Just a thought....since OB has been good to the racers over the years...why not do the race with no prise money....and have the safety folks and officals do this race for free...kinda giving back to a great community...and up the entry feels a little of this race to pay for insurance.....$150,000 is a lot for a city and sponsors to put up in this economy....if 50k is going to prise money and you used a $1,700 entre fee over 20 to 25 OSS boats will pay for the insurance....then I'm sure you will have a better chance to keep the race on......
Gary and the folks from O/B have busted there butts over the years for this site....making some consetions and holding some fun raises at your other sites to raise the differance in monies would show the O/B how important there site is to the racers to....

Just a thought....

I like what you guys are trying to do to save the site,but do you really think your going to get 50 opa guys to pay a higher entry fee,travel across the country and race for no prize money.I think your only hope would be to get oss and opa together

I don't speak for OPA....and with there schedule I don't see them making the trip....but since the OSS racers have it on there schedule now and there Org can used that site...I would think OSS could raise the moneis to offset the sponsorship monies and show O/B they will always want to race there in good times and bad....

I can't see it costing much more than $75k to put the race on. Where does the $150,000 come from and what does it buy?

25 purse
5 insurance
10 helios
10 to the organization
5 Potta Johns, misc
3 cranes
use a boat club for patrol and turn boats
ask the city to help with police and ems

It might be bare bones, but at least the event will go off

AGREE,,,,MAKE IT HAPPEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im still a little confused after reading Gary's post. First is why is Gary calling other organizations to race in OB? Is it the cost to pay OSS to race there? Did it not bring in 4 million to the local economy? Were the fans that disappointed that 3 boats were not there? I was there and all I kept hearing from the fans after the race how great it was and they loved the heat racing! If you lower the cost to race there then you will get even less of a show and if you are saying you didnt like it last year then you really wont like it. I am just disappointed that the town and local business's didnt feel the value of what we brought to the town. Boat count is such lame excuse in my opinion when there were such quality teams there spending there money to be there in a sport that is a loosing proposition for the owners. Gary lets keep working on this race so we can put money in your economy.
MD

Randy, don't get too bent. Gary was calling to say HI! What's so confusing? Oh, guy's, we at OPA can't do the race for 50,000.00.

Dont get bent!!!! Are you kidding me!!!! Gary comes on here as tells us all he's shopping out the race and he's waiting to see if OPA can under bid OSS and he will give them the race. Dont get bent!!!! Thats a hell of a way to say hi all. OSS put OB on there schedule and thought they were working on getting OSS to the event. Maybe when they do get the money OSS should say no we are shopping other towns. There are still some hard working people trying to save this event for OSS and I thank them.
MD

Last year, OSS agreed to make OB an invitational race. Meaning that anyone could race in OB without paying a yearly registration fee to OSS. No one came from SBI or OPA.

It just would have been nice if someone from OB would have called OSS to try and work things out, to make the race happen. Instead, it was just cancelled.

If boat count is the problem (and I'll admit, we were short a few boats last year and it showed) then why not wait to see how many teams show up in Biloxi? It just seems like this race was cancelled prematurely.

Gary, you mentioned that word unification? It still seems like a long way off. We've invited OPA to join us in Jupiter for a joint World Championship in October. I hope we can make it happen. Sounds simple enough.

It all start with people sitting and talking. We can't even get that to happen.

Smitty,Polli,Please! make this happen.Can you imagine as many as 80-90 boats at one race site.WOW History in the making.