Doesn't really matter if we are happy, unless our views agree with the majority, if they do not then our team will conform as needed. Of course we have certain things we like and dislike, just as all the teams do and of course we hope our views are in line with the rest, but if not we plan to adapt and continue to support the sport as is required by any and all committed teams.

You'll never make everyone happy, as you have said, but hopefully with all you have heard we can at least get on, getting on and move this sport forward.

Please do not think for a minute my last post was an attack, I can just as easily write the same amount of text describing what good things are going on in the APBA and the Mike A. LLC. Come on Mike, there is a reason our team has not missed a race in 3 years, it is not becasue we hate the sport, you or the LLC. We believe in the philosophy of what you are trying to do, and understand it is a very, very hard job. Personally I believe it is not to late, and if 496 HO's, and what ever else that needs to be done is what is decided is needed to revitalize our class and ultimately the entire sport then we support it.

Times running out, lets get going, if you need help, myself and our team offer it at this time. We are all businessmen, business owners, management consultants, and we have seen this in many companies small and large. So I REALLY DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH, and I do not envy the work you have ahead.

Good luck, and remember, most of the people who share both positive and negative views still support you, or they would probably say nothing at all. Don't get complaints and support confused.

Have fun, and you know if you put the race on, the teams will come.

JK

Wow JK. Great last post.

Someone that is willing to give a little of the ego for the good of the sport. I no longer race, but have toyed with a minor sponsorship to stay involved. E-mail me at [email protected].

Mike Dodds

Ditto Mr. O

Stated very well.

mike a,thanks for at least listening to us,joey,well,maybe if you could understand that if your having a hard time gettin paid now,just think how hard its gonna be later if we dont get the boat count up,hell,if prize money will even be available with 2or 4 factory two boats runnin,years ago their was always rumor of 20 to 30 boats being built and new teams building,kinda like you guys last year,dont see or hear of but maybe a rumor or two of a few new,just less racers,have always respected eveybody in this sport,especially those guys I could learn from.....one thing though,how many F-2 teams have you talked too,and another question,exactly how many F-2 teams have their been since the start of the class,and have you asked or considered to contact them and ask them what would get them back in the saddle again,not calling and *****en,but what it would take to get them racin again,now speeds and courses are always a factor in most sports,but have you done the homework to define exactly how fast nascar entries could run if it wasnt for rules governing speed and the number of entries entering a certain course,and why is it that nascar puts restrictor plates at one track and allows a different plate at another,and with the sponsors they attract why isnt their a web site that nascar teams go to to allow us to chine in or read their concerns,and hear petty say,f-you nascar I'm not changin my car,see,those guys have a standard of allocations their set on and a certain determination they live by and they have gotten past this crap and jumped to the next level,how and why,can you tell us ! BECAUSE THEY LOVE TO RACE,AND THEY LOVE MONEY,how many nascar races have you turned on and watched 4 or 6 cars run around......NONE! and your answer to how exciting factory two would be at 80 mph,a hell of alot more exicting at 80 with 20 boats again, than at 90 with only 4!!!!!


ONLY ONE GOAL HERE,TO RACE,AND MAKE MONEY DOIN IT!!!

Mr Offshore:

The boycott was the nail in the coffin for our sport. It now shows promoters , sponsors , etc that if a group of racers don't like the guy in charge or a rule , they simply will not show up. It's hard enough to put on a offshore race in public waters and leaving promoters in the dark is unexcusable. I see Alweiss throwing his hands up and letting history take it's course. Bye Bye TV , Rules , staff and the offshore family as we knew it. BH

Brian, Rich, Fred, Al, Mike,

Great posts, all.

Al, the only thing I would add to your post is that it is much easier for NASCAR teams to be happy and closed mouth when changes occur because they are making money and you do not want to bite the hand that feeds you. I really get that. One also must wonder whether NASCAR would have made it through its own formative period if the Internet had been around. I am not at all sure.

My point the whole time is that if we want to get to the point of relative NASCAR success, our teams would need to deal with the bumps in private, with dignity, respect and a solidarity of purpose, not scream and yell, not whine and cry in public, not impugn the character and integrity of its leaders, and not air its dirty laundry in public.

I never said that the racers did not have the right to do these things. NEVER. My message has always been that if you want the sport to achieve greatness we all had to adhere to these basic principles and refrain from doing the hurtful things because the sport and the business were in their formative, very fragile years.

Now I think we perservered through alot. We have been criticized and maligned in a very public forum that many industry people and potential sponsors follow. Yet, right up until the National Championships in St. Pete we managed to survive and in many respects, thrive.

But Brian is absolutely right. There is only so much a person can take. Not because of the personal pain and anguish the attacks cause. I have grown numb to all of that. No, the real issue with me now is that the message is not getting through. Not enough people are listening and even fewer want to actually take the bull by the horns and save what we have built.

So I am slowly, sadly, coming to the conclusion that the reason for that is because no matter how much progress and success I think we have achieved, there really is not enough similar sentiment out there to cause a real call to action. What I mean is that it seems that the great majority of us think the old way is ok. Regional club racing with limited television, infrastructure, sponsors, prize money, and boat counts, are really enough.

Well, ok then.

As I said, I will always be willing to help. If there is a chance for unification I pledge my support to make that happen. Otherwise, without a serious turn of momentum in the very immediate future, I am afraid Brian is 100% correct in everything he said in his last post.

Mike

I agree with Fred....

I too, was optomistic at the early stages of this thread. But its not looking too promising at all. It looks like we still have a year of placing blame left before we can actually get down to business.

at this point in time, I could care less who is to blame. Get over it and lets make some attempt to put the pieces back together.

But rest assured, if this crap happens again under the same regime, heads should roll

If a year can pass with consistency then I think the LLC will be on track to grow the sport. They need to be consistent with the schedule, the rules - both changes and enforcement, paying prizes.
Yes, it is a problem that even Mike admitted to concerning Peconic "I should have allowed our staff to throw you out for a year like they wanted. My bad, but of course every single time I tried to do right by someone it comes back to bite me. "
Let the staff enforce the rules fairly across the board. Everytime you try to make someONE happy you piss off many others. It's only when that someONE comes back and crosses you that you perceive it to be a problem.

Also, take Miklos out of the boats or have him resign his position with the LLC. I would NEVER imply that Steve is anything but honest but it "looks" very bad when your competition director wins every race during the season. Again, this is perception. If it were any other boat would the parity police have stepped in?

I don't know steve,but if he does half of the testing everybody says he does no wonder he's on top of the game.

I'de have to say they are right on the money.