you're on the clock

[jeff baham]

how many racer would let to see the clock start at 1:30 instead of 2:30, i've noticed nitro and gas racer wait for 1:30 to start up . i know this will get more heats in like that.

 

[Chris Wood]

OH GOD, NOT MORE CONTROVERSY lol...

I for one wouldn't mind it.. i wait till 2.00 or so so it would be a big deal..

it would defenitly speed things up.

what does everyone else think,

Jeff are you thinking about writing a proposal up??

chris

 

[jeff baham]

yes i was dan cousin and i was talk about , how to speed up a race and get five round in instead of four.

 

[Chris Wood]

hey jeff,

what do you think about 2:00 or 1:45

i could see it at 1:30 alot of people scrambling to hit the water.. that give's you 1:00 to start it and get to the water or you cannot launch.

chris

 

[jeff baham]

your are right chris, that would be a big mess up there, 200 might be more exceptable.

 

[RodneyPierce]

your are right chris, that would be a big mess up there, 200 might be more exceptable.

I think 2:00 is a great time to start. Form waht I see, I think most wait untill under 1:30 or so anyhow, but 2:00 would give time to deal with any problems that might arrise that are still fixable. I think it is a great idea.

 

[piper_chuck]

Is the goal to increase the number of DNS? That's what will happen.

While everyone tries to get their boat started quickly, occasionally, something goes wrong. Those extra seconds sure come in handy. Reducing the start time would only penalize people for such things and result in less racing. Personally, I'd rather see more boats out there rather than less.

At the typical race I've seen, there's much more to be gained by people getting their butts, and boats , to the pits when they're in the get ready so the next heat can start.

 

[NITROSNIFER]

Must be nice, Here in 16 our clock starts at 2:00 and no one seems to have any trouble getting to the water on time. Of course theres always the odd blown glow plug or flooded motor but the 2:00 gives you enough to get it worked out.

 

[Buckshot]

I'm with Chuck.

I was at an event this weekend and there was anywhere from 10 to 15 min. or more between some heats. The sad part is that it is usually the same person(s) holding things up. That is the most ridiculous and irritating part of most races. I say there should (and there might be one already) a rule as to how much time (max) there is from when the retrieve boat hits the beach to when the clock starts. If a driver isn't in the pits and ready to go......too bad!

I know there is a rule that dictates the max length of a heat (6 laps after the start) which is 5:00 min.

Not a bad idea to speed things up.

-Buck-

 

[Tom Foley]

Anyone who has ever had a plug issue with a twin , a belt suddenly break even thogh they look great , or any kind of last minute issue appreciates the value of a little extra time . The practice of shortening mill time when all participants are in aggreement while milling on the course is a great time saver and makes for some great starts . The 2006 Orlando Winternats really showed this to be a good deal . I say leave things as they are , we all invest a great deal of time and money to make a heat count , this little bit of extra time can be priceless when needed . Just my opinion .

 

[Buckshot]

Another thing to think about is that in NAMBA once all boats in a heat are on the water the C.D. can ask the drivers if they would like to skip to :30 sec. and if all agree than away we go.



-Buck-

 

[Dan_Cousin]

I too have noticed with all the extra classes, we are shrinking races down to 4 rounds instead of 5 due to time. Shortening the clock to 1:30 would shorten the race by 2 hours for a 120 heat race.

The would not completely fix the problem but would be a big step in the right direction.

1:45 might be a good compramise and still speed things along.

As for geting the boat started on time, I for one like to pop my engine off when I get in the pits to make sure it will start easily. I find suprises this way before the pickup boat makes its way to the shore. You can't do it as easy if your frequency is the same as a dead boat. In that case i manually work the throttle with the radio off. works for me. Haven't had a dry dock DNS in a LONG time.

 

[Chris Wood]

I too have noticed with all the extra classes, we are shrinking races down to 4 rounds instead of 5 due to time. Shortening the clock to 1:30 would shorten the race by 2 hours for a 120 heat race.

The would not completely fix the problem but would be a big step in the right direction.

1:45 might be a good compramise and still speed things along.

As for geting the boat started on time, I for one like to pop my engine off when I get in the pits to make sure it will start easily. I find suprises this way before the pickup boat makes its way to the shore. You can't do it as easy if your frequency is the same as a dead boat. In that case i manually work the throttle with the radio off. works for me. Haven't had a dry dock DNS in a LONG time.

I'm with you dan, i check everything have new plugs ready extra ignitors and motor cleared and pinched..

I guess if you go up there and you arn't ready it is your own fault.. nine times out of ten people that have problems go back to the table after there last race and just leave everything instead of prepping for the next round.

seen it to many times.

