Save stock outboard - vote no on proposal 6

[Jeff Brewster 59s]

Stock outboard members, please vote no on this class combination proposal.
Our leadership is taking away your rights in your sport with this measure!
If you think the promise of "parity committee's" will save your class you are dead wrong.
The committee's will be formed in favor of your older engine not being the engine of choice!
The ballot does not mention what engines will be the engine of choice in the class, does it? If you have an older engine you will be phased out and you will not be able to do anything about it.
A parity committee can change the rules at any time to make sure your motor does not win!
You will not have a vote!
Your elected commissioner will not have a vote!
This is all in disquise of a dictatorship being built!
Your chairman will be the chairman of all parity committees and he will choose two people to vote in his favor. Even if one person votes against him he still wins with a 2 to 1 vote!
If you think voting yes is for the better of the sport you are going to kill off what we have left.
We are at a crossroads and we need to keep the people that we have and not chase them away to AOF, NBRA, CBF or worse yet, make them quit.
There are gentler ways to do this folks and save our sport.
Call me anytime with questions at 330-842-2119 or email at christinenjeff@yahoo.com and please vote no.

[Fast Jack]

No on 6

Jeff, can we get a copy of #6 ? Shawn

[Jeff Brewster 59s]

ballot proposal six attached

[rossman]

proposal 6

I think it will drive away more of our members. NO on 6 !

[53-W]

very true!!!

Vote No!!

53w

[form-e one]

to hec with the perrity commity,,, each class /drivers should have a say on there own class and what happens with it,,

[B Walker]

Our leadership is taking away your rights in your sport with this measure!

What right, specifically?

If you think the promise of "parity committee's" will save your class you are dead wrong.
The committee's will be formed in favor of your older engine not being the engine of choice!

Yep, agreed, but I think it is important to note that in every case the older motors still have a place to race in this plan. Nobody is left on the beach.

The ballot does not mention what engines will be the engine of choice in the class, does it? If you have an older engine you will be phased out and you will not be able to do anything about it.

"Phased out" makes it sound like a motor cannot be raced in APBA ever again, anywhere at any time and it is not true.

A parity committee can change the rules at any time to make sure your motor does not win!

Agreed, this is why I dont like parity committes, but the SORC did not have the sack.....errrr.......numbers....... to do the right thing....so here we are.

You will not have a vote!

Your voting right now, choose wisely with the future of Stock Outboard at stake.

Your elected commissioner will not have a vote!

They had their chance and deferred to the membership.

This is all in disquise of a dictatorship being built!

This one is too easy, I will pass.

Your chairman will be the chairman of all parity committees and he will choose two people to vote in his favor. Even if one person votes against him he still wins with a 2 to 1 vote!

Packed committes are an APBA institution.

If you think voting yes is for the better of the sport you are going to kill off what we have left.

Nobody is beached in this proposal. People may choose to leave because their personal motor of choice is no longer dominant in Stock Outboard but someone will buy it at entry level pricing and give it a go.

To me, the designation by the parity committe of current production or reconditioned motors currently available as the designated motor of choice is a long term solution to the 40 year decline in membership.

In my opinion, it is time to consider long term solutions

We are at a crossroads and we need to keep the people that we have and not chase them away to AOF, NBRA, CBF or worse yet, make them quit.

Did I mention allready nobody is left on the beach in this proposal? Yes, they may have to go to Modified, but they can still race.

There are gentler ways to do this folks and save our sport.

Yep, and there were many proposals to that effect this year at the National Meeting. The topic of class consolidation and/or sunsetting has been a conversation for 20+ years.

I am tired of two days in a row of 10 hour days of racing with a 6-12 hour drive on either end of it.

I am tired of "trailer box protectionism" and what 40 years of self involved voting has done to the sport I love.

Saving the sport is exactly what this proposal is about.

This proposal is a long term proposition to future racers letting them know what equipment is currently available and competitive.

The future of Stock Outboard is based on growth of the membership, not in satisfying the desires of current members.

A "yes" vote for this proposal is a vote for the future of Stock Outboard

Brad Walker
Walker Racing
St. Augustine, FL

[Jeff Brewster 59s]

Mr. Walker Jr.,
You are exactly the type of person in our sport that should be calling my phone number to discuss this.
By your many posts and opinions on this site, you obviously have a lot of passion for this sport.
The problem is for you and many others that are mis-informed is you don't leave home.
Before you shut me out and become insulted, read on. I am trying to type this in a non-insulting way.
If you only read what is on this site, never leave your home state or travel to a national meeting it is impossible to see the entire picture.
It is ridiculous for me to type and argue on this site with endless postings.
If you don't want to call me to discuss then PM me your phone number and it will be my dime to call you.
I grew up in this sport just like you and I don't want to see it go away by a sneaky underhanded ballot hidden under a cloak.
Please understand that this is not an attack on you or anyone else. I am not yelling as I type. I only want all to understand where this is all going before they make their decision as is will affect all of us greatly in one way or another and in my opinion it will not be good for the sport.

[G Stillwill]

Well said Jeff there are to many that sit home with stuff to race or want to have stuff to race and have all the answers.

[B Walker]

Mr. Walker Jr.,
You are exactly the type of person in our sport that should be calling my phone number to discuss this.
By your many posts and opinions on this site, you obviously have a lot of passion for this sport.
The problem is for you and many others that are mis-informed is you don't leave home.
Before you shut me out and become insulted, read on. I am trying to type this in a non-insulting way.
If you only read what is on this site, never leave your home state or travel to a national meeting it is impossible to see the entire picture.
It is ridiculous for me to type and argue on this site with endless postings.
If you don't want to call me to discuss then PM me your phone number and it will be my dime to call you.
I grew up in this sport just like you and I don't want to see it go away by a sneaky underhanded ballot hidden under a cloak.
Please understand that this is not an attack on you or anyone else. I am not yelling as I type. I only want all to understand where this is all going before they make their decision as is will affect all of us greatly in one way or another and in my opinion it will not be good for the sport.

