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The Great Unification
- Thread starter stevequick
- Start date
Randy,
Thanks but on this final point you are simply wrong. In saying this, I am not picking at you. Rather, I am making a critical point that I think needs to be made and understood in order for there ever to be a turnaround in the sport. Here it is: Collectively, the LLC investors had plenty of personal resources to keep going. The problem was that the boycott killed the business model and in doing so, the profit potential that was needed to justify any further investment.
Look, we had 53 boats in Orange Beach and we knew full well that if we had kept going we would have had a solid but greatly diminished fleet of loyal teams who would have kept racing with us. But, we also knew that we would be spending money rebuilding what was lost, and competing against a new splinter group. As business people we rightly recognized that there was no sense in throwing good money after bad running that diminished sanctioning organization, and decided to keep our money rather than spending any more on what had become painfully obvious: we were never going to realize profits any time soon. As a result, we closed the doors and the rest is history.
AugiePensa
The Godfather
Like I said in other posts, in the end there will be cockroaches, twinkes, John Carbonell and now Smitty.
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
Randy
In reality you are still boycotting. Want to help the sport? Do some SBI events I have offered to do OSS events. The reality is until people start crossing the line the lines will always be drawn.
Mercury left and took their glass beads and trinkets with them. The wake of damage they caused still rips through the sport. Stop asking for others to fix it and make you a nice cozy place to race. Many have worked for you to race it is time to reach across the lines so the Sport can continue.
I will be in Sunny Isles going to Bimini are any SVL's going?
Why miss the 25th aniversary of Sarasota?
When we spoke about Clearwater and I was going to buy a 525 to race it so why not race it as SBI?
The few holdouts are simply assuring no recovery will ever occour.
Steve
In reality you are still boycotting. Want to help the sport? Do some SBI events I have offered to do OSS events. The reality is until people start crossing the line the lines will always be drawn.
Mercury left and took their glass beads and trinkets with them. The wake of damage they caused still rips through the sport. Stop asking for others to fix it and make you a nice cozy place to race. Many have worked for you to race it is time to reach across the lines so the Sport can continue.
I will be in Sunny Isles going to Bimini are any SVL's going?
Why miss the 25th aniversary of Sarasota?
When we spoke about Clearwater and I was going to buy a 525 to race it so why not race it as SBI?
The few holdouts are simply assuring no recovery will ever occour.
Steve
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
Smitty has a cohesive group that follows him. Not for some free equipment but because they believe in him. That is the key to his success. Smitty has felt Mercury Racing's wrath first hand and will never be dupped as OSS is. Anyone who cannot see past the 850 debacle is blind.
Steve
Steve
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Geronimo36
Charter Member
I hear ya but, one of the best races I've been to in the past couple of years was the 2006 Destin worlds.... Live TV action through out the race... I would be on the hotel balcony watching the boats go by the start-finish, then run back inside to watch the back stretch of the course on live TV... Truely a great experience and wish it could be done more!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_SAFjARlMc
Perfectly said.
Sean Stinson
Founding Member/Contributor
Not a problem....
Rick, nothing is going on. It is going to be basically the same this year as it has been for the last 7-8 except with smaller boat counts pretty much everywhere. Each head of each organization is happy (or at least complacent) with what they are doing and have no real desire to merge, overtake, or squash the others. And most of the racers are happy doing what they're doing. But everyone that has a vision of how it was or how it could be wants more, and everyone believes that unification would provide that. And maybe it would......
That e-mail would fill an encyclopedia. If you're new to the sport, enjoy the general boating sections and spend your time going to the races and enjoying the action. Trying to understand the internal politics of the various race series and sanctioning bodies is going to be akin to one morning hearing about the conflicts between the Jews and Arabs and asking "what's that all about?"
Trust me when I tell you that even the guys with 30 or 40 years inside the sport really have no idea how to "fix" it. In the end, it may just fix itself.
MOBILEMERCMAN
Founding Member / Competitor
Nice, Put a 525 in and see if you still got it. I don't know if you would have anything for Randy, me or the Dunbars. :biggrinjester:
Sunny Isles will be a good time. Bimini run is on Friday.
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
Why put in a 525? Everyone is in the ECM's that is clear even in video's of even pleasure boats. I have full data aquisition and there is dyno near. Why not get this going the right direction? My revs etc can be seen after the race and during live on shore. As far as what I have or not talent wise I did 156 hours last year.
There is a time to beat for Bimini are you talking or running?
