Cardinal makes a good point......but it needs amplification. There are two issues at play...:

1. The more exotic powerplants are not as dependable as the more limited ones....and this leads to loud engines and bad racing as the boats break down early and often..... i.e. SBI's main event last year at New Orleans turned into a battle of the walking wounded with racing taking a back seat to mechanics.

2. The "spec" classes are TOO limited (pendulums swing in both directions)....... wherein narrow guidelines and "designated" engine builders remove the initiative, individuality and sex appeal associated with unique products. In some cases I am reminded of a roadside go cart track........with every vehicle identical and all of them experiencing the same empty feeling as they "peak out" at exactly the same RPM and road speed....and passers by aren't exactly lining up three deep to watch this redundancy.

So...............

The answer , IMHO, is in moderation. "Spec " engines that allow for some individual customization..... A clever crew chief who figures out a way to get more mid range punch should not be penalized...... He is making the boat more responsive and safer....and challenging the others to catch up. This is a time honored tradition in racing. We have gone overboard in an attempt to make everything equal.

Today "deck to deck racing" means that no one should ever be "beaten" and that philosophy has "dumbed down" all classes to the least common denominator......which also has become the most profitable "product" simultaneously. If someone is "beaten" then cries immediately erupt stating the winner is "cheating" ........ and that plays to divisiveness and off the race course political manipulations which continually limit excellense.

Unfortunately, today this is, increasingly, the rule in business and politics as well...... and........as the sport embraces (bends over for) corporate dollars the board room rules are taking over....... to wit marketing controls everything. Like the liberal media there is an "assumption" that the grass roots racer has to have his sport legislated to him...and controlled "for" him. This gives no credit to the true racers who will get out there and compete without being hand carried and provided a "package".........Hence the popularity of refreshing groups like "The Jersy Boyz" and the time tested GLOPBRA.

I have been criticised for my "good old days" point of view........BUT

There were fleets of over 40 (count em) Open boats at races in the "Good Old Days"......... And events like Havasu drew over 150 entries in only two classes of racing..........

.........and there wasn't a logo'd corporate golf shirt in sight.

Nuff said!

T2x........... contributing another "little essay"

Thank You Rich. Very succinct.... SBI Big motors, love 'em. APBA (could be) good competition for engine builders (and corporation's remember the SEMA Skater V-10 Offshore Duty Viper motor? ) so I have to vote for a 'review' ,of allowable technology !!!!!! on both fronts:D :D :D :D

T2x
What happened to your comment from yesterday? Too much koolaid?
Too bad I did not print it in time.

This seems like USAC (IRL) and CART. When they split they killed the racing. There is a lot of common ground i.e. indy/sarasota

Maybe they should try to unite apba and sbi. Maybe there should be a owners/racers group that would have a say in the rules. Maybe I should put down my koolaid.

pat W

I think racing should be like kids baseball. Everyone gets a trophy, and nobody wins. Why do we want to have someone win when that will then generate sad hurt feelings upon the less fortunate (loser). We must use positive reinforcement. We must not learn lessons the hard way. Innovation and hard work are archaic ideas that no longer apply to today's society. You DESERVE a trophy. In fact you are OWED a trophy. You should not have to sweat for hours and days on end in preparation under the outdoor flood lights with bugs all over for nights on end to make it to a race. This is the 21st century. You are entitled! Oh.......I thought a liberal was talking for a minute.:p ;) :D

Is Shane being controlled by Hillary Clinton or Al Gore?

"It takes a village to win an offshore race!"

T2x,what happened to your post?Did you receive some sort of subpoena ???

HEY CAN I JOIN IN THE FUN???????

WELL HERE IT GOES. I DO AGREE THAT THE SO CALLED NASCAR RULES DO NOT HELP INNOVATION AT ALL. IDOES A LITTLE BUT NOT MUCH. BUT HOW ABOUT THIS. NOBODY HAS SAID THIS YET.

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL AFTER WINNING A RACE AGAINST 30 OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAD ALMOST THE SAME SETUP THAT YOU DID THAT DAY AND YOU BEAT THEM ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE THE BETTER DRIVER/THROTTLMAN. WELL I TELL YOU HOW I FELT WHEN I BEAT 28 BOATS FOR THE WORLD TITLE IN 2000. IT FELT ****IN GREAT THAT THAT DAY .

JUST ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT PEOPLE. JUST MY OPINION.

TREADWELL

Good point and a valid case for the factory classes. However, at the end of the day the spectators (who are not related to the Factory class participants) come to see the premier class boats...and for the most part they want big, fast, competitive, loud ....AND....sexy. As much as it might mean to it's owner, a 28 foot Velocity runabout...does not fit this description.

Eric, your Factory 2 victories were hard fought, well earned and entertaining.......but where we disagree is I don't believe you can build a spectator sport out of what is basically a consumer product racing class....... Fun, challenging and exciting for the racer.....absolutely...... but not prime time material. The problem occurred, it seems to me, when the Factory classes were inflated from entry level showroom stock classes to "professional" sponsored racing efforts........

The difference...again this is only one man's opinion.....albeit a man who raced boats, built boats, and announced boats all of his life...........is that feature classes should be full race hulls, with top technology, paid drivers/throttlemen, able to perform at the highest levels, in the closest quarters, at the highest speeds.

There are people in the world of speed that others aspire to be,
Schumacher, Andretti, Seebold, Hanauer, Tomlinson, Serralles, to name a few.......... These guys are not legendery for their ability to helm a family sedan........or a Donzi. In order to reach the pantheon of racing's elite....... you keep a Donzi at your summer home's dock and a Mclaren/Ferrari/Unlimited Hydro/Skater on your race trailer.

Factory/Performance classes are stepping stones to greatness, with some great moments and performances along the way....but realistically...are not destinations in and of themselves. People want to:

See the best

In the best

Against the best

At their best.

Now that's a formula to believe in.

T2x

Unite APBA and SBI?........................... I tried that yesterday.... and it was "disappointing".......so I stopped.......;)

T2x