huh?

Bruce,
Hasn't there been discussion among some of the SVL owners/racers about the Innovation/GM Vortec engine being allowed again in 2007 and beyond?

no , this is the last year for vortecs nothing has changed

Has there even been any discussion this year of keeping the Vortecs?

Mike

There have been no discussions what so ever, regarding Vortecs for the 07 season.

The team owners have unanimously voted to eliminate them after 06 and unless Im told otherwise, we will follow that plan.

Are you planning on buying a Vee Lite? If so, I understand your concerns. If you are seriously considering becoming a team owner, feel free to speak to Willy or Eric. Im sure they will be glad to discuss this with you.

Thanks

As a manufacturer who sells just about everything we can make, my feelings are not hurt and I really don't care if OSS embraces the 496 or not. (Please don't call the 496 a Vortec That program should have died before it got started!)
GMC and GM really don't care about the 496 or racing for that matter, they are to busy just trying to survive!
Just some thoughts and ideas here for you racers to really consider? The most important thing in any racing program is SPECTATORS who are interested users of the products!! Period!!
No racing organization has ever survived long term on just the egos and racing deeds of its members!! Just realize that 7 out of 10 high performance boats that splashes for its new owners every week in this country for sale here in the USA or Worldwide is equipped with a 496! To not make a place for this motor in any high performance offshore hull type racing is a very shortsided and a growth limiting move. Remember that your support dollars come from your interested sponsors and spectators and followers who use this motor on a wide spread basis. Let these users know that their powerplant is racing and can be raced in sanctioned classes and events will insure that the financial stability and racing team growth that makes any racing organization viable and sustained on a long term basis. Just think smarter, not Harder here!

Ray @ Raylar

Ray....

If the Racers choose to run the 525efi, dont fault them. We are not forced to run Mercury only, we elect to. I understand you have a product that you would like to sell. It appears to be a very nice product. However, I feel comfortable running a Merc. We can easily tech them. And we have on site support which in my opinion, is second to none. The more motors we have, the harder it is to tech them and keep everyone honest.

I respect your input, but I dont think that we will be entertaining any new motor packages in the near future.

Ray what would your plan be to get the merc's out and the 496 in? Im all ears for suggestions. Could you provide better race support and better pricing? SVL is always willing to listen to new ideas and ways to better the sport but you would have to first better what we already have by quiet a bit to get people to want to change. Remember we only want 1 motor for SVL. Think in terms of free to the racers to promote your new product and have support. Its a tall task to get people to change when they are happy with what they have.
MD

My apologies Ray. I didn't realize you invented the 8.1.
As for the GM Vortec Offshore Racing program, GM made a huge investment in the sport of offshore racing, the teams that raced their products, and the fans that enjoyed thier involvement. Then there was the promotional support, parts support, media training, TV exposure, Not to mention the hospitality shown to ALL the race teams, their families and all those racing fans that came to their event tents, booths and displays.
However, If you feel you've improved the 8.1, 496, or whatever you would like to call it, as Randy said, I'm all ears. I love the engine platform, and am all for a less expensive power that can be tech inspected and go a full season.