Future of OSY - Pro or Stock

[Dr. Thunder]

It was created in the PRO division. Original engines were Mercury's running on methanol.

Since you can still modify a Merc 60J and run fuel in K-Pro ... how do you think it would match up to an OMC-J? Can you even get a 60J to run 55+?

[RuthieRae]

The motor was the Merc 10sx. This was a pet project of the late Doc Collins. Doc wanted to get this motor approved by the SORC and was denied. So he took the motor to the Pro Commission and it was approved for J pro hydro. Not many were sold. But Doc owned about 5 of them with boats and would put kids in them. Speeds were about 46mph. My son Matt started this way as did RJ West. Merc scraped the remaining motors that were not sold so the Pro Commission approved the OMC 15 motor without a restrictor. So it really became an ASH without weight and the min age of 11. A few years ago for some reason the Pro Commission changed the name of the class from J Pro to Kids Pro also known as "K" Pro.

When J Pro was first run....the age was 14. Doc traveled all over promoting the class and was a great man with great intentions. It is so good to see the Pro Category go to bat for this class, very unfortunate to see some of the posts by members of the category say how the OSY class is not needed. When the J Pro age was changed a few years after Doc started toting the equipment east and west, it allowed younger kids to run which was great....but there are people out there that enjoy the Pro category who don't necessarily want their kids going from KPro to 125cc....so I don't understand how these statements can be made about OSY, I think it is a great fit as well, for the 14 year olds who are advancing from KPro. Pro is run all over the country, not just on the Title Series circut, and out west, OSY is thriving and on all of our sanctions. Why the thread started, doesn't matter, kind of nice to see what people think of the class....totally new perspective I have for the Title Series I guess.....I know not all members feel that way, but very very interesting to read some of this stuff.

Thanks to Doc, though, I was able to travel to DePue with my family who runs pro and race while I was there. Osy has also allowed me that opportunity because I don't want to run 125....well I have one....and it sits in the garage.

DOC>>>> still have my c-3 racing shirt from DePue in 89......and the first race my kid runs in Kpro, that will be the shirt he/she wears.

[S.wolf]

125 vs OSY

Dont understand the last few posts about thinking OSY is more suited for the younger racer than 125 is. Osy has more wrecks in one race than 125 has all year. I would never let my kid run OSY instead of 125. A CSH without weight and 14 year old drivers is an accident waiting to happen.

[ricochet112]

Dont understand the last few posts about thinking OSY is more suited for the younger racer than 125 is. Osy has more wrecks in one race than 125 has all year. I would never let my kid run OSY instead of 125. A CSH without weight and 14 year old drivers is an accident waiting to happen.

Exactly! That's how my boat got destroyed, a 14 year old crashed right in front of me and took out myself and another boat
It was 2 years ago I questioned why OSY did'nt have a weight min, UIM made a min weight! Bob Wartinger has petitioned APBA (or Pro) for years now to get a minimum weight.

Add: If it wasn't for Doc Collins, Gary Hansen wouldn't have won 1100ccR in 1992, he MADE him jack it up, we ( I was deck rider) saw 92mph in rough conditions testing.

[Kristi Ellison]

Reminder: the age limit for 125 is also 14. I do not consider it a beginners class by any means. I would not let my 170lb 15 YO run in the hydro class, he does run 125R and does a very good job but he is racing against cooler heads.

Kristi

[14-H]

***he does run 125R and does a very good job but he is racing against cooler heads.

Kristi

The runabout guys are always much more collected than the hydro ones. We need an OSY-Runabout class. Of course side fins would not be allowed. Ed.

[RuthieRae]

Dont understand the last few posts about thinking OSY is more suited for the younger racer than 125 is. Osy has more wrecks in one race than 125 has all year. I would never let my kid run OSY instead of 125. A CSH without weight and 14 year old drivers is an accident waiting to happen.

Don't believe I said anything about it being better suited for anyone....or safer than 125, just there for those people who don't want to run 125. It is an accident waiting to happen if you let it.

Also, there is no pro class out here in the west for the 14 year olds to run, except OSY....I think my point is more that there are other clubs who run pro classes besides the US Title Series, and we run OSY and love it.

[David Weaver]

As far as

.....14 years old progressing through the classes in any category, it seems to me that it is the responsibility of the parent to make sure that their child is ready for the next step. All kinds of ways to introduce 14 year old drivers safely into faster classes - i.e. detune the engine, run a little deeper, run a little larger boat, run a little larger prop, only allow partial pipe slide, etc.

