It seems to me that...Races Are Too Long

[rilo22]

Ray Are you sugesting one super salesman for all regions or a person to represent each region? It might be a little overwhelming for one person to try to promote nationwide. There are talented people in each region, but getting them to volunteer their expertise may be a tough sell. BILL REITER

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

A benevolent dictatorship like Nascar or and equivelent coming in the form of a single voice that has strong headed professionals delivering based on economies of scale. We are not Nascar but we are some pretty worthy race events for spectators once you put locations like DePue Pro Nationals forward as an example. It is not perfection either but it sure does belt out, but even it does not get the coverage it should and should build on as a spectator event moreso with coverages.

I think you need some very heavy duty methods here not unlike those that are breeding success (Nascar). The biggest challenge of all is to make outboard racing the "Spectator Sport" again that it was, with the leaving of these "races for racers" as feeder events that feed racing team products (one class racers to mulitple class racers) to "Spectator Events. Call it tiered or stratified, which means you have to qualify yourself as you go higher to the Spectator Events? Just an idea.

Over the years I have raised big sponsor money because there was a business plan with a vision each time. Sponsors want a bang for their buck, in the past, now and in the future and also saw that business plan and vision. The problem is that the event execution either showed the worst sides of racing and it politics or when given a second chance, would not come at all unless pre-paid and or bribed no matter that outright fraud was delivered the first time. Sponsors are made to feel sorry for the organizers because racers and their brand of politics knifed themselves in the back. Lesson learned. That is what we do best and that is what has happened. A racers basic flaw.

In any endevor there has to be a product, a business plan, a sell and the delivery and with that business plan done a new business cycle built on the previous one's success. Nascar can be called a good teacher. How do we get good students? and On our economies of scale as outboard racers who need to be better represented to the spectating public?

[Guy]

Mike,
Right you are about NASCAR, what they have is a benevolent dictator that runs the show.

I think that is exactly what we need to do. Find someone who can sell some races, select the classes that are most prevelent in the area, whether they are Stock, Mod, Pro or whatever and pick 10 classes, get 12 boats or more in each class, run a four hour show with local promotion on it and go. Now if we could just find that guy.

Ray

Ray,
I totally (but humbly) disagree.
What your describing (as to a dictatorship) "WAS" exactly what Allweiss tried to do (and came VERY close to succeeding).
His failure is an excellent example of WHY a dictator type strategy in "our" environment (ie. APBA as a whole) will NEVER work!

I regress.

Allweiss's basic Business Strategy/Plan was built on, for and about ONLY one APBA category in mind, "Offshore".
When they first submitted his "plan" to APBA, they also tried the ploy of saying it could also be successfully applied to ANY category in APBA. What a load of crap that was!
Why?

1. You simply can not compare the whole Offshore category environment to ALL other APBA category's. Simply because most of Offshore's whole environment is quite unique to the rest of APBA's category's.

This would be the same thing as saying that "Indy Car, Champ Car & Formula One" should use and apply the environment & rules from the "Off-road & Rally racing" environment! I really doubt Tony George, Bernie Ecclestone or Max Mosely would want nor allow that to happen in their respective series!

Offshore simply has a different demographic then the rest of APBA. They indeed have a much more marketable & generally accepted product (as it relates to the marine industry & its average enthusiasts). Also the majority of Offshores fan base & enthusiasts are mostly either weekend warrior pleasure boaters or pleasure boat speed-freaks (not that there is anything wrong with that, as most people do enjoy a fast pleasure boat ride).
I would bet the farm that Offshore owns the high majority of the total # of marine based enthusiasts & race fans. Mostly because, as I just said, the Offshore Category Product caters more to the average familiar boat owned by most of the average boaters. So this does NOT leave to many other marine based racing fans & enthusiasts to support the other category (ie. Drag boats, Tunnel Boats, Inboard & Outboard Hydroplanes etc.).

Hard to believe that even with all of these huge benefits automatically slated for/to their cause, they STILL failed...

2. Did they honestly believe that the Mod, PRO, Stock, OPC and R/C categorys all have the need OR funds available to:
A. Buy a VERY expensive legal license from APBA.
B. Hire P/R firms or personell to promote their category.
C. Pay salary's to the same internal category positions that for the
last 100 years have always been salary-free.
D. Create new job titles AND pay them as well.


So again, Allweiss's plan was indeed applicable, as long as it was used for Offshore, but as far as APBA as a whole was concerned, it was a certain recipe for failure & loss. Thankfully it failed (at least from the APBA viewpoint), but at a huge cost to both sides.

So, now the question is, why & how did the failure (in the Offshore environment) occur, and how can we learn from it.

