Why the Sutherland Plan Won't Work

[csh12M]

Economy, really?

Not so doom and gloom, really?

I reported to the Commission that MHRA, the last club to hold SO only races lost over $4,500 on the five races it ran last year! Not because of the economy, but because in the last five years we went from having 125 racers per weekend to 85. We survived for a few years by cutting out expenses, but now what. We did what every other club in America has had to do, we raised entry fee. So what will that do for our entries?

Blaming our decline on economy can't be your answer for growth.

The economy will never again be good for the masses to support Outboard Racing. Our new engines are expensive! and if you do buy one we reward you by making you run it in a weak class for a limited amount of time during the weekend. For the first time in America your kids will not make as much as you. These trends are not going to change. Rigs are expensive! and we only allow the racer to race them for a brief amount of time. The 45 class did more to hurt kneel down racing than any economic climate has. That class while a different ride has two main things going for it. You own one rig and you race it a lot over the weekend. Oh BTW, that Category is working on finding a new replacement engine, in addition to APBA Formula 4 (which is silly because it will compete against each other for members just like we do) but what do you think is going to happen to our member numbers if/when they roll out? It used to be that racing 45 was far more expensive than Stock, but not any more. The difference between our rigs has narrowed dramatically.

We have to look at change or look at the death of local Grass Roots Stock Outboard racing.

Thanks,
Dean Sutherland
12M

I am not as doom-and-gloom as many. We have a decline in membership/participation recently due to the economy. If you look at the history of all of APBA over the last 30 years, our numbers track the overall economic climate. Stock Outboard, however, has a very bright future with current-production engines now being available in all classes. Thus, to answer your question: Do I feel SO needs a serious change? No. Do I think it needs changes? Yes.

What I would change is the way we do business, however, to attract people to our sport. I supported that change by taking a presentation to the APBA BOD to change the way we do business, the way we communicate with our members and the way we communicate with the public interested in what we do. I would NOT force the existing members to change which is what the Sutherland plan does. First, I don't believe that coersion is the way to go about it. I favor attracting people to the bigger classes and letting them do the choosing. Second, I don't think it will work as I have stated before. It will simply help the Mod Category and nothing will change at the local races.

[reed28n]

What is wrong with that?

Dana: Where would he be going if he owned a Hot Rod or a Mercury 25XS? Answer: MOD. That is the problem with the plan's premise. I'm not joking.

I submit that this is exactly where these motors should be going if we cannot grow their class, once a motor is no longer available.

Stock Outboard should be introducing new alternative power unit solutions and the motors no longer available should be made available for Mod.

Why is that an evil plan? Some motors will be sold to die hard mod guys by die hard stock guys that will buy new equipment. Some drivers will migrate with their equipment and remain an APBA member.

In every scenerio you fail to acknowledge that a large percentage of our base number of paticipants are new drivers. New drivers that we lose because our category is not forward thinking.

The Mercury in my opinion, which was expressed by my vote......should be reserved for the J category. Allow step up registration to make points races for A drivers, but keep that limited pool of mercury's for the J category. But hey I didn't bring it up....

[jeff34f]

Future?

Mr. Chairman,
Maybe its time to initiate and finish what we started when the 12 of us met in Louisville, Ky back in late 90's.

Jeff Carter
34-F

[53-W]

The problem is there is no new racers just sitting on the beach wishing they could get NEW equipment in order to race boats! That hole mind set that lack of new Equipment is hurting us is prue BS.
If someone really wants to race something they go and get what they need and choose a class that best fits what they think they will like and race.
The problem there is to many other activites these days competing with each other for peoples time and money during the summer.
The current model snowmobile Ice oval racing is even more dead right now then kneel down boat racing. Which are classes that you buy a brand new snowmobile and race stock or mod ice oval.

The vintage ice oval classes, sleds made 1970-1985 have been growing every year by about 20%. This year at eagle river vintage worlds weekend they had record number of sleds. Over 800 showed up to race. They all are out of production snowmobiles with no factory backing any more for parts.
They spend about as much time ice time as we do on the water, if you average both of are heats. They also have a drivers school this year to try to get new drivers.

There is more going on with are low numbers then "lack of new equipment and to many classes"!

53w

[PRO-MOTIONRACING]

53-W Is right. many motorsports are seeing growth in classes that do not offer new equipment . For example Bracket Drag Racing, rice cars never did catch on. Vintage Motocross has Become a monster, although internal politics almost killed AHRMA. For fun check this out, http://www.siegecraftnw.com/VDR.htm
We just need to do a better job with what we have. Stop shooting ourselves in the foot with constant rule changes that ether allow changes that advantage the few, or make changes that force us all.
We need to allow boat racing with an eye towards making the new racer successful while encouraging old racers who still have there equipment to come join the fun.

[Boatracer4fun]

Great lunchtime entertainment!

[Jeff Brewster 59s]

Nice job pro-motionracing...........

We just need to do a better job with what we have. Stop shooting ourselves in the foot with constant rule changes that ether allow changes that advantage the few, or make changes that force us all.
We need to allow boat racing with an eye towards making the new racer successful while encouraging old racers who still have there equipment to come join the fun.

Very well put, you hit it right on the head!

