sean stinson

Now now boys.....it is the same old bull****......I have a bigger one than you so mine is better syndrome.

Fever Mike has the point 1999-2001 there were always huge turnouts by both fans and racers. Those 3 years were some of the best turnouts ever since the days of old when everything was everything....those were the best to be around....you never knew what was going to happen.

T2x has the point that split factions are no good for the sport and I agree with him whole heartedly.

Thats all I have to say about that talk to everybody in another 6 months by that time there should be new factions and the same old battles.

"The Illustrious One"

FunHome

If only they thought of the FANS First!! Then the sport might have a chance.....

cuda

You would think in every town, somebody would have a connection with a media source.

magnum27

I know some of you are going to laugh at me for saying this but, I feel that if the Miami Vice movie portrays offshore boat racing the right way, it may spark interest in people that have now idea what it is even about or that it even exists. If Hollywood were to make movie's about offshore racing, the sport would grow leaps and bounds. Look at NASCAR, it wasn't huge until Hollywood started making movies about it and it seems ever time they make a blockbuster movie about NASCAR it gets even bigger. Movie's affect what is popular in todays society unfortunately, but if offshore racing could get on the big screen, then I feel the sky is the limit. I think it could grow bigger than it ever has been. When big executives see offshore racing in the main stream, then they will want to have their companies apart of it and will be hounding racers for sponsorships. But when it isn't they look for other means of advertisement and don't feel offshore racing will bring in the money worthy of the investment. This is just my thoughts and I hope the Miami Vice movie has a lot of boat racing scenes in it. This will only help the sport grow.

cuda

Good point Magnum. The tv show sparked a lot of us to become interested in these boats.

T2x

Ron:

With all due respect........ horse feathers.

The sport has been in a downward spiral since the late 80's when everybody from John Carbonell to Kurt Berger to Billy Frenz.....(people I know and like...but disagreed with strongly) ......started there own groups....splintering away from the APBA....and the stability, consistency and unity that it represented. The reasons for these splits ranged from insurance costs, to disagreements with "the old guard" , to simple ego and selfishness........ but the result has been a slow, torturous descent into virtual oblivion (The last time Offshore was ever on Network TV was about the time this nonsense began). Numbers of boats are reducing...even while classes are increasing...major sponsors are leaving even as vinylized signs on every boat are being added at record rates.... and too many potential racers .......are barrel rolling at Poker Runs.

So yes , Ron, the fans are confused by APBA, OSS, SBI, SBR, USO, NPBA. USPBA, OPA, Popra, OPT, SBR, LLC, and LSMFT........

They are also, increasingly, ............. bored.

T2x

Top Banana

I think that trying to compare the racing of today with the past is comparing apples to oranges......with the exception of the concept behind the race.

When T2X and I were just kids, we caught the bug because the races that we read about and attended were bigger than life...something we could wrap our imaginations around.

Why can't the racers themselves just put together a small series of races that could be sold to sponsors because of their uniquiness?

Miami to Key West......simplify it by letting only 3 classes of boats run....you come up with the specifics.

Miami to Nassau....Around Long Island ......LA to San Francisco....New York to Boston....Make it big enough to seem like a challenge to the regular boater.....but keep it simple enough to allow anyone to win due to factors like weather or navigation.

When you make it a BIG event, the press will follow.

There are some young boaters out there who need their imaginations stimulated.....what is the sport offering today?

T2x

Ahh!

Those were the days of my childhood....... elegant figure heads on the bow.... Centurians in their armor.

I remember the galley slaves rowing faster and faster as their Roman captains went to the whip.......... Talk about competition......... In those days winning was everything and losing meant being thrown to the sharks.

Today is tame by comparison.

T2x.......

Indy

Bingo...who cares anymore.

speed buff

maybe try and run different style coarses in each event on the schedule.you can run a miami to bimini race for example and maybe a miami to holiday isle race like they did back in the early 80s that was a great event . then you can also go with the usual close to shore races in the schedule to change things around for the racers and the fans.nascar has flat trak races,short tracks,long tacks,and it seems that it works out for them.i remember attending the apache race in turnberry isle back in the mid 80s and it was a great event even if you did not see the boats for an hour on the way to the bahamas.the racers made the race what it was.also the benihana race i believe was held on wednesday due to the large crowds.it was an "offshore event ". i agree with top banana : when you make it a big event that has a unique challenge the press and the fans will come.there are also way to many classes now.maybe an announcer would help at the race sites to pass on team and sponsor information to the spectators.it would be nice to see the "outside" race action at key west worlds on a big screen tv along the wall for the spectators to view the high flying rough water action with some info on the teams while the racing is neck an neck. just my 2 cents.