OSS joins APBA
 

For Immediate Release
December 27, 2010

Offshore Super Series to join American Power Boat Association

The Offshore Super Series (OSS) said today that it has joined the Offshore Division of the American Power Boat Association (APBA). Michael E. “Mike” Mares, OSS Board Chairman said, “We are proud to announce our membership with APBA. This new association will take our organization to a new level of racing and will offer us greater opportunities. We will remain as OSS and will continue to operate as we have for the past seven years. The biggest difference is that our races will be sanctioned by APBA. This new partnership will give our members the opportunity to be recognized internationally through APBA’s affiliation with the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). This will also give our members the honor and the ability to be introduced into the Hall of Champions and National Record Books. We will work closely with APBA to help bring the Offshore Division back to the status and glory it once held years ago.”
APBA, based in the Detroit suburb of Eastpointe, Michigan, was founded in 1903 and is the US National Authority of the UIM. The UIM, whose history traces back to the early 1900’s, is the international governing body for powerboat racing. APBA’s President, Mark Weber said, "As APBA rebuilds the Offshore category, adding the Offshore Super Series is key to the rebuilding process, while adding additional excitement to the 2011 APBA National Championship and Hall of Champions."
The OSS / APBA 2011 season schedule is not available at this time but is expected to be announced early next year. For more information on either OSS or APBA, please visit their websites; www.offshoresuperseries.com or www.apba-racing.com The OSS and APBA logos are respective property of each organization.



The OSS is a not for profit association dedicated to the advancement of the further development and growth of offshore powerboat racing in North America.

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i'm i the only one that finds humor in this ?????????

OSS leaves apba llc cause the "core" group of racers wanted to make things "better" = more $$$ for themselves.

that basicilly wrecked probably yhe best offshore racing has ever been and now that OSS has 1 race site left there going back to were they originally where. and still no schedule.

there comes a time when you just gotta admit to failure and move on.

so does this mean SBI/APBA/OSS is one organization, or has the APBA left SBI?

SBI left APBA last year, but SBI agreed to honor OSS registration fee. Wonder if that will be the case for 2011?

No, you're not.

Looks like we've gone full circle....again.

Agreed.OSS formed in 2003 as a race team owners organization.This split the sport AGAIN and basically ended the APBA OFFSHORE LLC. APBA OFFSHORE LLC had really taken offshore powerboat racing to the next level.Needless to say, the concept of a race team owners organization failed AGAIN in every possible way;just like PROPS and OPT.OSS never followed through with any of thier original plans .Boat count decreased,number of classes increased,and the race schedule also seemed to be questionable.Quality televsion coverage and sponsors never really materailzed either.Throughout the fallout they tried to work with OPA,SBI,POWERBOAT P1...and now APBA.Nothing personal,but it is time for OSS to give it up.There simply are not enough race teams or race sites to support three or four organizations.The fragmentaion of the sport has been the biggest reason why it has struggled for so many years.There needs to be only ONE ORGANIZATION...maybe someday we can get back to that.But for now,everyone should support OPA or SBI and to try to improve on what we have.After all, how many race teams are willing to support OSS in 2011?Why even bother holding events with so few boats and little or no competition?I cant see how keeping OSS alive can be positive for our sport.

it keeps the various boating websites active with negative thoughts!

Pretty much sums it up.I agree.

pete, although i sound negative, the statement is accurate.

+1

All I can say is the sport has endless bounds of negativity. as well as egos, sore losers, poor winners, etc. Is what it is.

with gas prices going up, and the economy still in the dumps we can sit here and watch what happens , give our expert opinions. and not spend a dime!

Dave what you are missing is the original starting officers of OSS are long gone. The remaining racers like the way OSS handles the racing format. Its not for everyone just as P class racing is not for everyone. For those of you that dont like getting paid at the race site, having great safety and a professional staff working for you please dont come. OSS will not be doing joint races with SBI this year. Biloxi will be OSS's first race of the season on the weekend of May 14th. I know of at least 4 SVL teams that are going. Typhoon,Time Bandit,Pirates and Octane. I have not contacted any one else yet. I called these teams just yesterday to confirm.

