State of Affairs for RC Boat Racing

[Hydro Junkie]

According to the R/C Unlimiteds and Unlimiteds Northwest rule books, it's legal during mill time within the following restrictions:

1) Boats cannot cross the infield from back to front straight, only from front to back straight

2) You must complete a full lap of the course, passing the start/finish buoy before crossing the infield

3) During the last 5 seconds of mill time and during the heat, crossing the infield is not allowed. Entering the infield during the last 5 seconds of mill time draws a one lap penalty

What the the NAMBA rulebook says is:

Boats must use the milling pattern and may not cross the Start/Finish line
prior to the expiration of Clock Time unless the milling course includes the
Start/Finish line. Traversing the course or infield is prohibited (unless as
otherwise directed) and will be ruled a driver's infraction and a one lap penalty
will be assessed.

 

[VenomCC]

Most of the clubs in NAMBA D3 are going away from half mill but are utilizing the 30 second clock. I prefer the full mill but must admit I've had some fun in run-offs with the half mill. I think changing up the race format would help put the excitement back in racing. I think running 4 heats of qualifying followed buy 1 heat of the top 6 boats stating with zero points competing for the wood. The nice thing about this format is you don't have to finish all you heats in the top 3-4 places per heat to have a good race weekend. I know I have attended lots of the larger events where I had 1 bad heat and I was out of contention. Helping new people is a big plus to growing the hobby. I try to help everyone that is willing to listen. Hell....I've been in this hobby for 25 years and I still have an open mind so I can learn more. I will admit that politics is a bunch of BS and has pushed me away. Less politics = more fun. Crawling to the start is just one strategy that is used by a lot of racers just like running starts. I've seen more problems from running starts because the quick change from lane 5 to lane 1.

 

[WAYDE BLOEDORN]

If your District has an 8 race series in those races you should run full out and not just cruze and capture points. When that race weekend is over you will start at 0 points the next race. What that will create is competition and actual racing then at the series end the winners from the individual races race for the wood. It will bring the best boats to the table and reduce cost for good boaters and boats without deep pockets. You win at a race save your money until the final race and bring your A game and you could be the top dog at years end. Point racing is what causes a lot of problems because the guys who are in the lead just cruise after 3 or 4 round to protect there leads and bitch for last place points even if there in the wrong just to collect points

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[Andy Greene]

Most of the clubs in NAMBA D3 are going away from half mill but are utilizing the 30 second clock. I prefer the full mill but must admit I've had some fun in run-offs with the half mill. I think changing up the race format would help put the excitement back in racing. I think running 4 heats of qualifying followed buy 1 heat of the top 6 boats stating with zero points competing for the wood. The nice thing about this format is you don't have to finish all you heats in the top 3-4 places per heat to have a good race weekend. I know I have attended lots of the larger events where I had 1 bad heat and I was out of contention. Helping new people is a big plus to growing the hobby. I try to help everyone that is willing to listen. Hell....I've been in this hobby for 25 years and I still have an open mind so I can learn more. I will admit that politics is a bunch of BS and has pushed me away. Less politics = more fun. Crawling to the start is just one strategy that is used by a lot of racers just like running starts. I've seen more problems from running starts because the quick change from lane 5 to lane 1.

Good to hear your voice in this matter Wayne (Farrow )

, and agreed to an extent because I have been on the other side of the Shootout style format -

2 / 2nds and 2 3rd/s at a Winter Nats in X-Mono in a 16 boat field / that should have been good for a second overall at any other race and stuffed the boat coming to the start in the shootout and finished 6th

in a 6 boat final

That said- the wife ( with her infinite wisdom ) reminded me of the Nascar Chase this year- specifically my favorite driver MTJ , and the year he had looking like he could win it all ( or at least be a player ) -

and how it all went away at Talledega with a blown motor. Its good to hear some fresh ideas being floated out there.

Mics idea with the start line being closer to buoy 10 is a fresh thought as well that should be considered IMHO . We tried some different stuff when we rolled out the Herb Sterat Tunnel only race , using some ideas Mic rolled out in the STORM Series- Tri Oval - LeMans starts just to name a few. -

It was hands down the MOST FUN I have had in 12 years of racing.

