According to his PR machine John Haggin is "revolutionizing" the sport.

Certainly he can fund it.

There are a bunch of guys who can run it:

Linder

Steve David

Brownie

Tom D'eath

and others

Bottom line

One feature class where you put your stars, plus a handful ( read 2 or 3) of "farm" classes for development of future champions.

This has worked in every other motorsports venue (including Offshore back in the day).....and it ain't brain surgery.

T2x

You mean you guys did not run 80's ??????

The old races look faster !?

You forgot to me on the list ?! LOL

It depends on the era........

Basically in the 60's the boats ran 45-65 mph

in the 70's the boats ran 70-80

in the 80's the speeds went from 80-140 ( and to some of us that was the "golden age")

by the 90's speeds over 150 were commonplace

T2x

My opinion, to race in a "breakout class" is affordable to a lot of people who would not be close to competitive in the old classes. That is because in the entry level classes, some people, "to remain unmentioned", will lay up a lighter than heck raceboat, put in a 510 ci engine that was built and tested by the guru's of NASCAR or ?, add a professional driver and throttleman who have been competing and being paid for years, and then brag about how they kicked everyones butts. Find two or three affordable classes and two or three elite classes and put together a program. The only current way to race on a limited budget and be competitive is in the brackets. I'm glad they attract racers to participate, one of these days it will be my wife and I. If you eliminated all the bracket racers, and all of the classes where only one boat showed, how many participants would have been on the course at St. Clair?

On another note, would the Miami Water Stadium support an offshore venue? At St. Clair, I enjoyed the short course more than the long course, and in Key West, I enjoyed the shorrt course, (due to roughness in about 99?), more than the old long course. I know it's fun to race way offshore, but it is not fan friendly.

The Marine Stadium is interesting in that during the old 6 and 9 hour marathon days, only one turn was actually in the stadium. The west end has entrance and exit channels so the race boats would spend most of the race on a boomerang shaped course out in Biscayne Bay and come into the stadium and make a u turn on the short course buoys at the east end after running past the stands. They would then run down the back straight and continue out the northernmost exit channel to the rest of the race course. I suppose Offshore boats could do the same. After all they are now running on the 2 1/2 mile Gold Cup course in Detroit. I think the challenge would be getting the permission to race on the main part of Biscayne Bay.

T2x

Get John Haggin and his new association in touch with the city, the family that donated it, and see what can happen. The city must notice the $ brought into KW at the world's and potentially the Stadium would be packed. The skiffs in St Clair were fun to watch for between heats.

Could you see most of the course in the Bay from the stands?

I know it's not easy, but the group saving the stadium, you guys, Haggin and his group, and maybe Steve David with his Unlimited contacts could get it going. NASCAR is popular because they limit the cars on the run-away tracks to make it close for excitement and you can see the entire track friom the stands. Somehow offshore needs a Daytona type venue which can be observed with side by side racing after the first lap or two. Once again, my opinion.

A guy told me once to be "world cnampion" you only needed the "best truck" to get you to all of the races!!!!!!

I think you are mistaking that with NATIONAL CHAMPION, because to be world Champion you only need to go to 2 races and then win in KW.

Ok heres what I think . come up with lets say 5 classes and thats it . All boats to be raced must fit into one of the 5 classes that way racers are building boats for a class instead of building a class around every different type boat. I mean hell if I wanted too i could show up at an APBA offshore race with a 12' jonboat with a 5 hp outboard and tell them I want to race for a national championship and they will find a class for me...what a joke. I mean damn you dont see guys showing up to a Nascar race and try to enter a 78 pinto wagon to race. Why you ask because your car has to fit inside a certain set of rules dictated by the sanctioning body. And for all those racing now who say well I ve been racing in "x" class for 3 years and now there isnt a class that my boat fits into then oh well buy or build a boat to fit within the rule base or you dont race. Racing aint a cheap sport thats why you dont see everyone building cup cars to show up at Daytona every Feburary