[KG4]

The problem is there is no new racers just sitting on the beach wishing they could get NEW equipment in order to race boats! That hole mind set that lack of new Equipment is hurting us is prue BS.
If someone really wants to race something they go and get what they need and choose a class that best fits what they think they will like and race.
The problem there is to many other activites these days competing with each other for peoples time and money during the summer.
The current model snowmobile Ice oval racing is even more dead right now then kneel down boat racing. Which are classes that you buy a brand new snowmobile and race stock or mod ice oval.

The vintage ice oval classes, sleds made 1970-1985 have been growing every year by about 20%. This year at eagle river vintage worlds weekend they had record number of sleds. Over 800 showed up to race. They all are out of production snowmobiles with no factory backing any more for parts.
They spend about as much time ice time as we do on the water, if you average both of are heats. They also have a drivers school this year to try to get new drivers.

There is more going on with are low numbers then "lack of new equipment and to many classes"!

53w

You are right about vintage snowmobile racing.They have there high dollar vintage classes but they also have VERY affordable classes.I got my race ready 78 yamaha 250 for $800.00 and it is a front running sled and i can still get any part for it i need.I love SO racing but just cant afford it any more.The only race i am doing is Top O with my KG4.Wish i could afford a new engine but not at this time.My dream rig is a new D stock runabout.

[Greenacre3M]

Proposal 6 is going to eliminate equipment and drivers. I'm the first to admit that I know nothing about APBA pollitics, but I've been around stock outboard for all my life. My family started racing stock outboard in the early 50's. I can remember going to the races and there were more boats then you could count. As the years went on the boats got fewer and fewer. I can remember when I first started racing ASR in the 70's, there was always plenty of boats and most of the time we had to run eliminations. When they eliminated the old Mercs and OMC came aboard, I saw a decline in members. I blame the decline in stock racing to the economy, and the cost of getting into the sport. I could not afford new equipment when I got started, and was happy that used equipment was available. If you think the availability of new equipment and the elimination of current motors is the answer to getting stock outboard back to where it use to be, I strongly disagree. I've gotten new members into stock outboard, and not one of them ever asked me where they could purchase new equipment. I agree new equipment is great for the sport and a must to keep it moving forward, but if you eliminate current motors, you're going to eliminate drivers. We don't want to make this sport harder to get involved in, but the way it's going I think we are. It's to easy to get involved in a different racing sport at alot less cost.

[Racerkyle20]

Proposal 6 is going to eliminate equipment and drivers. I'm the first to admit that I know nothing about APBA pollitics, but I've been around stock outboard for all my life. My family started racing stock outboard in the early 50's. I can remember going to the races and there were more boats then you could count. As the years went on the boats got fewer and fewer. I can remember when I first started racing ASR in the 70's, there was always plenty of boats and most of the time we had to run eliminations. When they eliminated the old Mercs and OMC came aboard, I saw a decline in members. I blame the decline in stock racing to the economy, and the cost of getting into the sport. I could not afford new equipment when I got started, and was happy that used equipment was available. If you think the availability of new equipment and the elimination of current motors is the answer to getting stock outboard back to where it use to be, I strongly disagree. I've gotten new members into stock outboard, and not one of them ever asked me where they could purchase new equipment. I agree new equipment is great for the sport and a must to keep it moving forward, but if you eliminate current motors, you're going to eliminate drivers. We don't want to make this sport harder to get involved in, but the way it's going I think we are. It's to easy to get involved in a different racing sport at alot less cost.

The plan is NOT to eliminate equipment. Just FYI. As a stock commissioner i agree something needs to be done with class consolidation, but also as a commissioner my goal is NOT to eliminate motors....

[Greenacre3M]

Proposal 6

I don't want to step on anybodys toes, but can anyone out there explain to me why the Mark 55H motor, made in the 50's is still a legal DSR/DSH motor? Maybe we should look at the D class a little more, instead of the BSR/BSH-25SS classes.

[Greenacre3M]

The way they want to combine classes, will eliminate motors and equipment, not to mention drivers.

[Racerkyle20]

The way they want to combine classes, will eliminate motors and equipment, not to mention drivers.

The whole point of combination is to create more entries in fewer classes. Making SO more entertaining to potential newbies and spectators. 3-4 boat heats of BSH is boring....

Why shouldn't the 55h be in D? It's still legal because people had a fit when the merc came into play. Once everyone figured out the merc was faster in the 80s they dumped the 55h and bought mercs....Sounds like a similar debcale we are having today in certain classes...

[Greenacre3M]

I agree, I would like to see less classes and more boats. I just think the class structure needs to be looked at a little more. The Sidewinder should make the BSH/BSR class bigger and better, and should compete very well, but putting the larger Yamato boats with the class is wrong. The CSR/CSH and 20ss classes are by far the largest classes I've seen, and I think it's because the motor is available and at an available cost. (not one of these motors are new) Those classes, I think should be left alone. I'm waiting to see how many Sidewinders are going to be purchased. I hope alot, to benifit our sport. I would like to see one at the Marathon Nationals, just to see how they compete and hold up. As far as the Mark 55H, now that we have new motors for the class, maybe it should be eliminated like the other old Mercs were.

[Raymond]

A few things I know for certain...

1) Change is never easy.
2) The result will never be known if the action is never taken.
3) When all is said and done; not everyone will be happy.
4) If we keep looking in the rear view mirror we will never get focused on where we are headed.

While this is surely a controversial topic, we must all agree that status-quo is not getting-r-done for us. There must be some middle ground that those on both ends of this can meet at.