Many people (who have been around boat racing ALOT longer then Allweiss & Miklos) believe that even IF the Allweiss Empire WOULD have followed the proposed business plan faithfully & accurately, it still eventually would have failed anyway.
Ron Hill and my late friend Buddy Babbitt (RIP my friend) both said it best. Boat Racing (no matter what category) "has been, is AND always will be" basically a sportsman hobby or a niche sport. We must accept that Boat racing is not nor ever will be a Mainstream Motorsport! If you try to format & run a business strategy without this in mind (ie. pretend that your NASCAR, but without the incoming cash) then your inevitably doomed. And because of this unfortunate environment label, alot of similar sports will simply never enjoy all the fruits of success that come with actually being a main stream motorsport. Heck, even Monster Trucks (sadly) have a bigger fan base AND gets better coverage then all APBA does!

We could debate the causes of our unfortunate environment label for days (trust me, it HAS already been done twice over), but the facts remain, AND as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

The way I see it, Allweiss's main Business Plan/Strategy had a major fault built into it from the very beginning (which attributed to his/their demise, well, besides the APBA hostile takeover attempt, greed, ego's, hidden agenda's and corruption issues).
To put it simply (regardless of what Offshore says): They failed because of their ignorance in realizing & accounting for the HUGE financial costs incurred of continually trying to successfully run a "mainstream motorsport environment, when you simply are not one of them.

And due to this unfortunate cirmumstance, Allweiss's strategy & environment did not & could not become fully realized. Offshore simply could not enjoy all the full capacity benefits of the typical various networks of Support (both financial & logistical) that typically enshrouds a mainstream motorsport like NASCAR & Formula One.

But thats not to say that you can't at least form a great & successful business plan/strategy for boat racing AND have it just as organized, successful and financially lucrative as NASCAR (but with out all the exhorbatant costs incurred like NASCAR has). There are many APBA (and non-apba) affiliated clubs, series & associations that are doing just that.

1. The U-boats (UHRA, PROP or what ever they are now known as). IMHO, the pinacle of boat racing. Though they are having some issues currently, they still have a great show and a decent faithful dedicated fan base. The causes for their various problems & failures are vast & speculative, ranging from Bernie Little's passing to equipment costs & availability. But they survived and are still racing.

2. The Champ Boat series has a good strategy with a fantastic show, has shown some good growth and also has a loyal dedicated fan base. However, when Gary Garbrecht began having some major health problems (which unfortunately led to his passing), there were some viable questions and apprehensions regarding the series. But obviously the current powers that be have answered their calling and still have a very successful strategy.

3. The US Title Series has also consistantly maintained a great business plan for many years now. They subscribe to the: "give em two short exciting days of organized, loud, close extreme boat racing and you'll win everytime" strategy. Still one of the best shows on the water.

4. AOF. One of the longest running, most cost effective and successful grass roots style "non-APBA affiliated" racing organizations in the country. Connie Payne was/is instrumental in administering the club and does a wonderful job!


The common strategy elements which I see within these successful racing series (which I haven't noticed in offshore's format or strategy) is:
1. They are realistic with their respective racing environments. They know their boundries, limitations & achievable goals (and, hopefully, what the insurmountable risks & costs might be of drastically overstepping them).

2. There is very little (if any) constant inner termoil, corruption, Conflicts of Interest, hidden agenda's and utter chaos (which Offshore just seems to have always had & seemingly encourages) within their respective environments, series & races. Sure, all APBA Category's have/had problems & termoil once in a while, but no where near the amount that Offshore constantly seems to have. Basically have some respect for the sport and its participants, officials and fans.

3. Try to have fun at the races and NOT take things to serious.


Ok, I'm done and will step down off my soapbox. Sorry for the long-winded reply/post, I (and many others) just feel that a dictatorship is NOT the way to go in our sport. There is irrefutable proof of that now. It is and should always be led as a democracy type environment. Putting that much irrevocable power in one persons hand (no matter how good hearted he/she is) IS VERY dangerous to the sport & potentially lethal to its future existance.

[Mike Fjeld]

Yes, your right proof is in the pudding.

Many years ago APBA was bigger than Nascar.. APBA has been in steady decline since then and NASCAR along with many other forms of motor racing like lawn mower and monster truck racing has been a rocket to the stars. Without major changes it will continue and I will be telling my grandchildren about the time when people actually raced boats. In my humble opinion if the decision makers had incentive ( $$$$ ) our sport would grow. In todays market there is countless millions of dollars set aside in major companys for advertising and marketing. All we need to do is put on a good show without the BS. I think maybe us racers are not capable of this and we NEED a damn good promoter like Bill France. ( nobody in his family races in nascar, they were taught to sell snow cones to the paying spectators )

The idea about step up classes also works--- AMA

If we don’t have major changes then there will be no change and continuing decline

[ferv888ipba]

Guy,
Boy did I step on the accelerator!!!!! Guy we are in agreement more than you are giving up here.

