Awesome! Just awesome! You must have the same ignition box in your boat as I do in my car! ;-)

i have to agree with Randy and Johnny on this one, Ive been around racing for 19 years and raced for the past 8/9 years now. I drove for the first 4 of them while my dad was throttling and since he retired I started throttling. Haivng control of the attitude of the boat and speed in all different conditions and situations is invaluable to me. There are very few people who i would let throttle my boat with me driving. But having an understanding of both positions and the potential for danger with the slightest of mistakes by either position is critical.

I've driven and throttled many differant boats in the last 20 years. I feel much more confortable throttling than driving. Believe it or not some of the smaller fast "v"s are probably harder the drive and throttle than the big cats and "V's. I bet if you put a guy in a SVL driving and throttling, he would be no match for a good 2 man crew. I've driven for guys that know how to throttle and guys that don't. Andy I've throttles for guys that were great drivers and not so great. I could make a not so great driver look alot better than he really was once I got a feel for his style. If your are not in sync then your doomed either way.

Just from my experience in a SVL and F1 boats I can tell you that just trying to pull the lap tape in big water is a hard task in itself LOL. Letting go for that one second to grab the tape is sometimes nerve racking. I only wish more people could experience just one lap of a race at speed. You will either $hit your pants and say I loved it or never ever want to do it again.

Another great point...nobody knows how hard you run in racing until you actually do it. Everyone sure does think they do though lol...myself included in that...boy i was naive!

This was a good two man day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yr1Z_F4tcc

Awesome video. I could listen to that all day long!!! Sounds fantastic!!

Damn that hurt my kidneys just WATCHING that!
Well done!

Thanks Guys! Few pics from that race...really gotta focus on the first one...were quite a ways up

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...612463_n-1.jpg

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...94598492_n.jpg

Team Saris, got any vid of you guys in the cockpit, that would be cool to see.

I have been racing for 15 yrs, I drove and throttled my Jersey Skiff and thats the only way that setup works because you stab it to the floor and hold on. For the next six years I drove and throttled my Pantera and was successful but I attribute my two accidents on having only one hand on the wheel. I also drove an F1 Warlock for two years and had to drive my ass off and couldn't imagine doing it with one hand. Having throttled a turbine for 5 years and now a turbo charged boat, I just don't see how I could control the throttling with the precision it takes with a foot throttle, especially in rough seas. My feet are flying all over in the boat in the rough and 1/4 of an inch of movement with the fly by wire setup is 20mph

Are you guys talking to each other much during a race ? or is it more of a understanding of what each other will do in various situations ?
ed

Not much anymore, just in traffic

Mostly a lot of cursing and swearing in my boat!

Yes but it was a clam day....but even on a calm day, look at all the driving it takes to keep a step bottom vee pointing where you want it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCsYOCqE57Y


Interceptor we dont even use an intercom, just some hand signals

"You scratched my &$%*ing anchor!"

Calm, I hate to see rough then, thanks, stay safe.

The other thing some of you may notice is Johnny's dad - veteran throttleman that he is - using an old technique to further smooth out the throttle application. Notice the position of his right hand on the throttles. He grips them at the base so his forearm is steadied by the center arm rest. If you try to throttle using the knobs at the end of the sticks, it leads to very choppy application.

See Johnny, this old guy has learned a few tricks over the years and doesn't miss much. Wait, where's my teeth?

Hand signals make sense.

Personally I believe that it would be impossible to beat a good two man team in a smooth water race. Racing my 38' 525 Fountain required perfect timing between the tabs, drives, and throttles to execute a perfect high speed turn. In the rough water, there are tons of areas on the course to make or lose time, not in the smooth