outboard drag racing.

[Walter]

I have just finished reading the threads by Noah, Sam, Barney, Rex, and others. You all have some good points but there are many flaws to be seen. First off Noah, most of what you infer about the good old days of grass roots racing simply is untrue. I have been associated with this class of racing for 7 years and have discussed outboard drag racing with others from what appears as its infancy in the 80's. You seem to want everyone to believe that the racing was more fun when it was less professional. Maybe it was to some but not to the recurrent losers. Am I the only one that remembers Team Jaco winning virtually every race they came to? Everyone else raced for second. They were a very professional and well sponsored team.
Freddie Blackburn dominated superstock until a formal set of rules slowed him down. The list of the repeat winners from the old days of multiple clubs and rule books is quite short. The list of losers much longer.
The three clubs joined and suddenly we had Mercury and the APBA on board. Was that bad? Now we have lost them both for reasons I am still not sure of. Does that mean the sport will die. Is not that where we started? Is that what you mean by back to the future. I am not being disrespectful Mr. Lagear for I do count you as a friend. I just think the picture can be looked at more than one way. you want to organize smaller local races? There is no rule preventing anyone from doing so.
I agree there needs to be more races on a local level but that does not mean the ODBA should not exsist. The problems are that the small clubs do have more insurance and sponsorship trials. They are not going to attract Mercury or large sponsors. They will let local racers compete but how will YOU regulate a winning boat on a national level to run at a small local event? At least since the APBA has recognized our class we have a standard set of rules that I belive everyone uses. Well maybe not the ODBA. But look at what else has developed in our sport. We now have a dedicated merc drag motor. No longer a counter rotated S3000. OMC was on the verge of a drag motor and midsection before financial woes hit them. Does anyone think these would have come about with a series of little clubs running under different rules? We have a larger variety of boats than ever. Search the web, there is everything from old hydrostreams to new Allisons winning.
I believe it is easy for the average boater to "try" this sport. Anyone with an outboard boat of any sort one can find a class to "try". But no one should expect to "try" this sport in any class and win. Let me know when that happens in stock hydro - one of the cheapest classes to race. You can get in this sport for perhaps the least outlay of any boat racing and be competitive. Take a used Allison/Traid/Mirage (there are several in the 5000 to 8000 range), add a stock 260 merc (5000 to 7000), a yamaha prop (395$ worked by JC on this web site), some home rigging and a lot of testing and come run. Or spend 50,000 and go race with Seebold. Want to run cheaper? Buy an outdated tunnel boat (2000-3000) slap on any motor out of a scrap yard that reads 2.5, add a used nitrous system and come play. you spend less than 10,000 and are competetive. Worked for you. Works for others. Or go race offshore and spend 10,000 on props at one race. Want to run your garaged river racer? Simple, borrow a prop, test and come run. Real cheap and who knows - with all the breakdowns this year you just might win (think Lynn).
I do not propose in this letter to try and win back all the lost drag racers with cure suggetions. You want the postion with the APBA...Noah you have my support.
I do believe that this sport will continue to grow if we can keep a cap on the rules (what was wrong with the one line in unlimited - go for it!), keep the APBA involved, keep the clubs leadership strong, and the bickering to a minimum. Keep the tech and fuels fair and policed. Beat the bush for sponsors and venues. Advertize! The sport will survive and thrive for us all. And maybe we can have fun.
Walter R. Wolfe MD

Boy do i wish ther was a sppell check here.

