Where was the boats????? (Shelbyville race)

[Larry Mac]

First off I want to thank the sponsors (Touchtone) for putting on this race. They want this to grow into something big. The second thing is what does it take for people to come to a race? The turn-out was low. This site is one of the best with good water and good pits and good prize money, where was the boats? I don't understand why it is so hard for racers to crossover, do they think it is disloyal to their orgnization? The St. Louis club is one of the oldest clubs around and we have the equiptment to put on a good race. Is the Mod Racer just a dying breed, it doesn't look that good from where is sit!!!
Larry McAfee

[kampenracing]

Shelbyville

Larry,

I do not know what to do to bring more racers in. We have supported other races around the country this year with lots of other clubs and organizations and it never seems to come back around to help us. This is a great site with great prize money and one of the best crowds we can race around. You would think drivers would love to race in front of a big crowd of enthusiastic spectators for $$$$ than race in some hole with 50 people on the bank and no $$$$. It just does not make any sense to me. I guess we will try harder next year with the Short Course Nationals.

[Steve Johnson]

Spread too thin/ not enough of us left

Big rapids, Aof nats , Moose lake,MN Nothing personal . Art, We all trying to keep our home fires burning.

Four venues compeating for the same 400 drivers
I'd prefer to see some overall control over races each region gets to host one huge race per year and the rest of us travel to the next. any thing else could be a LOCAL club race. read no points. Score only the big races. to encourage participation. Just a thought.

[Steve Johnson]

Last

I for one do appreaciate seeing the Cross overs. Some reciprocate. for most we can't. I spend most of my time trying to promote racing at home. lending rides. lending equipt, to make fields happen. I basicly feel like if I aint there to do it It won't happen. seems like acting locally is a multi state effort anymore. hold two races within 500 miles now days and your scraping for drivers. Wisc had three clubs once. you could pick any club any weekend to go race somewhere. seems like a USTS format is what we will be forced into before long. Maybe we should be proactive and get it started. Really no offence ment here, but maybe the NBRA format is not quite as popular as it would appear. I'm unfamillar with it so I can't speak intellegently on the subject but you would think if the drivers loved it so well they would be there. I don't know. Money dosen't seem to have the draw you would think.If this happened in business I'd sure find out why I don't have enough customers. Just thinking out loud. I really think not enough drivers to go around is the trouble... I hope I didn't undo all the good will stuff that has happend this year.

[kampenracing]

NBRA races

Steve,
There really is no differences in the NBRA format and APBA format for guys like us that run 4 cylinders. The classes are really the same. We had some really great E Hydro, SE Hydro, E Runabout, and SE Runabout races over the weekend. This is a really great race site with a big CORPORATE SPONSOR. This is what our races need to grow the sport. If you race in front of no crowd and have no sponsors our racing will die. The ODA puts on 5-6 races per year all with sponsors putting up money. We usually run 10-12 classes per day and our club is profitable. I would just hate to see this great race site and sponsor go away due to lack of participation. I also hate to see us NBRA drivers come and support some APBA races in the midwest and not get any support back. This was a good race and everyone had a great time and went home with some money on top. All it needed was another 5 trailers and it would have been a GREAT RACE!!!!

[Steve Johnson]

Thank you for the reply

Thank you, Mearly throwing out thoughts. Maybe others are as Ignorant as I am to your format and possibly that could be an issue. We fear change even If we need it. I suspect more than anything Timing, Conflicts with other races.
Broke( equipt.and$ ) and kids back in school. I know up here racing after labor day isn't all that much fun. It was snowing yesterday morn. Maybe hold a poll to find out where the drivers were? Was it regulars you were short of or potential crossovers? I wish you much luck. see you at Kellys this winter
77G

[Dave M]

Who Knows

For the amount of trailers that were at this race, the show was great. Most fields were fairly full. The stronger classes were well supported, the weaker classes were not well represented. They combined with others to make the show.

SOme reasons others did not show up.... good question. Scared of something ? I know of many APBA drivers within a couple hours of this place, and many more within 5 hours. I have no idea why they don't come. Would be goo dto know instead of only one person replying. I know a lot of those drivers read this board as well......

