Mr. Allweiss,

Why will you address others on this thread but not my questions?

......stretch.......YAAAWN.......I'll think I'll just watch whatever "offshore" racing is on TV.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

don't remember seeing APBA races. Oh yeah, it's LLC on speedvision isn't it?:p

The preceeding is an anouncement from the general public. Thank you.;)

Well here goes , Ill prabably get strung up for responding to this thread without the required # of posts to my credit , oh well ,
Im a new member on oso , I first heard of this forum shortly after volunteering @ the sarasota showdown.
(tow and patrol) . While im not financially ready to participate in the activity of racing itself , I have always
considered myself a loyal fan of the sport, And with that have great admiration for the people LUCKY ENOUGH to be involved !!!
During the weekend I met perhaps some of the best people around !!! and the admiration got stronger ,and the love of the sport also grew. Thats why I feel I have to say this ... It seems that if all involved would commit the same energy to " finding a cure " instead of all the negativity everyone would be light years ahead . Dont take this the wrong way but it seems like offshore racing is not solid enough for this kind of behavior from the people that are closest to it... If we all love the sport like we say ,show by supporting the racing and not the rumors , dont take the sport for granted well all miss if it was gone!!!
Lastly this is all pretty frustrating and sad to someone who reguarded this sport so highly , Hope it works out soon for the sake of offshore !!! thanks Mike Fosse

Let's let nature takes its course. Just like when OSO makes a decision to change the way we run the website, defending ourselves just fuels the fire and brings the devils advocates out to play.

The race world will be what it is when the parties involved are done making the attroneys rich. Just remember that we are all here in one place and it would not be very hard to start a new Racing body should it ever come to that. After all the Jersey Boys did it and had a lot of fun and success. The Chesapeake boys did it also. Not to the degree that Mike A. has done it but if you water, feed, and provide sunlight to anything, it will grow.

Now lets all get back to our regularly scheduled program, high performance boats.

Thank you!!

Fred:

With all due respect...and I do respect you......That approach might work if we were dealing with the Tuesday Morning Liberal Ladies League. But when dealing with Al Qaeda...........reason rarely has a chance.

T2x

Richocet Mike,
Nice post, I hope you can join us soon because its obvious you share the same enthusiasm and desire for the sport as those of us that race

Rich tell us how you really feel!!!

ScottB,

I am sorry that you think that the only people that share or have enthusiasm for racing are those trumpeting the LLC. Keep in mind that some of here have been in racing in one capacity or another for years and years. Some even decades. Some of us have seen this type of thing happen over and over again. Some are more opinionated and verbose, while others ask questions seeking verification and truth (see Shane:eureka: ). We would not all be so inspired to be here discussing these issues if we all did not truly love this sport. Remember, that seeing the demise of offshore racing will not put money in anyone's pocket. Offshore powerboating, be it racing, poker running or otherwise, is and always has been comprised primarily of individuals with strong mindsets and dispositions, myself included. There have been times when these personalities have clashed and or disagreed and shook hands, remained friends and had a great time, albeit not as frequently as it should. There have been times when discussions and business dealings got so heated and volatile that the end result was the murder of one of if not the biggest legends of this sport. See Ben Kramer vs. Don Aronow. There is no need for these discusions to turn into insulting, bashing, or derogatory form. Ihave tried and believ I have done an adequate job of explaining myself, and seeking information and the truth. Unfortunately, it has become all to commonplace that if you have a differing opinion or view of reality that you automatically have an agenda to bring down the LLC. That is so far from the TRUTH that it is not even funny. I would support ANYONE or ANY ORGANIZATION that will set and enforce hardened rules of competition, enforce those rules, and be OPEN, HONEST and FORTHCOMING with any and all pertinant information that will effect its members/participants. As I have stated in the past, great strides have been made to get to this desired end, but there remains a long road to travel yet ahead. I think that you cannot have any of the above with the most important 3 factors that I stated above...OPEN, HONEST and FORTHCOMING of information. This sport has been masked in chirades, phasades, lies and deviant behavior for as long as I can remember. Until it stops completely, the sport will continue to be its own worst enemy. :( This is why I believe OPA and the Jersey Boyz have done so well and will continue to do so for many years to come if they continue as they have been. My hats are off to all you Boyz in Jersey. Keep up the GREAT work!:)

Shane,The Jersey Boys have done a good job in promoting themselves,except the have not got an equal boat parity.They have got the wrong boats running in the wrong class.For instance if you ran your 24 Skater you would have to run IN p2 or P 1 depending on what power you are running and more than likely it will be a boat that is probably 10 to 12 feet LONGER THAN YOUR BOAT,DO YOU THINK THAT THAT IS FAIR,especially in the Ocean.

Hyper: He can race that Skater in any bracket he desires. The Bad Boy cat runs in P4.

1HYPER1
 

You still have not answered my questions to your post earlier in this thread. I have copied and pasted our post and my reply below, for your ease of use. I eagerly await your response.
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Originally posted by 1HYPER1
Hey Shane,
The issue at hand is not about Mike A and his income,it is about boat racing and all of the people that are actually involved with the sport racers and sponsors.

