Kankakee OPC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Never again!!!!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

I see Terry Rinker has acumulated 4,325 points for the season.He is absolutlely the Best that there is in Champ Series Tunnel Boat Racing for this season. How much are the points worth nowdays.

[Miss BK]

Hi-point championship in a prestigious series that provides publicity and recognition = Healthy sponsorships.



I hear Terry's sponsorship is secure for at least 3 more years, even tho the Rinker family doesn't own "RINKER BOATS" anymore. I happen to know one of the new owners of Rinker Boats personally, and I know that he's into F1 cars. (They fly to Monaco for the race every year).

To ensure Terry has sponsorship for many more years, we need to get the new owners of Rinker Boats to come to Champboat races so we can wine and dine them. And even better - invite them to utilize the BlueFish truck to wine and dine their "own" clients - maybe even take them for a 2-seater ride!

No doubt, there are even more possibilities that haven't even been thought of yet. Transforming what we have already into something others want makes the word "sponsorship" have even more value than we ever dreamed. Keep thinking BIG!

[Miss BK]

Here's how UIM F1 uses BlueFish:


http://www.f1boat.com/05/como/como_g...uefish_05.html

[B VALACHOVIC]

I see Terry Rinker the best in the entire world in Champboat racing in Powerboat Magazine this month. ONE of his SPONSORS that is on the OPC boat took out a high dollar ad to promote their product with TERRY'S boat in the background.

[Miss BK]

Yes, they appear to like Terry and the entire Blackhawk Racing team. They have even dedicated a portion of their corporate website to him.

http://www.amsoil.com/rinker

[TabaraRacing12]

First off anyone who knows Page knows what he loves to do. That is race boats. I got to meet up with him at the nationals this year and we finally got to put faces to screen names. Nobody can first claim that he is racing for money or is about making money. Look at what he said. He got a very small check for a very BIG class of boat. Now why would he come out and say something like this now about it? Well obviously the perception was they thought they would be getting a better check for Mod U. We all love this sport and race boats because of that, BUT BUT BUT, he is not out of line to say that was BS that he got that small of a check. He got promised local sponsor money and didnt get that. Does he have a place to be mad?? Ask yourself if you would be pissed, yea you would be! He is not trying to make money, but the thing is if you have 30-50,000 tied up into a champ rig why would you even race for anything under 20 or 30,000 dollar prize package. You have to get something in return to HELP with the costs. By no means is he saying I am pissed cause I didnt make money, he is saying it would be nice to get some costs helped out. Boat racing in OPC is expensive, doesnt matter which class you go to you are going to be spending big $$$$ to win. What this sport needs is more guys like Page and less like many others invovled in this sport. Regarding his thoughts on the nationals. The OPC Nationals was at one time the most prestegious victory/win of any racer. In todays boat racing world is it really? Or is it your cash cow on a big point race. Series championships are now more prestigious than a national championship. What Page is saying, and this is what I get from it is he believes the Nationals is and SHOULD be the most prestigious event in OPC. Most points/money/ the best of the best should be there to race. Now I realize they had sponsor problems this year, but if they cannot get those sponsors back and regain that once prestigious title of an OPC National championship, isnt it just another race now with lots of points? The problem with OPC is $$$$ and more $$$$ and more $$$$$. Not enough parts, monopolies built on a sport, and simple poltics and you find us where we are at today. You can disagree with it, but I really dont care, we all know what it is like, but nobody ever really comes out and says it. The reason why OPC/ Champ etc has worked out are the guys like Page who have no chance of winning against the BIG TEAMS in CHAMP, yet he comes and races cause he loves it. What is wrong with boat racing?? You guys all say it hobby hobby hobby, well to move boat racing in with the way car series racing has taken off we need to take a professional approach not a hobby aproach. Boat racing will never be like the good ole days, but is that a bad thing? No, times change, racing changes, we just need people to be open to the new ideas. This motor rule champ is doing, do i agree with it, well no, BUT its worth a shot right! Whats the worse that happens, it fails?

steve

[TabaraRacing12]

Val

I sure hope amsoil does stay in the sport as a sponsor. Before they had a part in the Prop Tour series, I went to them for sponsorship for our team, actually I am the one who introduced their race director/race marketing director to boat racing. I introduced them to series racing and at the time it was PROP. Unfornuately they had exhausted all there funds for sponsorship that year , but within 4-6 months of myself contacting them they were the official oil of PROP. LOL, I got stickers and an application to be an amsoil dealer, BUT it is good to see that even though we didnt get sponsored by them that they found a team in the sport and have supported them and the racing series.

Steve

[Miss BK]

I notice in Bay City that there is an entire AMSOIL display next to Terry's rig. I don't know if Terry sets that up or if Amsoil sends a rep to set it up. But it's a pretty good idea, either way.

Also, did you know that AMSOIL was Mike Seebold's sponsor back in the late 1970's?

[TabaraRacing12]

LOL, I did not know that. When I went to them they were clueless at the time, atleast the existing racing director at the time was. I always hate explaining how they are kinda like champ/f1 cars on water. Upper midwest boat racing isnt quite the premier sport, although most people can relate to stock outboard just not OPC/tunnel boats.

[Miss BK]

I remember the AMSOIL thing because Mike came to Havasu without a score-keeper and my sister-in-law volunteered me! We were there with a friend and scoring him in the Mod-VP class which was at a different time - so I got to do double-duty that weekend. A guy on Mike's team told me that he pays his scorekeepers $1,000 if he wins. I got all excited, then learned later that he was just joking...LOL

So I watched that #286 AMSOIL boat go round the Havasu course for a solid 3 hours, never getting to leave my seat, and marking down each time he went by, which was about every 2 minutes. After scoring hours on end like that, you don't ever forget what the boat looks like.

I also went to art school in 1981, and one of my projects was painting
a multi-colored object. I chose Mike's blue/red/orange/yellow Amsoil boat - I ALWAYS loved that paint scheme.

Here's Mike in his AMSOIL uniform from around that time frame: