I'm sure most of you have a race day "system" in place...so, I'll just give some ideas that may help.

One of the first things you should do is read your IJSBA manual, concerning your class and your LEGAL mods and set-ups. There's nothing like going to the tech tent with a stupid violation, that you did not read about i.e...."I did'nt know you were supposed to zip tie fuel lines?","I did'nt know that my sponsons were 2mm illegally below the hull","You can't have a bilge blower?" Point is...know what is LEGAL for you to run. This is especially true for those running limited and stock class.

On race day there are some things that you MUST bring for emergencies and general break-downs. When you are setting up a tool box for the beach, it's important to have the NECESSARY tools not the whole dang shop. Have a "race day" box with all the often used sockets and wrenches...like on a Yamaha ; 8,10,12 and 14mm sockets, extensions and wrenches, plug wrench and ZIP TIES! Whatever you find yourself constantly using...have it ready.

What to bring:
Fuel: Have your race gas already mixed and in the jugs BEFORE you hit the beach. There's nothing like trying to mix your oil and gas ratio's under the tent or on the beach..."is this 32 to 1?" Carry 5 gallons MORE than you will burn up in racing...you just never know. Also,a full tank of gas helps keep the nose down...if you know what I mean. Nothing like going to the final with a HALF a tank of gas...and it "handles" differently than that morning.

Zip ties: Zip tie everything.

Extra gloves,booties and protective gear if possible...nothing like "losing" goggles or gloves and you race without them...ouch,ouch,ouch!"

Have a tube of SOLAREZ or the equivalent FAST drying fiberglass repair...nothing like trying to duct tape the whole you got in heat 1, and the tape comes OFF in the final! This stuff has saved my butt MANY times.

A notepad and magic marker...this so your girfirend or wife can WRITE down you heat #'s LEGIBALLY to put up on your tent. Then you're not having to run to the pit board every 5 minutes to see what race # you're in.

Magic marker to mark gas jugs and equipment bags with YOUR RACE TEAM or NAME on. It's amazing how many jugs and bags "look" alike.

Rain-X for goggles...do this the day before.

Razor blade or knife...when you have to cut stickers or lines or whatever.
Snips and cutters.

Have your extra equipment bag...extra ride plate (even if it's the stock one...BRING IT!),extra intake grate (even if it's stock), extra handle bar grips and quick dry cement glue or super glue. You don't want to run from tent to tent asking for an item you should have brought. Extra lanyard,extra handlebars (even if stock), extra BOLTS!!!! And of course, DUCT TAPE! To duct tape the front hatch cover or goggles or whatever.

If you break or damage major items then it is sometimes safer not to run. Such as a sponson...do NOT run with one sponson, if you can still cut a buoy...remove the other undamaged sponson...some race directors will allow this if he thinks it's safe.

I'll post some CC set-ups in the next topic.

Hope this helps...feel free to add.
Mike

More...

Extra fuel and water lines.

Race stand.

Extra carb diaprahms and linkages. If you have to bring jets and pilots...you're in trouble anyway But, go ahead bring selection of jets and springs and other Oh-schitt-I-forgot carb items.

Did I mention bolts? head bolts, pump bolts sponson bolts, intake bolts...you get the picture. Whatever can fall off.....WILL!

Mike

Mike,
Great info! (Your earlier one was good, too.)

Not only is it important to read the IJSBA rule book (The 2002 Competition Rule Book is in the mail now!), but bring it with you. That way, if any issues come up, you can be informed and resolve them properly.

Also - you may have said it, but I missed it - bring extra spark plugs, safety wire, hose clamps, impeller, and a fire extinguisher for your pit area. For those who have exhaust systems with silicone couplers, bring extras. Also bring extra O-rings for heads, pipes, or whatever. Gasket sealer, too.

Bring lots of water to drink. Many racers, even though they're on the water, don't drink enough water and dehydrate - it can be hot out there!

Most importantly, bring your friends, family, and a good attitude. Have fun!

Great info for a new R-acer like myself. Thanks!

Thanks for more great advice. Can't wait until the next post.

acanswers

Closed-course set-up:

I know there are various set-ups for the different venues and race conditions...I'll just try to name some baselines.

What do you want your cc boat to do?

