Yep, I noticed that as well.

Things are good. OPA is moving along well, It actually has become fairly easy. I dont know about the History thing, but the future is bright. Hope to see you at one of our races one day. That would be cool. Smitty

Hey Mike , I suppose you heard I ended up swimming with Christine too. LOL

Seems like a long time ago now.

Jimmy,

I was there, remember? 1999 Worlds in St. Pete, right? That was a terrible boat. Slow and ill-handling was not a good combination. Amazing it took you guys all year to finally flip it over. Only took us two races to crash! Hope all is well with you.

To Typhoon,Ron Polli and anyone else concerned! I just got back to Orange Beach from Colorado and see that I have been the topic of many discussions ranging from shopping OSS' prices to being bitter at OSS for the 750-850 supercat split.
When will you learn that this is all about the fans! Last year for the first time since the first Thunder On The Gulf race in 2003 that we turned the fund raising part of the race over to the sports council part of our convention bureau who has generously donated a average of 35g for each race and done another 25g in advertizing in surrounding areas to draw the spectator crowds which reward the generous sponsors who have donated money for the last 8 races of which three races were done by SBI,one APBA Worlds,and four OSS races in which all three circuits did a excellent job and until last years race there was tremdous approval from the fans who in most cases book there same condos again before leaving for the next year's race.Last year the CBV lost $60g putting on the race because of smaller sponsorship donations as our economy had already took a nose dive in mid 2007.
With that being said I was called to a meeting in January by the CBV who informed me that they had lost several sponsors for the race and were convinced that they were not only not going to be able to raise the money needed but that many of the remaining sponsors were concerned about the boat count and how empty the dry pitts were at the previous race.I suggested that we wait and see how many boats showed up in Biloxi and that I would call some of the racers and see if I could raise the boat count.I told them that because of schedules that conflicted with ours in the northern states and the Destin Poker Run that we should probably change our race date to September.
As the founder of Thunder on the Gulf everything I do to promote offshore racing is for the best interest of my community and its fans.As far as the 750-850 split I am not bitter about it although I felt it was a sad thing for OSS and the Supercat class it was sad for our fans who had become used to seeing ten supercats,ten supercat lights,at least three px boats and the cat outboards to see last years turnout.I am no longer on the board of the powerboat ass. and did not make the decision to cancel the race but I will certainly be involved if and when we race again.We will do whats best for our community and its fans.If any of you want to chew me out in person I will be in Biloxi this weekend watching my former boat and race team kick ass. I also want to thank all the great guys from all three circuits that I had the pleasure to associate and race with in my five years with Nichols Offshore. Gary

Gary,

You were always a gentlemen to deal with and were singlehandedly responsible for making the 2003 APBA Worlds happen. And I can vouch for the fact that your only concern in all of our dealings was for your community and the fans. Politics be damned. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Thank you Mike and I hope all is well for you and your family as well and also agree about the politics which is ruining the sport. Gary

Gary,

Well said and I hope your race is back very soon.

Politics is ruining everything in this country, and has always been the thorn in the sport's paw.

As a weekend resident of Orange Beach, but more importantly a fan of offshore racing, it is truly sad to hear of the cancellation of "Thunder On The Gulf". Obtaining sponsorship dollars in today's economy, is indeed, a very difficult task. Major corporate dollars are not there. Just a suggestion, but why not go after more smaller associate sponsors? In the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area, there are 208+ restaurants, 50+ major condo complexes (either on the beach or within walking distance of the race course), many bars, countless shops/shopping malls, etc., etc. If the businesses in this area are so concerned about the revenue they will lose as a result of the cancellation of the race, why don't they ALL step up as associate sponsors, it won't kill them to ALL kick in $500-$1000.00+ to make this happen. The businesses which benefit the most (monetarily) are the condos/motels. Why not do like a lot of major cities and for the 4 day race weekend, charge a "special events tax" on the rooms to help cover the cost of the event. Most of the people in these rooms are there for the race. If you put a surcharge of even as little as $5.00 a night ($20.00 for the 4 day event), the people who are paying $500.00+ for the 4 day weekend, probably wouldn't even notice. The point is, in today's stressed economy, there are ways to raise money, it just takes a lot more effort. Moving on to the small boat count from last year, yes it was disappointing to only see 17? boats there. Who's fault was it, the economy, politics, WHO Knows? Ron Polli and his staff at OSS, Smitty and the folks with OPA, along with a lot of the racers have to be congratulated for the efforts they have been putting forward to not only promote the sport, but also to unify the sport. Hats off to the racers and crews, who risk their lives putting on a show for us, THE FANS. As most people know, the majority of the racers DO NOT have sponsors, they do it out of their own pockets, and for this they have to be congratulated. WITHOUT THEM, THERE WOULD BE NO SHOW!!! To increase boat count, why not show the racers our gratitude by not charging them high entry fees (as suggested by someone earlier in this thread), cover their room and meal expenses, and create a prize fund, worth racing for. Bragging rights are good, but $$$ pay the bills. Another way to increase the boat count, is to get some racers to forget the politics of the sport, and practice what they preach, "UNITED WE RACE". As Gary Nichols stated earlier, there are no hard feelings about the split between the 750/850 classes. These boats were a major part of the show in Orange Beach, as well as elsewhere. If this is true, then why can't Gary convince his friends (PRO OFFSHORE) to compete in his own backyard? Enough said, I hope I didn't step on anybody's toes, it is , just as a FAN OF ALL OFFSHORE RACING, WHETHER IT BE OSS, OPA, POPRA, OR SBI, it saddens me to see an event cancelled, and to see differences between the organizations. Good Luck and I'll see you in Biloxi.