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Minutes of the PRO Commission Meeting held in Detroit, MI, January 31 - February 1, 2008.
PRO COMMISSION MEETING Westin
Detroit Metro Airport, Detroit, MI January
31 – February 1, 2008 Commissioners Present: Howard
Anderson, Tom Cronk, Kristi Ellison, Rich Fuchslin, Steve Greaves (chair), Joe
Johnson, Bruce Johnson, Shirley Summers, Bruce Summers, Bill Tetro, George
Thornhill, Ed Thirlby, Pete Voss, Pat Wright Guests:
Bev Thirlby, Sue Wyhoski, Gary Wyhoski, Buddy Tennell, Dwight Malhiot,
James Johnson, Pat Augustine The PRO Commission meeting
was called to order by Steve G, PRO Chairman, on Thursday, January 31, 2008, at
9:05am PST. A quorum was
established. Steve G thanked the
Commissioners for coming and volunteering to do this job. A moment of remembrance was
held for PRO racers who have passed on this year. Steve G reminded the
Commissioners that they are here to represent the entire PRO Category, not just
their own classes and interests. If
racing rules are passed in this meeting, they will go to ballot of the
membership. Safety rules passed by
the Commission will be reviewed by the National Safety Committee and will become
a rule 30 days after passage. Rule
changes passed by the Commission and approved by the members become effective in
the next racing season. If the
Commission wants a rule to go into effect immediately, the APBA Board of
Directors must approve those rules which would be published in the Propeller and
effective 30 days later. The
Steering Committee, made up of all category chairmen, meets to discuss things
that the Commissions are doing in attempt to keep rules as consistent as
possible. Friday evening will be the
Category Awards presentation and Saturday evening is the Hall of Champions
banquet. All Commissioners are
encouraged to attend. Commissioners’ contact
information was updated. APBA STATUS Steve
G reviewed the organizational structure of APBA, governance, committees, etc.
and statistics concerning membership and sanctions. PRO
CATEGORY STATUS The
status of the PRO Promotion Fund, Townsend Medal Fund, and Col. Green Round Hill
Trophy Maintenance Fund were reviewed. As
noted last year, we were out of Townsend medals, so new ones have been made by
Drew Thompson in Seattle, WA. There
are now 21 left. The
plates on the bottom of the Col. Green Trophy will be taken off and names put on
new plaques to save room. The old
plates will be saved. Steve
G discussed the PRO website which contains lots of information including the
Technical Manual and the promotional video.
The Technical Manual has been updated with KPH and OSY400 specs as
decided last year. The issue of boat numbers
being reversed on the membership card for PRO members was discussed again.
Basically, APBA HQ has responded that this is not a high priority. The broadcast of the 2007
PRO Nationals will be on The Water Channel in mid to late February under the
name of “War on the Water”. Ian
Howard had a terrible time finding a network to air the series, which caused the
delay in the broadcast. DVDs will
be provided again as in the past for sale.
(The sales were handled by APBA HQ.) Because
of the delay in broadcasting the program, it was suggested that Ian put in a
promo for the 2008 PRO Nationals, or for race schedules for 2008 (add a little
“future twist” to it). PRO
SEASON REVIEW The report to the Board for
the 2007 PRO season was reviewed, as well as season statistics for the PRO
Category. The overall picture of
the season statistics were looked at as to number of races and entries by class.
Trends for each class over the last several years were reviewed. The PRO Divisional,
National, and World Championships were reviewed as to any issues that need to be
discussed or improved. There was
discussion about the Eastern Divisionals last year. Also, it was noted that having trailers on the beach at DePue
was good from a spectator standpoint and a lot of drivers were very happy about
it. There were 3 records set in
the PRO category this year (2 kilo and 1 competition). The 2007 PRO season awards
were announced. The Hall of
Champions inductees are Jim Nilsen and Brandon Thirlby; Brandon Thirlby is the
Col. Green Round Hill Trophy winner; Brandon Thirlby is the Gilbert Petermann
Award winner; and Wendy Eldredge is the George Townsend Medal winner. The recipient of the PRO
Officials Award is Gary Wyhoski. Gary
has been Assistant Referee and “flag man extraordinaire” for the PRO
Nationals for many years. Two scholarships for $500
each were awarded by the PRO Category to two high school graduates from DePue
for the first time in 2007. They
were presented to the students at the PRO Nationals. INPUT
FROM OUTSIDE PRO Race Management Committee: The
Race Management Committee met yesterday. One
rule was passed (eliminating the external dimensions for digital clocks) and
several were deferred until the meeting on Saturday so that Commissions could
discuss the following proposed items. ·
Proposal to mandate that flags be
a minimum of 34” x 34”. The
Commission said no. ·
Proposal to allow any video tapes
to be used for decision-making. The
Commission said no. ·
Proposal to add language to the
rule book to define the role of the Race Director.
