Teen pop band O-Town putting a Donzi in offshore powerboat racing
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02-17-2003, 11:54 AM
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Originally posted by MrOffshore
O-Boy...it's O-Town...what is this sport coming to? What next, N-Sync? Maybe we can rustle the original boyband, BackStreetBoys, out of retirement on stage and off...getting them into an offshore boat...who knows maybe the APBA can start a new class...Factory Boy-Band...anyone care to elaborate on what the rules may include??
O-Boy...it's O-Town...what is this sport coming to? What next, N-Sync? Maybe we can rustle the original boyband, BackStreetBoys, out of retirement on stage and off...getting them into an offshore boat...who knows maybe the APBA can start a new class...Factory Boy-Band...anyone care to elaborate on what the rules may include??
Jusy my 2 cents....
Tommy
02-17-2003, 01:04 PM
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Originally posted by audacity
tommy...you see it as the APBA does. we need something more than just fox/speed channel coverage.
tommy...you see it as the APBA does. we need something more than just fox/speed channel coverage.
02-17-2003, 01:25 PM
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Just $.02 from an off-shore boat racing fan. I do not feel that rock bands or even famous celebs is what APBA needs to get fans and races back on the schedule. I can remember when Chuck Norris and Don Johnson ran boats for a year. Most of the time, because of their security entourage, you couldn't get close to them anyway. Did they bring fans to the races? Sure! Were they in the sport for more than a year? Nope!
I feel APBA should be working on getting the sport on Nationwide TV. Speedvision is good, but how about a race every weekend on Wide World of Sports where anyone with-out a cable bill can watch the races. (Yes, I have cable) Look what someone taking a chance on NASCAR at CBS created.
Second, since I'm not a racer, I never have understood this one, but why do we need 2 or even 3 sanctioning bodies? Get everyone back together! Sit down, put your egos in your pockets, and develop classes that can fit everyone’s needs including the beginner. All under 1 sanctioning body! Maybe this is easier said than done, but is anyone even trying?
I live in Ohio and it kills me that there are no National Offshore events up on Lake Erie! I guess instead of spending my dollars at an offshore race, I have to spend it on a NASCAR race to get the thrill of engines and 43 ego maniacs racing on Sunday afternoon or better yet, Saturday night!
As the saying goes, "Build it and they will come!" Get the Europeans over to the Worlds again! Bahama and Key West are wonderful race sites, but for the dollars Joe Fan has to spend to go to those places, heck, I can run my 22 Classic all summer and have a fantastic time doing it!
The problem is not that the sport needs celebs, the problem is the sport needs to unite and bring the racing back to the fans who support it. Along with the TV coverage will come the sponsors everyone needs and the fans. I'd love to see a picture of Al Copeland, Reggie Fountain, Tom Gentry, Don Aronow and future stars of the sport on a Weaties box. Offshore racers are every bit an athlete as any football, baseball, golf, car racer, or Olympian! Get the sport to the people!
I feel APBA should be working on getting the sport on Nationwide TV. Speedvision is good, but how about a race every weekend on Wide World of Sports where anyone with-out a cable bill can watch the races. (Yes, I have cable) Look what someone taking a chance on NASCAR at CBS created.
Second, since I'm not a racer, I never have understood this one, but why do we need 2 or even 3 sanctioning bodies? Get everyone back together! Sit down, put your egos in your pockets, and develop classes that can fit everyone’s needs including the beginner. All under 1 sanctioning body! Maybe this is easier said than done, but is anyone even trying?
I live in Ohio and it kills me that there are no National Offshore events up on Lake Erie! I guess instead of spending my dollars at an offshore race, I have to spend it on a NASCAR race to get the thrill of engines and 43 ego maniacs racing on Sunday afternoon or better yet, Saturday night!
As the saying goes, "Build it and they will come!" Get the Europeans over to the Worlds again! Bahama and Key West are wonderful race sites, but for the dollars Joe Fan has to spend to go to those places, heck, I can run my 22 Classic all summer and have a fantastic time doing it!
The problem is not that the sport needs celebs, the problem is the sport needs to unite and bring the racing back to the fans who support it. Along with the TV coverage will come the sponsors everyone needs and the fans. I'd love to see a picture of Al Copeland, Reggie Fountain, Tom Gentry, Don Aronow and future stars of the sport on a Weaties box. Offshore racers are every bit an athlete as any football, baseball, golf, car racer, or Olympian! Get the sport to the people!
02-17-2003, 01:35 PM
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"bring the racing back to the fans who support it ".....that's the point!!!...there's not enough to support it!!...did you goto worlds this year?...the N&A carter show with o-town pulled an amazing amount of people to the race site that would have NEVER gone otherwize!.
the two racing orgs are
VERY different so merging them would not be a good idea...i think the APBA will be larger than last year...
"Offshore racers are every bit an athlete as any football, baseball, golf, car racer, or Olympian! "....athlete???....NO WAY!..i think athlete maybe the incorrect word
the two racing orgs are
VERY different so merging them would not be a good idea...i think the APBA will be larger than last year...
