Jeff Yammer wrote:
Is there any actual interest from people willing to fully commit to this class ?
Thank you
Jeff
Being one who has never raced or even attended a boat racing event as a spectator I’ll try to provide some insight into one of the things that likely keeps the formula class dormant; This class would likely be made up of a lot of newer or first time racers and fear of the unknown keeps newbies away!
Provide some clarity for these people as to exactly what happens during a day of racing, dumb it right down, step by simple step.. Here are some ideas to start;
-What specific safety gear do I need?
-What exactly does my boat need with regards to safety equipment?
-Do I need insurance?
-What if I show up alone?
-Who deals with trailers?
-How exactly does the starting line work?
-What happens when I win/lose each race? Do I run again immediately? Do I float around for a couple hours watching everyone race or do I go back on trailer between each race? If I get beat once or twice is my day over in the first half hour? How much seat time would I get?
-Will I be competitive with common chopper or thru hub props like trophy etc? Or do I have to spend $$$ on drag specific props?
-When I’m on the water how do I communicate with officials? Radios/hand signals/bbm?
These are just some questions off the top of my head that I think would be asked, I’m sure there are many more very basic questions out there that the experienced guys don’t even think of because they already know! Newbies should add to these questions, experienced racers can then answer, you will wind up with a great FAQ sheet for anyone interested in trying racing but fearing the unknown! Knowledge=Confidence! This could be posted on all the boating forums, CBF, TORC sites etc. There are many out there who read but do not post on these sites that would be interested I'm sure.
That being said I plan to attend Gravenhurst on Saturday as a spectator and I own boats that could be raced in Formula and LR, I’m sure I won’t be the only one in the crowd who left potential raceboats at home.. (mine are still winterized unfortunately) If there is a PA system maybe get some of this stuff out in the air anytime there is going to be dead air; capture these potential racers when you have them standing in front of you!