we are

cool!

That is a cool looking boat

I've hesitated to reply to this thread but I have to anyway. A 72-73 mph boat is at the low end of P4. But it is also 3 to 4 mph over P5. If it runs in P5 it has a tremedously unfair competitive advantage. Plus there is a twin engine 74 mph boat waiting to race OPA in P5 next year. For racing to be fair everyone has to step up and race in the correct class. APBA rules place boats in classes by best top speed. I hope the tech guys put people in the proper classes, that's the only way P class can be successful and keep the complaining to a minimum. But why don't the boats that are just over the speed (70-72 for example) just add a little weight or prop down.

Randy,

The pure start up class is a good theory but some of us don't have the resources to step up. Where would a legal P5 boat be expected to step up to and how? Race P4 in a 24' boat at top speed of 69 mph? I really think we need to stick to the APBA definition of performance classes per the rulebook and not add more restrictions

You are right.Let me clairify what I believe P5 should be.Rookies for 1-2 races to get the feel,Older boats that were race boats but dont exceed low 70's mph,boats that are single operator and navagator in the high 70 mph,any smaller boat that meets safty requirments,any poker run boats in the mid 70mph.Not nessaraly a pure start up class.There are plenty of boats that belong in P5 and should stay there for life because they can never break out of the mid 70mph.
Randy

Hang in there guys, I think I stumbled across an affordable Telemetry system, That will instantly display any boat at any time to the score keepers. Wewill find a way to keep the classes fair Ed

You always stumble!;)
Randy

yea but thats when I do my best work

I agree 100% If you guys want to run 73 mph boats in P5, then you have to change the rules to read 73 mph. And add a P6 class. Otherwise you are deterring racers with slower boats from even competing. Why go out there knowing someone is going to fly by you because his boat is out of it's class? There is no reason.

The only way to do it fairly is to use fromulas and use radar and the ability for an official to go out in your boat immediatly following or before the race if there is any question.

We raced P5 in the SBI worlds and won the championship. We would have never won due to faster competition in calm water had we not been able to turn so well and other boats broke. And the kicker there is that we should have been in P4 had they used top speed instead of average lap speed. When you use average lap speeds, you simply have a bunch of guys with stop watches in the cockpit making sure they do not break out of the class. Simple math told us where we had to be on our lap speeds.
Bottom line... it was not racing.

Boaters tell me all the time that $4500 is not affordable to lease one of my boats for a race weekend. (we all know as racers how expensive racing is, I am refering to newcommers) Once we talk them into it once or have them do a GLSCS race for $3500, they are doing everything they can to come back and lease again. Why? Not because our boats look like airplanes, because they hit that first turn 5 boats wide and it was a complete rush. They saw that every little thing they did effected the boat and put them that much closer or further to the boats in front and behind them.

Boat racing is a good time when you place in the top three. Boat racing is exhilirating and addictive when you place among the top three boats and they are all within a second of each other.

There are few boats in the P3 classes and up. I would vote to place everyone in the respected classes and make room in the lower classes for the new guys, or teams whose boats run those speeds.

Just my .02

Chris Reindl
www.reindlpowerboats.com

Chris this seems to be the general feeling for most racers.P5 is the hardest class to start in because there is no where to go down if you are struggling to get 60 mph. I defantly dont want another class,I feel every body needs to move up where they cant break out of there speed.
Randy