I do understand its all marketing and its a brand with great recognition, etc. They still build nice boats. Not bashing. But I do find it silly a company can call itself Cigarette Racing and not race at all!

I believe Phil Lipship won in 2001 with the twin step top gun.

Who have been the big winners since then?

^^^^^Well, world has gotten worse. With easy to get, decent looking vinyl graphics now-a-days, every other import and old POS truck around here has some sort of made up personal or small group racing decal across the top of their front windshield and/or rear window.

In response to every 30ft and up boat being a 'Cigarette', take it in stride. I had a outdrive in my office here for almost a year. Atleast 9 out of 10 people asked either 'what kind of motor is that' or 'when are you going to install that motor." Worst part is, more than half of those people had to give me input on what was wrong with their car and how we should fix it. We are a lake front resort community.

That is fact !

Here we go...winter starting early.

I presume the company was named when don basically crushed the vast majority of races and records (since and before) the company was founded in 69. Trade marked. Name is what it is. There's boating companies with far less racing lineage than cig that use world champion or racing in their names. Whatever.

Cry babies

I am thinking all Fountain owners should have their emblems changed to: Worlds Fastest V or World Champion, or at least Cat Killer.... LOL

Phil won the world champions in 01 in the F2 class running one of the 4 F2 boats built. Tres raced and won but I'm not sure if he won the world champions in either the virgin gladiator or TS gun.

Since then there's been cig race boats (the don on here is one example), unleashed gladiator raced for a while and there was the bell and Ross / smash poker custom built 45 cig race boat for P1 overseas recently.

It's not that people haven't raced cigs through the past 10 years or so, it's the lack of cigarette factory backing - they (skip) doesn't do it. It's a pit to throw money into and he does just as good if not better marketing his product in other ways. The old days of watch a race on the weekend, buy that boat the next week that is greatly the point of road, off-road, street bike etc racing is a thing of the past for the boating community. Poker runs took over.

Now you want to talk about marketing, skip and cig are all over poker runs. That's where the money is. I guess they could change the name to world class poker run boats. But considering cigarette racing team is trade marked and a world renowned and recognized insignia and name - Changing it would be rather daft.

Or Skank Patrol.......Skank Killer

Yup, forget about them.