Sean Stinson
Founding Member/Contributor
You know it would have to be a Cigarette guy and an Apache guy that came up with these!!!!
Dan Dillon is the Swipe Wipe guy who has a Cig
Bob Vesper is an Apache guy
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The Great Unification
- Thread starter stevequick
- Start date
You know it would have to be a Cigarette guy and an Apache guy that came up with these!!!!
Dan Dillon is the Swipe Wipe guy who has a Cig
Bob Vesper is an Apache guy
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
I think many do care.
I go out and there are many kids on the seawall who will never own a big offshore boat. Doesn't mean they don't dream about it just like we did as kids. When they're out fishing with Dad and you go by they still :drool5:. You don't think they'd love to watch a competitive offshore race on TV? I do.
My (in my mind) proof. More kids play soccer now than football. Football has much higher ratings on TV than soccer. Why? A more exciting show and better to dream about becoming.
I'm not an expert at all. But someone we know has the paid gate numbers for Key West every year and the TV ratings for when offshore was on TV, time slots and events. If those get reviewed and compared to other motor sports at the time vs now, answers will start to emerge as to what may be accomplished. (I think).
Wasn't the estimated crowd at the Derby to watch Marc and Scotty do the demonstration on the river over 700,000?
When the LLC was on TV the F1 show usually had the best ratings. I was at Nielsen every week for business (unrelated to boat racing). At the peak we could match was Bush class show numbers in Nascar. In simple terms it was a 3rd tier motorsport headed to being a 2nd tier motorsport.
To have a quality competition you need sites, structure and employees. That takes money. Since paid gates are rare the money has to come from sponsors or the racers. You can sucker a race promoter in hear and there but they will lose money and quit. To get any sizable sponsor you need TV on a real network.
Steve
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
That's what I'm trying to say, I think. F1 was thae most popular. Why? Cause everybody can dream about buying one someday.
Now, could you explain 1st tier, 2nd tier, and 3rd tier motorsports as far as fan and potential $ draw?
And how many F1 boats were running at the peak of the ratings?
Sean Stinson
Founding Member/Contributor
Ok......Here's the stats as to boat counts this year
APBA/SBI as many as 16
OSS as many as 20
OPA had 40+ at OC this weekend info from race site reports!!!
APBA/SBI as many as 16
OSS as many as 20
OPA had 40+ at OC this weekend info from race site reports!!!
Hannibal41
Banned
40+ whered you hear that ?
there where 40+ in the 1st start alone. Sandborn said there was close to 100 boats.
OPA knows what they are doing there is no need for any other org.
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
That's what I'm trying to say, I think. F1 was thae most popular. Why? Cause everybody can dream about buying one someday.
That was part of it for sure. Another part was the boats look more in peril. Safety cells save lives (in most cases). In the case of the safety cell boats particularly the big ones there is not much to see unless it is really rough. A calm water big boat race is like watching paint dry.
Now, could you explain 1st tier, 2nd tier, and 3rd tier motorsports as far as fan and potential $ draw
To me 3rd tier is your local short track. Local guys or gals spending their own money to run with some local/regional interest. Plenty of people have made their way through these ranks to the top tier. This can only happen if you start young and move on. Of course you also have to be in a motorsport thas has the top tiers.
2nd tier motorsports get some attention from fans and sponsors, some events are televised. Half of the crews are pro's making a living. The rest are guys paying their own way.
1st tier is f1 Nascar some sports car and open wheel events.
Off road racing like Baja is example of a 3rd tier motor sport that gets some 2nd tier aspects about it.
And how many F1 boats were running at the peak of the ratings
20+
Corporate America will always want to be in the 1st tier.
The real question is what will make them venture below that?
One scenario is:
The sanctioning body has a target audience they want access to. GM wanted at our racers to sell trucks (their highest margin vehicles). Through racing they sold trucks to the teams not just for racing but also to the guys who bought fleet trucks for their business. The second part was to dispel the myth that that the old BB Chevy was superior to the new architecture (496).
