Key West Race Length
 

I just read that the race length is only 83 miles for Sunday and 44 miles for the Wed and Friday races????
What kind of World Championship is that? I remember when it was over 200 miles for the final day.

We are supposed to make this harder not easier. First we stop going offshore and now we are doing sprint races? This is not what offshore powerboat racing is supposed to be.

Back in 86 the open boats would run 150 miles for a regular national race...What happened to making this a proving ground?

Do you have tubes in your tv? Times have changed! IT makes for a better show...With the price of parts these days an the economy it allows for more teams to race! Wish I was paying 1986 fuel prices...

OK so i am fine with the shorter laps to give the people a show. So with that being said, lets give them a better show and do more laps so that the race distance is 200 mile sfor a world championship race. A one hour race is crap...

Do you you have unreliable motors in your boat?

Most of us would need to stop and refuel twice

The equation of how much faster the boats are today compared to how long the courses were back then, evens out the theroy on testing the equipment, reliability, & endurance. I have been in the boat in Key West were the 30 mile early races were PLENTY long enough.....times have changed, fans lose interest quickly a 2 hour race would get real boring.....

I guess we have a difference of opinion there. (which is not a bad thing)

I feel that a two or three hour race is great. People put there boats in the water, drag the family down there...They want to make it an event a day long affair not an 45/60 minute event...

My opinion, hell i am travelling from Atlanta for the races at least give me more then 60 min...

With the course being shorter and there being 2 or 3 races , it still fills the day. I remember "THE OLD DAYS" when there was 1 race with ALL the boats. The ORGs do there best to put on the best show possible with the amount of entries that they get. In Orange Beach this year the OSS ran the race in 4 heats in stead of 2 races to make it a better show. Usually the best part of a race is the start and the first few laps. So when you have more races with more starts and more first few laps it really does equate to a better show for the fans. PLUS the boats are MORE relialble now than back then and the classes are more even so more of the racing is deck to deck than it was when they ran 30 mile laps and the boat only passed by 4 or 5 time in the matter of 2 hours. Most of the boats built now are built only to hold enough fuel for what they are racing very few couls actually run more than 100 miles....

I still think we had it right in the 80's. 3 or 4 staggered starts. There were constantly boats going by for the fans to see. The problem now, is that the courses are so short, by the time you do a staggered start, you have boats coming around completing the 1st lap. Maybe there should be an offshore race and an inshore race. Inshore to see which boat has the best acceleration, top speed and turning capabilities. Offshore to see who has the toughest gear and best crew.

HORBA is attemting to do that.

I agree that the fans would lose interest quickly if there were a 2 hour race per class and out in the ocean where no body could see them. It would be boring for me and I love Offshore Powerboat Racing. If you are running 3-4 races in the same afternoon and each race is one hour long, it will be more exciting for the spectators and the racers. Spectators want to see continuous race action and that is created by the shorter race course instead of occasional race action created by the longer race course, where you have to wait about 5 minutes or so depending on the Class for the boats to come by and when the boats spread out on a longer course it sucks compared to a shorter course where the spectators can see the boats going by more offend. Shorter courses and as close as possible to the spectators as possible is the Future of Offshore Powerboat Racing, if you want more race fans and did I mention Unity of the racers. Sorry I just had to mention that, I don't know what came over me.

Just one other thing to consider re: the World's from another area of doing a race.

There are 3 races, 3 days. On each race day the turnaround times between those 3 races depends on a lot of things.

Cranes are not only putting the next classes in, they are taking out boats with immediate problems, the helicopters have to re-fuel, tow boats may be towing boats in and need to get off the course and back into position, and a start for the 3rd race is being determined by the first 2 races. If medical has had an issue, they need to get re-organized and sometimes there are racers racing in more than one class.

The logistics of doing one race is really appreciated when we get to Key West and have 3 in one day.......then do it again 2 days later, etc.
It gets done........but sometimes there is a lot of screaming in my headphones!!!!!!!!!!:D

If we did 3, 2 hour races, ...........I won't even go there.

You can come up with all the suggestions and solutions for your viewing that you want and I hope your enjoy the show but it isn't going to change. It is what it is.

Sorry, just my .02 with a view from race control.
PD

Pat,

Do the logisitics change if, instead of running 3 separate races, you do 3 or 4 starts within 5 minutes of each other and have all of the boats running together on a longer course? Assuming from a safety perspective that they remain fairly spread out, and you don't have 20 boats coming into the harbor at the same time.

What changes,..... would be the nightmare it would create for SCORING.

2nd nightmare would be that assumption re: everybody heading into the harbor at the same time.
A longer course would help but going back to considering the spectators, they want the short course. The largest spectator area for KW is coming out of the harbor near sunset key. They don't want to be in the rougher water.

The 3rd problem is turn 2. That race and that turn is a whole subject in itself because of the holes at turn 2 and the tide changes. Lots of boats hitting turn 2 is as bad as the harbor at some points in the day

So you have to think about the big picture,Nobody is getting rich on this sport.The cost of racing let alone put on a race is H U G E ! The saying goes...How do you make a Million in offshore racing?...Start off with 3 Million...Bob

Or, in my crowds case drunk & pass out:drink:

I agree.

There was a guy in loto drunk and passed out on the spectator dock while we were racing.....at NOON!!!!!

I wouldn't doubt it!

Hey RELIABLE ONE u on my side this year?? Cant leave our team were 1 for 1 with u...

I don't know about him but I'm always rootin' for ya Tony. Still wearing all those T shirts you gave me in Orange Beach a couple years ago too. :)

I tried to freshen him up Ryan but the coast gaurd was gonna arrest me if I didn't stop

C'mon now dumb fox you know there's a new sherriff in town

Will see what we can work out

I personally love the set up of the Key West races. The view from Sunset Pier is phenomenol, as the boats come ripping down the shoreline, and set up for that hard left turn. Racing offshore would suck for a land based observer. See you all down there in a month!! :drink: :drink: :drink:

Or you could fill up during spin-outs.

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in Key West is a all day event!! In fact it is sensory overload of Offshore Powerboat Racing!!
Have you ever been there???

Bigboy i know the "new Sheriff" Reliable one is an old friend that goes i go back with in 1996 racing a cat in the GREAT LAKES SERIES GLOPRA..Hes Tom crew guy..Last year he helped out in Key West when Tom was dock stricken..its a sickeness u get in KEY WEST sometimes..I got it in 04...NEW SHERIFF better have all his guns handy down there...

We like it up close & personal!!!:ernaehrung004: