Commentary: Reaction Time

Created: October 20, 2025

For success in the drag-racing world, reaction time—as measured by the time between when the last yellow light on the “Christmas tree” turns green and the moment the car leaves the starting line—is crucial. That much I learned from years of reading Hot Rod magazine in my misspent youth. I was a magazine junkie from an early age, and Hot Rod, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic and (much later) Rolling Stone were my favorite fixes.

Offshore racing competitors and fans are leaping to undetermined conclusions. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

With the International Hot Rod Association’s dramatic entry into the offshore powerboat racing world, I’ve been thinking a lot about reaction time.

Is IHRA involvement in a motorsport that borders on cannibalistic the sport’s salvation? Will that involvement unify offshore racing and “take it to the next level,” whatever that popular cliché means?

Or is it all some nefarious take-over, an insidious money-driven land-grab for some ill-gotten gain?

The only thing we know right now? Neither is an inappropriate reaction to what’s happened so far. It’s far too early to tell. Still, the mix of reactions continues to come in fast and furious.

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