Waterboy, The reason I see OSS struggling for sites now is that another org has offered races at a reduced price to get sites for themselves. Thats business and Im not complaining. This has hurt OSS in this economy but will not stop them. OPA has set the bar on how to do a race for the smallest amount of money. Is that good or bad for the racers? You know the saying : You get what you pay for!
MD

Mark, "Waterboy1" Who and why would you see fit to be the one and only organization fit to run Offshore racing. I am eagerly awaiting this answer. Dont get quiet on me now! Spill the beans on why OPA or SBI should run the show. And you can only pick one organization to run it. Man up now that you have an opinion. I dont want to here about barbecues or about friendships. Thats for local club racing. Let me know about racing at a level where national sponsorship is available. Not my friends local shop. Let me know about how the Org. you pick can get us to that next level. Business plan?,Sponsorship?Real TV? No conflict of interest, financial backing and towns better off for having us.
MD :bsflag:

Randy,
I should have known better to give my opinion on this.I think you would agree that offshore powerboat racing was at its best under the APBA Offshore LLC.Competition model,technical rules,competitive racing,marketing,televsion,sponsorship,manufacture r support and fan interest were all there.The bottom line is that the introduction of OSS destroyed that.The facts speak for themselves;OSS never could accomplish what it set out to do. They actually caused the sport to go backwards.I am sure the new staff of OSS has good intentions.I just wish that OSS,SBI,OPA and POWERBOAT P1 could mege into one organization.You have to admit that OPA has accomplished alot over the last few years even though it is considered to be a regional sanctioning body focusing on the bracket classes.Multiple competing sanctioning bodies have had disastrous effects in other forms of motorsports;most notabley in indy car racing.The battle between IRL(Indy Racing League) and CART(Championship Auto Racing Teams) all but destroyed indy car racing...and the greatest race of all time:The Indianapolis 500.They finally settled thier differences,and indy car racing is slowly on the rise again with a new series sponsor in IZOD ,and televsion coverage on VERSUS.I guess we can agree to disagree on this one.You know I have the utmost respect for as a racer and a consider you a great friend.Eddie and I always talk about some of the great battles we have had with Typhoon over the last few years.:eek:I sure hope we can continue our friendly rivalry in the future:drink:

As a Director in region 1 of the APBA it is very refreshing to be able to have and talk about Offshore again and for teams to be able to set new records and achieve Hall Of Champions! Jo

Mark, I agree with the statement of having one org running offshore. I also agree that it was at its hight in 2002 with APBA. Well here we are in 2011 and still the org's cant merg. We go threw this every year where us racers talk about it and nothing EVER changes. Maybe just maybe OSS joining APBA is a step in the middle ground. P1 is in,OSS is in,I believe POPRA is considering, what would happen if OPA joined? Isnt that getting us all to our common goal of one org. Everyone gives a little of there power up to a common APBA banner. Yes we can get back to one org. Its called APBA.
And no I am not mad at you. Just challenging your statement.
MD

I wish the O.S.S. the best but I really don't see anything changing but the stickers.

I say OPA should run the entire show. This is my opinion.

1) What you call local club racing has more boats in attendance than OSS.
2) OPA talks and delivers. ie. Rulebook for SVL
3) A particular team was in the midst of procuring sponsorship to campaign a boat in OSS for 2010. They wanted some insight on the organization and the racing so read those wonderful threads posted by the OSS racers on SOS. Great job and show of professionalism there.
4) Organized and you know what you're getting. Anyone, even if they never saw a boat before can make a single phone call and be brought up to speed on the requirements.
5) They have rules that are actually in print.
6) I'm not certain, but highly doubt, that OPA classes vote on changes, agree and fail to document them.
7) Great race sites.
8) They have tech and enforce it
9) Barbeques. I love a barbeque and everyone has gotta eat.
19) TV

Like I said, this is only my opinion but could possibly be swayed. My second choice would be SBI.

Exactly what is it that OSS is offering to make me change my mind. This is your opportunity to sell to every racer out there why they should leave their current org and join OSS.

APBA, still as of today owes a fellow racer and a friend of mine theyr national championship jackets !!!!

NICE...

So far i am happy with SBI and Smitty has a nice show aswell.

Oh, RANDY...didn't u say we gonna see a lot more of u in SBI in 2011 ??? or did missunderstand that ?

ANYHOW, GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

Lauderdale Boats, you sure do have a lot of information for someone that has never been to an OSS or OPA race.

You are free to race where ever you like. What will you be racing in 2011?

For me, I will be at any race that OSS has in 2011, the rest of our schedule will be filled by sites that we like to attend.

