Granet Nails It
01-17-2011, 06:10 PM
#1
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01-17-2011, 07:13 PM
#3
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The offshore race system in Europe might not be perfect either but this is irrelevant relating to racing here in the US.
Now what Marc , Scott and the crew are doing is phenomenal, they can do it in light of a committed sponsor.
However many organizations or individuals with means that would be interested in racing or sponsoring it will not touch the cluster-f, that is offshore racing here in the US. I appreciate the circuits efforts in Europe whether messed up or not, but who cares they are 3500 miles away, any company that does not have worldwide exposure here in the US will not fund efforts to race there.
And to answer Marc, "What have I done to help the situation?" Related to racing... I have no inclination to do anything if you have to deal with people like Carbonell (spelling?). As a businessman I have to spend my time effectively, and offshore racing's commercial viability is so far offshore, pardon the pun that it would make the London to Monte Carlo race of the good old days seem like it's in a bathtub.
Thus no one with means will be interested in funding any racing for any length of time anytime soon here with the complete disarray in all sanctioning bodies. That disarray is what needs to be fixed and again no one with solutions or wherewithal I can think of will expend time on what has been proven again and again as a lost cause. People & Corporations with means will spend their time & resources somewhere else better organized where they can get a better return on their investment.
Until someone can handle the Herculean task of putting stability in the sanctioning bodies here in US offshore racing, I for one will see you at the next Poker Run, whatever happens in Europe.
I love watching racing and God bless the ones committing themselves to it these days they deserve all the praise for their sacrifices, they are doing it truly for the love of the sport because not much marketability is available.
Now what Marc , Scott and the crew are doing is phenomenal, they can do it in light of a committed sponsor.
However many organizations or individuals with means that would be interested in racing or sponsoring it will not touch the cluster-f, that is offshore racing here in the US. I appreciate the circuits efforts in Europe whether messed up or not, but who cares they are 3500 miles away, any company that does not have worldwide exposure here in the US will not fund efforts to race there.
And to answer Marc, "What have I done to help the situation?" Related to racing... I have no inclination to do anything if you have to deal with people like Carbonell (spelling?). As a businessman I have to spend my time effectively, and offshore racing's commercial viability is so far offshore, pardon the pun that it would make the London to Monte Carlo race of the good old days seem like it's in a bathtub.
Thus no one with means will be interested in funding any racing for any length of time anytime soon here with the complete disarray in all sanctioning bodies. That disarray is what needs to be fixed and again no one with solutions or wherewithal I can think of will expend time on what has been proven again and again as a lost cause. People & Corporations with means will spend their time & resources somewhere else better organized where they can get a better return on their investment.
Until someone can handle the Herculean task of putting stability in the sanctioning bodies here in US offshore racing, I for one will see you at the next Poker Run, whatever happens in Europe.
I love watching racing and God bless the ones committing themselves to it these days they deserve all the praise for their sacrifices, they are doing it truly for the love of the sport because not much marketability is available.
Last edited by GLH; 01-17-2011 at 07:17 PM.
01-17-2011, 09:54 PM
#5
Correspondent
CorrespondentThread Starter
The offshore race system in Europe might not be perfect either but this is irrelevant relating to racing here in the US.
Now what Marc , Scott and the crew are doing is phenomenal, they can do it in light of a committed sponsor.
However many organizations or individuals with means that would be interested in racing or sponsoring it will not touch the cluster-f, that is offshore racing here in the US. I appreciate the circuits efforts in Europe whether messed up or not, but who cares they are 3500 miles away, any company that does not have worldwide exposure here in the US will not fund efforts to race there.
And to answer Marc, "What have I done to help the situation?" Related to racing... I have no inclination to do anything if you have to deal with people like Carbonell (spelling?). As a businessman I have to spend my time effectively, and offshore racing's commercial viability is so far offshore, pardon the pun that it would make the London to Monte Carlo race of the good old days seem like it's in a bathtub.
Thus no one with means will be interested in funding any racing for any length of time anytime soon here with the complete disarray in all sanctioning bodies. That disarray is what needs to be fixed and again no one with solutions or wherewithal I can think of will expend time on what has been proven again and again as a lost cause. People & Corporations with means will spend their time & resources somewhere else better organized where they can get a better return on their investment.
Until someone can handle the Herculean task of putting stability in the sanctioning bodies here in US offshore racing, I for one will see you at the next Poker Run, whatever happens in Europe.
I love watching racing and God bless the ones committing themselves to it these days they deserve all the praise for their sacrifices, they are doing it truly for the love of the sport because not much marketability is available.
