THE GREAT BUGGY RULES DEBATE - A CONTRIBUTION. Peter Lynn This is, in writing the thoughts expressed on the subject to various people and groups around the world during the last 3 years reflecting the experience we have had in New Zealand since 1990 in organising buggy competitions (maybe up to 500 races by now) and is partly a response to the recently circulated "Rules for Buggy Racing" from "The Kiteflier", page 28 October 1993. Firstly, it is absolutely true that we must get an internationally recognised rule framework organised. Secondly, we must have a positive approach to the various problems we are encountering in rule creation as ultimately we must find some rules that work. I believe that every attempt to set up "right of way" and etc rules for buggying have as their prime objective the creation of a level playing field on which competitors compete with relative safety and can be assessed on the basis of their skill and strategy. The "lottery" of a winner selected by the mainly blind luck of being the only competitor to avoid all entanglements and crashes is not a satisfactory state of affairs but is so often the way buggy races are decided. Most proposed buggy racing rules have been derived from yachting rules in some way and herein lies the problem. With Buggies there is the added dimension of line and kite to consider. While the buggy and pilot may be on a particular tack, their kite and line are often on the opposite tack. It is actually more logical to determine the right of way from the heading of the kite rather than of the buggy as the kite/line system is far more likely to be involved in a collision than the buggy is. Unfortunately I can't see how we can set rules on the basis of kite direction because kites can change direction so quickly, and even "windmill" - who could afterwards judge which kite has the right of it in any typical "incident". Ultimately though, we won't be able to get consistent, worthwhile rules until we do find a way to take account what the kite line is doing as well as buggy direction. The Golden Rules listed are a laudable effort but from our experience are mainly unworkable in practice. Going through in order with our comments: 1. The starbord rule - always pass to the right (opposing buggies). This is fundamentally unworkable because it can be so easily used to disadvantge an opponent - when we used this rule 2 or so years ago we found that the keen competitors were very soon using this to intimidate the approaching buggy into a very unhelpful "line". At this point we tried to introduce a "judge" whose job it was to decide whether the advantaged buggy had done it on purpose and so be subject to a penalty. This is a real can of worms because for example competitors can contrive the appearance of having been "disadvantaged" as a means to getting their opponent disqualified. 2. Upwind buggies must keep clear when overtaking. Can therefore the downwind buggy "luff up" forcing the overtaking buggy into a colision earning their disqualification? As soon as any rule makes one party to a potential incident responsible for keeping clear then the predefined "innocent" buggy is encouraged to "firm up" the incident with a minor apparently unintentional collision to "protest" the rival out. 3. Always look before you gybe. This gets hartfelt endorsement from Phillip McConnachie and I remembering a spectacular and violent downwind "coming together" we had during the 1993 NI vs SI New Zealand Champs. It was a total surprise to both of us and allowed Ian Meredith to burgle through for a (well deserved!) win. However this "rule" would be better placed in a list of similar suggestions intended as an intorductory guide for the uninitiated and as a reminder to us unforgetful oldies. 4. When passing or crossing the upwind kite must be lowered. We guess that the intended purpose of this is to prevent the kite from being flown high upwind so as to purposefully hinder the more downwind kite. Presumably then if there is a kite collision the more upwind kite will have the onus of proving that they did nothinder. We think of the common situation of intersecting buggies each beating hard into the wind with their kites almost wing tip dragging. Until the buggies meet, it is often quite impossible to predict which will be to windward, buggy courses being what they are, far from extrapolatable straight lines. In this circumstance the downwind kite must lift to allow the upwind kite under, the reverse of rule 4. We suggest from experience that this type of crossing incident doesn't need much regulating except to stop "team racing" because crossing buggys generally accomodate each other in this situation anyway, otherwise they both loose! When the more upwind buggy holds or brings their kite up to purposefully hinder we deal with it by tacking away or try to bluff through - i.e. we allow this, as what's sauce for the goose etc. Using your lines as a "fence" to manipulate other buggies or avoiding buggies trying to catch you out this way is in many curcumstances very much an enjoyable part of the wider strategy of buggy racing. Maybe you think that it shouldn't be allowed though and we would have agrees with you a year or 2 ago except that we have been quite unable to make a rule for intersections that is enforceable and that cannot be used by clever sneaky competitors to cause exactly the opposite result to that intended. Having raced under the resulting anarchy for a year or more now we're getting to like it! 5. Buggies "on the run" have right of way over reaching buggies. Perhaps with the aditional clause that "run" and "reach" apply to the appropriate leg of the course and not the instantaneous situation this rule could work provided we can create some enforceable prohibition on "hunting". We have seen running buggies even laps behind hunt down and foul out their reachinf or upwind opponents on the theory that if you're going to loose anyway then even the odds of a 50/50 collision with whoever's ahead can improve your chances. Having a rule automatically giving the running buggy right of way is an invitation to endless often disguised skulduggery. 6. Never underfly the lines of an opposing buggy We don't really understand what this means, isn't this covered in 4, and couldn't it equally be said "Never overfly the lines of an opposing buggy". Presumably the intent of this is to avoid line wraps when buggies cross. Couldn't we say "buggiers should always avoid line wraps" but then we don't have to say that as in multi buggy competition neither buggy gets an advantage from a wrap anyway. In fact both get a big disadvantage relative to everyone else. 7. "Air at the Mark" etc. There are so many reasons why requiring the first buggy to turn their kite under when in close formation at a mark is impractical. One is that especially in light winds with big kites (a fair proportion of all racing we do) there is often not nearly enough sky to turn under without hitting the ground. Requiring such a rule would just be mandating a kite crash for the leading buggy at each close gybe. In a stronger wind situation it can be quite unsafe to underturn the kite while gybing as the sudden (more than) doubling of kite pull makes it "hit the fence" time. Hoevever requiring this manoever rather than leaving kite control and it's consequences to buggiers individual judgement would be an interesting test of testicularity! 8. Never Touch a mark Absolutely right on, of course if it's a very solid mark kile a tree, derelict Sherman tank or whatever who cares. We think this should read "never move the mark by contact - penalty equals replacing it then re-rounding correctly. 9. Never relaunch a kite in such a way as to cause obstruction to other buggiers. Yes but also remember that not relaunching can sometimes also be an obstruction and that buggiers should also not obstruct others attempting to relaunch - with their buggy lines or kite. 10. Avoid contact with other buggiers and kites at all times Obviously! - why would anyone ever want to have kite, line or buggy contact. This "rule" could also go into the general admonitions as for rule 3.