit her was on the MRC Berlin team with me. I sadly remember her dad coming to the van and telling her what happened later that day.

I remember Andy as well. He was a nice guy. I met him a couple of times as his daughter Joanne and I were good friends when I was stationed with the US Army in Berlin 1988-1990.

You and I probably met back then. That race in Germany was the first race where I saw a Yamato 202 and the English team had them. Boy were they fast.

[epugh66]

Lemans starts????
Burn him!, burn him! He's wicked, satan himself would be weak in the knee's BURN!! BURN!!!

Oh, wait, I was having a cheap beer induced flashback to 1984.

[DougMc]

Eric,

You gonna race your 125H this year?

[Corin_Huke]

Lemans starts????
Burn him!, burn him! He's wicked, satan himself would be weak in the knee's BURN!! BURN!!!

Oh, wait, I was having a cheap beer induced flashback to 1984.

Hey Eric, you're not so anti Lemans starts are you?

Plus I'm sure that Gary can build a boat to 'fly' from a dead engine start - certainly that's what James is after with his F500 boat (of course with a little help from a certain Mr Dewald!)

I know that when the World 0-500 was in Lakeland where they ran Lemans starts, many of you guys had figured them out - Neil LaRose, Dan Kirts & Gerry Drake to name but a few. But I can also remember Gerry testing a Lake Alfred before the race, spitting feathers and complaining about the Limeys who introduced these stupid rules - I think he'd conveniently forgot his origins at the time!!

Corin (Doris)

[jpro60]

Lots of good pics. Those corner bouys are HUGE!

The bouys aren't THAT big. First off consider that those guys are laying down, so the buoys probably look bigger. That and we run some that size as entrance pins at some of our region 10 events. When we run with the inboards they're all that big. Also, it sucks BADLY to hit them!

[jpro60]

Curious

What is the deal with that thing covering the prop? Is it just there to protect it from damage on the beach? Or does it stay on there while racing to help protect people from the dangers of the prop?

[Corin_Huke]

Prop guards

What is the deal with that thing covering the prop? Is it just there to protect it from damage on the beach? Or does it stay on there while racing to help protect people from the dangers of the prop?

The prop guard (as we called them in Europe) is mandatory if you wish to start the engine in the pits with the still prop on the foot. Even on the jetty, a lot of the OSY drivers/teams still use the guards when warming up the engine. After the engine is warm, it's taken off, boat dropped into the water, started and off you go.....

Do you not use a similar thing in the States, or do you always have to remove the prop before starting the engine in the pits? If you start an engine onshore (with the exception of the start jetty) without a prop guard to shroud the prop, you would get in huge amounts of trouble.....even may be thrown out of the race meeting! At best, you will get a severe reprimand from the officals - it is a major NO NO

[Corin_Huke]

Modified lemans starts

Ok, it's not OSYs, but this is what a modified lemans start (or jetty start as we call them in Europe) looks like in Pro 0-250

Exciting stuff eh!?

The starting procedure is as follows. Nornally there is a 2 or 3 minute countdown during this period engines are started and warmed. Next a 30 secs board is shown which signals dead engines (any engine that is still running in this period, the driver is DSQ). A traffic lights system is then used, Red, followed Green The time between the Red and Green is at the starting official's discretion but normally between 5 and 15 secs - it differs every heat.

It makes great viewing for spectators. As you go from dead quiet when you can hear a pin drop, to a explosion of sound, spray and excitement in a matter of seconds!

You should try it - it puts a lot of pressure on your pit crew, but that in a way is great as it gets the ole adrenalin pumping and you know that for that moment, the success of your driver depends upon you - a real team effort. When you get it right, it's the best feeling in the world, but screw up and you don't know where to hide your face. Plus you have to face up to a extremely pissed driver when he returns after the race!!!

Photo source: www.formula250.org

[Lights]

Jetty start

I would be great to see a video clip of one of these starts.