I would love to run extra rounds.. In the grand sceem of things.. Lets say i drive 5 hrs ( that is the min for a race for me ) to race 24 mins lol.. anything to do more racing is fine by me.

chris

 

[Don Ferrette]

You want to save time, stop waiting for people who aren't ready. I've seen way more time wasted waiting on people not ready to go than what you'll save shaving 30 seconds each heat off the start clock. The other time killer is retrieval. If you have a high boat count (like over 120) you really should run two retrieve boats, each one covers one side of the course, out fast & back slow & start the clock for the next heat as soon as the retrieve boats hit the beach. B)

 

[Brian Blazer]

I can see the positives, but also the disadvantages. Our clocks are set for 2.5 minutes. It would be a pain to redo the programing.

Brian

 

[jinxjx]

oh! come on!!............

 

[Terry Flynn]

I too have noticed with all the extra classes, we are shrinking races down to 4 rounds instead of 5 due to time. Shortening the clock to 1:30 would shorten the race by 2 hours for a 120 heat race.

The would not completely fix the problem but would be a big step in the right direction.

1:45 might be a good compramise and still speed things along.

As for geting the boat started on time, I for one like to pop my engine off when I get in the pits to make sure it will start easily. I find suprises this way before the pickup boat makes its way to the shore. You can't do it as easy if your frequency is the same as a dead boat. In that case i manually work the throttle with the radio off. works for me. Haven't had a dry dock DNS in a LONG time.

I'm with you dan, i check everything have new plugs ready extra ignitors and motor cleared and pinched..

I guess if you go up there and you arn't ready it is your own fault.. nine times out of ten people that have problems go back to the table after there last race and just leave everything instead of prepping for the next round.

seen it to many times.

I would love to run extra rounds.. In the grand sceem of things.. Lets say i drive 5 hrs ( that is the min for a race for me ) to race 24 mins lol.. anything to do more racing is fine by me.

chris

I don't know about changing the time ether things do happen. Chris I do remember when you left one of your batteries at your tent at the Illini race two years ago you were in such a hurry you fell running to retrieve it. if the time would have been shorter you would not have made it back to the pits on time.

just my 2 cent's worth

Terry

 

[Chris Wood]

I too have noticed with all the extra classes, we are shrinking races down to 4 rounds instead of 5 due to time. Shortening the clock to 1:30 would shorten the race by 2 hours for a 120 heat race.

The would not completely fix the problem but would be a big step in the right direction.

1:45 might be a good compramise and still speed things along.

As for geting the boat started on time, I for one like to pop my engine off when I get in the pits to make sure it will start easily. I find suprises this way before the pickup boat makes its way to the shore. You can't do it as easy if your frequency is the same as a dead boat. In that case i manually work the throttle with the radio off. works for me. Haven't had a dry dock DNS in a LONG time.

I'm with you dan, i check everything have new plugs ready extra ignitors and motor cleared and pinched..

I guess if you go up there and you arn't ready it is your own fault.. nine times out of ten people that have problems go back to the table after there last race and just leave everything instead of prepping for the next round.

seen it to many times.

I would love to run extra rounds.. In the grand sceem of things.. Lets say i drive 5 hrs ( that is the min for a race for me ) to race 24 mins lol.. anything to do more racing is fine by me.

chris

I don't know about changing the time ether things do happen. Chris I do remember when you left one of your batteries at your tent at the Illini race two years ago you were in such a hurry you fell running to retrieve it. if the time would have been shorter you would not have made it back to the pits on time.

just my 2 cent's worth

Terry

terry,

ya i remember that lol, and ya know what. If i didn't make it in time that is my fault.. no one to blame but me.. like i said be ready or you are done. that goes for me to...

oh, by the way, i didn't forget one. the batteries fell out of the radio and i couldn't find it on the ground . that is why i went back to get one from another radio.

chris

 

[Watercadet]

We only have 2:00 min any way. We also will go onto the mill if all boats are on the water and the drivers agree. Works great. Also, who but the nats has 120 heats?!@! My club runs 4 classes and 4 rounds each=16 heats -30sec/heat = 8min saved...

 

[Don Ferrette]

We only have 2:00 min any way. We also will go onto the mill if all boats are on the water and the drivers agree. Works great. Also, who but the nats has 120 heats?!@! My club runs 4 classes and 4 rounds each=16 heats -30sec/heat = 8min saved...

Atlanta spring race has well over 120 heats each year. Two retrieve boats, start racing EARLY & always a full 2:30 clock.