Turbine Class ?
 

On May 12th someone from the JBS Crew wrote in the thread "Miss Geico Blog- Granet" at http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...og-granet.html :
"Good luck this season. Be safe and have fun! Hope we get a chance to meet up at a race or two this year.". And I wonder: How could they still not know even in May whether or not they at least planned to race the Geico this year?
Unfortunately, on the JBS homepage they have still posted the race schedule of last (!?) year. And as far as I can see, no such race has yet taken place this year.

Furthermore, it seems to me that the Aquamania is in retirement (somebody here even said that it might get sold). And from a certain "Rebel Racer" I have heard once and never again. Others speculated that Al Copeland´s Phenomenon would finally appear at the Loto Shootout this year, but it didn´t. With regard to the record boat of that contest, did or will the My Way ever run against the Miss Geico?
In other words, to me the general panorama in the Turbine Class (quotation marks omitted) appears to be rather bleak. And I would be happy if someone here could correct me on this one...

So my question is: What are the chances for a race among turbine boats this year?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Peter

I don't think anyone can answer that question right now and I think that JBS Racing has been looking for a sponsor to race and without a sponsor the boat will sit. Aqua-Mania I think is not going to race. Rebel Racing did make it to the LOTO SHOOTOUT but had a fire and who knows where that leaves them for this year. Miss Gieco will always try to be at a race and they look forward to racing against any Turbine Boat. My Way is really not a race boat but a pleasure boat that enters Poker Runs and this year, the LOTO Shootout. Like I said it is hard to answer your question unless one of the other Turbine boats, indicates that they plan on racing this year and against Miss Geico.

If " Miss mary Mac " chooses too , She WILL take out the gecko boat . Done deal .
Sorry guys thats the way it will end up in key west !
Arruda will have his day , and it,s comin, quick .
Fire ??? ok big deal they,ve moved on .

I'll put my money on the team with the most experience on the racecourse and that is NOT Mary Mac.

Those certain racing classes, seem to thump their chests in the spring hoping to attract members of the other species i.e sponsors with deep pockets, who will flood them with cash during the racing season so they can enjoy their passion and get the sponsors some venue exposure during the season.

When that money doesn't materialize, the teams keep quiet about their plans, don't show up to race and disappear from the radar until the next year when it all starts over again.

The Turbine class essentially is a tough and expensive hobby to all of the teams except one.

It is much easier for the others to attend a few pokers runs or shootouts, get local event sponsors that foot the bill and still get the attention the owners crave and the locals love. This way you avoid the politics, expense and pressure of the racing circuit, still get to run your boat and fire up the turbines and keep wear and tear to a minimum both on your boat and the engines.

In the meantime the green gecko, goes around in circles, collecting trophy after trophy and championship after championship because they have bottomless pockets and unlimited resources.

It is what it is.....

+1

Ok Catmando, no more free T shirts and hats for you when you come by my shop :). You are officially on the other team now.

Aqua Mania is not sold or retired. They want a new MTI, but until some one purchases the old one, they will be running the old dog. Look for them in Clearwater and Key West. They are all booked and ready to battle Geico.

When it comes to Rebel Racing and my team, we are working hard to clean up from the little mishap in lotto.
The boat will be going to MTI for some glass work and the engine are getting a little R&R at TM. We are shooting for to be in Clear water as well. Key West would be worse case.

I'm with the Geico boys. They've " been their, done that". Absolutely no dis-respect intended to the other turbine guys, but the Geico boys always come through. Instead of verbally ripping them apart, the other turbine teams should respect them and watch them. With the exception of a little mishap here and there, the Miss Geico team shows up when they say they are. They go race site to race site knowing they will be racing alone, but they still spend all that money and take up there time to show up and put on a show, that is called integrity ( probably spelled wrong- but you get the point.) I remember back before the season started, Miss Geico posted all the races they intended on going to. If that is not a challenge to other turbines then I don't know what is. They invited all, and all their was was alot of smack talk from other teams. How about going out and trying to beat the best, and until you do, how about showing some respect to the guys who earned it. Just my opinion, please don't anyone take it personal.

I do not know of any other turbine team that does not respect what Geico does ? I for one, was there for may years and know what it takes. You say that Geico always shows up where they say they are going to show up. Well, I would hope so. That's how they make their money. If they do not show up, they do not get paid.
Team Geico is a professional race team, and the others do it for fun and pay there own way. When you pay your own way, you can make your own schedule based on your time available. That is how it's going to be for the other teams (Aqua-Mania - Rebel Racing) in the future, as they have no interest in having a employer.

