Qatar X-Cat Boat Goes Airborne

[H2O Full Throttle]

Video clip of the Qatar X Cat boat going up and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ4CM0rLlYY

[Ratickle]

Hey Ned.

You're gonna have to explain that one to me. I would say the first boat cut the second (White) boat off and the rooster is what he rode up and caused the flip.

Isn't the rule you have to be farther in front than your roost before cutting in?

[T2x]

Hey Ned.

You're gonna have to explain that one to me. I would say the first boat cut the second (White) boat off and the rooster is what he rode up and caused the flip.

Isn't the rule you have to be farther in front than your roost before cutting in?

There clearly was a lane at the buoy...a narrow lane but a lane nonetheless...the Qatar boat elected to move into the roostertail or allow the tail to move in front of them.

Sometimes I think that, in calm water at least, race boats need one driver with a foot throttle. With two guys, each one sometimes thinks that the other guy is doing all of the thinking (racing by committee). Obviously in this instance nobody was thinking about avoiding the rooster tail. Rule 1 is NEVER drive into/onto a rooster tail with a tunnel boat......even if it means going off course.

T2x

[Ratickle]

There clearly was a lane at the buoy...a narrow lane but a lane nonetheless...the Qatar boat elected to move into the roostertail or allow the tail to move in front of them.

Sometimes I think that, in calm water at least, race boats need one driver with a foot throttle. With two guys, each one sometimes thinks that the other guy is doing all of the thinking (racing by committee). Obviously in this instance nobody was thinking about avoiding the rooster tail. Rule 1 is NEVER drive into/onto a rooster tail with a tunnel boat......even if it means going off course.

T2x

It looked like when he went over, he landed right by the buoy. But you don't think he was squeezed?

Or even if he was, what would you do?

When I watched it, I was sure it was gonna happen as the roost came closer and closer. I know that is usually the issue in Steve David's Unlimited's sport also.

[T2x]

It looked like when he went over, he landed right by the buoy. But you don't think he was squeezed?

Or even if he was, what would you do?

Let me see........ Rooster tail to the left.....open water to the right.......hmmmmmm? What do I do now? Let me see....no don't tell me, I wanna do this myself...... Uhhh....ummm..... Gee the rooster tail is moving over towards me....golly..... what do I do? My goodness, this is hard (especially in Arabic).....! Oops, there's some mist starting to hit my left picklefork!!!!! Oh darn....I wish I was more decisive!..... Maybe I should back off???? NO!!!! I might lose the race!....Gosh what to do...what to do? Oh well let's just see what happens if I do nothing....... UMMM? Where did the horizon go?...... Ouch!!!!! WTF was that?????? Gee was that my crotch? Where's Sahib? Whose arm is this? Funny, there was a steering wheel there a minute ago.....! Oh look a nice man is wiping that red stuff of my face. Something tastes funny. What's the needle for??????? Oh my! That feels goo-oo-ood.... g'nite.

[Ratickle]

Let me see........ Rooster tail to the left.....open water to the right.......hmmmmmm? What do I do now? Let me see....no don't tell me, I wanna do this myself...... Uhhh....ummm..... Gee the rooster tail is moving over towards me....golly..... what do I do? My goodness, this is hard (especially in Arabic).....! Oops, there's some mist starting to hit my left picklefork!!!!! Oh darn....I wish I was more decisive!..... Maybe I should back off???? NO then I would lose the race!....Gosh what to do...what to do. Oh well let's just see what happens if I do nothing....... UMMM? Where did the horizon go?...... Ouch!!!!! WTF was that?????? Gee was that my crotch? Were's Sahib? Whose arm is this? Funny there was a steering wheel there a minute ago.....! Oh look a nice man is wiping that red stuff of my face. Something tastes funny. What's the needle for??????? Oh my! That feels goo-oo-ood.... g'nite.

I was talking about the buoy in front. It looked to me as if he would have had to slow down. The front boat looked to be less than a boat width from the buoy.

Or you think there was barely enough room to brush the buoy and stay out of the tail?

