Some Stupid Questions..

[tthibodaux]

Ok... When I was a kid my dad took me to Parker to a race but I don't remember a whole lot. Seems like it was like an 8 hr enduro back then. Question is, what does 300 mean? I remember the race coarse was so long that every once in a while my mom would yell at us to come see cause here comes dad again. I really want to make a road trip and come race but I will need to gather up all the info I can so I can gather up the money to make the long drive.

Thanks guys, Tim

[capnzee]

Hi Tim & all of you "roughriders" from Texas! Great to hear from you. The Enduro today is 300 miles long . It is run on a course that is approximately 5 miles long(2 1/2 miles up and down the Colorado River.) The course your dad ran was in the same place but the Enduro course at that time was 13 miles long and they ran for 9 hours. We now have 6 divisions with staggered starts. The slowest boats in Div I take off first and the fastest boats take off nearly an hour later. The 300 mile Enduro starts about 10:00 in the morning and ends around 2:30 in the afternoon. Two pit stops are required, The pit stop is for a driver change(generally there are two or more drivers but not required), fuel and a chance to inspect the equipment. Drivers meeting and inspections are on Friday, Saturday we race, and Sunday is "rain day". Friday night and Saturday night are parties in the Casino and in the pits. Our race course is probably one of the prettiest courses in the United States and perfect for a vacation. Plus you could win all your money back on the slots or tables and we generally pay a purse of around 8000 dollars(don't know about this year--While on the computer, type in Bluewater Casino, Parker Arizona. You will get an idea of the beautiful hotel, the boat ramps, docks and camping area. If you have a combined boat race and vacation in mind you could not pick a better place.GUARANTEED! You can see the rules for this race on this same site, just above this thread. I would sure be interested in seeing your race boat as we would love to have a class that could run out here in LA. As I see it, your boat would run in Division I. Let me hear from you, Rod

[Skoontz]

I'll vouch for the pretty...I tell my wife she should have seen it! Water blue as the Carribean Sea...Without sharks!

[tthibodaux]

Next question.. In the rules for division 1 it says "production type" no "full race" boats. Since our tri hull's have roll cages and are custom built to race do they still fit within the rules? I do realize the boat is a copy of an old ski boat but it's only purpose is to race.

Also, since no capsule boats can be run. Will the rescue team be able to get us out of the roll cage if need be?

[capnzee]

Tim, those are good questions! We have no problem with the "production" part of the rules. Your boats have the cockpit room and could definitely be used for something other than racing. Your boats are not what we would call a pure racing machine like a 6 liter hydroplane and they are a copy of a production boat--In fact yours reminds me of a Glastron/Glaspar. I'll bet it could be set up to pull a water skiier without a lot of trouble. The roll cage poses no problem but you would not be able to use seat belts--Is this a problem? We do have a minimum speed of 60 mph to qualify for this race. Rod

[tthibodaux]

Tim, those are good questions! We have no problem with the "production" part of the rules. Your boats have the cockpit room and could definitely be used for something other than racing. Your boats are not what we would call a pure racing machine like a 6 liter hydroplane and they are a copy of a production boat--In fact yours reminds me of a Glastron/Glaspar. I'll bet it could be set up to pull a water skiier without a lot of trouble. The roll cage poses no problem but you would not be able to use seat belts--Is this a problem? We do have a minimum speed of 60 mph to qualify for this race. Rod

Thanks for getting back to me. 60mph no problem, the seat belts I may need to think about. Maybe I would just take out the cage and just use the seat because to roll the boat and get slammed into that cage would be bad. I asked my dad if he wanted to come out and drive with me and he said it sounded like fun so we will see what happens. Anyone know how many outboards run in division I and how well they do?

[Miss BK]

... the seat belts I may need to think about. Maybe I would just take out the cage and just use the seat because to roll the boat and get slammed into that cage would be bad.

That's very smart thinking, Tim! There have been numerous people killed/seriously maimed doing just as you describe; thinking they can just run a cage/capsule boat without belts during testing when no rescue is around. It's no different wearing a seat belt inside a car - at impact, your body will be slamming hard into whatever it meets first - if it's your head that smashes into an immoveable object, then there goes your neck.

You're very smart to understand that a capsule requires ALL the saftey equipment it was built with, ALL the time - not just part of the time. Kudo's to you! But of course, you've probably got a lot of "natural" instinct for this racing stuff.

Val

[capnzee]

Tim, Glad you are willing to work with us! You and your dad will make a great team at a great race and I am certain it will bring back a lot of memories. In the past we have had about 4 entries in Division I (it has been our weakest class) Last year the Division I outboard was doing very well until the high end of his stator went out and he was reduced to running at 3000 rpm. The other outboard was quite slow, but I believe he ended up winning his division (he finished, which is important). He then "shared" the purse with the other contestants. What a guy, but it shows the "spirit" and the fun of the race. If you decide to remove the "cage" and the seat belt, we will have absolutely no problem fitting you into division I. Check the rule regarding prop shaft height (1 inch below planing surface for pointy nose and 3 inches below for "club" foot.) The jet boats are also in Division I this year, so we should have a very strong showing. Lee Buchanan is working up his 150 Merc and I know of a few others, who are planning on running Div I but you never know til the day of the race. Bring your friends and make a real vacation out of it! Rod

[tthibodaux]

That's very smart thinking, Tim! There have been numerous people killed/seriously maimed doing just as you describe; thinking they can just run a cage/capsule boat without belts during testing when no rescue is around. It's no different wearing a seat belt inside a car - at impact, your body will be slamming hard into whatever it meets first - if it's your head that smashes into an immoveable object, then there goes your neck.

You're very smart to understand that a capsule requires ALL the saftey equipment it was built with, ALL the time - not just part of the time. Kudo's to you! But of course, you've probably got a lot of "natural" instinct for this racing stuff.

Val

Thanks Val !

[tthibodaux]

Hey Rod... I'm in, all I need to know is about how many boats you think there might be. I'd hate to make that drive for nothing. All I had to do was show Chris (my boss) the website for the casino and he was ready to go.