Kyōtei
Kyōtei ( Japanese 競 艇 , Kyōtei ) is a boat race in Japan . It is one of the four "popular sports" ( 公 営 競技 , kōei kyōgi ), d. H. government-operated betting events in Japan. The other three are horse racing , keirin (bicycle racing) and auto race ( motorcycle racing ).
At Kyōtei, professional racing drivers hold races in artificial, specially created stadiums . The local city councils, which also maintain the stadiums and organize the races, offer bets , similar to bets on horse races . Three quarters of these bets are paid out again as winnings, the remaining quarter is used by the cities or municipalities as income. The races started in Japan in 1952 , and there has only been a race track in South Korea since 2002 . There are currently 24 stadiums in Japan, one in South Korea.
The race consists of three laps of two buoys 300 meters apart , so that the track length is 1,800 meters. Before the start there is a shortened demonstration round, during which the spectators can check their bets. The demonstration lap is binding, so the racers will have to use some tactical aspects as demonstrated in the final race. The race begins with a flying start, which means that all boats start about 12 seconds before the start and must cross the start line within the second after the start. To be able to control this, there is a huge analog clock in every stadium . Should a driver cross the start line too early or too late, he will be eliminated from the race and all bets on that driver will be refunded.
Driving is identical boats and motors of the manufacturer Yamato currently Type 302. The engines are two-stroke - outboard engines with two cylinders (PS 33) provide about 24 kw. The day before the race, they are randomly distributed to the racing drivers and can then be personally fine-tuned by them within a certain framework. In addition, the racing drivers are allowed to use their own propellers , as the propeller is a very important component for the driving behavior, especially in racing boats.
Web links
- kyotei.or.jp very clear page with lots of information
- yamato.ndo.co.uk Article about Kyōtei and the engine manufacturer Yamato, website of the European importer