Kankakee OPC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Never again!!!!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

I recall the SST 100 class that I actually thought was a good class. They took a L C G tower housing from a V8 Johnson and re geared the gearcase placed a stock V4 on this with a different cengine cowling. The boats would travel around 90 + mph and sound like a little V8 .

Why Van der Velden's boats didnt run well who knows.

[Bob Valachovic]

So S P N after all of this from all of us talking about everything ,are you going to return to Kankakee next season?

[RAISINGCAIN]

The reason thier is no Johnnyrudes in the Champ/SST120 show is because of the rules! Look at them, Yamaha - after winning X# of races you must lower your rev limiter . Johnnyrude- lower RPM than the "BLACK" engines. Look at the points payout- Merc points? My point is that no matter what you try to run, if the rules keep you from being competitive then the rules need to be changed. But I am worried that Champ is sooooo far in bed with Merc that the other brands will ALWAYS be at a disadvantage! Look at most of the old (70-80's) pics on this site, what do you see? A lot of Johnnyruds, rules start changing you start seeing less and less of them. The blame also sits on OMC's sholders for not putting the money or attention into the sport like Merc did. Where there is money their is influence! Ron Hill has even stated that a Merc rep was on hand some of the APBA rules and class meetings

Somebody please prove me wrong!

[Ron Hill]

I was quoted as saying MERCURY was at the APBA meetings....but keep in mind MERCURY RACING DOES CARE ABOUT BOAT RACING or they wouldn't be at the meetings....Try if I will...Yamaha, Johnson, Evinrude, and Suzuki have made no effort to support boat racing...that I can see. There was a Suzuki and Yamaha in Super Sport...

Tohatsu isn't in the game either...they don't have a legal motor for any APBA class...

Mercury builds an S-3000 RACE MOTOR...In my opinion, this is the finest V-6 motor built to date...And anyone can buy one...

Stoker, helped CEES build a V-6 for Europe, but told Cees, they needed better pistons...No one wanted to pay the price, so, the engine failed as predicted by Al Stoker... Al built one motor, then they had someone else build the rest....Hmmm.

Yamaha once built a complete MOD U motor....after a testing accident that resulted in DEATH...Yamaha was sued....they destroyed all racing parts, and ain't really been back....

I've heard this quote for my 60 years..."What we need is better publicity".... Well, if you had 100,000 show up would they go home happy????

San Diego had over 100,000 watching, Champboats weren't there....Will there be a race in San Diego next year??? YES!!!!

I went to a car show in Havasu...$80 entry fee, 1,000 cars...The $80 got you two tickets for Friday's and Saturday's dance and show. Two T-Shirts, two lunches each day, two alcohol drinks each day, and two sodas each day....Seems the car owners got some value for their $80 entry fee...Plus there were at least 16 Classes of Show with cool trophies...

Of course, they were showing their $50,000 cars.....But, for two days, people paid $12.00 each to watch and everytime I went near the gate, people were coming in....They got their $12 worth....

Win, win, and win..City did well, promoter did well, the car owners didn't go broke...spectators had a good time........

When you go to a Champboat race.....

Let's see..

Someone wins one heat....Someone wins the scond heat...and Someone wins the final...20 boats...three winners, 17 losers...Hmmm...how does this differ from a car show???

Champboat Racing needs NIGHT RACING....in St. Louis....(Because it is hot as all get out there in the day).....JUst one suggestion.

[RAISINGCAIN]

Ron,
I agree 100 % on the Merc support read my post next to the last line (The blame also sits on OMC's sholders for not putting the money or attention into the sport like Merc did. Where there is money their is influence!) But that still does not explain why Champ and APBA has made the rules so one sided. Merc does not care about the sport, they care about selling motors! If they cared about the sport they would insist that the rules be equal for all makes! put them head to head cubic inch for cubic inch DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR and we will see which motor more racers use Just like the ODBA unlimited class, when the big boys show up with those white Johnnies they are unstopable.

[RAISINGCAIN]

Now that I have got my motor vent out of the way, let me address the original post. I agree that the pay out at these rasces are not high enough. I know that there are alot of factors that set this pay, but thats the problem, no one is doing anything to solve the core problems. If you need more people to come out and watch the race then accomadate them. I cannot speak for all race venues but I have been to quite a few boat races of many different kinds and all of them treat the fans the same way (except Firebird). Crappy viewing area (almost never bleachers) lack of souviners, and only one or two people selling food & drinks. Give the people some bang for there buck and they will come!

If NASCAR and NHRA had the same type of treatment to there fans I would bet my right arm that there would be alot of changes including those big paychecks! (NO FANS = NO MONEY & NO SPONSOR)

Boat racing is one of the only sports that I know of where a Profesional has to hold down a regular job just to make ends meet

[Ted March]

Hi Justin,

I've been going to Jasper every year (5 years) since 2001. Ain't seen no white motor in the Unlimited winner's circle yet. Fact is. In these five years, I've only seen one white motor in the winner's circle in any class. Lake Racer 2001 - on a Triad V21.

Tell Dad Hello.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

They have the same kind of event here where the weekend is solid collectors cars, like over 2,000 this year with spectators outnumbering cars about 10 to 1 and evening events, shirt sales, swap meet to hold everyone there and have a real good time. It was all very inexpensive too. What it was though was a "spectator event"! They had loudest stero contests, tire burnouts and every manner of stuff. Its becoming bigger every year the way Sturgess SD has become to the motorcycle community, a big participant and even a bigger spectator event. It takes hard work, a business plan, a participant base and honesty to make it all work for the spectators and it then happens and will happen time and time again.

[TabaraRacing12]

Bob, If ChampBoat is back and racing in Kankakee you will most likely see Page and his brother, if not you might not just like most other Champ guys, although there are some "exceptions" that will race even if it wasnt a Champ race, but in order for Kankakee to have a "good" field of Champ/Mod U boats you have to have it as a sanctioned race for ChampBoat points. Do not make this an issue of love for the sport, but time/money/traveling/cost factor. But most of those Champ guys that do race at the nationals when non series sanctioned are fairly close to Kankakee. MONEY WILL NOT BRING BOATS, but Series sanctions DO, thus we can look at last year in Kankakee where there was either a 20,000 or 25,000 dollar purse plus tow money for Mod-U Worlds and only 6 boats showed with everyone concerned about the ChampBoat race a week or 2 after the nationals. Those boats were Tim Seebold, Chris Fairchild, Wyatt Nelson, Lynn Simburger, Pete Nydahl, and 1 other West coast boat but I dont recall his name off hand.

[Bob Valachovic]

Bob, If ChampBoat is back and racing in Kankakee you will most likely see Page and his brother, if not you might not just like most other Champ guys, although there are some "exceptions" that will race even if it wasnt a Champ race, but in order for Kankakee to have a "good" field of Champ/Mod U boats you have to have it as a sanctioned race for ChampBoat points. Do not make this an issue of love for the sport, but time/money/traveling/cost factor. But most of those Champ guys that do race at the nationals when non series sanctioned are fairly close to Kankakee. MONEY WILL NOT BRING BOATS, but Series sanctions DO, thus we can look at last year in Kankakee where there was either a 20,000 or 25,000 dollar purse plus tow money for Mod-U Worlds and only 5 boats showed with everyone concerned about the ChampBoat race a week or 2 after the nationals.

I originally said that nobody will stay away from the Nationals no matter where they are.
All that was said here is on the positive side, everyone saying their peace. Lots of information here that can be viewed again and again. Nothing will ever happen or change if no one says anything.
Lets just say it is a large group meeting with a lot of information and input.
Thats how things happen by input and reasoning,(anything successful).