PROPWASH
April 2012
Records and Protests
Al Waters
NAMBA President
Have you ever set a record at a NAMBA Time Trial event, a district heat race, at
the NAMBA Nationals, or wished that you had?
Have you ever seen a boat or motor that you said to yourself or a fellow boater that
wasn’t legal and should be protested but looked for someone else to fork out the
$25.00 and sign their name to a protest form? I think that I can safely say that
everyone who has ever been to a race has had these feelings. Hmmm! So why do I
write this article?
Let’s talk about records first. I admire those who put in the time, and money and
the effort in setting a record. That’s the hard part to accomplishing such a feat. What
about the easy part that seems to be so difficult for some? The proper filling out of the
record application form.
There is a reason why all of those lines need to be filled out from the top of the
page to bottom. There is a reason why there are three signatures required verifying the
information. And there is a reason why your name, address and NAMBA number are
required.
If you are the type of individual that wants to publically share your record
information with others or keep that information to yourself because of the time,
money, and effort you spent, that is fine also. Use “does not apply” or “unknown”, or
“own”. But fill out the form completely.
No need to ask me if a record has been denied because of improper filling out of a
record application. Ask me how many times this has already happened.
Now on to protests. Heat sheets, paper hand towels, and even pages from the
NAMBA rulebook. Its amazing what people use to write up a protest. I wont go in to
all of the details on handling a protest. You have been provided a rule book and it is
also accessible on the Internet. Please read it.
Here are some basics on a protest.
To the protestor:
1. Write legibly and write down the specific rule that you are referring to.
2. Write down your reasons for the protest.
3. Present to the Contest Director of the race when required to do so.
4. And have $25.00 in hand
To the Contest Director:
1. Accept the protest and assemble your on site protest committee in a timely
manner.
2. Make your findings available to the protester depending on when required to do so
based on the type of protest.
3. After the event, send the protest and findings to the NAMBA President, Executive
Secretary, and NAMBA Board of Directors. (All in the same but I am quoting
from the rule book)
The protest decision that was made at the race site will be upheld. Keep in mind
that the Board does not have the authority to change that decision. The NAMBA Board
of Directors will review the findings to be sure that the protest was properly written,
review the rules in question, and see if anything needs to be looked at for future
protests of the same nature. The NAMBA Board of Directors of which all of the
District Directors are a part of, are expected to notify all of their Contest Directors and
the members in their district of the protest findings and any changes that may result
after the reviewing of the protest and the rules in question. That can be done through
their district newsletter, district web site, or announcements at their races.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind. When it comes to records don't beat
up on the Records Chairman. They keep the Executive Board in the loop. Beat up on
the Executive Board. When it comes to protests, the Contest Directors are doing the
best they can. They really want to keep everyone happy but it doesn't always happen.
Last I looked on their paycheck stub, between FICA and SDI there was nothing for
Hazard pay. It is what it is on race day. The NAMBA Board will review everything so
that hopefully we makes things to the good in the long run.
Ted McKay, District 19 director, was
able to pull off two 2
nd
place finishes at
our event: P Offshore and P Mono.
Kim McKay had a fantastic showing in
P-Ltd Offshore, but was kept from a
podium finish by yours truly. Sorry,
Kim! She is a very smooth and
consistent driver, and our offshore heats
go for four minutes. It takes a lot of
concentration to turn laps for that long.
Unfortunately, she had two set screw
collet failures on day two because I
didn’t use any loctite. Even so, every
driver there was impressed with Kim’s
ability to get her Delta Force
Cyberstorm around the course.
This event was sponsored by
www.offshoreelectrics.com. For video
footage please visit their web page
under the Upcoming Race Events forum
section.
If you have any questions, I can be
reached at dnewland49@msn.com.
Ted was good enough for second place
19
Kim McKay’s P-Ltd Offshore boat