And it seems to me that race officials should be cognizant of any driver that appears to over his/her head in any class regardless of age.

As far as weights, they will not take away top-end speed, only accleration. I would rather be hit by a 100 pound boat than a 150 pound boat. Preferably, both will avoid me!!

[roperz111]

The "old" OSY-400

I used to love running OSY-400 the most, back when it was a truly tough class. By that I mean when it first started we had to use two-blade props. Now, that kind of torque was something to drive, especially trying to straighten the steering wheel coming out of the final turn on the final lap!!! The current OSY guys have it made now, you guys should have run OSY then!

All kidding aside, I think it was a better class then in my humble opinion because the combination of 2-blade props and no weights gave alot of guys that didn't run so well in CSH the ability to run well in OSY. It was almost like a totally different class.

I was the first ever to address the USTS meeting in Chicago (back in 1994 or 95) about making OSY-400 a full fledged USTS class. It went over about as well as suggesting adding chain-saw competition or ballet to the USTS.

Chris Johnson
111-Z

[ryan_4z]

There is a lot of good discussion here, but there are a couple of things that have not been mentioned. First, it is a joke to call this class OSY-400, because it is in no way compliant with the U.I.M. OSY-400 class. It is, in fact, more closely related to our CSH class. In my opinion, the two are so closely related, that they can be considered duplicate classes. That brings me to my second point, I think we are asking the wrong question in this thread. The question should not be PRO or Stock, but, Do we need and OSY-400 class in APBA at all? I am of the opinion that the class should not exist at all. We already have CSH, which, I believe, is the largest class in APBA(not stating this as fact), and I think that having a duplicate class pulls drivers away from CSH, which is where they belong. There is really no legitimacy to the class anyway, as most of the drivers are actually CSH guys who run OSY a few times a year. To call it Pro's largest class is kind of ridiculous because the numbers are fluffed up with a bunch of CSH guys who run 2-3 times a year. I see no need for a second CSH, in any category.

[csh2z]

I agree

OSY-400 should be 100% UIM compliant. We don't need duplicate classes. We are taking a finite number of drivers and dividing, making 2 smaller classes that then requires more time on an already long schedule. The same applies to other classes as well. If you have an OMC 15 and a couple of restrictors you can run 9 "different classes. If the PRO category needs to run A & C hydro than put ASH & CSH on your schedule. If a true OSY-400 class is desired, make it happen!
John Runne 2-Z

[ryan_4z]

Mr. Van Steenwyk,

I have not always agreed with Ed Hearn. As a matter of fact, he and I have had quite a few disagreements on various issues in the last 3-4 years. That being said, I must say, your personal vendetta against this man really seems to be uncalled for and quite childish. I think it is utterly reprehensible the way you continue personally attack Ed, and make this whole record situation out to be the biggest screw-up of the century. Ed admitted he made a mistake, it happens, human error is part of life (and yes lawyers are human). I am quite sure he is not the only person who is responsible for this happening. So will you please just quit b*tching, and GET OVER IT!!!!! Your bitterness and constant negativity is bringing me down.

[David Weaver]

Or another way to look at it....

Have Stock Outboard adopt OSY400 and replace the current CSH with OSY400 and its UIM rules. This would give SO a world recognized UIM class to participate in (and it is the largest outboard class in the world per UIM). And this can be fun!! JUst ask Wartinger or Eric Pugh. How would that work??

And then the PRO category can adopt CSH and call it something different, like enhanced OSY 400 powerhead class or blueprint 400 class. We could open it up to methanol and tuned (pipe exhaust). The boats could run on gas or methanol. NO weights, as it is a PRO class (non-antique). So long as the powerhead is any Yamato 80, 102, 202 or 302, all it has to do is meet stroke and bore (no tear down at inspection guys and gals). This might work and be more fun for all.

[Cameraboy]

This might work and be more fun for all.

What? You mean this stuff is supposed to be fun?

Let's add a further change - runabouts also legal in blueprint 400.

My re-introduction to outboards in 2000 included watching JW Myers race (and beat, I think) J Michael Kelly with a runabout in OSY 400. Now, that's entertainment.

[csh2z]

David,
Doing what you suggest would give us the same result except the PRO category would benefit with the more popular class. Would that be your goal?
-John 2-Z