popular.

But the venerable Round The Island powerboat race is also at the crossroads, charting a new course for the future and attempting to wipe away its often shadowy image.

When the 25-odd boats cast off in their often treacherous 60-mile trek on Sunday, they will reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour. The changes in their sport will arrive much slower but with a little more certainty.

In fact, some enthusiasts are already benefiting from one change: The addition of a new entry-level racing class intended to open the sport to young boaters.

The A Stock Class becomes the seventh in the Bermuda Powerboat Association (although the F Class will not be run on Sunday because there are no entrants.) "What we're trying to do is appeal to a 16-year-old who would like to come out but can't afford to run,'' says the BPA's young, new Commodore, Paul Rodrigues.

Stock racing limits boats to one, factory-issued engine (in A Class it can be no larger than 85 cubic inches) and is the way of the future, according to Rodrigues. Currently, drivers are only restricted by engine size; what they do with that engine is entirely up to them.

Rodrigues figures it isn't fair that some owners can afford to spend a small fortune modifying their engines and remain in the same division as those who can't, or won't.

The association's goal is to make the sport more accessible.

"There's a new generation (of boaters) coming,'' said Rodrigues, who will once again be racing his D-class Geronimo , which was third across the line a year ago.

While six rookies will be in Sunday's line-up, the number of drivers will be about the same as past few years, Rodrigues said.

Powerboating's link with drugs -- "a bad rap,'' Rodrigues, says -- is another target of the new executive. Whether they're used to pick up bundles offshore or merely used as toys of the dealers, the public perception of powerboaters scares off both new drivers and new sponsors, Rodrigues acknowledges.

That's why mandatory drug testing for drivers is on the way. After hoping to have it for this year's Round the Island Race, Rodrigues says it will "almost definitely'' be in place next year.

One sponsor who hasn't been scared off is Esso, which has been involved with the race for years and this year has upped its commitment by offering $250 cash prizes to the winners.

"Sponsors are starting to realise that drugs and boats are two things that don't mix.'' All these changes don't particularly sit well with some veterans, Rodrigues concedes. After all, the Round the Island Race is unique in that there are few rules to follow; just get a fast boat and drive it as fast as you can.

Round the Island Race From Page 13 It's this element -- along with the unpredictability -- that has spectators lined along various vantage points.

In flat waters of the Great Sound, many boats -- in particular Kirk Roberts' 25-foot Skater, carrying twin 153-cubic inch outboards -- will reach speeds in excess of 100 mph. He's hoping to surpass his Round the Island Record of 36 minutes.

It's along the South Shore that things get tricky. The pounding of deep ocean swells and hidden reefs can make navigation and reliability a key.

"Seventy per cent of the time, it's sheer luck to win the race,'' said Rodrigues. "The rest is pure driver skill.

"You can prepare your boat as much as you want but the South Shore will take its toll if you don't have Lady Luck on your side. Sometimes it's just a five-cent part that can cost you a race.'' Without a designated course to follow, drivers are on their own. Some will take a route outside the reef; some will travel within 10 feet of the coastline.

"Ninety percent of the time, the fastest boat doesn't win,'' said Rodrigues.

Five of the six class champions from a year ago are back to defend their title: Guy DeSilva (A Modified), Howard Paynter (B), Louis Martin and Andrew DaCosta (C) and Roberts (Unlimited). The only one not returning is D champion Patrick Stamper.

Race director Ernie Mello points out that three record holders from 1992 have returned: Roderick Simms in his 16-foot A Class Phantom, Paynter in Total Panic and C-Class' Red Hot , driven by Jason Pimental and Steve Burgess.

Roberts and co-driver Douglas Davis, who won line honours last year, can expect a challenge by the only other gas-guzzler in the field, the triple-engined Wide Open , piloted by Troy Burgess and Vincent Trott.

RACE FACTS WHAT: Round the Island Powerboat Race.

WHEN: Sunday, 2.00 p.m. Pre-race inspection at 7.00 a.m.

WHERE: Start and finish at Ferry Reach, St. George's.

ADMISSION: $3, with access to pit row.

DISTANCE: 60 nautical miles.

COURSE: West along North Shore into Great Sound, back out around Dockyard, east along South Shore past St. David's head and back into Ferry Reach.

ENTRIES: 25, as of yesterday.

CLASSES: A Modified (limited engine displacement of 59.5 cubic inches); A Stock (85); B (110); D (165); F (366); S (Unlimited). Outboard engines only.