Quickness,hook-up and handling:
The first goal in seting up your engine package is trying to build your boat to accelerate quicker. The mods that are in your classification help determine what you can do. Head, carb and pipe mods should be geared toward QUICKNESS! Quickness kills! Period. Holeshot is not everything, but it dang sure puts you in a better race position.
Any of you who are racing fullblown GPR's ever get beat to the first buoy by a twin XP or XPL??? Yep, it happened last year at Havasu. Quickness kills. There are plethora of ways to reach this WITHOUT spending a fortune. To go faster, yes it does cost alot. But, not necessarily to go QUICKER.

Test,test,test...try to develop your engine package to be quick from buoy to buoy. We always put out a buoy to the 500 foot line, "where most race first buoys were",and tune our boats to get there quicker. Whether it be props in conjunction with engine mods or changing water to the various points of the pipe...we tested to get quicker. Quickness and mid-range power...do you pass with top-end or mid-range around a buoy? Think about it.

Every aftermarket item you buy DOES NOT mean you're going to be quicker or faster...this comes with testing and making the parts "match". You don't put 50mm carbs on a Yamaha 701 SJ to get quicker...it may give 2 mph on top-end, but you will lose quickness in the trade-off. Be smart at what you add-on to your ski. I don't care if everyone on race day has brand X carburetors...if you test them and they don't give you what you need it's a waste. You don't buy a pipe(s)and use the same impellor bend you were running before. And so the story goes...know what you are putting on your ski and what it does.

Sometimes if you "massage" the oem parts, they can do just fine. Such as STOCK carburetors that are taper-bored and re-jetted. There is a reason those carbs were designed for your ski...use them, whenever possible. Look at the posts on this forum with those riders who are having problems tuning their AFTERMARKET carbs. STOCK heads that provide ADEQUATE cooling, even for MODIFIED skis...I don't care what anyone says. Ask Harry Klemm or Dan Lamey.

Hook-up:
Intake grates, rideplates and impellors.
This discussion could get ugly...

If you are really wanting to fine tune your race day set-up, then have different set-ups to choose from. 2 intake grates,2 ride plates,2 props...an intake grate that will "top" load your pump more agressively and one that is not as aggressive. The "jetwash" is a strange experience to deal with..and your intake grate will help you load your pump to prevent cavitation and loss off hook-up. If you race ocean choopy conditions you will want to use the grate that helps keep your hull "glued". As with the impellor...back in the day. They came out with a "swirl" design which gave great quickness and jetwash tracking. But, you sacrificed your mid-range and top-end. You'd haul butt off the line, but by the time you got the first buoy, other boats were blowing by. Then came the X-series props which addressed the issue and compensated for both worlds.

Remember you are trying to "bury" you nose in order to stay hooked up and stick it into the buoy. Porpoising will kill you in a race. So set up your boat to ride hooked up EVEN behind someone.

We would do everything within our power to keep the nose down and stay hooked up. We even put lead weights in the nose of the hull to help. Some PRO racers still have lead in their hulls...especially Super Jets
But, you did'nt hear it from me.

With the advent of drop nozzles and such...keeping the nose buried is more easily attainable.

Handling..sponsons. Adjust the sponsons to where you can HANDLE your ski going into a buoy...you ARE NOT Dustin, Mac or Nicholas. So test what is confortable sponson location for you. Turning you ski is as important as your speed.

Another word about handling...

When I first started racing I could not turn as fast or quick as I wanted to. I would always go into a buoy not sure of what speed I could carry. Then a Pro gave me some advice that helped tremendously...he said to set up the turning ability of the ski that would allow me the most speed without getting tossed. How? Sponsons, hull trueing and riding style.

Sponsons: Most sponsons are adjustable, set them to the height that you can handle the MOST speed into a buoy without losing control or throwing you. Most passes are made around buoys where racers make mistakes going in too fast, spinning out and turning too wide. You have to develop your turning skills. This can make-up for a lack of power or quickness.

So, try different set-ups that will cater to YOUR abilities not someone elses... if the sponson does'nt adjust...make it adjustt, drill holes. I have seen guys get tossed, spin out and lose control because they could not turn with confidence.

