drivers start your engines!!!!!!!

[Lay26]

hey guys i have another topic here for you all. the other day after i finshed painting my sport 21 i was looking back on last season when the same boat was damaged. <_< now we all know that in racing there will be accidents, i for one am not innocent of hitting another boat, but what do you do when you get hit and the person who hits you looks at you and say" why the f@%&k he just doesn't get out of the way and let the faster boats go." :angry: And on top of that they know that they hit you and don't even care to say sorry.WHAT HAPPENED TO DRIVER COURTESY. I understand that when you're having problems with your boat on the course you should always take the slow boat on the outside. when this happened my boat was all the way inside the course, lane 2 should i have tried to cut all the lanes to take the boat outside? guys i'm still really pissed at this guy not because he hit me but because he didn't even have the maners to say look man i'm sorry. :angry: i know thats my problem not yours but I'm just venting...whats your take on that

 

[ClayGlover]

my take is go back whip his ass next time.

 

[ScottVanSlooten]

We had a well known tunnel racer hit my race parterns boat that was died out in lane 6 or 7 and when he hit use we herd him say to his spotter you just cost me the f$&%@#en race . no words to us but he sure was pissed at his wife . Lost a lot of respeck for that guy that day. Scott

PS as for the slower boats yes they should be running in lane ten or more out off coarse. At most races the CD should have been on the mic telling you to stay outside.

 

[Scott Schneider]

:angry: Nothing is more frustrating than a fellow boater that is unsportsman like.

Best way to deal with the attitude you get by being screwed by an idiot is to not give them the time of day and become a better racer than them.

Nothing and I meen NOTHING will be as humbling to that SOB than you being able to woop ass on them more than they do on you !! put on the thick skin and enjoy this Racing hobby for what it is: a place to have fun and unload those frustrations by kickin some ass!!

We who have been at this for some time have been hit, do some hitting and overall are out to race. Don't like the contact then DON"T race. You fix yours and I will fix mine should be the status quo, if not then fix yours and let them snivel. :blink: Scott

PS. As they say: to be a BIG dog you must run with them, If not stay on the porch and whine with the pups. ~~ Playing model boats is hobby, Racing model boats is a sport, make your choice and have fun.

 

[Don Ferrette]

"PS as for the slower boats yes they should be running in lane ten or more out off coarse. At most races the CD should have been on the mic telling you to stay outside."

Sorry Scott but I can't really agree with this one. First, they can run werever they want to as long as the boat is not being driven erratically & they hold the lane when being passed. Second, if you have a slower or ailing boat the best place for them is real tight in lane #1. Especially if that particular boat dies it's more likely to drift inside the course from the wakes of boats going around it on the outside. I don't know about the rest of you but when I'm heat racin' I'd much rather treat a slow or dead boat as another bouy to go around than have it out somewhere that it can get creamed. You get a couple hydros screamin' around a course in a tightly contested heat & those "outside" lanes tend to dissappear real quick. I've CD'd many races & raced in many more & it seems you have alot less "dead wood" hits when they are sitting tight on the course. I guess this also comes from races a couple times a year at courses that don't have a lane #10. Now that will sharpen you driving skills real quick ..........

 

[Joe_Knesek]

I have to agree with Don on this one. It's easier to pass on the outside than it is the inside. Staying in one lane is even more important. Having a moving obsticle in all 10 lanes in one lap is not much fun.

 

[Bart Drieghe]

I have teached my younger brother ( in FSR V ) to keep his lane , inside of the course .

And even if they are coming with 10 boats near him , he has to KEEP his lane and not trying to move out of the way of the " pros" .( now don't read here that he has to bug the pro's , he just has to stick with his lane , the "pros" will make sure they'll pass him on the outside )

Personally , i find it very annoying if a newbie wants to make the inside lanes free for me ( or other boaters ) , Hydro goes alot faster then fsrv and in those short times u haven't really got the time to start avoiding boats that are switching lanes just infront of u , if u're getting near a boat u're thinking he's gonna stay in his lane = your reactions are like that too .

so my rules for newbies are

A : have enough practice to control your boat , don't start without learning what your boat does

B : keep your lane , in whatever situation u are , sandwiched or not , u have to stick to your lane

C : don't try to win the first race your competing in , try to get the experience first of running with more boats ( unless u've really been running with lots of boats as training ofcourse )

Am i thinking logical on it ?

Bart

 

[Kevin_R_Clark]

Here is my somewhat newbie take on this. I find while driving that it is very hard to to look ahead of my boat. I like to have a pit man that understands this and is willing to to give my a heads up before I run someone over. To many times I have seen the pitman not say a word and watch as his driver runs over someone else`s boat. In my 4 years of racing I have never ran over another dead boat. However plenty of times have rubbed fenders with boats I am racing with. I agree with the rest of you, I always pass on the outside, except going in to turn one. It is a depth perception thing. One other thing is attitude. I figure no race is worth running over someones boat and try to give dead boats that respect even if it means loosing the race to a guy that is willing to play chicken with a dead boat.

 

[Lake S.P.O.R.T.]

I agree that you should only have to go out off the course if you are having handling problems and not just because your motor is too rich or off the pipe. An erratic handling boat causing problems for other drivers is a call for the CD. Another thing about this......how many times at the races do you see a spotter with his eyes glued to his drivers boat and giving him driving lessons? That driver will end up hitting another boat because his spotter is not doing what he is supposed to. When I spot for someone, especially a rabbit, I hardly look at my drivers boat. I am looking way, way ahead. As for the guy who hit you and YOUR boat was still running?.....tell him his grandmother (explicative-grandmother) could drive better than him.