This will be discussed later in the Commission meeting. ·
Proposal to expand the yellow card
system to more than just on the water infractions.
The consensus of the Commission was that some expansion would be
acceptable, but not to the extent of actions at the bar at night or to the
Internet. This will be discussed
further later in the Commission meeting. Outboard
Steering Committee: There
is may be a proposal about rounded pickleforks, but this will be discussed at a
later time. National
Safety Committee: These
issues will be discussed further after Rich F attends the Safety Committee
meeting. Hall
of Champions Committee: The
PRO Category still has two inductees for 2008, but was very close to three. Board
of Directors: A
permanent slot in the Hall of Champions was given to the Champ Boat series. The
idea of having capsule training be good through the end of the race season in
which it expires was discussed. Steve
G had written some language that the Inboard Chair and the OPC Chair found
acceptable, so this may happen. UIM
Rule Changes: A
study group comprised of representatives from each category was established to
look at how APBA can make common rules governing pickleforks and side
protection. Steve G and Rich F were
the PRO representatives. Tom C.
represented Stock. The consensus of
the group was to make these rules mandatory for all boats, both new and existing
boats. Steve and Rich argued that
it should only apply to new boats. REGULAR
PRO BUSINESS Joe J made a motion to
approve the minutes from the DePue Commission meeting in July 2007 (Pete V
second, passed with no opposition). The Committee assignments
were reviewed and approved (Pete V motion, Kristi E second, passed with no
opposition). The Championship Referee
and Inspector list was reviewed. David
Yeager was removed from the list of approved Referees (Tom C motion, Kristi E
second, passed with no opposition). Nationals
and Worlds were added to David Augustine and Paul Bosnich II (Pat W motion,
Kristi E second, passed with no opposition). Ed Runne was added as an
inspector for all categories (Bill T motion, Joe J second, passed with one
opposed). James G. Johnson was
added to the list as an inspector for Divisionals (Bruce S motion, Bruce J
second, passed with no opposition). The class participation was
reviewed as to whether any classes need to be put on probation and the decision
of the Commission was not to put any classes on probation (Ed T motion, Howard A
second, passed with three opposed). Joe J, on behalf of the
Northern California Outboard Racing Association, placed a bid for the Western
Divisionals at Oroville, CA, on May 31 – June 1, 2008, for all classes.
Rich F seconded and the motion passed with no opposition. Bernie Van Osdale offered a
bid for the Eastern Divisionals for C Service Hydro and Runabout and C Racing
Hydro and Runabout, on behalf of the Indiana Outboard Association for June 7-8,
2008 (Kristi E motion, Joe J second, passed with no opposition). Kristi E made a bid on
behalf of the USTS for the Eastern Divisionals for classes except 500 Sprint
Hydro, 700H, and OSY400, for Constantine, MI, on July 18-20, 2008.