"Offshore racers are every bit an athlete as any football, baseball, golf, car racer, or Olympian! "....athlete???....NO WAY!..i think athlete maybe the incorrect word
02-17-2003, 08:39 PM
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audacity,
Let me just say, no dis-respect was intended towards you or anyone else. You have my dream job! Your a throttle man of an offshore race team and from what I hear from Miami, your running a Donzi 38 ZR next year. As I said in my post, yes, celibs bring people to the races. Unfortunately, no, I did not get to go to the Worlds this past year. I've only had that pleasure twice so far. Atlantic City in 79 I think. It was the last time everyone ran together. Terrible weather until Sunday. Don Johnson was there in a beautiful red white and blue cat. I got to tour Tom Gentry's Trans Atlantic record holding Gentry Eagle. The Europeans were there with some of the coolest looking cats I had ever seen. Mr. Arneson was there with a jet engine powered cat. When he lit the fuel in the exhaust, it was spectacular!
A few years later, I had the chance to go to my first Key West Worlds. Again, a fantastic trip for me as I had never been there before. The boats coming into Government Cut was awesome! I met Reggie Fountain at this race who actually had a second to sign an autograph for me before jumping into a helicopter with Tom Gentry. How-ever, the only thing that wasn't like the prior World Championship I had been to was the field size.
Since I wasn't in Key West this year, I can't comment on the size of the crowds. Let me ask you though. Did everyone at the concert actually watch the races the next day or were they there because there was a free concert? Were all the band fans there Saturday for the smaller class races?
Your next statement that offshore racers are not athletes kind of surprises me. Offshore racers get the living crap beat out of them during some races. If they did not have the stamina and drive to never give up no matter how much it may hurt is an athlete in my eyes. I've seen racers literally have to be lifted from there boat because they didn't have enough strength to get out of their boat after a race. I can only imagine how sore you all must be the next day not unlike a football player must feel after giving everything he had on the field.
Look, this is just an opinion. I honor all of you with the guts to climb into a boat and race it. I love the sound of an offshore race boat firing up the engines! I just wish I had the option to see it more often. One racer many years ago fulfilled a dream for me. I was working has a patrol boat at a race up on Lake Erie. He had asked me to take his son out on my boat so that he could get some pictures of their boat during the race. I did so and after the race he asked if I was interested in riding in the race boat. I was speechless, but somehow managed to say yes. Due to the fuel being low, it wasn't a long ride, but the man made the offer to someone he didn't know just because I helped his son. I got the opportunity to ride in a race boat at 80 MPH and I will never forget that day!
Good luck this summer and I hope to have the opportunity to meet you and your team at a race. I'm a Donzi owner and am proud of the job Donzi did to win the National Championship last year.
Let me just say, no dis-respect was intended towards you or anyone else. You have my dream job! Your a throttle man of an offshore race team and from what I hear from Miami, your running a Donzi 38 ZR next year. As I said in my post, yes, celibs bring people to the races. Unfortunately, no, I did not get to go to the Worlds this past year. I've only had that pleasure twice so far. Atlantic City in 79 I think. It was the last time everyone ran together. Terrible weather until Sunday. Don Johnson was there in a beautiful red white and blue cat. I got to tour Tom Gentry's Trans Atlantic record holding Gentry Eagle. The Europeans were there with some of the coolest looking cats I had ever seen. Mr. Arneson was there with a jet engine powered cat. When he lit the fuel in the exhaust, it was spectacular!
A few years later, I had the chance to go to my first Key West Worlds. Again, a fantastic trip for me as I had never been there before. The boats coming into Government Cut was awesome! I met Reggie Fountain at this race who actually had a second to sign an autograph for me before jumping into a helicopter with Tom Gentry. How-ever, the only thing that wasn't like the prior World Championship I had been to was the field size.
Since I wasn't in Key West this year, I can't comment on the size of the crowds. Let me ask you though. Did everyone at the concert actually watch the races the next day or were they there because there was a free concert? Were all the band fans there Saturday for the smaller class races?
Your next statement that offshore racers are not athletes kind of surprises me. Offshore racers get the living crap beat out of them during some races. If they did not have the stamina and drive to never give up no matter how much it may hurt is an athlete in my eyes. I've seen racers literally have to be lifted from there boat because they didn't have enough strength to get out of their boat after a race. I can only imagine how sore you all must be the next day not unlike a football player must feel after giving everything he had on the field.
Look, this is just an opinion. I honor all of you with the guts to climb into a boat and race it. I love the sound of an offshore race boat firing up the engines! I just wish I had the option to see it more often. One racer many years ago fulfilled a dream for me. I was working has a patrol boat at a race up on Lake Erie. He had asked me to take his son out on my boat so that he could get some pictures of their boat during the race. I did so and after the race he asked if I was interested in riding in the race boat. I was speechless, but somehow managed to say yes. Due to the fuel being low, it wasn't a long ride, but the man made the offer to someone he didn't know just because I helped his son. I got the opportunity to ride in a race boat at 80 MPH and I will never forget that day!
Good luck this summer and I hope to have the opportunity to meet you and your team at a race. I'm a Donzi owner and am proud of the job Donzi did to win the National Championship last year.
