Offshore Racing Commission Approves New Starting-Rule And Windshield-Material Mandates
Members of the American Power Boat Association Offshore Racing Commission met this week via an online meeting to discuss and vote on various changes and additions to the rulebook for 2025. Key issues voted on included race starting procedures and the material—polycarbonate versus acrylic—for windshields.
New race-starting and windshield-materials protocols are on tap for the 2025 APBA offshore racing season. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
Acting ORC chairman and current APBA president Chris Fairchild, rules committee chairman Paul Rose, MTI principal/Pro Class 1 representative Randy Scism, 450R Factory Stock rep Taylor Scism, Super Cat rep Win Farnsworth, Super Stock rep Ryan Beckley, Mod V rep Steve Kildahl and Bracket-class rep Jim Simmons participated in the meeting. So, too, did Larry Bleil of Race World Offshore, Offshore Racing Commission administrator and acting Powerboat P1 rep for Thomas Covington Michelle Petro, chief referee Mark Austin, chief safety inspector Rich Dancisin and inspector rep Gene Stevens.
A longtime standard for race starts, the “hold your lane through the first turn” policy will be replaced by the “two boat-lengths clear” rule next season. The 450R Factory Stock class tested the new rule throughout the 2024 season “without incident or protest” according to Rose, and all classes adhered to it during the Race World Offshore-produced Key West World Championships earlier this month.
“The new starting procedure was also a key to the improvement in turn No. 1 in Key West,” Rose explained. “If you have a two-boat-length clearance between your stern and the other boat’s bow, you can come over and take his lane. That helped move the boats into racing positions earlier than before where everybody was piled up at the first turn.”
“In Key West there was an additional buoy added to turns No. 1 and the Harbor Turn to create a more-sweeping turn than a 90-degree turn,” he continued. “With 72 boats registered and two days of racing, there were no accidents in turn No. 1 and only a couple accidents in the Harbor turn—and none on the first lap when the boats are bunched the tightest.”
Long known to be far stronger than acrylic, polycarbonate will be the required material for all windshields in canopied boats next year.
“With 250 times the impact-resistance of glass, polycarbonate is much stronger than acrylic, which is only 17 times as strong as glass,” Rose said. “The APBA will strictly enforce the polycarbonate material requirement for all windows. Inspection equipment is being developed at this time to be able to determine the material type during the inspection process in the pits.”
Specific technical and installation requirements for polycarbonate use in each class will be included in the 2025 APBA rulebook.
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