Sidewinder report

[Bill Huson]

As a former Hot Rod 15s & B driver, I am interested in the new sidewinder and had an opportunity to observe them in action from the Turn 2 boat at Wilson.

John Runne ran a sidewinder in 20ssH. He worked his way up to a solid second place but couldn't pass Matt "Captain America" D'Agostino. So I say the sidewinder is very competitive in that class.

George Stillwell ran a freshly assembled Sidewinder in ASH. He started dead last and finished second. Very impressive performance.

The Sidewinders did not zoom away from the field, nor did they get buried in the back. Both George and John are excellent drivers but were running against skilled drivers so my impression is that the Sidewinders are well matched competitively and clearly a viable option for the future racing engine supply.

Plus, like the old Hot Rods, they sound real nice!

[G Stillwill]

The A Sidwinder that I ran was one that Gary Pond bought from the Mid West a while back. I worked on it fri afternoon making some adjustments and raced it on Sunday for three heats finishing 2nd all there heats which Abby Pond won all three heats with an OMC. Had some pretty good battles in the pack all three heats with other OMC's . Motor started first pull each heat and ran without a miss every heat.

[propnuts]

Lake Lawrence

I thought I heard that the California crew set an ASH record this weekend with the Sidewinder?

[Racerkyle20]

I thought I heard that the California crew set an ASH record this weekend with the Sidewinder?

Aaron salmon with mccay's boat/motor (same boat that finaihed 2nd at nats) beat the current record, but Donny allen beat that record a heat later with an omc.

[pav225]

Ash

I think Salmon had 1.5+ mph over Donny. No offense to Aaron, but Donny ran a perfect race and simply out drove him.

To keep the A class viable, it may be a good idea to get all SW A's running a little more consistently (sounds like the latest updates help make this happen) then have the Parity committee schedule a test session to re-evaluate speeds and implement any changes required to keep the motors close/competitive.

After listening to many folks talk at both Grass Lake races, it seems pretty clear that if one motor has a large advantage, then many of the current A racers will simply switch over to Mod and race Formula A. That would hurt the A class, Stock Outboard, and Sidewinder.

- Mike

PS: So I'm not accused of protecting my trailer box...I don't own an OMC motor.

[Hutch06]

If there were a "like" button on this forum, I would for Pav's comment above.

[Jim Sweeney]

sidewinder/ omc

we attended both grasslake events and big rapids mi this year. At nationals the only two sidwinders in ash finals ran 1st and 2nd. clearly much faster than the omcs. At grasslake round 2 there were two sidewinders that were new to ash that weekend,with little or no testing both ran out front and passed Dave Bennet, ( who had just established the new world record).

At Big Rapids, the only sidewinder in the Ash field finished a straitaway ahead of the field almost every heat. When she came in and after looking at the gps on her dash she said 61.2. the fastest we ever saw on Amys A rig was 58.

I would like to know what the parity committee plans to do over the winter, befor we renew our stock membership. I know many A drivers who will either stop racing or turn their As into formulas. the problem with that is once you do, there is no going back.

[reed28n]

Sidewinder New and Available

Whatever happens - the off the shelf sidewinder should be competitive with the best OMC's left over from the 1980's. This motor has run its course.

I am not suggesting we eliminate the OMC's.

Make it possible for a new driver to be very competitive out of the box and the class will grow. Make the special OMC A motor a rare find that few people can obtain and the class will level off and will not attract new drivers.

It is a delicate subject but vote for the good of the sport not for the good of your team or trailer.....

[srunne]

OMG!! You boys are never happy. Too fast, too slow. He did that, she did that, what about the man who invested his OWN money to make an engine for the sport we all love so much. How about we come together and make it right, instead of trying to defeat it every step of the way. Have a lovely day.

[G Stillwill]

The Sidewinder I ran this past weekend showed 55 during the race , the best I have ever seen on the one that won the Nats which is pending was 57.7 testing and at Grass Lake testing the best Matt saw was 56.5. Jay Fox was faster but Matt just out drove him with better starts. The GPS isnt perfect I have had blips that have showed 70 with my BSH and I know it only runs 62. I have run mine enough to know if the good OMC'S get out in front they will stay there and if the good Sidewinder gets out in front it will stay there. Now if you want it compare it with the run of the mill OMC'S yes the Sidewinder is faster but who would buy one if you cant run with the best OMC's.