 

[Ron Olson]

I've been lucky enough to have not hit anyone yet but if and when I do, I'll be apologizing my ass off plus helping the person with repairs if they aren't too pissed at me. Yes, I've been hit by a clown that tried to take lane 1 from me in turn 1. With roostertails flyng we couldn't see until turn 2 or 3 who came out of it. He had run over my boat and left a prop track across the right sposon and cowling of my 7.5 tunnel.

My wife had a 10 year-old half blind kid hit her and several others at a race and was swerving all over the course. Brenda had to move to avoid hitting him and ended up by putting her boat into the side of the retrieve boat. I complained to the CD about his poor driving skills and noted that there are rules in the IMPBA rulebook that cover this and that he should have been tossed out. The kid ended up that day by getting a trophy because he had taken so many boats out of the race! Needless to say, his Father got a piece of my mind!

 

[apache5056]

This is a hobby and the last time I checked (and I check allot... :blink: ), there is no cash rewards. This should be a gentleman's sport and I know there are some that are a far cry from just that.

I am a firm believer that slower boats should move to the outside (then again, what's outside?) and stay there during the entire race. Not move in and out!

I can also agree the first rule should be "HOLD YOUR LANE".

This is a dilemma that will plague us to all our graves and beyond.

100% of all the heats I've been in, I too have been very luck not to take out a dead boat (I've brought back some different colored fenders from time to time and been a hood ornament a couple times as well). From most, if not all of the accidents that I've seen and heard about could be pointed back to poor pitmanship. Teaching someone how to drive during a race is not the place to do it. I will also admit that I've done just that but in the same breathe, I watch far ahead of my drivers boat (don't care whom I am pitting for either) when I know something is on the arise I will point it out. No pitman can drive or should drive the boat and it does fall back on the driver whether or not action will be taken.

Pitman.... watch what could be not what is!... and tell your driver. Let the driver watch his or her boat......!!

Nutin' in-ma noggin

 

[TimD]

Pitman.... watch what could be not what is!... and tell your driver. Let the driver watch his or her boat......!!

Exactly. If the pitman isn't looking ahead for the driver it is a wasted resourse!

IMO one of the most dangerous times for hitting dead boats is when the pitman isn't beside the driver right after the launch -especially if you are putting the boat in late and trying to get on the clock. Personally I like a pitman who talks a lot and calls every obstacle on every lap. I try to do this whenever I pit for anyone and a lot of people prefer it (rather than telling me to shut up)

 

[Bart Drieghe]

I once received the question of someone who wanted to be my pitman , " Can i say to much "

My answer was ( and still is ) , man , as long as u're talking about whats going on on the lake , no u can't , u have to tell me everylap where everyone is laying , u won't get me bored with that .

He did his job pretty good .

A good pitman is atleast 30% of winning the race , u may be so experienced , u may have the fastest boat on the track , missing one obstacle or haven't seen it and u have lost your place, your race ( and u get a lot of damage )

Bart

 

[DaveMarles]

I discovered a long time ago that according to other drivers, if we crash it's always my fault. <_<

Dave

 

[Bart Drieghe]

U're right Dave ,

last time u were again laying dead in my way so i had to go over u , again your fault

Regards ,

Bart

ps , for those who don't know it , i apologized for it and heck , it was surely no fun to go over a Dave , my pitman hadn't seen Dave laying and i went over him on slow speed .

 

[Preston_Hall]

Don is right! Hold your lane. Why? Let's say you are running 70 and the slow boat is running 35 and he is in lane 5 on the front stretch and you are rounding bouy 4. Slow boat decides to get out of your way.................too late! Fast boat expected him to be in lane 5 not 1, not 10.

A slow boat is a slow boat for what ever reason. I plan on going straight and I want him to do as well.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Exactly. If the slow boat stays tight on the course buoys & drives straight, I don't have to worry about which way he might go when I'm runnin' 70-80mph. Just treat the slow boat like another buoy.

 

[tracerbob]

Don is right! Hold your lane. Why? Let's say you are running 70 and the slow boat is running 35 and he is in lane 5 on the front stretch and you are rounding bouy 4. Slow boat decides to get out of your way.................too late! Fast boat expected him to be in lane 5 not 1, not 10.
A slow boat is a slow boat for what ever reason. I plan on going straight and I want him to do as well.

Being predictable is the key here. How many times have you setup to overtake a slow boat and just as you start to close in, he decides to go from lane 2 to lane 6 effectivly cutting you off? Don's right. Hold the course and be predictable.

 

[snowdog-2112]

All,

Let me add my two cents here. I believe each sanctioning organization has a rule that states that each driver has the responsibility to stay in his lane unless it is absolutely safe to change. Now each sanctioning organization may have it's own idea on what is absolutely safe but the point is that each driver needs to follow the rules and the CD needs to enforce the rules as written.

Now, to add to the mix, I recall at some point in the past, JD writing in a fairly popular magazine that says: 'drivers of slow boats should stay far outside of the course as a courtesy to other drivers.'

Bold for emphasis

Snowdog

 

[Don Ferrette]

"Now, to add to the mix, I recall at some point in the past, JD writing in a fairly popular magazine that says: 'drivers of slow boats should stay far outside of the course as a courtesy to other drivers.'

Bold for emphasis"

And you can't believe everything you read as etched in stone. I've been to a number of courses where it's far better to have the slow boat(s) running tight as there is no far outside......