Shirley S seconded and the motion passed with no opposition. Steve G encouraged bids for
the three classes not now covered. There is a bid from the
DePue Men’s Club for the 2008 National Championships for July 25–27, 2007,
for $13,500 (for the 24th consecutive year). Kristi E made a motion (Howard A second) to accept the bid as
submitted. The motion passed with
no opposition. There
are no requests for 2008 North American Championships at this time. The
World Championships for O125, O175, O250, 500R, 1100H, is scheduled for the last
weekend in October 2008 in Florida, but the site is not determined yet (most
likely either St. Petersburg or Lake Wales). Steve G has talked with the
APBA Historical Society about setting up a program for directed donations to the
PRO Category. They have said no,
but the Commission asked him to continue to pursue this, possibly by bringing in
the other categories. NEW
BUSINESS The Safety Committee report
was deferred until after the meeting tomorrow morning. Safety Proposals: Pat W reported that he has
been measuring the height above the helmet on capsule drivers, and found many
boats that did not meet the 2” minimum. UIM
now requires 4”. Pat W made a
motion (Rich F second) as follows: “It
is strongly recommended that all reinforced cockpit hulls be safety inspected
each race day with an emphasis on minimum (2”) helmet clearance.” This is a safety rule so
will not go to ballot. It will be
reviewed by the National Safety Committee, and will be effective immediately for the 2008 season. Pat W made a motion (Joe J second) that “capsule training certification shall be valid for two racing seasons (November 1 – October 31) regardless of the date of certification. To avoid expiration, it is recommended that training be done annually.” The existing sentence will be modified to delete the phrase “within the prior two years”. [Safety Rule 3, 18.T, page 5] Pat
W made a motion (Kristi E second) to add to the end of the first sentence “per
the current criteria”. The motion
passed with one opposed. General
Proposals / Issues: Joe
J suggested that, if a club cannot find a referee or inspector from the approved
list to do a championship race, that officials be appointed as “temporary”
only and designated as such on the list. The Commission agreed with this process. No
action was taken on Shirley S’s proposal on boat numbers. Tom
C suggested that a description of the role and duties of the Race Director be
put in the rule book. The
Commission discussed this in light of the Bill Giles letter and Kristi’s
response that is being reviewed by the Race Management Committee. The sense of the Commission is to leave it alone, not to
further define the role of the Race Director George
T talked about his idea of bringing some recuperating veterans to races.
Kristi E has been in touch with the Wounded Warrior program and is
helping George. The Commission was
very supportive of this idea. A
Veterans’ Committee was formed of George (chair), Kristi, Bruce, and James
Johnson (Joe J motion, Pat W second, passed with no opposition). Pat
W was asked by open cockpit drivers to revisit the issue of radios being banned.
No motion was offered. Safety
Committee Report: Rich
F said that a lot of the discussion was on the issues we discussed here
yesterday. ·
The Committee feels that the
height clearance for helmets in capsules is really a manufacturing problem.
The capsules need to be redesigned to allow for the space needed. ·
Kids helmets are not fitting
properly. ·
Should pay more attention to aging
and deterioration of life jackets, helmets, and seat belts. ·
Some move toward eliminating the
word “certification” regarding capsule training. Tom
C gave a report on the new UIM rules on rounded pickle-forks for O125, O175,
O250, O350, and OSY400, and feels that we should implement this in the PRO
category at this time. Steve
G reported on the rule that was adopted by the Mod category last year.
This rule was basically an effort of the Steering Committee, but the
other categories did not make it a rule. This
rule only applies to new construction, and only to hydros, not runabouts. Steve
G also reported on the Study Group formed to look at the pickle-fork and
reinforced cockpit issue, and the consensus of the group (even though it was
noted that Steve G and Rich F did not agree with all issues) was that they liked
the Mod rule for the radius of pickle-forks, want it to apply to all boats, and
to runabouts as well. Joe
J (Pete V) made a motion to accept the Mod rule with an addition (section F) to
state that boats meeting UIM specifications are also legal.
Motion passed with one abstaining. This
is a safety rule and will be effective for the 2009 season. Tom
C made a motion to continue to study the reinforced cockpit side issue (second
by Pat W and passed with no opposition). Nic
Thompson asked that neck restraints be made mandatory (currently the PRO rule
“recommends”). Bob Koschka gave
a brief presentation on a new neck restraint, Leatt, that they are working on
adapting to boat racing and hope to have ready in about a year.
They are working with a specialist on how to prevent neck and spinal cord
injuries. Because of this
developing technology, the Commission chose to take no action at this time.
Class-specific
Proposals / Issues: George
T reported on the J Class Committee meeting.
The use of after-market steering bars, brackets, throttle linkages, etc.
were approved for the Mercury engine. More
propellers are going to be produced. George will get the minutes to Steve G and any changes will
be incorporated into the PRO Technical Manual if they affect KPH. Commission-managed
Classes: KPH:
There were no issues to discuss on KPH.
Steve G will see what the Stock Category and J Class Committee are doing
on the picklefork issue for possible impacts on KPH and OSY400. 500 Sprint Hydro:
Howard A made a motion to eliminate this class effective in the 2009
season (seconded by Joe J). After
much discussion, the motion passed 10-3. This
is a Commission-managed class so does not have to go to vote. Joe
J moved (Bill T second) to call the 500 Sprint Hydro at the 2008 Nationals the
“Nic Davis Memorial Race”, with the trophy to be provided by Ralph Donald.
