With the thread disappearing off the OSS section and the birth of this new section, were there any results to what to do to bring the class back together?

pat W

That is 99% if you are looking at the glass almost empty.

You have the people that want to tinker and the people that want to take their boat in for service and a wax job.

This is racing isn't it or is it just a show.

pat W

I think the results of this thread are that unless you are puckering up and kissing the right hind quarters you can't write what is on your mind.

Gregg Reichman

Is that any 850 hp motor or Just a Merc? Is this along the lines of racing european style, Rudders ect...????

pat W

Only Merc 850, and i think only merc 6. If it was any 850 and any drive/rudder, it would be an awesome class.

The question was about the future of the sport. 850 hp ok, 750 ok. However you want to achieve that blown/aspirated/diesel V8/v10/v12 ect.... The ilmors are already 700 so it would not be a stretch to run 2 of those.

Or is this still dinosaur protection / guaranteed retirement fund for the guys in the straw hats.

pat W

Pat the Pro Series got its start because most of us had multiple sets of 750 motors and did not want to change to the Mercury 850 motors at a huge cost. Are group will look at any boat that would like to run with us, just have them get in touch with Bob, Tony, or Tom

Pat,

I think you are right...the crux of this discussion is about the future of the sport.

Mechanical based equipment and racing rules are dinosaurs…and about to become extinct. As we have seen in the P-Classes here in the States and P-1 in Europe, performance based rules using technology to monitor equipment to assure all competitors are competing within certain parameters is where everything is headed.

We have the technology to monitor everything from speed to RPM to acceleration. With rules based on these parameters, and a consistent monitoring system, it doesn't make any difference what engine package or drive system a Team uses...as long as they compete within the parameters of the performance based rules.

When we move to performance based rules (which I predict will be very soon) we will see very competitive racing with a myriad of manufacture's equipment being placed into the mix. We will bring back the tinkerers and guys working in their shops late into the night tweaking engine and drive systems they have built...instead being dependant on the designers of some one-size-fits-all engine/drive package that the corporate bean counters think will improve profits.

Back in the day when all we had was engine timing controlled by springs and weights in the distributor and fuel flow determined by the size of the jets in the carburetor...we didn't have GPS systems, data loggers, or on-board telemetry. Now this is standard equipment for every competitive team…and it is available at a very reasonable cost. For under $2k you can equip a boat with the latest GPS and data logger that will monitor and record everything from throttle position to the time it takes to go from 60 to 1000.

Teams will have the option to run either carbureted or ECM/PCM controlled engines with or without blowers...as long as they can maintain their equipment to perform within the performance criteria.

Now, before someone goes into orbit about controlling speed as part of the performance based rules....speed does not have to be controlled. With a boat that is set up to run within maximum RPM and acceleration criteria...there is no need for a speed limit...racecourse conditions will determine the maximum speed a boat can attain. It then comes down to the driver/throttleman abilities and ergonomics in the cockpit...not the brand/model of boat, engine, or drive system.

This is the future of Offshore racing...and something we should all embrace. It's time to quit thinking like a dinosaur and move on...into the rest of 21st Century.

record everything from throttle position to the time it takes to go from 60 to 1000.

I WANT TO SEE THAT BOAT!!
JK KEN
MIKE

Mike.

At the moment I wrote that line, I was thinking of you and your dad