While the direct payment to the LLC was $400K the total budget with hospitality TV advertising prize money etc was over $ 1 million. At the end of 2003 offshore was delivering gm there second greatest return on advertising investment.
Another scenario is:
They think you are an emerging sport and the can get a deal if the lock it up early.
Steve
Sean H
Charter Member
second start had 16 or 17 boats, so I guess you are saying that class 6, 5 and 4 had 84 boats? :rofl:
I would be surprised if there was 40 total that raced.
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Hannibal41
Banned
who cares, there where more boats in OPA then any other # doesnt matter its not impt at this point the exact #. Just there are more boats in OPA then any other org at its current running. I thought i heard sandborn say there where 100+
and 12 alone in class 5 but it really doesnt matter
and 12 alone in class 5 but it really doesnt matter
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
We'll find out I'm sure.
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
imco offshore
Competitor / Charter Member
look i dont post much but i do know steve well , i think we should let him come race with us any time, there is no merc and our tech people, can just like our boats remove his ecm like they did to mine at orange bch and send it to dave and have it checked or STEVE can come and take my boat and do with what you or the class wants. bottom line is we need STEVE,,,BOB,,,BRUCE,,,THE CUBAN,,,OCTAINE ECT... lets RACE HE hasn,t won a bunch of races yet. and yes i,m going to Sarasota.i owe him a race?
F1-00 Racing
Competitor
I have tried to stay off here, but I felt before some people showed up in Sarasota and are pi$$ed off, I heard a RUMOUR that SVL in SBI was deleted due to lack of participation. As I stated I heard it as a RUMOUR when I was inquiring about purchasing a SVL and racing it, hence the reason I stayed away from the purchase. I am not saying that I am right or wrong, but respectfully request that you call the office and verify the merit to the RUMOUR. I am not trying to start anything, but to make you aware of what I have heard and yes I only post facts, but I specifically stated this as a RUMOUR so you can follow up on your own and can only look in the mirror if you dont and show up and it turns out to be true. Of course then as creatures of habit you would come back on the boards and say how horrible SBI is.
You have been warned, please look into it.
However there is always P class, I am sure there is one that can accomodate your boat. Just because SVL might possibly not be availible doesnt mean that teams are not welcome and wont have a class to race in.
Trent
You have been warned, please look into it.However there is always P class, I am sure there is one that can accomodate your boat. Just because SVL might possibly not be availible doesnt mean that teams are not welcome and wont have a class to race in.
Trent
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Sean Stinson
Founding Member/Contributor
I have tried to stay off here, but I felt before some people showed up in Sarasota and are pi$$ed off, I heard a RUMOUR that SVL in SBI was deleted due to lack of participation. As I stated I heard it as a RUMOUR when I was inquiring about purchasing a SVL and racing it, hence the reason I stayed away from the purchase. I am not saying that I am right or wrong, but respectfully request that you call the office and verify the merit to the RUMOUR. I am not trying to start anything, but to make you aware of what I have heard and yes I only post facts, but I specifically stated this as a RUMOUR so you can follow up on your own and can only look in the mirror if you dont and show up and it turns out to be true. Of course then as creatures of habit you would come back on the boards and say how horrible SBI is.
However there is always P class, I am sure there is one that can accomodate your boat. Just because SVL might possibly not be availible doesnt mean that teams are not welcome and wont have a class to race in.
Trent
Hey Trent
SBI FLL is this coming weekend and I am going to go ck it out as I missed Marathon....I will give you a full unbiased report as soon as I can from FLL as well as the OSS & Bimini deal 2 weeks later from there!!!!
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
I have tried to stay off here, but I felt before some people showed up in Sarasota and are pi$$ed off, I heard a RUMOUR that SVL in SBI was deleted due to lack of participation. As I stated I heard it as a RUMOUR when I was inquiring about purchasing a SVL and racing it, hence the reason I stayed away from the purchase. I am not saying that I am right or wrong, but respectfully request that you call the office and verify the merit to the RUMOUR. I am not trying to start anything, but to make you aware of what I have heard and yes I only post facts, but I specifically stated this as a RUMOUR so you can follow up on your own and can only look in the mirror if you dont and show up and it turns out to be true. Of course then as creatures of habit you would come back on the boards and say how horrible SBI is.
