Stock Outboard membership growth

[Affholter66]

New racers have to remember that the victory over a "dynasty family" in racing, is the beginning of your own dynasty in racing. I have told my son, dreams of winning come true, but they don't come free. And on another note, dynasty racing families we know, have told Skippy, that you don't win races jumping the gun and getting towed in upside down. In stock outboard racing, the dynasty families I know have always been very supportive. If they weren't, who would they have to race against?

I must be really bored. I've never posted on 3 forum threads in one sitting.

Rick Wagner Sr.

P.S. L.O.L. On the other hand, a new racer could always marry into one of the dynasty families. I don't mean this in a back woods way, it's a fact, a lot our Wisconsin racers are related.

You couldn;t have said it better!!!! Nothing better than a dynasty...at least you know what to aim for...btw yowu and Rick Jr going to Dayton??? (Thanks again for the 25SSr "race" @ Akron...Mike and I are working on getting "the guys" there for a Marathon next year....hope to see ya'll soon

[Wagneracing06]

I sent you a private message.

Sorry Roger,
I sent you a P.M. and I called you Mike. You probably get a lot of that. We have to keep in touch about the chance of running a marathon at Lakemore. I have already mentioned it to the community committee and they liked the idea.

Rick Sr.

[PRO-MOTIONRACING]

I have seen the same trend in boat racing over the years. New guys come in with lots of enthusiasm and fresh money, do everything right, run at the back up the pack for a few years, then they are gone. A few years later there equipment shows up owned by the racers they could never beat.
I think about those guys once and a while and wonder what happened?. Why don't they love boat racing as much as we do?. Then I think about there boat racing "experience" and while they did love racing as much as we do, one can only hear from family and friends so many times... "so, how did you this weekend", "well I did pretty good I got fifth".
We can all name the list of racers in those first four positions and while those drives do deserve to be up front, one can only be a "loser" so many times before it is no longer fun.
Well, it would be poor form to point out a problem without offering a solution... MORE WINNERS!!!
What I would propose is some kind of novice/armature/rookie/beginner class based on the C-Stock class IE: C-2. The class would have some kind of points graduation system using the current points system. When a driver accumulates enough points in a short enough time (X points in one season) or (X wins in a row) that driver would automatically be moved up out of C-2 forever. The discussion as how to structure and implement this could be endless and some rules would be in order like past champions cannot race C-2. I am also aware that our scorers and staff are already overworked and under appreciated and that most of this would fall on them (Sorry).
I do believe this kind of system works in other motor sports and has a good chance of providing fun competitive racing for new and old drivers with a little less competitive equipment.
Thanks... Pro-motionracing
P.S. How about C-40, over weight and over 40?

[YankeeRacing]

I have respect for what you are saying. That is unfortunate. I haven't checked lately, but when was a "new" name inducted into the Hall of Champions? It is rare.
I don't know if your solution is viable though, even though a concept worth some thought. I believe that our racing boats aren't something you can just "get into." Not llike the local dirt track stock car racing we dabble in. If you know cars, you can race the dirt tracks. Not the same in boat racing. Not a good thing in the long run.
Connie Payn (and I'm no motor head, just watched a lot of new flashes in the pan come and go over the years).

[sam]

I think Wartinger covers this best in describing outboard racing as a complicated multi discipline art ... and ... that all such multi discipline arts generally cannot be learned by most above average intelligence folks in less than 5 years of diligent effort.

Do you look for a plumber or electrician with less than 5 years experience? A computer programmer? A baseball manager? An engineer to be a senior project manager? Boat racing actually is as complicated and difficult as these jobs.

Practically no one can get to the top in any of these faster than that, even with the best coaching.

Here in the east 4 dynasty racers, AJ, Val, Abby & Dylan, are examples of that. Each started out well with excellent equipment and the best coaches possible, but none of them were half the racers they are now back when they were in their 3rd and 4th years. Sticking with it is what made them champions, not the fact that they were "born into it".

Its harder than it looks.

The biggest reason dynasty families do so well is that they stick with it. Along the way, the social aspect of "boat racing family" kicks in and it becomes something you can never turn your back on.

Somehow we need to get this whole message out to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year "non-rookies"

[Heliarc]

It doesn't matter what Motor, Boat, or Prop you mandate the people winning today will be winning tomorrow. They win by doing there homework testing and being excellent drivers. These people will always find a way to win. Instead of trying to change rules so you can win put that effort in to going faster, you'll be better off.

Well said, Nic.

I realize that we seem to live in a 'make it fair for everyone' country these days, but can't we just let the best man or woman win a race? Is that too much to ask for? What's the point of racing if the equipment is intentionally manipulated in the name of making it 'fair'.

[Raymond]

You will notice that blurb about Facebook below in my signature. Just so you know I am not really a big ‘fan’ of Facebook. I am just trying to help boat racers network with other boat racers and their non boat racing friends to help “Expose our Sport”.

Our troubles are not going to be fixed with one magic pill. We have to deploy multiple strategies and this one is a no brainer that requires no effort. You don’t have to be a social butterfly, internet technogeek or a 13 year old kid to create a Facebook page.

Ok, so you don’t care so much about…in fact you think Facebook is…ok I get it. Let me ask you this; what did you think of message boards 20 years ago? Ah-ha! Got ya! Suck it up Race Fan and do it; DO IT NOW!

[Raymond]

Have you ever noticed that the word hydra and hydro are close in spelling and pronunciation?

Have you ever considered the definitive meaning of the word hydra? Mythologically it referees to a multi headed monster. In reality it means a trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality; "we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution" look it up. http://www.thefreedictionary.com

[DtwSailor]

Thoughts from a rookie with no races under his belt (yet)

So we loose new racers because they can't built a dynasty family? does that mean that they are going to leave the sport after two or three years od running in the middle of the pack?
Make it fair for everyone? How can a 20 year old motor and old prop compete against the newer faster equipment? Stock outboard means that all equipment is the same...stock..just like NASCAR right? No difference in any of those cars.
Heres what you need to do folks, and the reason why I am dragging my 40 year old behind into this sport. it's not about winning all the time. Sure that helps, but it's how you play the game. It's watching those dynasty families work together with others and helping them out. it's about watching my 9 year old sons eyes get big when talking about the 5 races we are going to this year. it's about my 7 year old daughter talking about being a j driver. It's about getting out on the water and competing against friends.
My father raced in the early 50s and left due to corporate prizes and sponsorship. Cheating the system to take first place. Is this sport about winning or playing a fair game? Did you all win every race you started?
On that note, I would recommend to the clubs that not only do you have a awards for taking first, but awards on the points for each year you race. Example all the rookies race each other for th first year...a race within a race. All 2to 3 rd years race within a race, etc....

My 2 cents worth....remember we are in this for the enjoyment of competition, and for every winner, there is a someone who was a runner up.