Numbers

[DiGia54D]

No, I kept the southern group out of my list. Florida has been growing year by year. But you see what I am saying? 6-9 boats in Northeast a good sized group growing down south (but with the kids of older racers), then Nothing until you get out to the Mid west. So to get any class to show up other then 125 and 250 is almost impossible. The Pro runabouts are scattered all over the country. When they all do show up your at any were from 7-12 boats per class. This worries me the most. In the past 2 years I have seen probably 3-4 rookie drivers in Pro ( Me included ). All are hydro drivers
David your post was constructive and made good points. I don't give a rats ass about what ORG runs a race, I like going fast and with more than 3 boats so that's why I run 250. We have 10-16 boats go to most USTS races so I go to as many as I can afford to go to. Next season I will run both USTS and APBA

[nickster]

I agree Wayne...I just like to go fast and turn left!! If there is a race with more than 3 boats and I can make it, I will be there.

[Smitty]

I was curious about numbers by class, by region (Reg. 10), and by APBA/USTS. I DO NOT have an axe to grind, repeat, repeat. But I don't see why I can't observe, for instance, that if say a 250ccH owner wants to race with other 250cc hydros, he can do so at every USTS race, whereas currently he would have to race against the 350s out here. As far as I can see in the Pit Previews, four or so 1100 Runabouts, plus maybe a step-up or two, get to race a couple of times a year here, and once in a while there's a grab-bag local "Open Hydro" class for things like any big old outlawed non-capsule hydros that might show up. I'm just guessing that most equipment owners prefer like-against-like match-ups with reasonably large fields. USTS appears to do this. Region 10 has this kind of desireable situation only in two alky hydro classes and in Antique runabouts (I say "only," but I can see that some other regions are less fortunate). Again, I don't see why my observing this situation makes me hostile to APBA; I am not. For starters, I don't know nearly enough about it to have any hostility to any organization! I also don't understand why expressing the notion that USTS and NBRA might try a combined race out here to "test the waters" would be construed as a desire on my part to overthrow the present order. Personally, my interest is in having my pore 'ol left knee and right hip repair themselves enough that I can get myself and my old junk back on the water before I croak!!

[DiGia54D]

Smitty, I am not saying you have an ax to grind or think your hostile to APBA. I am agreeing with you, I just race. Here in Reg 1, they have mixed 250cch/DSH/FEH in the same class and still have less than 8 boats. My point is more towards..there is not enough Pro rigs on Either coast to put on a good showing in certain classes

[Dave M]

I was thinking (I know, dangerous) and in the days past there used to be a lot more local races for PRO. In fact, the IOA added them a few times to the sanction at Coldwater MI race. I recall TRORA had many local Pro classes that raced. What happened ? Life is what happened. Gas, as David Weaver said, skyrocketed. Cost of living went up, and wages did not follow for the majority. They still don't follow. The cost to purchase a new engine has went up dramtically, the cost of a new boat is way up there, props have went up, and with it the participation did not go up. And this might step on some toes, but we need to focus on the largest number of participants in a region and grow it locally. We can't be worried about areas that have 3 or 4 rigs. For now they will have to compromise until we get this thing built back up. In the meantime, those 3 or 4 member regions need to work hard to grow local numbers. PRO is simply a really fast Stock division. You can by off the shelf engines and be competitive right out of the box. The only drawback is it is expensive. There is a reason 125CC and 250CC and 350CC are the largest classes. They are the cheapest engines to purchase. Sadly not evryone wants to go 90MPH their first time. In addition it is very hard to let a never ever racer test a 250CCH. The answer ? CSH. Every club within any org should own three or four of these rigs and offer them up at every race for rides to anyone interested. And if they want to write a check, let them buy it as it is.


But this is a whole other thread, but I think it might help explain why the coasts have fewer numbers than the middle grounds. And it also provides for ideas to think about on how to grow the local level.

[DiGia54D]

I plan on letting a couple people test mine next season to try and see what they think.

[Smitty]

Back when this thread was started, the request was for easily-accessible numbers of participants per racing class in various organizations and locations. Over on the BRF site, in the Racing Organizations sub-forum, "ProHydroRacer" has put up a good coherent synopsis of the USTS 2014 season, with numbers, if anyone else is curious.

