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?

[T2x]

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

Yep........

[Ratickle]

Yep........

Okay, thanks. It would have been real tight. In knee-bangers we were supposed to leave double the roost width if there was a boat within roost distance. But, ........

[T2x]

Okay, thanks. It would have been real tight. In knee-bangers we were supposed to leave double the roost width if there was a boat within roost distance. But, ........

As far as I know the old "lane rules" have been almost abolished (forgotten) by the various Offshore racing fraternities. To be honest I stopped reading the rules a few years ago (too much emphasis on "legal" GM carb gaskets...too little on competition)...so maybe there has been an update that I am unaware of. However, the last race I attended had half the fleet pushing the other half into the specatator fleet in a turn where they proceeded on plane and at speed without penalty........ so I can't imagine that enforcement is worth a Fiddler's F**k. However, if your GPS recorded a top speed of 75.2 mph in the 75 mph bracket class...you were disqualified.

T2x

[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!

[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.

[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?

[Ratickle]

Think that may have happened to Rich?????

[T2x]

Think that may have happened to Rich?????

Oh yes...............but never from climbing a rooster tail.

[Ratickle]

Oh yes...............but never from climbing a rooster tail.

Somehow I can't imagine a safety program called "Avoid the Tail" catching on anytime soon.....

[phragle]

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

[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.

[SVL66]

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

[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??????