October 2018 web.pub

goods charges in Europe. Take as many of your own parts as you can. I saw a shop selling glow plugs for $8.00 to $12.00 US. It is an expensive hobby in Europe. Also rental cars can be expensive. Gasoline is normally about $8.00 per gallon. The food is good and food and beer prices are reasonable. In 2020, the IMBRA World Championships will be held in Italy. I ran at that site in 2007 when it was used as a practice pond. It is a nice site and not too far from the Milan airport. I know the people that will host the 2020 World Championships and I am certain that it will be a great event. The USA team leader in 2020 will be William Shackleford, better known as Buckshot. Both the USA and Canada have a limited number of entries available. If you are sincerely considering racing at an IMBRA event, do not hesitate to contact me or Buckshot. It is a wonderful experience NAMBA District Elections By Al Waters NAMBA Executive Secretary 2018 is an even numbered year so even numbered NAMBA districts vote for the office of District Director. As per the NAMBA rule book, members of that district will vote online through the NAMBA Membership Portal. An e-mail with a secure link will be sent to each Primary member (secondary members and juniors are listed under the primary membership) allowing them to vote. No other NAMBA member in the other districts will have access to vote or be able to view the voting. Not even I can view the voting until after the expiration date of voting has occurred. Voting will commence late September and run through October 25. When voting has been completed, it will occur during the NAMBA Nationals in Dallas, Texas. NAMBA President Alan Hobbs will contact all of those running for office as soon as the results are in. The voted in District Director will take office on November 1, 2018 for the upcoming two years. District 20 covering Northern Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado will hold an election for the 2019-2020 District Director this year. Those running for office (in alphabetical order) are: 1. Chris Bopp 2. Ryan Gwin 3. Jesse Melick The NAMBA Board of Directors would like to thank outgoing District Direct Karl Loveless for his service over the years. Racing Boats in France By Alan Hobbs NAMBA President NAMBA is a member of the International Model Boat Racing Association. I believe there are 34 member countries at this time. So, NAMBA members can enter IMBRA events. During July and August 2018, six NAMBA members raced at the IMBRA World Championships; four from the USA and two from Canada. Over the years, many NAMBA members have raced in Europe, Australia, and Asia. The experiences have always been very good and many friendships have been made. If and when you decide to race in another country, be prepared for different customs and very different rules. While races in Australia are almost exactly like in the USA and Canada, other countries have big differences. At NAVIGA and IMBRA events, the venue is really set up for Vee boat racing. The drivers stand on a dock called the pontoon. It is normally 18 inches or so above the water surface. So, to launch a boat, you either drop it into the water from three or four feet, or get very low so the boat only drops about two feet before hitting the water. If you run a big prop, your boat is apt to die on the launch. The only IMBRA classes that are similar to how we race are the hydro races. They run 3.5cc, 7.5cc, 15cc and 27cc hydro classes. There is a db meter near the water’s edge and your boat must be much quieter than here. NAVIGA has an 80 db limit and IMBRA has an 85 db limit. Yes, the gas boats must meet the same db limits. Because the venue is picked for Vee boat racing, there is not much distance between the pontoon and the front straightaway. You will be standing at what would we call lane eight. The shoreline is often close along the turns and several boats find themselves running up onto the grass. While the course is near the shore, the heats are bigger than what you normally see. The preliminary and final hydro heats are scheduled with eight boats per heat. So, there is not enough room on the front straightaway for all boats. The start line is not in the center of the course. It is set further towards the first buoy because that is what is needed for the Vee boat racing. They do race mono hulls, in what is called Offshore. The boats run eight minutes in the preliminary heats and twelve minutes in the finals. So, the boats are larger than what we normally see and carry much more fuel. Again, the heats have eight boats. For me, racing is racing. I really enjoy the people I meet racing in other countries. Don’t expect to travel to someone else’s backyard and take home the gold. Everyone has an advantage when they race in their own pond. NAMBA boaters over the years have won Bronze, Silver and Gold racing in Australia and Europe. Racing in Europe and Australia is not cheap. The boats, if packed well rarely have damage, but it has definitely happened. Fuel available in Europe is limited to 30% Nitro by weight. So, you will have to make arrangements to either buy lower nitro content fuel, or find a way to get nitro, methanol and oil while in Europe. I normally ship my oil. This year a case of oil cost over $1200 to ship, pay the duty, and pay for dangerous PROPWASH October 2018 9