Powerboat racers are now required to compete in a minimum quota of races in order to be eligible for the Around the Island Race.It is now mandatory that all Bermuda Powerboat Association (BPBA) members must compete in at least two races prior to the Around the Island Race to be eligible for the latter event.BPBA vice-commodore, Ernie Mello, said the new ruling was put in place as a safety measure.“This is a safety thing more than anything else,” he said. “It’s more of safety issue to get the members acclimated to competition.”A circumnavigation race around the Island scheduled for June 3 will also enable powerboat racers to acclimatise to the challenging conditions on South Shore.“It’s a shakedown for Around the Island Race,” Mello said. “The circumnavigation race will give them their first run down the South Shore.”Because of an act of parliament, BPBA members will not be allowed to use the traditional Around the Island Race course during June’s circumnavigation race, which was inaugurated in 2004.“It’s not the Around the Island Race course at all ... it’s just a circumnavigation of Bermuda,” Mello said. “We are not allowed to go inside Hamilton and must stay 100 yards off the reef line.”The 2012 BPBA season was supposed to kick off with last weekend’s Dockyard National Grand Prix that was eventually postponed partly due to forecasts of bad weather. The season will now start with racing at Ferry Reach on April 29.In all, there are 14 race days included on BPBA’s 2012 schedule.“It is an ambitious schedule,” Mello added. “And hopefully we can get in all the races despite the current state of the economy which has also impacted on our membership.”The upcoming season will mark former national champion Paul Wellman’s first as BPBA commodore.Mello, one of the association’s longest serving members, has high expectations for Wellman who succeeded Brian Smith for the top post last December.“Paul is a former racer and past national champion so you have a really good combination of former and current experience,” Mello said. “And I think that’s where you are going to see the change in the association.”