[MGallagher]

Considering that Racing Outboards LLC came along at one of the lowest membership points in Stock Outboard history, I think they've done very well. We need NEW motors and they have Provided that to us with minimal amounts of both RND(compared to large marine corporations) and members to buy and test them. Now that they have finally accomplished some major milestones, we should grab it by the horns, stop fighting the inevitable, and accept the fact that the sidewinder is here to stay.

[AZ Outlaw]

I'm getting major flack from R12 SO members. We are one of the successful regions breeding a fleet of A drivers lately. Some for, and some against the SW in the A classes. Without the motors being mass produced or even with a dealer network, how long will it take the potential NEW racer to purchase A single SW and have it arrive at there door? How many are sitting on a shelf right now? I'm sure that increased sales will result in increased production, but these are just a few of the questions the R12 members want answered.

Jeff Conant
SORC R12

[Schiada]

Considering that Racing Outboards LLC came along at one of the lowest membership points in Stock Outboard history, I think they've done very well. We need NEW motors and they have Provided that to us with minimal amounts of both RND(compared to large marine corporations) and members to buy and test them. Now that they have finally accomplished some major milestones, we should grab it by the horns, stop fighting the inevitable, and accept the fact that the sidewinder is here to stay.

I don't think the EPA is helping? I don't think the motor builders will ever build for racing again. Their is no money in it for them? They never made money building them,it was just good PR! Racing may not PC?

[MGallagher]

@Schiada, I agree.
@AZ Outlaw, Approx. 1-2 weeks. However, as you stated, the more demand, the faster it will be to get one. They currently have 41 motors sold and 18 are A's. As for a dealer network, is there a dealer network for any products in Stock Outboard? That is not rhetorical.

[csh12M]

We cant look at the problem as just ASH and ASR?

I don't think we should look at this problem as an ASH or an ASR issue. We have to look at the bigger picture. Each class has to be viewed as a product and we have to be able to list the features of the products. For example,

JSH and AX race a new readily available motor. It is expensive, but your child can "grow" into it with a simple restrictor plate change.

302SSH is a new class that is competitively balanced and therefore cost controlled.

20SSH and CSH are the largest classes in Stock Outboard with readily available "cheap" race engines. You can buy a 302 and race two classes with it.

25SSR and CSR again can be raced with a Yamato, two classes for one motor.

DSH and DSR are the fastest classes in Stock Outboard with new available motors.

These classes all make sense and have value propositions that we can sell to our new Racer School grads.

I have obviously left out the A and the B classes...the reason. What do I say about them? ASH is now being dominated by a new motor. That would be OK if everyone new we were committed to it. At least I could say buy it and you will win, but everyone is waiting now to see if the SORC will handicap it? The B classes are still won by the legacy Hot Rod and also hurt by the internal cannibalization by the cheaper 25SSR and 20SSH, so why would you race it?

The real questions we should be asking are: Do we need an A class or a B class? If the 302SSH takes off with target speeds at 60-62 and with the weight at 400 we will see more cannibalization of the A and B classes.

If we decide that we do need an A class then then it should be the same motor that the J category is using. I now could sell the motor through three classes with a restrictor plate. Additionally a family could have one sibling run AX and another run A with the same rig, cutting the investment in half! OR if we decide that we are committed to the Sidewinders than we have to go for it, but not only should they be the A motor, but also the AX and the J motor, for all the reasons just listed.

Next question do we need the existing B classes? If we decide that we do then we better get the Sidewinder competitive soon. Additionally, it would be a MUCH better value proposition if the 20C.I. Sidewinder could compete in B with a restrictor plate! Then we could sell the value of buying a motor that can compete in two classes.

Are we committed to the Sidewinder? This question has to be answered and a strategy implemented. Its time to ask the hard questions?

The only way that I can think of to significantly cut the cost of the sport is with a restrictor plate. I now can get two classes out of my $4,500 investment. That sure would make a Sidewinder a bit more attractive to me, and easier to sell to new members.

While I am rambling....the reason the D stock classes suffer so much is 750 Mod. is a cheaper, arguably better product. Now that all Stocks and Mods race together every weekend it will be tough for D Stock to ever grow back to its glory within our category.

I am not advocating any direction here other than looking at the sport as a whole. Until we do that and make some of the VERY hard decisions that are looming I feel like real growth will be difficult.

12M