The issue at hand is about APBA LLC making promises they have not fulfilled, i.e races/venues set in stone. Please see Mr. David's post to verify that such locations are able to be established and locked in for Hydros that have 12 boats and offshore brings in that many times 4 or 5. Why is it that offshore has had this same problem for decades and hydros have not? Also see SBI. Again, DO NOT READ MORE INTO THIS THAN WHAT IT IS! I have stated earlier and MUTLTIPLE times that I am not supporting or bashing ANY organization, I am simply calling it as I see it and asking questions. As a sponsor, why would I want to put money into a sport, based on demographics, (see Joyce Julius Reports and the demographics published by APBA LLC) that I cannot rely upon? i.e. venues are NOT set in stone (as promised) and CHANGES happen regularly. If you have ever solicited sponsor dollars you should be well aware that demographics i.e. exposure and impressions per event, are primary concerns of marketing and advertising managers. The issue is also that claims are made that the LLC directors have put a lot of their own money into races etc., yet Mike A also states he draws a hefty 6 figure income. Which is it? Again, see my other posts from way back when I specifically stated that he has every right to earn a living from this company, the LLC. Furthermore, this is a discussion board where we are supposed to be able to have intellectual discussions about topics that effect the sport we all enjoy. If we cannot DISCUSS these things openly and fairly, then there really is no discussion at all. It is then simply a place where we should come to get instructions from our fearless leaders.

The last I knew of you racing was in Key West when the deck was ripped off of Nickys boat with you at the wheel/remember I was there and you cant sit there and tell anyone that the way APBA is handling the races & events is not better than the way it was in the past,can you .

I will assume that is a question. Well, I guess YOU haven't paid much attention then have you? Since racing with Nicky in1996 I have raced AS STATED EARLIER (please re-read this entire thread as well as others about this same topic, I think you will find the answers to all of your questions contained therein) I have raced 2 different boats in B class and one in Factory 2. Additionally, who are you? How can I remember that you were there when I don't even know who you are? You have not identified yourself. If you re-read what I have said in prior posts either here or in other threads about the APBA, you will note that I have said that they (the LLC) have certainly made much progress, however, I think we all can agree that more still needs to be made. However, I CAN say that promises have been made about events being set in stone and they are NOT! I do not make promises I cannot fulfill.

If you think so step up to the plate and show us a better way,you could start by pulling that 24 skater out and actually participating in a event in stead of bashing the people who put on the event or whatever else you seem to have a problem with.

I have no desire to manage a racing body. However, that does not preclude myself, or anyone else from attempting to have an intelligent and rational discussion of the topics at hand. Or are the only people allowed to discuss such things those that have currently paid equipment fees and race? What's more, I have no desire to race my personal boat. To much expense in terms of repairs etc., risk of damage etc etc etc. AGAIN, I am NOT bashing. How is asking questions bashing? With all due respect you seem to be posting based on emotion not fact. See your quote directly above where you fail to identify what I have a problem with. ONCE AGAIN, I have NO PROBLEM. I am simply ASKING! Why is that so difficult for some people to understand? If I am SO WAY off base as you all seem to think, I again ASK, why have these questions NOT been answered? If there is nothing contained therin that would indicate any wrong doing then there should be no reason to be concerned in answering the same. As stated earlier, these are questions that I have based on information provided to me by an APBA member to which I am seeking verification/clarification. I would think that the LLC board would want clarification brought to this matter quickly.

I dont care if anyone is making a living on boat racing,and I hope someday they can,but until then shut up or put upand lets go racing,why dont you get Nicky to pull out the 32 skater and maybe he will let you run it with him as long as you promise not to tear the deck off of this boat,just kidding,I know that he thinks it was all your fault.We all need to stand up for our sport and Mike A and hopefully it will continue to go in the right direction.

I have put up. I HAVE raced in APBA, SBI and USO. I have also recognized as have so many past racers that I would much prefer to do poker runs. However, I don't think that precludes me from entering into discussions on racing. Although Nicky thinks that we stuffed somehow due to my driving when we were out front all by ourselves after passing Kamakaze, I would still have him throttle again in a minute. I AM standing up for our sport. I do not believe in blindly following though. If this sport is EVER going to progress to anything more (which I hope it does but have my reservations) open and honest leadership is needed. Poor Gene Whipp is probably turning over in his grave. If in fact you do race, again, I have no idea who you are, best wishes and be safe and remember I am simply ASKING, not accusing anyone of anything, just ASKING the tough questions.
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Originally Posted by 1HYPER1
Shane,The Jersey Boys have done a good job in promoting themselves,except the have not got an equal boat parity.They have got the wrong boats running in the wrong class.For instance if you ran your 24 Skater you would have to run IN p2 or P 1 depending on what power you are running and more than likely it will be a boat that is probably 10 to 12 feet LONGER THAN YOUR BOAT,DO YOU THINK THAT THAT IS FAIR,especially in the Ocean.

First off, you criticize me for bashing but you conveniently fail to reveal your identity. Then you continue by bashing the OPA/Jersey Boyz about their organization and racing structure. Maybe you should heed your own advice "If you think so step up to the plate and show us a better way,you could start by pulling that 24 skater (or whatever boat you have) out and actually participating in a event in stead of bashing the people who put on the event or whatever else you seem to have a problem with."

since the controversial threads were brought over from the general discussion forum i thought it would be good to remind the members that this is a racing related discussion forum. this is not an area to wage attacks on other members or to spread unfounded rumors. i'm sure there is a long list of do's and don't's. bottom line: play nice.

your friendly racer's forum moderator,


ray van