Now what Marc , Scott and the crew are doing is phenomenal, they can do it in light of a committed sponsor.
However many organizations or individuals with means that would be interested in racing or sponsoring it will not touch the cluster-f, that is offshore racing here in the US. I appreciate the circuits efforts in Europe whether messed up or not, but who cares they are 3500 miles away, any company that does not have worldwide exposure here in the US will not fund efforts to race there.
And to answer Marc, "What have I done to help the situation?" Related to racing... I have no inclination to do anything if you have to deal with people like Carbonell (spelling?). As a businessman I have to spend my time effectively, and offshore racing's commercial viability is so far offshore, pardon the pun that it would make the London to Monte Carlo race of the good old days seem like it's in a bathtub.
Thus no one with means will be interested in funding any racing for any length of time anytime soon here with the complete disarray in all sanctioning bodies. That disarray is what needs to be fixed and again no one with solutions or wherewithal I can think of will expend time on what has been proven again and again as a lost cause. People & Corporations with means will spend their time & resources somewhere else better organized where they can get a better return on their investment.
Until someone can handle the Herculean task of putting stability in the sanctioning bodies here in US offshore racing, I for one will see you at the next Poker Run, whatever happens in Europe.
I love watching racing and God bless the ones committing themselves to it these days they deserve all the praise for their sacrifices, they are doing it truly for the love of the sport because not much marketability is available.
In terms of unifying the sport, racers need to vote with their wallets. A few months ago, a well-known was complaining to me about one of the racing organizations. He pretty much tattooed everything from the organization's leadership to its rulebook. And yet when the organization held it's marquee, season-finale event, there he was, boat, crew and all, racing his heart out.
It baffled me at the time. It still baffles me.
01-17-2011, 09:54 PM
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pontificating is in full force
Matt, after reading yours and marc's blogs i can truely see that offshore racing atleast at a level comparable to Class1 is no where in the future for the US.
Matt how can you let such pontificating go un-questioned?
to compare Class 1 or X-cat to anything here in the US is a hard pill to swallow. although C1 appears to have political issues along with a team that continually dominates theres still vast differences that are easliy noticable. this is like comparing Nascar to your local gocart track.
as it pertains to cat type offshore racing, Class 1 and X-cat, no other series seems to have set rules, fairly consistant boat count and steady race sites. also considering that marc has no Class 1 experience nor have they really had competition compared overseas or even compared to other spec classes here. that is unless you count there dominating performance over this past year, where the pretended to race Qatar's 2 boats for the opa "show"/race series. and as for Qatar it seems they would rather put up with Class 1 BS than deal with drama here, since they packed up and are heading back to C1.
lets be honest, the one team that holds the most power for change had the oppurtunity of a lifetime this past year. Qatar brought 2 boats and tried to make some sort of parity in the SuperCat class. Geico had the oppurtunity to actually change one of there 3 raceboats and try to UNITE the several different supercat classes (750, 850, C1, piston extreme). this would have led to others joining the class just for the chance to race Qatar and Geico and along with the TV deal things might have changed for the better and in a relatively short time. but atlast this was not to be, instead it was egos as usaul. and now just more pontificating and finger pointing.
Matt how can you let such pontificating go un-questioned?
to compare Class 1 or X-cat to anything here in the US is a hard pill to swallow. although C1 appears to have political issues along with a team that continually dominates theres still vast differences that are easliy noticable. this is like comparing Nascar to your local gocart track.
as it pertains to cat type offshore racing, Class 1 and X-cat, no other series seems to have set rules, fairly consistant boat count and steady race sites. also considering that marc has no Class 1 experience nor have they really had competition compared overseas or even compared to other spec classes here. that is unless you count there dominating performance over this past year, where the pretended to race Qatar's 2 boats for the opa "show"/race series. and as for Qatar it seems they would rather put up with Class 1 BS than deal with drama here, since they packed up and are heading back to C1.
lets be honest, the one team that holds the most power for change had the oppurtunity of a lifetime this past year. Qatar brought 2 boats and tried to make some sort of parity in the SuperCat class. Geico had the oppurtunity to actually change one of there 3 raceboats and try to UNITE the several different supercat classes (750, 850, C1, piston extreme). this would have led to others joining the class just for the chance to race Qatar and Geico and along with the TV deal things might have changed for the better and in a relatively short time. but atlast this was not to be, instead it was egos as usaul. and now just more pontificating and finger pointing.