Hull trueing: This something that does'nt get enough attention. On my Full mod GP 1200, I had the hull trued and the chines changed. Huh? Chines? The hull tech made the chines sharper and higher which made the GP more aggressive in turns. Again, I have developed a comfort level of what speed I can carry into turns. Trueing the hull..HELPS>>HELPS>>HELPS with hook-up and trackibility...if you've ever had your ski upside down and run a straight edge down it, then you'd know what I'm talking about. The old style GP's used to have a "hook" in the rear section of the ski, which contributed to the porpoising and nose dive not to mention all the imperfections and dips..remember? Trueing eliminated that.

Riding style: When the band snaps...where are you? And are you "set-up" to turn and burn?
This is sometimes preferential but, there are some styles you can try that can help you manuever your ski better. I wish I had a video to explain. When you are on the line, you want to bury your chest into the handle bars and have your head extended towards the front of the ski. Your feet should placed one in front of the other, not parallel and knees slightly bent.This gives you the best off-the-line body posture. More like the superman stance to jump off the line...just pretend you're trying make a "jump" towards the first buoy like your on starting blocks. You are NOT sitting on your seat at the line. The ski will leave you...by yourself.

First buoy...because this will be the buoy that you will have to negotiate with the fastest speed in the whole race. It is the most important to "hit" right. With the new seat materials and grippy mats ,you can have help in hanging on. It's the only time in the race where EVERYONE is going to the same buoy at the same time. So it is important to train and practice the first turn!! Practice,practice,practice! Your butt firmly planted, legs and thighs totally tightened on the seat, knees bent and arms bent at an angle to hold more weight and steer. Like you are weightlifting.

"clearing" out the waterbox... as most of you know, your waterbox retains water and if have a fast take-off it could cause you to bobble and burp off the line. That is why racers have their holders, lift the rear of the ski on the line to "blow" out the water. How long to burp? WOP! WOP! WOP! Set it down! Do NOT hit your rev-limiter why blowing out your ski...this will cause your carbs to load up and you will hesitate, if not stall on the line. 3 3/4 throttle bursts is sufficient...period.

You're already hyped up with adrenaline and here you are with the ski up in the air...WOOOOOOOOPWOOOOOOOPWOOOOOOOOOPWOOOOOOOP! then you yank the throttle and Brrrrrrr, choke cough. Squeeze the throttle do not YANK it! It's like shooting a gun...squeeeeeeze the trigger.

to add a bit about the start:

practice your starts with the holders that will be helping you on race day prior to actual race day.

The worst thing is having to have another racer or spectator become your holder at the last minute and not know each others style for the start. This will ruin your shot down to the first bouy.

What PAGE is that "no bilge blower" in the 2002 book???

Mark C,
To answer your question about bilge blowers, see:
6.1.1 for Stock class
7.1.1 for Limited class
8.1.1 for Superstock class
9.1.1 for Modified class

Mark, just so you know, a bilge blower is different than a bilge pump. Bilge pumps, or hull draining systems, are allowed. The bilge blower that Mike refers to was something done back around '95. The bilge blowers were said to increase the air pressure in the engine compartment, increasing the carburetor's air intake and, if the fumes in the engine compartment are ignited could make for a bad situation. These bilge blowers are not allowed.

Lee,
Remember when Bo Dupriest used to have dry ice and a blower??? Talk about mods...those were the days. Too bad the GPR's can't use carbon fiber hulls too!

Once a racer...always a racer. I just want to see the sport keep on...keepin' on.

Now, why is it we can't "ballpeen hammer" the crank again???

Good luck this year...the IJSBA has done an outstanding job over the years!! And I for one, am grateful.

Mike,
I remember the dry ice. PJS had that on their XiRs, too. I don't remember specifically, but I believe that there was another key problem to that idea. I don't remember this well, but the fumes from the dry ice are quite humid, making the air much less dense. I think there was another issue with some of the gases that dry ice emits.

What, specifically, do you want to do to the crank? I remember ball peening being an issue some time ago, but I don't remember why.

Oh yeah, GPRs can use carbon-fiber hulls in the Amateur Runabout 1200 Modified class that will be offered at the Amateur & Pro-Am Watercross National Championships!

Mike, we appreciate your support. As you know, we've made a lot of changes over the past few months. We hope that these changes will be the building blocks of better things to come.