Dave,
I agree with you 100%
I say that because I think most all remember the Factory classes when they were the among the largest, hottest classes of racing on the water. Only problem was we were advertising for free and paying more than the average recreational boater for our power yet getting less. We asked for a little help for the effort. Their response was, "We're not interested". So, The fix seemed easy, go to another supplyer of power who would take better care of the racers. Problem is, that original supplyer has such a stronghold on the market and the racing world that it thinks it can muscle and bully to get its way. I personally see that as more of a monopoly, (some folks cringe when I say that).
In fact, at one time Almost all The factory class teams wanted to allow Volvo in the Factory classes. I personally talked with a few people with Volvo. They were very interested. They were never allowed in. Guess why.
I guess the best way to always win is never have anyone to compete against.

Good call Gordo.....

I was racing with Gordo during the Volvo time frame. And the funny part was that Innovation was building the HP Volvo engines as well as being the service center for Mercury and APBA. Interesting.....


Andy Bloom

because they are the most honest guys(innovation marine) out there.

Although it was nice to see manufactures compete for our money it sure made it harder on the racers to pick which manufacture to use. In the smaller boats once you picked which power plant you wanted that was it for one to two seasons. Most of us couldn't afford to experiment. In my opinion it was NEVER better racing then it was one Merc. 500EFI with 1 Bravo drive.
Yes this is bad on other manufactures but Offshore racing has such a limited number of boats it just made it so much simpler to race. In the end multiple motors KILLED Factory racing as we new it.
Simple was why we all loved it so much. If it would have stayed simple who knows how big the fleet would have been by today and maybe APBA would still be running its own sanctioning body still with 100 plus Factory boats racing in just 3 classes and all the major manufactures of quality boats would still have seen the value of sponsoring teams. And maybe with all that close great racing the sponsors and TV would have followed. WHAT IF????????
MD

OSS was formed in 03 because no-one wanted one motor VORTEC.

The factory boat racing was fine until the boat manufactures got in and started cheating. What it showed was the flaws in the equipment and set-up. The imco drive cured most of those problems. That is why there are rules stated allowing bravo upgrades. Merc copied and there are now XR's. That made the product better did it not?

Do you think if you left the drives alone Merc would have fixed them?

We upgraded the #6 but we are not allowed in the OSS rules. Why? Merc copied now there is a Merc dry-sump #6ssm.

pat W

reggie

Nonsense. OSS was formed because that other race organization was ruled by a wannabe Napoleon who's head was too big for his small frame. He wanted to dictate what racers were supposed to race (for instance in F1, an engine that existed only as a pipedream, or for instance in Cat one engine, period, but the Cat racers wanted to keep their very own private engine builders.)

OSS was formed so that the racers can decide what they buy with their own money. That may still be only one certain engine etc. But at least it's the equipment the racers want to race.

If an OSS class decides to race one engine and one drive, then they race one engine and one drive.

If an OSS class decides to race many engines and many drives, then they race many engines and many drives.

It's in the rules. Required reading if one is serious about racing OSS-

I was happy to hear that JD Byrider won yesterday Pat.

Bertel,
That is one of the biggest lines of crap I've ever read. If you have personal issues with previous officials of "that other race organization" that's your problem. However, you might consider that each and every one of these "wannabe" gentlemen you refer to are all successful business owners, and millionaires. They have all seen the Highs and lows throughout the history of our sport, and were trying to make use of that knowledge to advance the sport. You, at the time, were not even a rookie racer. Were you? Either way, your personal issues with past individuals should have nothing to do with how the sport of offshore racing is ran, yet it seems you insist on repeating the very history they tried to avoid.
And the engine you refer to in Factory 1, exactly which "pipedream" engine do you refer to? I was in the same meetings as you with Mr. Keikhafer Jr, The same one that Mr. Keikhafer said, I quote" We're not interested", and then again that same weekend in the meeting with the President, the Competition Director, and chief referee of APBA in Lauderdale where they said, What would you guys like to do? Maybe you missed that part, but the rest of us Factory racers heard it, even Randy.

Speaking of Randy, he said, "In the end multiple motors KILLED Factory racing as we new it".
In a way, he's right. It wasn't multiple manufacturers, it was the same manufacturer wanting us all to upgrade motors 3 times in 5 years, which led to multiple motors of the same brand in one class. Talk about having to spend money we didn't have...
It wasn't that no one wanted the Vortec, it was that "Mercury Racing" didn't want the Vortec.
Now, I've read a few ideas and speculations of when/why OSS was formed. I myself find it interesting, indeed almost coincidental, that when APBA finally decided to stand their ground and allow something other than Mercury Racing power, it was (interestingly) right after that OSS was formed. A year after it is formed, the classes all vote that shortly nothing other than Mercury Racing power will be allowed.
I'm sure it's a coincidence...

I will never understand...when Bob Bull purchased APBA and one of the rules that were changed..was that the racers would have a say in the equipment changes....why OSS continued to move on with there Organization....

Mike A. was all I heard of why OSS would be formed...but when Mile A. got out...APBA still had Mike Tomlinson as Chief Ref. POP and his rescure team..APBA still had GMC as its series sponsor we still had the same APBA staff...APBA had the great race venues with new ones being added...like Ft Walton, Chaganuga, TN, and others....

APBA was still tied with the Great Lakes Series and Pacific Offshore....and there were 2 National Organizations...

APBA and SBI....and both were doing there own thing....

The P-Class boats were happy and other then some people thinking Mike A was the problem..even when he stepped down others wanted to start there own thing...

Now we have OPA joining races with OSS and Pacific Offshore joining also...which is great...thats what its going to take to get the boat count up....but remeber what is becoming great news today with the joining of theses Organiztions is what we already had in 2003...we just took it apart and seen how it wasn't working and now are getting back to what worked 5 years ago...and since Mike A is gone now putting blame on another on why Offshore is all messed up....

I just hope it gets put back together to were it was when I first started racing.....that's why I get started in it in the first place....watching it on TV...and it was why it was easy to get sponsors...and have others pay for us to do this....while we had fun doing it....

I race in both Organizations and it is what it is....but last weekend in both our so called National Race Organizations...we had one in Fl with 19 boats and one in Toronto with 28 or so boats and yes both Organizations had teams that could not make it for what ever reasons....noted...

But if what transpired at the end of 2003 to make the sport better is were we are today....what kind of report card do we give ourselfs after this this weekend on were the sport has progress to since 2002 and 2003....

Just some thought....if you say Offshore Racing is better then it was 3 to 5 years ago....I think its safe to say with the racers, fans that you are not in the majority today....now we made our beds and now we have to sleep in it....