Andy

 

[WAYDE BLOEDORN]

I want people to get involed but if I was sitting on the shore watching I would say to myself where is the racing at no passing no challenge for the lead as they started is how they finished BORING. We need to race not play follow the leader and be okay with that. Look at the Talledaga race in Nascar the JGR guys points raced and they got there balls busted by race fans it could have also been that they drive Toyota's but that's a different story. A Toyota with a pushrod V8 358 cid where did that come from in a production car with a minimum of 10,000 production units per the rules

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[Mike Whitney]

I still say a slanted start line would equalize the start...just like they do in track meets...there is a reason they do it.

The club would simply have an overhead rope....like most clubs do anyway...just slanted. This also prevents all the boats going into turn 1 all together....they would still be staggered at that point...less crashes...better racing.

Somebody smarter than me should be able to come up with the angle math based on course size.

 

[dwilfong]

The format is antiquated for sure.

But it will not change to many holding on to the glory days.

 

[Robert Pickard]

Good idea Mike

 

[bermudadude]

i like what WAYDE and others are saying about the actual racing.

idea i had years ago was increasing the turn radius

definitely enforcing the "on plane rule" cause some of the stuff i see is ridiculous

do some if this n may get me back into racing

 

[WAYDE BLOEDORN]

The format is antiquated for sure.

But it will not change to many holding on to the glory days.

No truer words have been spoken. Those same guys are same ones who win ever year and don't want to break there winning streak
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[John Finch]

I like all these ideas. Anything to break up the monotony and make it a race, not just a parade. Maybe we could have a 10 lap race with a slanted start or (buoy 6 impba)(buoy 10 namba) start. The slanted start would have to have a straight line finish. We can always try these out at local races to see how they work. Here in District 12 we have a gas only race where we run 8 laps. If we come up with something that works we could make a motion through the proper channels to insert the option into national races. It makes sense to at least try it in the gas classes at the local level to see what comes of the different formats. Keep the ideas coming!

 

[dwilfong]

A 10 lap heat for gas boats with a total of 3 heats making the last heat the top 6 boats.

Have them pull a pill for the starting positions in the first 2 heats. last heat line them up by points winner takes all.

Have a 3 wide line up for the start and need to be up on it like NASCAR dose.

 

[HTV Boats]

A slanted start would only work with talented operators that could hold assigned lanes. Not everyone is that good on the clock. A pace boat start could use an FE at a designated speed. You cross the line before the pace boat and your over. Easy to officiate but you need a pace boat driver.

Boat racing full size and model has always been a parade. One boat gets a lead and rarely more that one in the field is capable of passing him. More laps just mean a longer parade. As Andy said we did some things at the Stewart race that added nothing but fun. Lemans start, wow crazy fun. Running a tri-oval which can be done by mono's to Hydro's diminishes the importance of a lane one start. Like going for the offshore buoy instead of a 180 keeping speed in an outside lane is rewarded. The tri-oval course can be changed easily between rounds moving the backstretch buoy. This makes all drives adapt to the changes and promotes passing.

If you ever raced full size you probably ran many different courses due to the sponsor and the body of water you raced at. Not many permanent race sites out there. Like NASCAR going to different tracks with their own personality make it more interesting. Maybe we should consider trying new courses rather than the cookie cutters we have?

Mic

 

[John Finch]

We raced on some smaller ponds years ago so made smaller courses. Makes you have to know how to set up a boat for the conditions. I had a different prop for each lake we raced on. More of a challange. I am all for changing the course for variety.

 

[michael faszcza]

Since the offshore bouy is already out there for the race weekend.why not each boat has to go around the offshore bouy at least one time in the six lap heat? It would break up the parade

 

[Chilli]

I always thought a relay race would be fun but that would add an extra class....

 

[HTV Boats]

You could make the offshore buoy like the "joker" in rally cross. You have to go around it one time in 6 laps. That would add strategy and fun.

Mic

 

[John Finch]

Mike,

Great idea! One of the 6 laps must go to the offshore buoy. It could be any lap of choice for each driver. That would make for interesting strategy and the parade would be broken up. When the lane one boat goes to the offshore buoy he gives up lane one. At least the same boat will not be leading the entire race and boats would get spread out. Could we keep track of each boat?

John

 

[michael faszcza]

Yes because the start finish line is the same .people would have to decide when in the race they want to do the long lap .if you choose first lap can you run fast enough to catch up .if you do last lap did you have enough of a leadalso it wouldn't add any work for the race host's because the bouy is already out there

 

[michael faszcza]

Plus it would add excitement as a driver because you wont know where you stand till the finish