Geico has millions of sponsors. Think about it..:evilb:

As previously posted By Mr. Arruda:

"Aqua Mania is not sold or retired. They want a new MTI, but until some one purchases the old one, they will be running the old dog. Look for them in Clearwater and Key West. They are all booked and ready to battle Geico. "

Are you saying they are trying to sell the Mystic as well as the Skater?

Larry Goldman at Extreme Marine sold the 46' Skater a long time ago, and yes the Mystic is for sale.

T.Y. Mr. Arruda... the listing for the Skater is still on Yachtworld.com so it was a coin toss if it was just another un-attended listing or the boat's sale just wasn't going anywhere with the economy

]

We look forward to her racing again. TM will have her back in shape in no time. Remember, she has had one race we are crossing our 100th race over 150mph. With persistence she will have her day just as we did. It's not something that can be rushed as you will pay with your life. Any team can be beat with planning practice,determination and money.

I would caution any team gunning for Miss Geico, if she (Miss G) is healthy she is a formidable opponent. Underestimate us at your peril.

Turbine Class, Superboat Unlimited,Extreme... we are all running for Top Dog and right now it's inconsistent for various reasons (health,accidents,cost,luck) so don't make too many assumptions most of the owners didn't get where they are by giving up.

As noted we are a professional race team and may of our competitors are part time. There is a difference in resources applied. That said , again, anyone can be beat.

We view our job as servicing our sponsor, please the fans and be great ambassadors to our sport.

Love us , Hate us...we'll keep doing what we do best.

Miss G

cant wait to see some good racing in Clearwater this year....keep it up.

I know of a turbine team that doesn't respect anybody but themselves. I won't mention names, and I really shouldn't even be saying this at all because I have never even met anyone on the team, the only stuff I "know" about them is what my fellow OSOers say, and that's not really fair. But my original point was that they all talk about this and that and how they're going to spank Geico, but it seems like one excuse after another. You did it also saying Aquamania -Rebel Racing will do it. I don't doubt for one second that they can do it, but just go out and do it, and do it on a regular basis, not just a win here and there every couple of years. Once again, I don't mean any dis-respect to any team at all, they all would kick my ass out there. I'm just giving my view as a fan.

You are wrong about the last part...we do not have bottomless pockets and unlimited resources. Perhaps at one time, but we are a professional team that works within a budget with numbers that are not even close to what public perception may be. We have a dedicated and hard working team and in order to be champions - you have to MAKE IT to the races, hello - FINISH and do that CONSISTENTLY - which we have. Not only that, but we provide incredible exposure to the sport and make it possible for others to find sponsors by being the example for the class. We WANT the competition and have the utmost respect for other turbine teams.

I agree with 95% of what you are saying - but, don't take away from the fact that we work our a$$e$ off to make the races a great experience for everyone and to bring exposure to turbines and the sport. Regardless of what budget any team might have - it takes experience and hard work to do what we do - it is what it is!

That said...Aqua Mania, Rebel and the rest of you...we look forward to seeing you all again on the water real soon!

I do agree with you 2 fast....and I know things have changed significantly in the Geico camp since JH left the helm last year..
I also believe it is difficult from your perspective to retain high-level sponsors like Geico and others without regular and expensive tv exposure and competition. I all was trying to say was because of the financial backing you had when starting out it is now easier for you to now "ride the wave". Other teams never had the resources you guys did over the last few years and with the economy and persistent friction between the racing organizations it is extremely difficult to get a race together between the turbine teams. While a full schedule of races between the other teams isn't going to happen anytime soon, hopefully one of the teams can gather up enough cash to get to at least one race this year to challenge your reputation as the undisputed turbine class champion. I know you guys would welcome such a showdown and the fans all hope it will eventually happen so we can finally embrace a team who lives up to all the smack-talk going on for the past few years.

I've been a Turbine Marine supporter since the beginning. I've read all the articles about you and how you have made turbines safe for use on the water. I'm still a fan of you and your talented team.

Sorry that I'm still a GEICO supporter but your guys need to knock them off their top spot before I'll switch. I hope Miss Mary Mac can hang in there to get the seat time and experience to compete with GEICO. Do they have the money? Turbine class is expensive as you well know.

I agree with you for the most part except that there is no such thing as easily riding the wave in a turbine boat at nearly 200mph. It has taken a lot of work regardless of the financial support. You can't buy what those guys have done in that boat!

believe me the work involved is a LOT easier to deal with when you do not have to worry about cutting the checks...and in all reality traveling in a mystic at near 200 mph isn't all that bad in most conditions if the bottom stays intact...

