Boat Limit Per Driver.

[Samuel Hagan JR]

Do you all think there should be a boat limit per driver to allow other drivers a chance to enter?

 

[Blair Warren]

If the race is restricted to a specific number of boats not drivers, Yes.

That being said, you wouldn't want to deny any entries and have a class not be as full as possible.

You could use a ranked entry system, say I wanted to enter 3 boats, but restrictions allow only 2. I could ask you enter boats A & B as my first two choices and C as my third choice if there is room available. Would keep the race as full as possible and maybe let another driver or two in.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I would agree, two and a waiting list, but with a deadline.

1. Any boats on a waiting list would be automatically entered at a certain point on a space available and first come first serve basis.
2. If someone withdraws after the cut off, the first boat on the waiting list would be added.
3. If a registered boat is a no show, the waiting list boats that are there would be used to fill the heats

 

[Blair Warren]

I would agree, two and a waiting list, but with a deadline.

1. Any boats on a waiting list would be automatically entered at a certain point on a space available and first come first serve basis.
2. If someone withdraws after the cut off, the first boat on the waiting list would be added.
3. If a registered boat is a no show, the waiting list boats that are there would be used to fill the heats

That would be a great way to handle it.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

The only thing I haven't worked out is the mailed in vs online registrations and who is first in regard to who is registered as compared to who goes on the waiting list and in what order. I know we've seen online registrations fill events in a matter of minutes a few times where those that sent in registrations by snail mail were left out. This is something that needs to be worked out by those setting up events as it's an issue that needs to be addressed

 

[Tom Foley]

No , it is a self regulating problem . Everyone deserves the opportunity to torture themselves running 6 - 8 boats , after that it usually quiets down . It would drive some racers away to limit them and frankly it would also drive up the number of trailers and tent parking required by more participants . Personally if someone limited me to 2 boats I wouldn't even attend the race .

 

[Eric Canto]

Tom Foley is exactly correct! No way I'm taking time off work, paying for travel and hotels to run two boats. What we need to do is get rid of these crazy restrictions on our liberties and have more races.

 

[timothy johnson]

I agree with Tom, don't limit those that want to race several classes because someone else only wants to race 2 boats. The racers that enter several boats pay more money in fee's which helps the promoter's of the race. Think about it you tell Tom F and Doc Turner you can only enter 3 boats and now they don't come, you just lost revenue and 2 entries. The method you use to sign up with is your choice, if you mail your entry you may be late. By the way there's lots of room for anyone that wants to sign up for the upcoming Huntsville race. Hope to see you there. Leave it alone.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Guys, I was basing the two boats with a waiting list on Blair's post. Not all events restrict the number of boats, nor should they. At the same time, Let's say Tom registers 8 boats(because he can and can handle that many), Eric(a new racer in this example) mails in a registration for one in one of the classes Tom runs in. Eric is told the class is full and his registration fee is returned. Eric, now being on the outside looking in, stays home or totally drop out of the hobby. Was the event and/or hobby helped by Tom showing up with 8 or hurt because Eric left the activity? You guys decide and let us know

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Okay, just went and looked at rcRacingEvents and found there are 166 boats registered by 44 people with a possible 19 classes for the March racing in Huntsville.
. The event is scheduled to run over three days so my questions are:

1. how many heats are you running per class?
2. is there going to be a connie, two connies, as well as a final per class?
3. how many boats per flight?
4. how many heats and flights per heat?

I was doing some fast figuring and came up with the following:

1. There are 19 classes, if all classes are made
2. With 19 classes, there will be either 38 or 57 heats depending on two or three heats per class
3. There will be two flights per heat on average based on the registered boats for a total of 76 or 114 flights
4. There is a possible 19 connies and 19 finals for 38 more heats
5. If all boats show up and run in all of their heats, that makes a possible 114 to 152 races to squeeze in to three days. That means that there needs to be 38 to 51 races per day, based on the present registrations. If I figure 6 minutes per flight, that's around 4 hours of racing for 38 races UNLESS there are dead boats to recover and assuming the next flight of boats is ready to go in the hot pits before the end of the heat presently running.

