salesmanship

Ray,
Sad to say but you could have written that same thing every year since the 1980's.

mccaffertee

Salesmanship - exactly.

Look at the Miami Bimini run, one race and there already seems to be some kind of disagreement and division going on. ONE RACE! How can a sponsor simply drop a race location? In business, you commit and things happen, and yes it is sad about his family issue, but that proves the wrong person was trying to do something over his head. I would think a location sponsor would be more than a one-man show. If the CEO of Home Depot's wife became ill, would he drop the Nascar team they sponsor? Wild guess, but i doubt it.

To me, it seems doomed from the beginning if these people can't think big, simple and straight forward. Put it together, get the racers to sing up (contract) with incentives, get the (proper) sponsors to sign up (contract) with incentives, and run it like a any other successful business. It is all in the marketing and branding, PERIOD.

They can't make everyone happy, so set the rules up front and give the racers a reason to join and want to race, and quit trying to appease everyone - make 4 classes, make it sweet enough that they want to join (purse, status, etc) and let them fit into the organization, DO NOT try to fit the organization around them. Yeah, first year may be slow, but the foundation must be developed first to build long term commitment and success. Will it ever be Nascar, doubt it, and you do not need to be, but it sure is a good example.

This sport is so full of flash and money, WHY can't it be put together simple and appealing? I think too many chiefs, not enough indians - everyone knows how to do this better, and that doesn't make any one person right or wrong, but there needs to be a plan and leadership.

I would bet that I could hook up with with Raylar and by year two this sport would be so awesome and so freakin fun it would be embarrassing to those of the last 10 years.

It's not easy, but it is simple.

Gordo

Now THAT I agree with !!!

Gordo

If I may, I would like to make one other suggestion... Don't allow a single sponsor to control the whole show.

T2x

A lot of them ...except the ones that were running SBI...and US Offshore/OPA....... In addition you had the guys who only raced in the Great Lakes...or California.

Gene made tremendous progress and 1998-99 was a tribute to that....but it didn't take long for OSS to come along and fracture it. In addition the head of the LLC suing the APBA didn't help much either.

THE POINT is the individual wants and needs of the racers must take a backseat to the needs of the sport....or there will be no sport.

T2x

P.S. How are you feeling Gordo...? I hope your health is much improved.

MOBILEMERCMAN

T2x,
I follow your POINT and agree, but I saw many factors fracturing APBA before OSS came to be.

How different would things be if SBI and APBA would have joined then instead of later in response to OSS?

dont,lie,to,me

THEJOKER

Yea but the boycotters were supposed to save the planet. Ron P is a good guy but how long will he hang on now?

T2x

They didn't really "join"...the LLC sort of kicked the "rights" over to JC...and he has done nothing with them other than to add the APBA name to SBI.

Now you have APBA/SBI, OPA, OSS, and Super Cat something or other, and whatever AMF is(Offshore, Garveys, Jersey Speed Skiffs...etc).....That's four + separate and distinct entities....when no more than one can succeed in any real fashion..... especially in today's ridiculous economic times.

T2x

PARADISE ISLAND

I know which 1 will succeed get rid of the huge egos and know it alls let the sport grow case in point OPA