I am not talking about a guy like you describe in the offshore debacle. I am talking about a person(PC), who sells a race and decides which classes to invite. Someone who is promotionaly minded, who is the sponsor contact, and can give the spectators the sponsor wants to draw a show. Someone who understands what the sponsor is seeking and gives it to them. Not somone who takes the money and runs. If you pay him something, let it be 10% of the prize money assigned to the race. No sponsorship, no money. Most of us do it for free now anyway. None of the folks I know ever got rich off of this sport, either from sponsorship or from prize money. I am willing to try anything that gets us to more spectators and sponsorship.

Control Guy still rests with the racers, not with the promoter. You only allow the promoter to sell the race and within reason decide the classes. USTS has forever tried to get OSY 400 to come and race with us and to really no avail. We have some USTS members who have the class, but we need more help from the Stock guys who run it. They do not show for the most part except at DePue. Hey, their choice, but as a sponsor I want 10-12 boats on the water with a four hour show, a little break in between for some other activities and then back to racing.

I have been President and currently announce for the USTS and I appreciate your kind words about the organization. When you have folks in the organization that come from Fla. Ga. Ny, MN and even California, every where in between to each race it is because of two things. They want to race against the best and we try to keep the races in a central locale where you can leave equipment and fly home and back again, rather than pulling every weekend. We have many volunteers who care about the organizations

I along with others have spent countless hours, working, promoting, and helping to get our sport in front of as many people as we can. For money, please not a chance. But, for the love of a great sport in which some of my best and most enduring friendships have been derived.

Ray

[ferv888ipba]

Mike,
Not just one for the country, but multiples for each area. One in the NE, Midwest, Calif. Fla/Ga.SC,NC.

Pick out the classes that work in your area and run them no matter the category.

USTS will continue to do what they do and it is successful, as the PRO guys want to put on their show. When no USTS race, bring the classes locally in to run with you.

Ray

[Mike Fjeld]

I'm just speaking in very general terms and agree with you completely.

It's diffucult to put on a good show with 3 or 4 boats on the course. I feel it would be much more interesting to consolidate some of the classes and have a larger boat count.

I took my new bride to her first boat race in Ocoee for the nationals and she asked me why there was only 3 boats on the course. I told her that was all of the boats in that class and she then pointed to about 500 other boats that look very simalar and could not understand.

[Miss BK]

New bride? Congrats Mike!!

[Mike Fjeld]

Thanks Val ! and we are having a baby girl Aug. 23 --- and we are moving back to Phoenix soon as this Hurricane goes by

[Ron Hill]

I have been so LOYAL to APBA for so long, that my son LAUGHS AT ME.

Chad Hill sees APBA CLEARLY and I think most people under 30 see it also.....the truth is everything has a life. APBA is way passed a mid life crisis, she is headed toward the big race in the sky.......

You ever seen a guy buy a new radio controlled plane????? Hell, you want to go help him....but it is HIS airplane. And he's going to do it his way!!!! You know the results before he fires the engine....

I have made many suggestes to the APBA BOD, including that they all resign.......I made that suggestion in a seriousness....I've made some very serious suggestions that I think could be at least discussed:

Examples:

Life Time Achievement Award: Five years a go, has never made the BOD's agenda....You know, the worst that could happen is they tell me I'm really a DUMMY, but the BOD VOTED the idea down... NO the IDEA never got discussed.

Fred Hauenstein and I are donating a motor to APBA. I don't want anything in return......but I know there are thousands of people who love boat racing, who have worked for APBA and would be willing to continue to work for APBA...but NO ONE IN APBA is assigned the JOB of telling people THNAKS.....WHY NOT????The budget for the Home Office is about $500,000 and no one is assigned the task of PR??????? The Propeller Magazine might be called PR.......but we need a rea PR PERSON.

A "THANKS" once in a while would be COOL....not just for ME...but for all boat race supporters.


When I WAS OPC CHAIR, I WANTED TO BUY EXTRA PAGES IN THE PROPELLER AND SELL ADVERTISING TO MAKE OPC MONEY. My suggestion (Request) was never dignified with a "SCREW YOU RON", it is a dumb idea.

I donated $300 to APBA Legal Fund.....I NEVER GOT A LETTER EVEN SAYING THEY GOT THE CHECK...I have the cancelled check...

Mike Balzy has had a "CRUISE" and "TOUR OF MERCURY RACING" for about five years. Last year, his Balz to the Wall raised $21,000 for a HOSPITAL. But this year, liability insurance or lack of it, has cancelled Balz to the Wall... I suggested APBA come up with a way of INSURING/SANCTION these type of events.....

But, I have a better IDEA, now. I'm going to go to K and K Insurance and discuss the idea MYSELF...I don't see why someone who wants to have a little "EVENT" or "HAPPENING" has to risk losing his house in a law suit...

Stay tuned...BRF to the rescue BALZY...


ON and ON with APBA......

....Add: I told Charlie Strang and Fred Hauenstein to get $250,000 up front from the OFFSHORE "GROUP", so when they sue us (APBA), we can use their money to defend ourrseves...

I see the problem...it is US!!!! We need to rethink our expectations from BOAT RACING...or We need to commit to working everyday for BOAT RACING...