Steve
MOBILEMERCMAN
Founding Member / Competitor
I read and thought your were going to run with us. We swap ECU's sometimes. Usually one class at a time.
I am Running with Freeze Frame in his newly restored Superboat.
PHP:
Talking or running?Just saw this, I figure if we're on a sailboat at least it's unlikely Stinson will flip it :rofl::sifone:
Dunbar 104
Charter Member / Competitor
Steve I do race with OPA as well. At this point I have no desire or the funds to race with SBI. I thought I just thanked you and Mike for some good times racing in the LLC. Why do you keep kicking me in the nuts when I dont race with SBI. I happen to believe in the OSS model.
Mike as a business man I dont blame you for pulling the plug. If you cant make money at it get out. Dont blame the racers for your failer. You were the CEO of the LLC and there is no one but yourself to point fingers at. Some where you lost touch with the racers and they left. It sucked when it fell apart for me as well. Can we please move on its been years now.
MD
Mike as a business man I dont blame you for pulling the plug. If you cant make money at it get out. Dont blame the racers for your failer. You were the CEO of the LLC and there is no one but yourself to point fingers at. Some where you lost touch with the racers and they left. It sucked when it fell apart for me as well. Can we please move on its been years now.
MD
MANITIE
Charter Member / Competitor
Mike and Steve...thanks for jumping in and putting in your thoughts....
Its good to hear from the guys that ran things and put Offshore in the spot light and gave us the publicity we all got with the LLC
APBA LLC had the right bussines plan and with everything to back it up...thats why it was so successful.....
I would think with the way everything is going with Mercury Racing that it's even a bigger eye opener to have compitition with the engine builders...with still over 35 Vortecs at Inovations and with Ilmor in the racing picture and wanting in, that its time to look at opening the door to them....forcing teams to race one engine has proven its not working....because that engine builder can change and build new ones which means we all have to keep buying them...and as far as support gose...it can be gone just as fast....
You have Steve who has a SVL and is willing to run it against the OSS guys...do you want boats and compitition or make your rules that keep boats from attending...we know have 750's AND 850's....when dose it stop...
Take the Mercury Racing, Ilmors and Vortec engines...have a outside engine builder or inspectors dyno and set up all engines as close as they can be set to be equal and seal them and have inspections...and then let the racers decide what engine package they want to run....if a engine builder wants to come up with a compinsation package to get racers to buy there enignes then great...that will make the others follow sute...and have all 3 be at the races for race support....
Times are changing...Ilmor is in the game now...Vortecs are still out there...
Spec racing is great...but maybe its time to have more options opened up to the racers....GM's idea of the lease programs was great...this way if another engine package was better you could switch the next year without loosing your shirt....
We all hear about prise money and sponsorships.....but the money is just as good if we can get a discount on the engine packages....a true discount...and with competition between engine builders that could bring that back to the table....and a deal were no matter what Org you race in you get the discount...a racers is a racers...and is running your equipment...you should have support no matter were you run.....
Its good to hear from the guys that ran things and put Offshore in the spot light and gave us the publicity we all got with the LLC
APBA LLC had the right bussines plan and with everything to back it up...thats why it was so successful.....
I would think with the way everything is going with Mercury Racing that it's even a bigger eye opener to have compitition with the engine builders...with still over 35 Vortecs at Inovations and with Ilmor in the racing picture and wanting in, that its time to look at opening the door to them....forcing teams to race one engine has proven its not working....because that engine builder can change and build new ones which means we all have to keep buying them...and as far as support gose...it can be gone just as fast....
You have Steve who has a SVL and is willing to run it against the OSS guys...do you want boats and compitition or make your rules that keep boats from attending...we know have 750's AND 850's....when dose it stop...
Take the Mercury Racing, Ilmors and Vortec engines...have a outside engine builder or inspectors dyno and set up all engines as close as they can be set to be equal and seal them and have inspections...and then let the racers decide what engine package they want to run....if a engine builder wants to come up with a compinsation package to get racers to buy there enignes then great...that will make the others follow sute...and have all 3 be at the races for race support....
Times are changing...Ilmor is in the game now...Vortecs are still out there...
Spec racing is great...but maybe its time to have more options opened up to the racers....GM's idea of the lease programs was great...this way if another engine package was better you could switch the next year without loosing your shirt....
We all hear about prise money and sponsorships.....but the money is just as good if we can get a discount on the engine packages....a true discount...and with competition between engine builders that could bring that back to the table....and a deal were no matter what Org you race in you get the discount...a racers is a racers...and is running your equipment...you should have support no matter were you run.....
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