I think a couple races added would be a great idea just not at the expense of the race sites that actually want to hold an event!

i remember going to cali, texas, a couple in mich, florida, baltimore, buffalo. nothing is impossible

If the series finds a sponsor that affords TV, and leaves enough cash to get the teams back and forth that is all good. I started this post in conjunction to the poll of favorite race sites, So far Puerto Rico leads the way with 20 votes, Followed by Orange Beach with 17, St Clair with 13, Pickwick has 9,
Ft Myers 8. Toronto has 0. Keep in mind this is in the OSS section,
And the people being polled here are either racers, crew, or the die hard fan. In order for new site to happen there has to be desire from the town to hold such an event, and the williness for the teams to go there. If you just base it on, that's a fun town , then the point is mute. we need a Fan Base, we Need to be the show. there has to be hype, excitement in the town. I have been to plenty of races that people didnt know there was a race , or better yet didnt care.

The sites Biloxi 2004, 2005 ( would have been 3 if not for the hurricane)
Pickwick, Tn 2005, 2006
Ft . Myers 2005, 2006
Puerto Rico 2006
Toronto 2006
St. Clair 2004, 2005, 2006
Orange Beach 2005, 2006
Las Vegas 2006
Destin 2006
St Pete 2004,2005
Grand Haven 2004
Key West 2003, 2004

These are the towns OSS has raced in and the years they raced there.
what will it take to add to next years schedule??

pete you forgot pickwick, tn, in your list of places

thanks Raul,
And I Apologize to the great folks of Pickwick, I certainly enjoy going there.

In the three decades I have been involved I found one common denominator in race sites. Big city's are places we get lost in. As in when we race these venues it seems that invariably the majority of people do not know we are there. Smaller places like St. Augustine Fla, BILOXI Miss. Point Pleasent N.J.. St. Clair Mich., Ventura Cal., Chorpus Christie Tx. Pichwick Tenn, Orange Beach Ala., etc.. we are the ONLY thing in town this big and everyone seems to know before and during the event we are there. I also think the impact on the economy in these smaller city's is much easier to read. After all it is the job of the city officials, tourism, whatever to bring funds and resources to town. Major citys require massive amounts of money for advertising to reach an acceptable amount of exposure. We are currently involved in an economic impact study at a site to try and get something on paper that shows we can drive the needle. Thanks Pete for always stoking the furnace.
stan

Your right. SBI raced New York this wekend and not even a mention about the race on any local news station. A local marathon was the big race news with all the politicians hangin around it.

Stan,
You and many others like yourself have given in many ways for the sport to progress, Having races at cities that dont care whether we are there or not doesnt make good business sense, and as for expousure to the sport i think it is more of a negative than a positive.

I'll see you in Vegas!!!

Stan,
I agree with your logic. There is far less competition for the fan's entertainment dollar and media exposure in these areas. I like the Walmart approach at the stage of the game. (ie. Be A Big Fish in a small pond).

"There's a lot more business out there in small town America than I ever dreamed of" - Sam Walton -

The only way for us to gain the type of exposure to lure the all important sponsor dollar is to have a proven track record for drawing the fan base. Obviously the fan base is much easier and cheaper to motivate in the smaller cities.

We can all guess and speak from our gut (some guts bigger than others) on what type venues will be successful. The right approach is to analyze our successes and failures and find the most successful formula and set a steady course. The best news I have heard in a while is that Stan and the gang are doing just that.

Stan you are doing a great job!

Matt

I like the way you think!

With 40 plus teams pulling into town there has to be somewhat of an impact.

Now count those of us willing to travel just to go watch the races, and that's more money spent in town.

I also found that unless you notify the press you are coming, you may not see a story.

That could explain why some races get the coverage while others don't.