[Scarab KV]

Let me see........ Rooster tail to the left.....open water to the right.......hmmmmmm? What do I do now? Let me see....no don't tell me, I wanna do this myself...... Uhhh....ummm..... Gee the rooster tail is moving over towards me....golly..... what do I do? My goodness, this is hard (especially in Arabic).....! Oops, there's some mist starting to hit my left picklefork!!!!! Oh darn....I wish I was more decisive!..... Maybe I should back off???? NO!!!! I might lose the race!....Gosh what to do...what to do? Oh well let's just see what happens if I do nothing....... UMMM? Where did the horizon go?...... Ouch!!!!! WTF was that?????? Gee was that my crotch? Where's Sahib? Whose arm is this? Funny, there was a steering wheel there a minute ago.....! Oh look a nice man is wiping that red stuff of my face. Something tastes funny. What's the needle for??????? Oh my! That feels goo-oo-ood.... g'nite.

[audacity]

bummer...qatar could have backed out way before this went down. they chose not to.

xcat, i my mind, is some of the best racing in offshore history!

[Ryan Beckley]

The finish line was JUST past the buoy they ended up next to. They probably should have nipped the buoy and may have not turned over. This was going on at about 110.....The orange boat (Giovanni) won the championship.

[Ratickle]

The finish line was JUST past the buoy they ended up next to. They probably should have nipped the buoy and may have not turned over. This was going on at about 110.....The orange boat (Giovanni) won the championship.

Thanks Ryan...



What is the lane rule for WPPA?

[phragle]

looks like the door got closed on him......

[T2x]

looks like the door got closed on him......

If the door got closed on him there would have been no space next to the turn buoy. He left a lane... a narrow lane...but a lane nonetheless. From the video it does not appear that the lead boat moved over abruptly ......and....in any case the trailing boat had ample water to avoid the roostertail..... I don't see any evasive movement on the trailing boat's part...simply a gradual merge into harm's way. It is always the responsibility of the driver of each boat to maintain his own safety and not point fingers at anyone else. Had there been a fleet of spectator boats, a bulkhead or a stone wall on the starboard side, this would have been a different story...but the trailing boat had plenty of space to move to the right and enough space IMHO to squeeze past the buoy. On the other hand the spacing and lanes are not shown from an overhead perspective so maybe the lead boat was in a long gradual tangent from the intended direction of travel and was deliberately tightening the playing field... regardless it looks like the lead boat had the speed and distance to win anyway.

As far as people/spectators being irate is concerned, you always have to factor supporters, political status, and plain ignorance into those comments.
It has been my experience that oftentimes terms like "You cheated" translate more correctly to "You beat my boyfriend!"

T2x

[Sean H]

they landed in the inside lane at the buoy, maybe they should of ran there instead... looks like good racing to me.

the leader took the preferred line through the corner (swept it), qatar had a choice to take the inside and scrub speed or go through the tail, looks like a bad choice in hindsight.

[Ratickle]

they landed in the inside lane at the buoy, maybe they should of ran there instead... looks like good racing to me.

the leader took the preferred line through the corner (swept it), qatar had a choice to take the inside and scrub speed or go through the tail, looks like a bad choice in hindsight.

Thanks Sean. Both of you say enough room, I'm satisfied.

No matter what, it was a bad choice in hindsight......

[SVL66]

is is just me, or did the driver climb out of a hole in the canopy, not the hatch?

[glassdave]

is is just me, or did the driver climb out of a hole in the canopy, not the hatch?

did kinda look like that.

[ThrottleUp Props]

did kinda look like that.

Right out the windsheild!~

Safety is ongoing......

Julie

[Geronimo36]

is is just me, or did the driver climb out of a hole in the canopy, not the hatch?

did one of the drivers fly out of the boat??? Can't tell for sure but it looks like one one was standing up and the other one (or some object) was thrown off the front of the bow and into the water just ahead of the boat after it settled down??????

[ThrottleUp Props]

I can tell you the fleet does not feel that way.

They were ALL up in arms over that move and I am not just speaking of Mohammad and Khalid, the Qatar/Delma team!

Julie

[AugiePensa]

Thats how we spun out last year when I got thrown out. Kevin elected to TRY making a sharp left turn around turn 3 with two other boats along side us instead of going across the wakes, hence The Condo's a$$ went airborne, spun out and I went for an expensive swim. No ones fault but ours, just glad they are alright.