offshoredrillin

if telivision can make "american choppers" a success it could do the same for an offshore event of this magnitude. the personalities are there, teh thrill of the machinery...cockpit cams, have drive cams for petes sake, they have shock cams in nascar and in nhra they mount them on the wings to film the blower explosions...

thedonz

a small observation....

if what you want to see is offshore racing in the rough stuff, go to a Miami or Ft. Lauderdale race, ......we raced in 8 foot seas this year......

the horsepower and speeds attainable today far exceed what Don Aronow and the others had back in the '60s and '70s.....don't get me wrong, it was great hearing and reading about those races, but no one got to see much of the races as fans, perhaps when they were going out or coming in.....like Mark said, .....with the speeds today, you can't use most of it, or most of the horsepower when seas kick up, just can't do it....go no further than reviewing the lap speeds of Budweiser or any of the Super Vs in the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale races.....they were a fraction of what those boats can really run in flat water......

SBI races are true offshore races, only closer to shore and in a circuit that leads itself to fan/spectator entertainment.....that's what the sponsors want....visibility by the buying market.....really, what need is there for a navigator in a Miami to Nassau race anyways with today's technology (GPS).......I do not see a need for such a race other than to say it was done....that race proves nothing that a SBI circuit race doesn't prove......the equipment today is much more radical and stressed than the equipment 30-40 years ago......no one in the past would take or could take larger waves at greater speeds or at the speeds attainable today, so how can those races be used for comparison?............I'm not taking anything away from those races or racers, those races are a part of the offshore racing history, valuable as that, and colorful as they may be, but if you are trying to prove who has the better equipment or team, I do not think they add to the debate....SBI races can settle that, the companies (other than Fountain) just don't seem to be interested in racing because they don't sell boats.....Poker Runs seem to be the best market for the manufacturers........

GLH

I'd put more credence in a Miami-NY or Miami- Nassau kind of race over the lightweight Nascar stuff being raced these days.

However the commercability of these type of race would be a lot more challenging... Mind you the current bickering of sanctioning bodies make racing today a hard sell also, both to spectators and sponsors.

Paris-Dakar and so forth are excellent examples, those races are run, presented and marketed as a television package that has now grown a marketable audience .

masher44

you do in fact need help..... plenty of help

offshoredrillin

I think thats the point being made Donz, you say they already have it, and the coverage is horrible...this wasnt about the current racing its why certain manufacturers dont race and would something like this bring them to the race table? without a doubt the poker runs are the big money maker, where else do people get to walk by such beautiful and expensive machines, and its like cruise nights are, it gives the owner a chance to show off his stuff. manufacturers have trailers and booths to sell shirts and merchandise. just my opinion but I think if marketed correctly it would be a huge pull. Look at how many enthuisiests are into the performance boating genre' now.

offshoredrillin

shup you and dont hijack this thread it makes good points...

thedonz

Offshore,

if we're talking coverage, think that has more to do with Reggie and his fleet........there doesn't seem to be much coverage other than Fountains when the tape get to be aired.....irrespective of the battles between Cigarette (mine), Viper (Wazzup) during some of the races this year,........the crowds were going nuts I heard, but nothing on TV....Fountain spends money, period. Like his boats or not, he puts his money where his mouth is.......that's why the coverage of the Reggie show......

offshoredrillin

okie given that, in your opinion do you think, that this type of race that TB suggested would bring other manufacturers to race...even if it was only once a year like the Dakar or Baja?

thedonz

I truly wished it would, but I do not think it would in reality because marketing is driven by fan base....I do not think there would be mass fan base other than true die hard offshore racing fans to "attend" such an event.....there just isn't much excitement for the fans.......fans want repetitive thrills from the boats roaring past them many times over the course of a race........that's where the viceral thrill is for the fans.......seeing boats deck to deck battling each other every lap.........why is NASCAR so huge?????the fans are witnessing the action consistently over an oval track, over and over again.....if Cigarette wanted to beat Fountain or Outerlimits or Activator or whoever, what better venue to do it than on a "circle track" with the face slapping over and over again?????Manufacturers other than Fountain, and now perhaps Laveycraft, simply just do not seem interested in racing....much to my disdain....however, they all show up at Poker Runs to support their product.....

masher44

Poker Runs are real... just about anyone with a boat can enter.... Sadly when I was in KW I realized that I wont be racing anytime soon....$$$$$$$$.... where as Pokers Runs, people can participate and observe boats that someday can be owned.