Roostertails Unlimited:
[1973]
Chapter 10 - Preparing the Race
The sanction has been awarded to your community ...what now? The committee
chairmen devote months of planning, arrangements and organization. The hundreds
of volunteer workers are gathered together; the preparations become frantic as
race day approaches. All the incidentals must be decided upon, each problem must
be worked out, each item must be acquired and then ... suddenly, it's a week
before the race.
A course is marked and surveyed, a barge is brought in and anchored, the
cranes start arriving, the carpenters begin building, committee trailers are
hauled in to serve as the headquarters for each operation, a program is printed,
passes are handed out to the deserving and pit security is started. Finally, the
area is ready and the time has come for testing and qualifications.
Usually, it is Wednesday when the course opens and the boats begin to arrive
at the pits. A meeting is held before any of the action begins in which all the
participants of the race are represented. The "contestant's meeting"
brings forth all course rules and regulations pertaining to safety, driver's
signals, course signals and qualifying procedures. A driver's representative is
elected at this gathering who must know the pertinent information contained in
the meeting in case a question arises later.
The referee then opens the course to testing, at the discretion of the Coast
Guard if they are involved with the contest. It is during this period that boats
may experiment with props, fuels, balance, etc., so the hydro will perform to
its highest abilities. The testing is conducted through Wednesday and usually
continues on Thursday, depending on the procedures set forth at the outset.
A "qualification ladder" is drawn which lists each contestant and
the order in which he may make a qualifying attempt. To qualify, the boat must
complete two or three laps, depending upon the contest regulations, at an
average speed of at least 95 m.p.h. on a 2½-mile course or 100 m.p.h. on a
Smile course. If, for some reason, the boat is unable to qualify it may make
additional attempts until it does so. Prize money is sometimes awarded to the
fastest qualifier per day and for the fastest for the entire week. Each boat
that passes the safety inspection and qualifies will be eligible to compete in
the race's first heat.
On Saturday afternoon, when the qualifying period has ended, a "driver's
meeting" is held. Conducted by the referee, in conjunction with the race
committee chairman, this meeting must be attended by the driver or an accredited
representative. Failure to attend will mean the withdrawal of the absent
driver's boat from the race. Safety procedures, rescue operations and course
regulations will again be discussed in addition to a clarification of any other
rules where a question may result or of which infractions have been discovered
previously.
(Reprinted from Roostertails Unlimited by Andy Muntz, 1973)
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