APBA Inboard Racing

10/22/2026

APBA Inboard!
Hall of Champions nominations are due November 15th, 2026
Please Read below
37.3 GROUND RULES FOR HALL OF CHAMPIONS NOMINATIONS and ROOKIE OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS:
37.3.1 Nominations with a resume of the nominee must be submitted in writing no later than November 15th to:
Inboard Hall of Champions, David Shaw,
20414 Spangler Drive, Lincoln, DE 19960 E-Mail: [email protected]

37.3.2 Resumes must include records set; Summer National, Divisional and National Championships won; and contributions to the sport
and APBA.
37.3.3 Nominees will be scored by points as listed for each accomplishment.
37.3.4 The award is for the driver’s performance for the immediate year ONLY.
37.3.5 When the Inboard Hall of Champions Chairman has completed a review of the inductee(s), (2) two IRC members will be selected
by the Inboard Chairman to review the nominees, then submit to the IRC for approval, prior to being submitted to the APBA Hall of
Champions Committee for the National Meeting that year and announced.
37.3.6 The number of selected drivers will be determined at the end of each racing year, for the following year, by the APBA Hall of Champions Committee.
37.3.7 Classes that meet the requirements to be a National Championship class, set forth in Rule 23.12 shall be eligible for
the Hall of Champions.
Conclusion: At no time is the award to be demeaned in a manner of popularity or politics, but at all times to remain above reproach in
fairness to the nominee.
American Power Boat Association

10/22/2026

APBA Inboard!
Mark Weber Meritorious Service nominations are due November 15th, 2026!

RULE 38 - MARK J. WEBER, IRC MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD CRITERIA
38.1 This presentation may be awarded annually at the APBA Annual Meeting, by the Inboard Racing Commission. No past recipients of this, the
“Bob Ballinger Award,” the “Tony Scartine Award” or the “Bruce Broussard Award” are eligible to be considered. This award will be based
on the following criteria and point system. A nominee must have a minimum of one hundred and twenty (120) points before he/she will be
considered for this award. All nominations should originate at the club level. The nominations should include the nominee’s history with the
APBA, emphasizing the following criteria.
National Officer (past or present)............................................................................................. 25 points
Council Member (past or present) ........................................................................................... 20 points
Region Chairman (past or present) .......................................................................................... 20 points
Region Officer (past or present) .............................................................................................. 15 points
Race Chairman (past or present) ............................................................................................. 15 points
Race Official (past or present) ................................................................................................. 15 points
Club Officer (past or present) .................................................................................................. 10 points
Honor Squadron...................................................................................................................... 20 points
Inboard or National Chief Referee .................................................................................... 10 points
Chief Scorer ...................................................................................... 10 points
Chief Inspector .................................................................................. 10 points
Chairman of Inboard: Technical Committee ......................................................................... 10 points
Safety Committee .............................................................................. 10 points
Other National IRC Committees .................................................. 5 points each
Inboard Racing Commission Member or Inboard Board of Governors (past or present) ........... 20 points
38.2 Add one (1) point to the above for each year the nominee was a member of the APBA Inboard division.
33
38.3 Send nominations no later than November 15th to:
APBA/IRC Meritorious Service Award, David Shaw
20414 Spangler Drive, Lincoln, DE 19960
E-Mail: [email protected]
American Power Boat Association

10/13/2026

Rule Change Proposal for 2027 are due! December 1st, 2026.
Email to Jim Sechler [email protected]

Follow the criteria listed below
RULE 12 - CRITERIA FOR RULE CHANGE
In order for a proposed rule change to be acted upon by the Inboard Racing Commission, said proposal must be submitted using the following format:
12.1 Non-Technical Rule Changes
12.1.1 All rule changes or proposals must be received at the Inboard Office on or before December 1 of each year. If a rule change is received after December 1st, the rule change or proposal must be submitted and supported by a member of the IRC to be added to the
meeting agenda. Each proposal received will be put on the agenda for the next IRC meeting during the APBA Annual Meeting. If a
racing rule change proposal is received, but could not be presented or completed during the Annual Meeting, the IRC could act and
finalize said proposal after the Annual Meeting but no later than May 1. The Inboard Chairman, Chief Inspector and Class Representative shall receive copies of submitted proposals
12.1.2 If said rule change affects an existing rule, the existing rule including rule number, section, paragraph and page number should
be copied as it now reads from the most recently available rule book. Following the existing rule, state the proposed rule with all
changes incorporated into the text of the rule. If the new rule does not change an existing rule, state the location in the rule book
(i.e.: new rule number, paragraph or section and page number) where the new rule would best be placed into text of the rules. Briefly
summarize the reason for the rule change or new rule proposal. Explain why the proposed rule change should be incorporated into
the rules.
12.1.3 If said rule is a technical rule specific to a single class, only active owners in the said class are eligible to submit the proposal. See
rule 12.1.4 to define active owner.
12.1.4 Should the Inboard Chairman deem a class survey necessary, the following shall apply:
• All surveys will be conducted through the Inboard Office with the results available prior to the National Convention.
• The surveys will be sent to active owners affected pertaining to the proposed rule change. In this instance, the term “active
owner” shall be construed to mean anyone who has participated in the current or prior race year.
• Class racing rules should be submitted through class representatives.
12.1.5 All rule changes must be published in Propeller and/or on the APBA Web site. All changes so published become effective at that time.
A “Rule Change Notice” mailed to all affected members becomes effective thirty (30) days from date mailed.
12.2 TECHNICAL RULE CHANGES
12.2.1 Proposed technical rule changes may be submitted at any time to the Technical Committee or may be submitted as per Rule 12.1

10/09/2026

‼️Helmet Certification Update‼️

The APBA Board of Directors approved on 10/8/26 a one-time extension of helmet certification eligibility through November 30, 2026. Helmets that would otherwise age out under the current 12-year certification rule may continue to be used through November 30, 2026. All other helmet requirements remain in effect.