I'm just going to say that we have different perspectives on it. Yours is from the outside looking in and mine is from the inside looking out and ahead for the past six years.

Nobody writes checks in this economy for average and let's keep in mind that Marc and Scotty have "run around in circles" nearly 100 times before having a mishap! You can call it what you want, but even Cosker flipped one and Arruda is dealing with issues early in the game! I stand firmly saying that not everyone can do what they've done and that said, we'll just have to agree to disagree!

[QUOTE=and in all reality traveling in a mystic at near 200 mph isn't all that bad in most conditions [/QUOTE]
I have to disagree, just because its 50' long, 200 MPH is still 200 FREAKIN MILES PER HOUR. No room for error and everything happens very fast.

I agree and we don't have to disagree! Good Luck too fast!

Scotty, I just wanted to throw some needed attn on the turbine class ,and get some smack talk goin, for Key West :lolhit::
I would love to see you , and three others at this years
worlds .
Key West looks to be pulling in a large number of superboats this year .
I hope JBS makes it as well .:drink:

:lolhit:[

Great video about Miss GEICO and turbine racing!
http://www.fort-lauderdale-marine-di...ws/q/26826.php

::coolcowboy:

[:party-smiley-004:

bobo, I said "at nearly 200mph"....have been over 190mph a number of times in a mystic....2010 Miami poker run to Islamorada and FPC Fort Myers to Everglade City with John Arruda on the throttles and a few other inland poker runs as well... and like I said conditions were not that bad and I was just along for the ride...no offense taken, just stating my limited experience and from talking with other owner/racers.:drink::drink:

There has been a remark in article #5 above that caught my attention, and it hasn´t been rebutted (yet):
In other words, it is much easier to get sponsoring for events than for races. Is this true? If yes, it would provide a partial explanation for why the turbine class is in such a bad shape.

After all, the Miss Geico is of course also participating in events....

[:eek:

to put it simply teams race if they have the desire, resources and cash.

if, and when, those factors all align at the same time for the 4 turbine teams it would certainly be a cool event to witness, but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon...

Cat is there something Very Wrong with you?? Those are real nice people at Turbine Marine we need more like them.

[:bigbird:

We can keep the psychological factors (desire) and the resources as distinct from cash (know how) for later on. For the moment, I am talking about cash and nothing but cash.

Ultimately I would of course like to understand why the offshore turbine class is in such a bad shape. "Too expensive" is too cheap an answer, because there exist at least one or two teams with sufficient resources. You do not seem to share this interest of mine, since you don´t give any answers, but simply list the three most fundamental aspects to be taken into account in this context. But nevertheless this is a good start, since where there are possible multiple causes it is good advice to differenciate right from the start and then go step by step. And cash is an obvious place to start with.

So perhaps I should restate my question of article #30 in a somewhat more precise manner:
Is it easier to get funding by participating in events than it is to get funding by participating in races? Or is there no significant difference? Best would be an answer from someone who shares my interest.


I do hope that your pessimism here is unjustified. This essentially says that it is unlikely that there will exist an offshore turbine class which deserves this designation anytime soon. Contrast this with what has happened to unlimited hydroplanes in the past 25 years...

Peter

As awesome as the turbines are. For me personally The sound of the turbines is a turnoff compared to a piston engine. Look what happened to the unlimited hydros. In the past when the big allisons fired up people would come running. Now not so much. There has been talk of trying to get piston powered boats back in the unlimiteds to attract more interest. Unfortunatly its tough to compete in all aspects with turbine power.

If it were not for unlimited hydroplanes and the jet class of the Reno Air Races, I would not be interested in motor sports. In fact, before the son of a friend confronted me with gas turbines, my interest in engineering was restricted to space technology. Today it has extended to all types of heat engines, even though gas turbines will probably always be my favourite ones.

All of this reminds me of a discussion I had years ago with aerobatic pilots: These dimwits want airplanes with a high power to weight ratio - but not too high. I can assure you that the reason why none of them has ever flown a torque roll at 10ft. above ground (the most exiting aerial maneuver I can imagine) is not because this is too dangerous, but because these guys are intelectually somewhat limited: They just don´t want turboprops.

As far as my motor sound preferences etc. go, I have posted an article under the title of "Farters and Singers" into "The Bilge" - where I believe all such statements should go.