Lets look at it this way, NASCAR was not originally elected to "lead" or run oval car racing in the USA. Back then almost each and every city town down south had its own track and organization to run things the way they felt they needed to be run.

NACAR just did it better and the "racers" and teams made the choice by racing with them and the smaller organization fell to the side.

Bottom line, do it better and win the racers.

Pretty simple formula :drink:

Ryan, you are right, We can all go and race where we like. I spent 2010 information gathering & comparing and believe OPA will fit better for us. There are three orgs and in order to race you need to choose one. We found that the OPA leadership has there house in better order.

Like 2 Trick Rick said 'Do it better and win the racers'

I'm sure you're aware of the debackle with SVL Class throughout 2010. There was no resolution in sight in the hands of the org. This is alarming for someone entering or presently racing in the class. SBI seemed to resolve it at the end of a single race. OPA then took the bull by the horns and laid out the rules for the class in a very short period of time and kept everyone informed during the process. Once the rules were written by OPA most agreed with them and everything went quiet. Again, my previous post is only my opinion. I have nothing at all againt OSS just feel that a bigger attempt needs to be made to sell the org to Joe Public. That's the pool where the future racers will come from.

One other thing that should be considered is the level of Safety with each Organization. How many trained Rescue Divers will be provided? What is the level of training that these Rescue Divers have? Will there be Safety Helicopter coverage or is coverage provided by boat? The responce time difference between Helicopters and boats could truly be the difference between life and death. Is Safety coverage provided during testing sessions? Is the race course patrolled during testing or is it every boat for themselves? These are very important questions to be considered in regards to any organization.

Happy New Year to all.

Lauderdaleboats, Did you call the Chief ref. at OSS with your questions or was it just the questions you posted here on line. Mike Tomlinson from OSS (Chief Ref) has all the answers you were asking. He doesnt post on these forums nor does the chief inspect(Gene). If you have any questions please call them. Asking people on the internet about rules is not the right way of finding out about facts. Any way race where you are comfortable.
MD

Uuhhhh, call me brain-damaged, but if there are solid/posted/printed rules, what's wrong with making them public for everyone to see?

Gordo, Not sure what you are refering to. If its the OSS rules they are in print for everyone to see on the OSS web site. Go under racers tab then to resources. All of the rules have been there for years. I hope this helps you and anyone else that may have had a problem finding them.
I was out with Muray last night and we were laughing about one of the races where you and him got a little crazy.
MD

Will the OSS APBA race be under P1 as well? If so will they be using the OSS power to weight rules for the 2 Vee Classes?

Thanks Randy. Tell Glenn I said "Hi" Then tell him I got know idea what he's talkin about ;)

Dean, OSS does not offer a power to weight class. Power to weight is a P1 class. You will have to call Martin for details if you are interested. He will not respond to any questions on these boards so there is no sence asking here. Please call him it sounds like he has a good plan for your style boats.
MD

Thanks Randy. I thought OSS under Poli instituted a power to weight class for the Vees.

how come the fountain svl was allowed to race ???????

It showed at Biloxi and was inspected by the OSS officials. It was measured and checked for motor seals. The SVL class voted and said in the pre season that as racers we wanted the new boat to race with us to increase boat count in our class. So why wouldnt it have been allowed to race? You must have a point you are driving at. Spit it out and maybe I can help answer your question if its about the Fountain racing in OSS. If you are asking about it racing another org I cant help.
MD

Not that it matters a whole lot at this point, but I believe it was APBA, not SBI, that did the "leaving" last year.

APBA and SBI parted ways a couple years ago....

Leaving
 

The whole thing is a joke APBA was never welcome just as OSS wasnt welcomed with open arms this past year. It was meerly an attempt from sbi to get boats.

will OSS be racing in 2011 any events off the southern california coast? long beach etc....?

Same Crap Different Decade,I have been around it for many many years and it always comes back to this,to many racing organizations and not enough racers to fill the classes and then the crappy economy has hurt alot and on and on.I Hope it someday it gets fixed but I have my doubts but it comes down to the guys that are still racing,they are doing it because they love to race and have enough disposable income to waste to have some fun.

APBA is not going to unify the sport, even if P1, OSS, POPRA and OPA join. That still leaves John Carbonell in charge of Florida and Key West and he's not going to join any other organization. APBA will rejoin SBI or no unification is possible. It's JC's way or the highway you better believe it.

Just my .02