Helmet Rules please refer to resources or click on link General Racing and General Safety Rules below:

https://apba.tracksideapp.com/system/files/resources/2026-08/General%20Safety%20and%20Racing%20Rule.pdf

10/08/2026

Drivers!! All SNELL2015 Helmets will be out of date starting November 1st, 2026! Get your new helmets!!

Beginning in 2023 Ratings must be no greater than 12 years from rated date code (i.e., SNELL2015 rating good through the beginning of the 2027 season)

10/08/2026

Lakeland, FL Orange Cup Regatta is a week and a day away! All teams and drivers get your registration in before this Monday Oct 12 to guarantee your travel money
Also
Capsule training is available Friday 10/16 only between 10 am and 12 noon for $50 fee. This certification will be good for two years meaning 2027 and all of 2028. You must come to the Registration desk between 9 and 9:30am Friday.

Boat testing - Friday ONLY - 25$ fee must be paid PER CLASS MUST BE REGISTERED and safely inspected before testing. 8. Inboard Safety Inspection starts Friday October 16th, 2026 9:30am in the pit area. It is the responsibility of each owner to come to the safety inspection with their safety inspection
sheets filled out to the extent that they can and have their boat ready for inspection. (latch covers open and items listed ready to be inspected).

10/03/2026

Cranes are moving in Caesars Creek 👀

09/30/2026

Rookie of the Year 2026!! Please email Sean Bowsher [email protected] with you nominations!!

37.4 Inboard Rookie of the Year
Nominations must be submitted on this Rookie of the Year Nomination form. The form must be submitted no later than November 15.
All new drivers are eligible for nomination.
• If a racer is active for four heats or less during the race year, he or she is eligible the following year.
• Previously qualified drivers returning to inboard racing are not considered rookies.
• Drivers who have been previously qualified in another APBA category are eligible; however, preference will be given to those new to the sport.
The nominee’s will be judged and winners selected based on the following criteria:
1. The nominee’s accomplishments on the race course.
2. The nominee’s contributions to the sport off of the race course.
3. The nominee’s sportsmanship throughout the race season.
4. Recommendations from the nominee’s references of racers/competitors, referees and Regional IRC member.
The Inboard Chairman will appoint the Rookie of the Year Committee Chairman, annually. The Committee will consist of up to 7 people (2 West, 2
Midwest, 2 East) and Rookie of the Year Chairman.
The nominations will be distributed to all Rookie of the Year Committee members for review and reference checks from racers/competitors,
Referees and Regional IRC Member.
• The reference checks shall be done via phone along with written confirmation.
• The committee reserves the right to contact any references beyond the three provided.
• Each committee member will place a score on each nomination, after which the committee will deliberate and select winners based on the highest
average score.
• Ties will be broken through deliberation of the committee and Inboard Chairman and Rookie of the Year Committee Chairman.
The Rookie of the Year Committee will submit their recommendations to the IRC for approval.
Winners will be announced by December 15th. The awards will be presented at the APBA Inboard Banquet held at the APBA National Meeting.
Awards: All Inboard Rookies will receive a Certificate. The Rookies of the Year will receive a custom embroidered jacket and will have their names
etched on the Rookie of the Year trophies. (The Eastern Division trophy is display

09/28/2026

09/22/2026

2026 LAKE HOPATCONG BOAT RACES

It is with tremendous disappointment that the Lake Hopatcong Racing Association announces the cancellation of the 2026 Lake Hopatcong Boat Races, scheduled for September 26–27 at Hopatcong State Park.

This is not a decision we ever expected to make.

LHRA submitted our APBA sanction paperwork in April and has spent the past several months preparing for this year’s event. Approximately two weeks before race weekend, we were informed that our event insurance would not be released without additional insurance documentation from the company providing the cranes used to launch and retrieve the race boats.

For generations, the Koerner family has generously donated crane services to the Lake Hopatcong races. The additional insurance requirement at issue this year had not been enforced under that longstanding arrangement in prior years.

Once we were notified that the requirement would be enforced for 2026, LHRA immediately began working to find a solution.

Over the past two weeks, we have worked with APBA and insurance representatives, our longtime crane provider, and alternative crane companies in an effort to satisfy the insurance requirements and keep the race alive. We explored every avenue available to us, including a potential exception that was being considered as recently as this week.

Unfortunately, despite those efforts, we were unable to obtain the documentation necessary to secure final approval for the event.

With race weekend only days away, we have no responsible alternative but to cancel.

This is especially difficult because so much was already in place. Rescue services, law enforcement, park operations, livestream and drone production, merchandise, race officials, volunteers and countless other arrangements had already been made. LHRA has also incurred significant financial commitments that cannot simply be recovered.

But the greatest loss isn’t financial.

Powerboat racing on Lake Hopatcong has been a tradition for more than 60 years. Generations of racers, families, volunteers, sponsors and spectators have been part of it. The Koerner family alone has supported these races with donated crane services for decades, and we remain deeply grateful for that extraordinary history of support.

LHRA is an organization run by volunteers. No one does this for a paycheck. People give hundreds of hours of their time because they care about this race, this lake, this sport and the tradition that generations before us worked so hard to preserve.

To our racers who were preparing to travel to New Jersey, our volunteers who had already committed their weekend, our sponsors and vendors who supported us, our State Park partners, rescue personnel, law enforcement, APBA officials and everyone who worked behind the scenes: thank you.

And to everyone who planned to join us at Lake Hopatcong next weekend, we are deeply sorry.

We did everything within our power to save the 2026 race.

Lake Hopatcong Racing Association