However there is always P class, I am sure there is one that can accomodate your boat. Just because SVL might possibly not be availible doesnt mean that teams are not welcome and wont have a class to race in.
Trent
Well you certainly cannot blame them if they did do it. There are too many classes why keep one know one shows up for. What this means is that if OSS was not around SVL's are now P class boats. I would like to see it stay but do not like "racing" alone. Anyone interested in doing Sarasota? I do not want to call and ask to keep it for one boat.
Steve
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
Just saw you are going to Sarasota cool! I will see if we have a class?!?!
Steve
MOBILEMERCMAN
Founding Member / Competitor
imco offshore is George. He mentioned a few posts up he is going.
Steve Miklos
Charter Member / Competitor
That was never totally clear. At the time we thought it was tournament water skiing. They picked some boat builders (from ford) and sold a ton of trucks. For every pro skier/wakeboarder there are thousands of amateurs.
Steve
imco offshore
Competitor / Charter Member
trent thanks for the info, but i won,t race with a limitation on speed ,to me it,s that little bit extra you squeez out of the boat, yourself and your team that makes it racing. i wish everyone the best and be safe.
I just got home from Ocean City. That was the one place on the planet this weekend where racing didn't have a problem. In fact, 40 teams all pretty much had a good time.
But in the middle of it, I think I discovered what's wrong with SOME of racing. It's expectation.
We have a bunch of guys that want someone else to foot the bill for a million dollar boat that travels 200 mph and has a 4 truck entourage. And while those guys are whining about not having the TV coverage and the fan base to make that happen, a bunch of guys put on a damn good show in OC. And the best part- you couldn't tall from the beach that Billy Martin's 30-year-old pleasure boat had chrome horns on the deck. Everyone was watching as he swapped the lead with Jim Simmons' 15-year-old boat between each corner. And watching one class with eleven fairly equal boats run the course was also a good time. Especially considering that at one point two thirds of them were out of the water running off of some bumpy water.
I'm no different that the next guy- I love standing on the breakwall at Key West watching a 50 foot boat with a pair of 1550's come blazing by. But I had just as much fun watching deck-to-deck racing between truly passionate racers.
The world is full of people that want things to be different. Sometimes you can make that happen and sometimes you just can't. I have no doubt there's plenty of other motorsports enthusiasts out there wishing the rest of the world loved their hobby as much as they do. If only wishing could make it so. Maybe SBI's TV dfeal will revolutionize the sport and offshore will be the next NASCAR. But if not, what's wrong with putting on races with boats that mere mortals can afford?
But in the middle of it, I think I discovered what's wrong with SOME of racing. It's expectation.
We have a bunch of guys that want someone else to foot the bill for a million dollar boat that travels 200 mph and has a 4 truck entourage. And while those guys are whining about not having the TV coverage and the fan base to make that happen, a bunch of guys put on a damn good show in OC. And the best part- you couldn't tall from the beach that Billy Martin's 30-year-old pleasure boat had chrome horns on the deck. Everyone was watching as he swapped the lead with Jim Simmons' 15-year-old boat between each corner. And watching one class with eleven fairly equal boats run the course was also a good time. Especially considering that at one point two thirds of them were out of the water running off of some bumpy water.
I'm no different that the next guy- I love standing on the breakwall at Key West watching a 50 foot boat with a pair of 1550's come blazing by. But I had just as much fun watching deck-to-deck racing between truly passionate racers.
The world is full of people that want things to be different. Sometimes you can make that happen and sometimes you just can't. I have no doubt there's plenty of other motorsports enthusiasts out there wishing the rest of the world loved their hobby as much as they do. If only wishing could make it so. Maybe SBI's TV dfeal will revolutionize the sport and offshore will be the next NASCAR. But if not, what's wrong with putting on races with boats that mere mortals can afford?
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