My thoughts are most APBA drivers feel the insurance is not at an NBRA race. I know some think the prestige of APBA is the only way to go. With only one person answering the question Larry posed, and that person is probably 7 or 8 hours away, I think most are not going to answer the call of an NBRA race... Pure Shame.

It is the place to race for Mods, and Stocks. No APBA race I have been to has had the support this race did. It is the future of the sport, to bad many will let it slip through their fingers and simply argue on a website about how to grow the sport and never actually do anything.

[Art K]

Insurance

NBRA insurance this year did include $3000.00 medical & death benifit.
Art K

[Lights]

Maybe If

It was a co santioned race like the 2005 winter Nat's was it would help.

What is the date of next years race? Start talking up the race now and maybe some of us can mark are calanders for this race.

What does NBRA insurance cost?

Does NBRA have single event membership?

Mark

[Art K]

Shelbyville

Race will be on the same weekend next year. They are going to bid for the Short Course Nats next year ( approx. 3/4 mile course) $4500.00 Prize & tow money. Insurance is included as part of the sanction fee and covers all drivers. NBRA membership is $75.00 per year, one day $35.00 There is a possibilty that at the national meeting they will approve honoring APBA Memberships at the Nats. And short course Nats.
Art K
.

[BP125V]

Nbra

what are all of the classes that you ran at Shelbyville? I'm not familiar with your class structure.

BTW- I don't think it is a matter of APBA drivers being scared to cross over, it is more a lack of knowledge of classes (like me) and 7, yes 7 race weekends in a row starting August 19-20 for APBA Stocks/Mods here in the Midwest. Turn out has been down at all of our races too as drivers just can't do 7 in a row. In addition to 7 weekends in a row 3 of those weekends had conflicting races.

Bill III

[flaursen]

I am a guy looking to race with you I have been in boats and have raced something all to time from stock cars to tugboats (Models included) and anything and everything in between. This entire season has be frustrating for me cause I have not known where the races where until a week or two before the race and those of us that have families and campers, inlaws so on and so forth can not at the spur of the moment get up and go to a race (I for one am not telling my five year old we are not going fishing cause dad wants to go a boat race ....you get my point) A perfect example is this weekend at Moose Lake MN I never heard a thing about it until I personally emailed Steve Johnson to find out (He has been doing his work having new boats and stuff for us to see) but from a rookies point of view you are not going to get boats to travel if they can't plan for it and clear it with the bosses and as for getting more drivers again you have to make it known nobody is going to get involved in something that is hidden and has no way of being reconized for it and a pat on the back form the guys at the lake is not going to cut it until I found this Great site I didn't even know there was a racing club here in Minnesota I assumed they were all on the coasts except for the Twin Cities power boat association

Frank Laursen

[kampenracing]

Shelbyville Classes

This weekend at Shelbyville we raced

SE Hydro and Runabout just like APBA FE
E Hydro and Runabout just like APBA DMod
D Hydro 40ci Mod Merc Tohatsu stock
C Stock Hydro just like APBA C Stock Hydro with no Height requirement
C Mod Hydro and Runabout Just like APBA C-Mod
A Hydro Y80 Stock


We have a class for just about every class that APBA runs it just may be named a little different.

[Kevin McAfee]

Keith also the stock merc 44XS is a legal motor in the 40 cu mod class.

Kevin

[YankeeRacing]

All of the money in the world won't get me to a race. Friends and the boat racing families I have made do. And if that means travelling then I travel to be with my friends when there might be a race really close.
I would go to Southern Cal for Rick Bird and race some APBA stock. I'd go to northern Cal for Joe and Terry and race some pro. I'd head out to Moses Lake and race some AOF with all my AOF friends out west. I'd go to Maine if Billy Allen was putting on a race, APBA, and to Florida for Carl Staron and AOF. I'll follow the USTS if it went to Austrailia because that is where I have friends, feel comfortable, and am accepted. My family.
Brian Pro Payn X21