First of all I never said the ODBA should not exist. Next you are wrong about when Mercury came on board as they put up sponsorship money when there were 3 associations having an OCS (outboard championship series)This was pobably about the time you STARTED racing.Next Outboard drag racing did not start in its infancy in the 80's (damn Walter you been delivering too many babies) The APBA had a drag catagory in the early 70's for a short while.As for Freddie Blackburn he was running an old Venture bass boat decked over to begin with back when the rules were less stringent and you could be competetive for about 4 to 5 thousand dollars and he was competetive.As for Jaco, he's a dealer and competed in only 1 or 2 classes, What happened to the prostock class that Rick Ramer and Randall Beers ran in with 6 to 10 other entries. This was a 10 to 15 thousand dollar TOPS class. By the way Walter, exactly how much did you spend racing with the ODBA the last 3 years including entry fees, boat motor towing ect. now don't leave anything out. Astonishing how much the ODBA World Title cost isn't it? As for having local races sure anyone can have a single event with no
sanction.It's called a "backyard" race but where does it fit in national movement to reunite the sport and bring a larger group together? Should it be just a 1 location group running one another or a national organization trying to bring everyone together in one organization to set national standards for each participant. Or should we all just sandbar race and drink beer while talking about racing? Let me point out some goals I would like to see happen.(1) I would like to see both APBA amatuer racing and ODBA style "Professional" racing at the same events such as at NHRA auto drag racing National events ,not very race but some as with the NHRA.(2) I would hope that the APBA drag category could do as the OPC category and have both as with the APR Superlegue and The PROP tour has done to bring lower classes up to the professional ranks. Agood example is the OPC Supersport Class That stared out as a probationary class and now is a permenant class running in some of the APR "professional " series races. You can't have a good overview unless you have seen what else is happening in other areas of boat racing. You only have tunnel vision if you are only dealing with one category. I am involved with both Drags and OPC. Walter you speak of spending 10 to 15 thousand dollars on a rig as if it were pocket change. Did it ever occur to you that to some young people that want to become involved that is half a years salary? No direpect but we're not all doctors. The point is to get new blood into the sport. That's why the other APBA categories have classes as low as a 9.9. We have to do something or were going to only be a limited few, and it is getting to be fewer, Racing in very limited races.
Noah Legear

[Walter]

Noah,
I do not disagree with a single word you said. I stated in my email that you have my support. The clarification you have given will enlightened others as well. However i am correct in my assesment of Jaco. Those classes they dominated were the largest ones. What happened to Randles class was simple progress. The old motors could not keep up, separate classes were formed and as the old motors disappered so did the class. Look at the carbed classes now. Very few boats in a very well run class. I do not treat 10 to 15000 as pocket change. My point was that you can start cheap relative to other boat racing classes and you can even run a weekend river boat and be competetive with a good setup. My boat is a River Racer, not a drag hull, that has seen a lot of rippin up and down the Pearl river on weekends and nice cold winter weekdays.
Again I agree with you and hope you get the APBA positon. Get us some more races out there. Always be fair and use your powers with care. Good luck my friend.
Walter

Walter,I think you should have left the name "Bush Whacker" It was indeed a good choice even if by accident. As for the position in the APBA, it is not something I desperately want, just something someone has to do and I sincerely appreciate your words of encouragement and support. I would welcome your participation and suggestions at any time as you are knowledgeable and my daughter just notified me I'm going to be a grandfather as well so you could surely be put to good use in more than one capacity.
Noah Legear

[Bruce Washburn]

I truly believe that everyone would like to see more races. At the present time there are only a handful of people trying to find new sites and promote the races. What APBA can give us is a framework of rules, insurance, a national point system and support. I think Noah will do a fine job. He loves boat racing and cares about the sport. The guy that leads the drag category can not develop more races all over the country. Local clubs are going to need to be the ones that make new races happen. This will take time and money to put on a race. I would suggest that drag racers join or form local clubs. There are also alot of OPC guys that would like to see more races. The OPC and Drag formats work well together. By combining these two categories you will be able to split expenses and come out with at least a brake even race. I would invite any drag racers in Florida to contact me if they want to become part of an APBA club and try to develop some races.
I think that anyone that puts on a backyard event without proper insurance, waviers etc. is out of their minds. Not only do they put themselves at risk, they put the welfare of every participant, sponsor, offical and their respective families at risk. I do not know about other organizations but APBA has an excellent insurance program and system in place to reduce the liability to the participants as much as possible.
I do not no any form of racing where everybody wins. You are going to have one winner and several loosers.The team with the money, know how, and test time will be the one that comes out on top in most cases. I believe that part of the attraction to the sport is doing the best you can with the equipment you have at the time. Another big benefit is the people. I have met alot of great people from all walks of life over the years. Some were normal and many were not. But most of them were alot of fun to hang out with for a weekend and share a common interest.
Best of Luck
Bruce Washburn

[Walter]

Noah, I swear I had nothing to do with your girl startin to swell up like that. I aint even been to Florida in a while.
Walter

[Barney]

Just don't be bad mouthing the Sand Bar!

I would not trade "King of the Sand Bar" title for any National Points Championship. You can buy a points title, takes more than that at the sandbar.