Kankakee OPC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Never again!!!!!

**David Mason** · 10-13-2005

Big differences between Champ and SST120 payouts. There are more SST120 than Champs.........

Is Champ a lot more expensive to race than 120 ?

**TabaraRacing12** · 10-14-2005

Champ versus 120. Well depends, if you want to be Top 5 in Champ it will cost you MUCH MUCH more than top 5 120. The problem is good equipment and further more good props. Props Props Props, if you can buy lots and have the right friends in the right places welcome to the show, if you dont, you might get to buy all the stuff with big $$$$, or else you are like most champ racers besides 4 or 5 boats and you are out there. Now realize the past few years of the motor issues going on. EFI boxes etc, test, test, and test and yea whetever lol, we all know what is out there, so these new sealed efi boxes might fix this problem. But the reason why OPC gets to be out of control on prices is the costs of having something that is good.

FYI- I have 5 local dirt tracks in the area that I have raced it with Wissota, and I had much less money than a 120 invested and I ran for 2 or 3 times the purse of Champ.

And i went back to boat racing...LOL go figure...

**TabaraRacing12** · 10-14-2005

One thing where boat racing and specially OPC with series racing is to make the big teams and drivers more accesible for fans. This is where NHRA drag racing and nascar have a huge advantage. Between heats during the day people can walk back and check out what is going on behind the scenes. By making the drivers more accessible you will automatically have more fan following as these spectators move from spectators to fans, which then moves into the idea of following a certain driver throughout the season.

I think Page has brought up many good ideas.

Ron, versus where boat racing used to be to where it is and needs to go today. Boat racing as a hobby sport is not enough for it to survive, we need the professional series racing to keep grass roots around. THIS IS NOT A STOCK OUTBOARD KNOCK, we are discussing OPC, it is very important you do not mix the 2 when discussing where the sport needs to go. You must realize that Page is referring to OPC. The costs to run these boats, the high end of OPC, takes a massive amount of money which needs sponsorship and a high profile series to survive.

It by any means is not wrong for a boat racer who is racing OPC with a 50,000 dollar rig to say I want to get some of the cost back from races. There shouldnt be any reason why if we started a 24 boat Champ filed that 10 thru last should get ATLEAST 350, winner 5,000 to 10,000.

Grass Roots OPC racing absolutely NEEDS professional series racing to survive. With the right promotion and leaders in a series this could happen, BUT remember boat racing and those involved with the motors/rules are the ones that have killed it. They are the ones who made some of the best boat racers in the world turn there backs to the sport. We are now paying the price from the politics from the 80's and 90's.

Nobody can knock Page and say you dont understand him, it comes down to one thing, he believes driving Champ or F1 should be prestigious. Grass roots OPC racing needs these series races. On a local level when racing your goal is to one day make it to the level of series racing.

As it has been mentioned before we need to have a better show with less gaps, more things to do at the races etc.

I will point this out about the hour wait to line up Champ/120 after a crash. Once the course is cleared if you are not on the dock we are going without you. Forget this 5 min work bs. If you get it working you can rejoin the race, BUT do not make the show wait for just 1 boat to get worked on no matter who you are or what your name is. Do they wait in Nascar? F1? I didnt think so.

**tacobellprop** · 10-14-2005

Originally Posted by TabaraRacing12

I will point this out about the hour wait to line up Champ/120 after a crash. Once the course is cleared if you are not on the dock we are going without you. Forget this 5 min work bs. If you get it working you can rejoin the race,

"Backup boat point system"..........

Seebold, 2nd in points coming off a win a week ago in Bay City caused the first red flag of the day on the 12th lap by stuffing the boat down in the notorious short straight between turns 3 and 4 on the east end of the race course. He took number 2 teammate Nathan Worthy out of his boat when in 6th place and put him self in the backup boat and finished 5th when the day was over. It was the 3rd time in four events this year Tim failed to reach the podium.

Some rules like this sound so amateurish to me.

**Miss BK** · 10-14-2005

The reason for the Back-up boat system....

In order for the Series to collect promised prize money, most contracts stipulate they will pay the full amount ONLY when a certain number boats are entered.

The dwindilng teams over the past few years began to cause concern that some races would not meet the 15 boat minumum. So one way to see full fields was to ask some of the top teams (the teams who bring back-up boats) to put a rookie driver in their SECOND rig - thus, the Series would meet the contract requiments, and bring some new blood into the sport.

Now, of course, these top drivers were not too thrilled when they first heard about this program - because they needed their spare boats to be ready in the pits --- just in case something happened.

So, the Series told them that they would not be penalized, and IF a situation occurred where they would need to get into their backup, they could do so without losing position or penalty.

In otherwords, the backup boat system was installed to create a larger show. The downside is that the rookies have to give up their ride if something happens to the #1 rig. But they already knew that going in.

**B VALACHOVIC** · 10-19-2005

While we are here. Why is it that we do not see any JOHNSON's running. You can't tell me that Bombardier can't make them competitive or at least supply the parts so somene can put one together. Bob

**spn#43** · 10-19-2005

In UIM circuit Velden racing team tried running OMC and they were totally uncompetitive even with much bigger engine displacement. Instantly when they switched back to Mercury it moved them from bottom to one of the top running teams.
Here in USA two teams Hydro Tec and Anderson teams tried running Yamahas but unfortunately without much success.
I would like to see some color in the field it would help the series, but it would have to take full factory effort.

**B VALACHOVIC** · 10-19-2005

Originally Posted by spn#43

In UIM circuit Velden racing team tried running OMC and they were totally uncompetitive even with much bigger engine displacement. Instantly when they switched back to Mercury it moved them from bottom to one of the top running teams.
Here in USA two teams Hydro Tec and Anderson teams tried running Yamahas but unfortunately without much success.
I would like to see some color in the field it would help the series, but it would have to take full factory effort.

Spn were these Johnson engines 3 liter downsized 8 cyl's

**Ron Hill** · 10-19-2005

I think I will go to the President of Evinrude and get a e-Tec 225 for my MOD VP. It is a 2006 motor, with a cone.... We need to RACE STOCK APPEARING motors...LIKE NASCAR started out to be....

When Formula One reappears, look for MOD VP to be part of their program....

Howard Pipkorn and I were always going to strat a business called MAXIMUM EFFORT...

Where OMC went wrong was: Their Production motors sound like V-4's...not V-8's...A Race V-8 was the coolest, nastiest sound you ever heard.....Of course, they burned 50 gallons an hour each, as I recall!!!!

Old pictures, for Vapor Trails, 1988.

Benny Robertson and Rick Hoffman!!!