 

[Blair Warren]

The number 2 was just used as an example to describe the suggestion of ranked entries. Not as a absolute number.

Guys, I was basing the two boats with a waiting list on Blair's post. Not all events restrict the number of boats, nor should they. At the same time, Let's say Tom registers 8 boats(because he can and can handle that many), Eric(a new racer in this example) mails in a registration for one in one of the classes Tom runs in. Eric is told the class is full and his registration fee is returned. Eric, now being on the outside looking in, stays home or totally drop out of the hobby. Was the event and/or hobby helped by Tom showing up with 8 or hurt because Eric left the activity? You guys decide and let us know

+1

 

[Blair Warren]

frankly it would also drive up the number of trailers and tent parking required by more participants .

So, with the numerous threads on here about how numbers are down, how do we get more participants, etc.

Would needing more parking, and tent space for more participants be a bad thing?

 

[timothy johnson]

Between Mark, his wife, brother and Mark Bullard the Huntsvile race will run like a clock. Why don't you guys save your key board, sign up for the race and come and enjoy yourselves. Fights and Connies !!!!!

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I have three reasons not to go:

1. the possibility of Covid 19 shutting everything down
2. my work schedule not allowing me the time off to go since I'd need two weeks off to get there and back and don't have that much vacation
3. 6,500+ miles round trip IF I don't get stuck in bad weather in the Siskiyou or Sierra Nevada Mountains while avoiding the Rockies by going south on I-5 to Los Angeles and then heading east on I-20. If I was sure I could get through, I could save 1,200 miles by taking I-90 across the Rockies in Montana and crossing the northern plains though I'm limited to one route since I-80 is closed going across Wyoming

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Now wait, I got a "like" about not being able to go to Huntsville? Is that due to the fact that I can't go, the reasons why or that I'm just not wanted?

 

[SayMikey]

Sam I have to ask where are you going with this?

 

[P THOMAS]

Actually there was a time in dist 4 IMPBA when races limited racers to just two entries, late70 early 80s. this was back when there were only the 4 hydro and mono classes, there were alot of racers in dist 4 impba. Seamed to work out ok. There was a third boat allowed if you had a scale hydro, they were trying to promote the class. Main reason I got into scale hydros HA

 

[dr gary turner]

The answer is NO
IT SELF REGULATES AND IF THE CD is thinking the heats can be adjusted per boats entered
The Huntsville Club has never limited the number
Mark adjusted the mix of classes and heats
We usually have the drivers meeting at 7:00 AM and waste very little time and get the heats done

 

[dr gary turner]

I have asked Mark Bullard a very experienced CD multiple Internats CD
to explain how it is done.

He is going to explain how it is done

Basically you limit the number of boats in a class and if it is 24 per class 4, 6 boat heats.

Knowing some classes will never make 24 boats, the CD then opens up the more popular classes to more boats

So yes the CD has to be involved, not just say the race entry is open at midnight tonight and there is mass CHAOS.

Club members entering and before the OFFICIAL entry time and when done there is room for 4 boats in most of the other classes because a boat limit was made should not happen

Mark can explain it
We as far as I now in the Huntsville Club and races have not kept anyone out of the race due to some boat number limit

 

[Mike Hughes]

Doc,
I am pretty sure you guys have gone out of the way and allowed others in and put aside the count. Usually because no one wants to turn someone away. There is always a way to make room. Even if its about adding another flight per class. Easy to spread out 30 drivers into 5 heats (6 pre heat). Take 31 and go to 6 heats (5 per heat with 1 at 6 per). With that many boats you usually see drop outs and things can be combined later on. So your really only added say 2 heat total. This is were the CD earns his money. Been there done that.
Mike