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What’s SPI’s Top Speed in Class (P) 4?

Old 05-03-2007, 02:26 PM
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Question What’s SPI’s Top Speed in Class (P) 4?

Just wondering how much different it is from OPA’s Class 4 Top Speed of 84.99mph
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Old 05-03-2007, 03:07 PM
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Thanks.
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Old 05-03-2007, 04:08 PM
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On page 81 of that link it states that P4 max speed is 82 mph
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Old 05-03-2007, 05:17 PM
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Page 23 show's 65 - 74.9mph.. ????
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Old 05-03-2007, 05:20 PM
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good point, I'll ask them when I get down to FTL in a few hours, but the speeds that we have been going by are on pg 81
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Old 05-04-2007, 12:15 AM
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SBI/APBA P-Class rules can be a little confusing at first glance. In order to understand the P-Class rules, it is helpful to understand how the rules came about and the reasoning behind the Rules.

Prior to 2005, the SBI/APBA P-Class speeds where based upon average lap speeds around the course. The scorekeepers would record each boat’s time as they crossed the finish line and calculate the average lap speed based upon the length of the course and the time it took each boat to do a lap.

This was a pretty good system that worked very well…for the most part. However, the system had its flaws and was subject to errors. The system depended upon having accurate total distance around the course as it was set out, and the scorekeepers being able to accurately record each boat as it crossed the finish line…where the times were recorded. Scorekeeping could be a real nightmare if the boat’s number was not clearly visible. Sometimes this was because of the size of the numbers and sometimes it was because the boats would come by deck to deck and it was nearly impossible to read a boat’s number if it was behind a boat closer to the score keepers line of vision.

In order to keep the scoring accurate, course lap distances had to be checked and re-checked and a staff of at least 6 people was needed for scoring. This put resource strains on the staff and required more setup time when laying out the racecourse. SBI/APBA addressed the scoring by having three teams of scorekeepers on the finish line at each National race. There would be one team of scorekeepers sitting on the floor, another sitting on chairs looking over the people sitting on the floor, and a third team standing behind the people sitting in the chairs…each team recorded the times separately. When there was a discrepancy….the two teams that matched times, decided the lap speed. Human error was possible…but not likely with the checks and balances system put in place.

As for the race teams; each team typically carried a timer in the boat which they watched to make sure they did not cross the finish line ahead of the calculated lap time for the course. This is why it was really important for the P-Class teams to know the exact length of a lap. They would watch their timer and if it looked like they would cross the finish line ahead of their calculated time…they would slow down to keep from breaking out.

This got to be rather comical at the 2004 Key West Worlds in the P-5 Class. The boats were really closely matched and they would race like banshees around the course. As they approached the finish line, they would realize they where going to break out, so they would all slow down just before the finish line….only to power up and race like banshees until they came around again. It was a real hoot.

At the following APBA Annual Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, held in February of 2005, Offshore Commissioners Bob Bull and Kevin Brown suggested a new scoring method for P-Classes.

This system was a takeoff of the old APBA GPS system which recorded top speeds via handheld GPS units owned by the Sanctioning body. Those GPS units were issued to each team before the race and collected after the race, when they where read for breakout speeds.

Under the system proposed by Bull and Brown, each team is required to buy and install a Garmin Model 172 or higher GPS for their boat. The Garmin GPS has the ability to record tracks around the course. The track recordings log date, time, position, and speed. These tracks can be downloaded to a chip after the race and checked for breakouts, course position, and etc.

The Garmin units are preferred because they allow the team to monitor their speed during the race…the data can be easily downloaded…and the units are readily available through numerous dealers and outlets. It was an economical and effective way to improve on the system.

During the Ft. Lauderdale meeting, the teams voted on the top speed for the Classes. The speeds decided upon where determined by taking the top average lap speed allowed for each Class…and adding a percentage to allow for slowdowns required for turns. This number was then rounded to the next whole number and wha-la we got our breakout speed for each Class….72...82...92…102…112.

The thing to remember is the breakout speed is based upon the average lap speeds for the Class. SBI/APBA P-Class racing is still based upon average lap speed…the breakout speed is a control factor to keep the boats comparatively equal. Under SBI/APBA rules, the intention is for every boat in the Class to be competitively equal with every other boat in the Class. If you look at the Official Results of any race, you will see that lap speeds, and average overall speeds are still posted for each Class.

The average lap speeds combined with breakout speeds system works to keep a sandbagger from building a big horsepower boat and then propping down or holding off the throttle to stay within the speed limits. That isn’t racing…and anyone who would do that isn’t a racer…they are just an immature ego maniac out for a Sunday boat ride. The spirit of SBI/APBA P-Class racing is full throttle racing against other boats of equal competitive abilities.

The reason you still see the average lap speeds in the Rules is to clarify the intention of the Class. The potential racer should read the Rules as follows:

If you have a boat that can run an average of 85-94.9 mph around the course and has a top speed of 102 mph (based upon engine rpm/drive ratio/prop pitch calculation) …..you belong in P-2. If your boat can go faster…you belong in P-1...if your boat can’t go quite that fast….you belong in P-3.

Initially, it is up to the individual team to decide which Class is right for them to race. If a team wants to sandbag…Section 10.2.1 of the Rules allows the Officials at each race to place you in the appropriate Class. Just because you start the season in one Class…doesn’t mean you will stay in that class. If you make changes to your boat that would make it run faster…or slower…you are subject to be moved to the appropriate Class.

In SBI/APBA P-Class there is lot more to take into account than top speed. It is the combination of several factors that make for competitive racing between different brands and styles of boats with equally diverse propulsion systems. The bottom line is...can all the boats in the Class run at a competitively equal top speed around the racecourse?

SBI/APBA has designed the Rules to make Offshore Racing fair...competitive…and entertaining.

I think they are doing a great job!

Last edited by KenD; 05-04-2007 at 01:42 AM.
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