Hello OPA Teams,

I can't believe it's been 10 years since OPA got started. Maybe we need a cake or sumthin'?

It's going to be another great season with a full schedule of great race sites. Especially this first one. Who would have through we'd be racing on Lake Hopatcong???? And we are racing in the smaller - north east corner of the lake. It should be a very intimate setting with pits/launch/meetings and Start/Finish all at one marina just fifty feet off the race course. Lets tear it up!

What I'd like share with you...before the season gets started...is the balance between racers and race producers. Racers want great locations that are close to home and Race Producers want lots of boats to attend in order to give the fans a great show. So when someone like Jay Muller takes off his helmet and decides to go through the aggravation of putting on a race on his home turf...for your benefit as well as his community's, please give your best effort to attend and participate as a way of saying thank you. Don't take a race producer for granted, they are Offshore Racing's greatest asset.
Without these men and women that volunteer their time in order to give us a place to race, we wouldn't be able to do it alone.

So Thank you to Jay Muller, Dave Patneud - AC Race, Mikey and Ted - MD Races, Bill Purnell Ocean City, Evil Ed Smith - all of Michigan, Nick Sacfolli, Scott Begovich for a great event in Jupiter FL last year, and Phil Hauck and the crew from Bull on the Beach for bringing the Worlds back to the North East. And a super big thank you to Louie Da Rigger for dealing with all the BS that a NYC Bureaucrat can throw at you and still keep going. Timex has NOTHING on Louie. He's like the damn Energizer Bunny and eventually, they listen, understand and he gets his way. Thanks Louie, see ya in Long Beach NY. (I'm sure I missed a few names that belong here.) I just wanted to take a moment and thank these men for helping OPA to produce safe and enjoyable race sites.

Beyond our own racers working to produce great events, we have whole communities like St Clair and Port Huron Michigan, and last year's surprise - East Tawas Michigan that get behind OPA events to make them happen. It takes a huge effort to put on these races and look what St Clair does for us year after year. It makes me proud to be a part of the show.

Last year was our first year in East Tawas and it was amazing. The race course has a stadium feel where the boats are mere yards off the race course, ten feet above the water on a seawall. But it was the people that came out in droves and filled the streets at night during the street party and packed the seawall during the day. It was a heartwarming event to have people thank you for coming to their tiny lake front town. Don't miss this one. (Oh, and thank Brian at this Hot Dog stand by the seawall. He's da Man in East Tawas.

Once again for 2013 we have a bunch of great race producers that are just itching to put on a World Class Event in their home town and they are counting on you to be there and interact with the fans, on and off the race course. So lets get this party started and have another safe and enjoyable season of OPA Racing.

Grab a beer and enjoy this video. This should get your engine started. http://vimeo.com/18138212

I look forward to seeing all my friends again next week at Lake Hopatcong...

Ron and Terrie Polli

Thanks EVERYONE !!!!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone involved...its going to be a great year!

RON, THANK YOU TOO!, along with everyone.

gonna Be Another Great Year With a Great Bunch Of Fools

are you sure its been 10 years? i thought Kurt Handed over the reigns in 2005.

Probably correct Bruce, but it's still been 10 years for OPA...and going on 31 years for me. It all blends together over time.