01-17-2011, 10:11 PM
#8
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Matt, after reading yours and marc's blogs i can truely see that offshore racing atleast at a level comparable to Class1 is no where in the future for the US.
Matt how can you let such pontificating go un-questioned?
to compare Class 1 or X-cat to anything here in the US is a hard pill to swallow. although C1 appears to have political issues along with a team that continually dominates theres still vast differences that are easliy noticable. this is like comparing Nascar to your local gocart track.
as it pertains to cat type offshore racing, Class 1 and X-cat, no other series seems to have set rules, fairly consistant boat count and steady race sites. also considering that marc has no Class 1 experience nor have they really had competition compared overseas or even compared to other spec classes here. that is unless you count there dominating performance over this past year, where the pretended to race Qatar's 2 boats for the opa "show"/race series. and as for Qatar it seems they would rather put up with Class 1 BS than deal with drama here, since they packed up and are heading back to C1.
lets be honest, the one team that holds the most power for change had the oppurtunity of a lifetime this past year. Qatar brought 2 boats and tried to make some sort of parity in the SuperCat class. Geico had the oppurtunity to actually change one of there 3 raceboats and try to UNITE the several different supercat classes (750, 850, C1, piston extreme). this would have led to others joining the class just for the chance to race Qatar and Geico and along with the TV deal things might have changed for the better and in a relatively short time. but atlast this was not to be, instead it was egos as usaul. and now just more pontificating and finger pointing.
Matt how can you let such pontificating go un-questioned?
to compare Class 1 or X-cat to anything here in the US is a hard pill to swallow. although C1 appears to have political issues along with a team that continually dominates theres still vast differences that are easliy noticable. this is like comparing Nascar to your local gocart track.
as it pertains to cat type offshore racing, Class 1 and X-cat, no other series seems to have set rules, fairly consistant boat count and steady race sites. also considering that marc has no Class 1 experience nor have they really had competition compared overseas or even compared to other spec classes here. that is unless you count there dominating performance over this past year, where the pretended to race Qatar's 2 boats for the opa "show"/race series. and as for Qatar it seems they would rather put up with Class 1 BS than deal with drama here, since they packed up and are heading back to C1.
lets be honest, the one team that holds the most power for change had the oppurtunity of a lifetime this past year. Qatar brought 2 boats and tried to make some sort of parity in the SuperCat class. Geico had the oppurtunity to actually change one of there 3 raceboats and try to UNITE the several different supercat classes (750, 850, C1, piston extreme). this would have led to others joining the class just for the chance to race Qatar and Geico and along with the TV deal things might have changed for the better and in a relatively short time. but atlast this was not to be, instead it was egos as usaul. and now just more pontificating and finger pointing.
You are confusing the technology with the success of the racing circuit when it comes to Class 1. Qatar raced here last year because the team was disenchanted with Class 1. The Steve Curtis quote in my story supports that. Whatever benefit Qatar brought to the states last year was born out of frustration with things overseas.
But don't ask me. Ask Steve Curtis. And ask if the problems they have in UIM Class 1 are new. Ask John Tomlinson.
Despite how spectacular it is, UIM Class 1 has suffered from all of the same problems we have right here. Spending wars. Ridiculous costs. Politics. Massive owner egos. Infighting. Fragmentation. Technical rule and safety issue. More than once, UIM Class 1 has found itself on the verge of collapse.
In the mid-1990s, I had the privilege of sitting in on a Class 1 team owners meeting. You think we have ego problems with team owners here? And by all accounts, or at least the accounts of the few racers I know, it hasn't gotten any better.
I cannot comment intelligently on X-Cat, but I can comment on UIM Class 1. And if you think it presents a workable model we should emulate here, you're kidding yourself. Its current state, and its history, just don't support that.
There is one area in which UIM Class 1 does provide a model for the U.S. community to emulate: the professionalism of its race teams. That's worth noting.
Last, if you're honestly suggesting that the Miss Geico team did anything resembling a disservice to offshore racing, I respectfully (but strongly) have to disagree. I, too, wish they'd done something with Super Cat, but that's not what the team owner wanted. Regardless, AMF Racing and Geico helped keep the sport alive.
01-18-2011, 08:51 AM
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We are less than a full month into 2011 and there are at least 3 new racing possibilites on the horizon for John Tomlinson. Only time will tell just exactly where he will be dropping the throttles this year. He could be going for the 2011 Class 1 title as well as racing here stateside, so stay tuned here to get the latest on his racing plans for the 2011 season. This is from TNT's website. Undoubtedly, JT must not think there is very much wrong with Class 1 racing?
