Received a email today from RWO about the Clearwater and key west races. Says don’t believe the rumors and teams are signed up. Says a big band is playing Thursday in key west. Anyone know what teams have confirmed to go? Just curious if we should go.

I did talk to a victory team guy Friday at the shootout. I asked if they were doing key west. He said no but RWO was really trying to get them to go and offered free hotel rooms. He said they just laughed that it want even 5% of there budget.

RWO posted on their FB page stating the Clearwater race is now part of the 6 race APBA point series. I call BS

In case anyone wonders why APBA has been growing increasingly insignificant for the past 20 years, this is it. OPA and P-1 put APBA back on the Offshore map and the first chance APBA gets to screw them, their members, and the sport, the APBA poo bahs take it. Pathetic. I know Smitty is too much of a gentleman to say anything, which is why he is going strong after 16 years, and I only lasted five, but if it were my decision, 2019 would be the last year OPA had anything to do with APBA.

Has there been an official announcement from APBA? I can’t believe they would add a 7th race to a 6 points race schedule after they have completed 5 of the 6 races.....

That is not what they did. APBA simply agreed to give RWO a sanction for Clearwater and KW. RWO is now promoting those two get togethers under false pretenses to convince people to attend. The only way to win an APBA national championship is to participate in the six OPA/P1 races, including Englewood. Clearwater and KW are meaningless. And by doing what it did to OPA/P1 and all of the racers who have supported them, APBA is heading for the same fate.

RWO is claiming the Clearwater race is now included in the 6 (now according to RWO 7) race points series. That’s the part I am calling BS on.

And you should. That’s a lie. Let them or an APBA official come here and say otherwise.

It’s up to the racers. If they want offshore racing to thrive they will continue to race under one organization keeping boat counts and excitement up. The racers determine the direction of the sport. Nobody else.