I have been wrong on issues before and probably will be again. Please convince me and all the lurkers here on Hydroracer with rational, well thought out reasoning. Not doom and gloom-chicken little-the sky is falling-heartstring tugging posts.

Jeff, we have known each other a long time and you should know I am completely uninsultable, so fire away. If you have something to say, say it.

The problem is for you and many others that are mis-informed is you don't leave home.

I am actually almost insulted here. I grew up in a military family and we moved a lot, then I joined the military and moved a lot. I have had (in order) P,D,O,X,A,E,Z,R and F on my boats. Walker Racing has raced in almost every Region in the US at least once and actually lived in more different Regions than anyone else I have ever met in Stock Mod or PRO racing.

I think this experience has given me a unique perspective on the state of the sport.

You want to talk about people that dont travel please point your finger at Region 6 and 7. Every time I go up there I am amazed at all the people I have never seen outside of their own Region. I dont blame them. If I lived up there and had 12-15 races to attend within 500 miles and a Nationals in my backyard every other year I probably would not travel much either.

Region 6 and 7 combined is more than 50% of the Stock Outboard membership and a strong case can be made that APBA is what it is today because of the leadership that has come from those areas for the last 40 years. Proposals to address issues of substance have been on the table for at least 20 years but are only now getting any traction because for the first time the core regions are having difficulty putting on races. Welcome to the rest of the countries reality.

I only want all to understand where this is all going before they make their decision as is will affect all of us greatly in one way or another and in my opinion it will not be good for the sport.

"They" have allready made a decision. They kicked the can down the road again and sent it to the membership for a vote.

Here is the key problem: The SORC, The Chairman, the Region Representatives and the membership all represent either themselves and/or the people that elected them to office and that is how it should be. But who represents the good of the sport in the current process?

We have had 40+ years of committees voting for "trailer box protectionism" (credit to Matt D.) and this is where it has gotten us.

Please remember that nobody is beached in this proposal. Everyone has a place to race.

If you think it is for the good of the sport, vote yes. If not, vote no. Either way the issue has been a hot topic for a long time and is not going away.

BW

Mission statement:

I am passionate that designation of a motor of choice currently available new or reconditioned is a cornerstone that Stock Outboard can start with to rebuild its house and that this proposal is the foundation of that philosophy.

P.S. When I call you Jeff, I think we will agree on exactly what this proposal is, but we will probably disagree on if it is the best thing for the sport.

[MGallagher]

I am currently not racing and probalbly will not for a long time for several reasons. But, finances is the main issue. Not that it is too expensive to race, but that anything is too expensive to race right now for me right now. However, I still have an opinion about what the future of APBA Stock Racing should work towards and if it doesn't work, than it doesn't work.

I agree with Brad on Prop 6. I feel the only possible way for APBA Stock to be a viable, marketable sport, we need to prioritize easily attainable production motors and parts. My key word is "APBA." I think it is a must for stock outboard racing to have a recognizable governing body with a concise vision of motor and part availability. AOF and NBRA can serve there purposes as a place to go for those who do not want to make the changes, unfortunatly. I honestly wouldn't mind a more laid back race every once in a while throughout a given season, via AOF or NBRA. But, APBA should remain to serve as the highly competative version of what we(not me so much) do.

Unfortunatly, I feel the landscape of Stock APBA racing needs to change as a whole. It would be cheaper in the long run for a racer to have a handful of highly competative APBA races a year and than a couple of casual either AOF, NBRA, or even there own local boat club races. But, the Prop 6 is at least a definative direction for the future of APBA Stock racing and provides a place for all motors, even though they might be less competative as compared to the available production motors.

[42R Dad]

Save Stock Outboard

Vote No on #6
Where is 45SS? This class is building in Region 10 and had 22 APBA racing members in 2010.

Jeff Kelly

[Tim Weber]

I don't have a beef with it except with my main class of CSR. I really don't like 4 engines with 3 manufacturers in 1 class.

This is our largest runabout class and the proposal is to cram the sidewinder 20 and merc in it? Those two should continue to have their own class. Just based on that, I'll vote no.

I have no ax to grind concerning the merc or sidewinder. I am getting out of 25ssr with the restricted Yamato. My a$$ is just too big!

Combining this and that will not solve problems. We run mod, stock, sometimes pro at local races. Why? to cover the sanction fee and insurance. We've had to add all this stuff together to pay the bills and then usually lose money.

Numbers are down because of the economy. Racing will not bounce back until people have some funny money. This applies to all forms of racing. Nascar fan numbers are down, Indy spectators etc. The Woods brothers just won the Daytona 500 and they can't field a car but on a part time basis.

This is not the time to get cute on eliminating equipment. Maybe in a few years.

Tim

[B Walker]

NO EQUIPMENT IS ELIMINATED!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone in this proposal still has a place to race in APBA.

How many times does that need to be said?

Obviously, a few more times.....

There is a political saying that a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth and I am tired of the lie that "people will be beached" being used by people with a political axe to grind.

BW

[rossman]

# 6

The proposal doesn't eliminate equipment on its face, but it could very well do that. I have a 25 and I don't think it would be too much fun running against the C yamato . I don't believe it would be the safest thing to be doing either. That being said, I hang up my 25 . That's the plan. Hang up your motor and go buy a new one, but what if I just hang up my old one?