The motion passed with no opposition. Pete
V made a motion (Tom C second) to go to the New Class Committee to seek approval
for 175R for the 2009 season. The
motion passed 8-5. There is no
lower displacement, and runs on an 11’6” runabout. 1100ccH:
Pat W suggested taking off the upper cc limits of this class, but with a
maximum boat length of 16’. No
action was taken by the Commission. Steve
G asked if there was any interest in removing the lower cc limits for purposes
of increasing participation. There
was discussion that it may be unfair to allow some drivers to be able to race in
more than one class, and get points in multiple classes, with the same motor. AWARDS There
was discussion about whether or not a World Championship should receive points
toward the Hall of Champions. Any
class can apply to UIM for a World Championship in the APBA class, or actual UIM
World Championships (for UIM classes) can also be awarded.
One issue is that the Hall of Champions is an APBA award, why should UIM
be counted toward the APBA Hall of Champions?
Howard A made a motion to remove the World Championship points from the
Hall of Champions criteria. The
motion died for lack of a second. Steve
G brought up the issue of bonus points in the Hall of Champions criteria where
50 points are given for doing three of those items in the same class, or 25
points are given for doing three of those items in different classes.
So, for example, is 125ccH the same class as O125?
Joe J pointed out that because World Championships cannot be awarded for
125ccH, then it should be considered the same class; on the other hand, not all
classes have the opportunity to run the World Championships every year.
This is really a question of what the interpretation is of the word
“same” and “class”. There
was a suggestion to remove the World Championships from the bonus point
criteria. Pete
V made a motion (Pat W second) to change the additional points criteria on the
Hall of Champions from “1 through 5” to “1 through 4”.
Motion passed 7-4. This will
go to a vote of the drivers and, if passed, would be effective in the 2009
season. Joe
J made a motion (Bruce S second) that, for purposes of Hall of Champions’
additional points, the UIM O classes will be considered the “same” as their
equivalent APBA class. The motion
passed with one abstaining. This is
a clarification only, so does not need to go to a vote of the drivers. PROMOTION / GROWTH The
PRO Category gave scholarships last year to two high school students from DePue.
It was only authorized for one year.
Pete V made a motion (Pat W second) to give the scholarships in the
amount of $1,000 again this year. The
motion passed with no opposition. There
is a proposal from Ian Howard for the same TV deal as last year.
Because of all the problems, it has not been shown yet.
Gary Wyhoski mentioned, and the Commission agreed, that maybe it is
better to have it shown in February, as it is closer to the racing season.
Jim
Johnson said that maybe the Wounded Warrior Program might have a promotional
video that could be shown as a part of our program. Kristi
E made a motion (Pat W second) to do the show again with $1,000 USTS, pending
the necessary funding from other sources, and pending the successful airing of
the 2007 program. Motion passed
with one opposed and one abstaining. Kristi
E told the Commissioner that the USTS has hooked up with H2O Full Throttle, an
international powerboat racing magazine. It
is free and they are seeking articles. FINANCIAL Kristi
E moved (Pete V second) to accept the PRO Promotional Fund budget as submitted
by Steve G. The motion passed with
no opposition. OTHER ISSUES Steve
G explained to the Commission that the region elections for Category
Commissioners is not being done in a consistent manner across the country, nor
in compliance with the APBA Bylaws. Currently,
according to the Bylaws, drivers joining as a Super License can only vote in a
category in which they are active, and inactive drivers can only vote in their
primary category. There is
confusion in how to determine who can vote or not in the Region elections.
The Board of Directors is trying to sort this out. There
is also discussion about changing how the Category Chairmen are nominated. The
Commission made a decision in concept to support the Veterans Program (that was
talked about yesterday) in honor of John “Pop” Augustine and his many
contributions to the PRO Category. Bruce
J brought concerns from Region 6 about the age limit on 175H being too young.
Kristi E made a motion (Bruce J) to amend Safety Rule 9 to raise the
minimum age limit on both 175H and 175R to 16 (from the current age of 14).
Passed with no opposition. This
is a safety rule so does not go to vote. Kristi
E asked for approval for Ian Augustine to be Chief Referee and Joe Johnson to be
Chief Inspector at the 2008 PRO Nationals (Kristi E motion, Ed T second, passed
with one opposed). NEXT MEETING The
next Commission meeting will be at Sapp Brother’s Truck Stop at 8:00am on
Thursday, July 24th, 2008, in DePue. |