[Guest]

I did the same synopsis on this site also.

See...2014 Year End PRO Results

[T Chance]

I was thinking (I know, dangerous) and in the days past there used to be a lot more local races for PRO. In fact, the IOA added them a few times to the sanction at Coldwater MI race. I recall TRORA had many local Pro classes that raced. What happened ? Life is what happened. Gas, as David Weaver said, skyrocketed. Cost of living went up, and wages did not follow for the majority. They still don't follow. The cost to purchase a new engine has went up dramtically, the cost of a new boat is way up there, props have went up, and with it the participation did not go up. And this might step on some toes, but we need to focus on the largest number of participants in a region and grow it locally. We can't be worried about areas that have 3 or 4 rigs. For now they will have to compromise until we get this thing built back up. In the meantime, those 3 or 4 member regions need to work hard to grow local numbers. PRO is simply a really fast Stock division. You can by off the shelf engines and be competitive right out of the box. The only drawback is it is expensive. There is a reason 125CC and 250CC and 350CC are the largest classes. They are the cheapest engines to purchase. Sadly not evryone wants to go 90MPH their first time. In addition it is very hard to let a never ever racer test a 250CCH. The answer ? CSH. Every club within any org should own three or four of these rigs and offer them up at every race for rides to anyone interested. And if they want to write a check, let them buy it as it is.


But this is a whole other thread, but I think it might help explain why the coasts have fewer numbers than the middle grounds. And it also provides for ideas to think about on how to grow the local level.

Dave, you have hit the nail right on the head.

[raceright]

Tennessee was what the USTS is all about. Even on that small race course where spectators could watch the complete race 500 Runabout and 350 hydro were clocked at 105mph by the Sheriffs radar gun. There was limited numbers of boats on the water as the small course permitted and determined by race committee.
Most races finished with First place and last place in the same straightaway.
We must thank Tim Small and the USTS leaders for having the foresight to make this race happen. The USTS is not the place for The average new driver to start racing as most classes (with exception of kids class) go over 80 MPH. The level of professionalism and competition and skills is difficult for someone with no racing experience. Hence NBRA and APBA are the place for interested newbies to get involved and as there development grows the USTS will have its new drivers.
I believe that APBA and NBRA do about as good a job at this as can be done considering there limited resources. Thank You APBA and NBRA.

Johnson city is scheduling another race for next season and does pay handsomely as the spectators are racing fans and totally enjoyed the USTS races.
So if you have not seen a USTS race in several years try to visit one next season.

Pat you are right on target!

[raceright]

I'm old and fairly stupid as a computer user, so this info is probably easy to come by for you internet-savvy guys. I can't find any place on the APBA site where they list numbers of registered participants by racing class and by region, for stock/mod/pro, Inboard, OPC. I don't NEED any of it, just got curious. Forty-five years ago all of this was neatly broken down in the APBA printed handbook that a member received along with a rulebook every year. All of the competition and kilo records for all divisions and classes were in there as well, plus national and region points, mailing addresses of every member, all sorts of info, IN A USER-FRIENDLY FORMAT, i.e., A PRINTED BOOK (sorry, but you computer guys know from nothing about user-friendly!!!)(grump, grump). Presumably USTS has some numbers, too . . . .

Smitty I was at the meeting when Gloria the APBA god spearheaded the switch to computer info. Yes the APBA site can be difficult even for the knowledge able computer geeks. But the hard copy type of things we were used to became to expensive so we commissioners and BOD s caved. APBS is not very well funded and membership likes its costs low. So learn how to use this electric beast. As I have said I was hoping I would die before I had to learn to use a computer, I didn't make it. But I will die before I learn how to speeeel

[Smitty]

Oh, I know we can't go back. Besides, this medium is such a huge boon to small organizations, eliminating the old hassles and expense of layout/printing/mailing. I'm just grateful to savvy sorts like our site-hosts here who make these things run. My old brain could never absorb the knowledge needed to do that. I do often think that a lot of sites, both hobby-sites and big commercial sites, could use the services of old print-era editors who were able to layout tables and lists in a complete, contiguous, logical sequence.