Maybe the dumbest move in Offshore racing history

[T2x]

Boy did the OPT guys blow it when they didn't take Eike's offer to bring Offshore racing up to a professional multi national SPONSORED sport.

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/...ista_R3VO.html

Eike had an $8 million dollar offer on the table for annual sponsorship and the "big shots" said no.....citing some nonsense about giving up their "independence".

As the song says:

"How do you like me now?"

You can't make this stuff up......

T2x

[Big Time]

The page isn't coming up for me

[T2x]

The page isn't coming up for me

I don't know why......... try Forbes.com and click on "Billionaires".

[Big Time]

#8 Eike Batista
------------------------------
Net Worth: $27.0 bil
Fortune: Self Made
Source: mining, oil
Age: 53
Country Of Citizenship: Brazil
Residence: Rio de Janeiro
Education: RWTH Aachen University, Drop Out
Marital Status: Divorced, 2 children
Vowing to become world's richest man—and he may be on his way. This year's biggest gainer added $19.5 billion to his personal balance sheet. Son of Brazil's revered former mining minister who presided over mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce got his start in gold trading and mining. Insists Dad didn't help: "All my businesses started from zero. My father was a problem for me because he never let me near Vale." Made a pile in resources and other services, but two-thirds of his fortune comes from relatively new source, OGX, the oil-and-gas exploration company he founded in 2007 and took public a year later. Police raided his home in 2008, alleging Batista smuggled gold and unfairly influenced the acquisition of a railroad. He denied all wrongdoing, emerged unscathed. New IPO for shipbuilding business (OSX) could raise $5.6 billion later this month—world's largest IPO so far this year. Onetime champion offshore powerboat racer; formerly married to Playboy cover girl. Provided financing to Rio de Janeiro's Olympic committee, helping the city win its bid for 2016 Olympic Games.

[Indy]

At least they're consistent.

[MarylandMark]

Here ya go:

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/...ista_R3VO.html

[Steve 1]

Bad move in this day and age!

[Fast Shafts]

It was from 1990/91, not this day and age.

[PARADOX]

How come every billionare is a drop out? Someting they didn't teach me in collage.

[baddogz28]

How come every billionare is a drop out? Someting they didn't teach me in collage.

Just kiddin.

I dropped out too.

[OneBadInjun]

Who cares? Its already yesterdays news.

[Ted]

Who cares? Its already yesterdays news.

He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it.....

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it.....

The story does have a tendency of repeating itself.

[ApachePete]

I remember it well.

We couldn't wait to race overseas.

Ike offered to pay to have our boats shipped to every race venue . . . at his expense.

What a cool deal!

It would have been a wonderful, and media friendly, series of races around the world.

Wish it had happened.

[Slandrew]

Maybe dumb but dealing with a lot of these guys is like dealing with Sharks Lure whats the catch?!LOL

[Slandrew]

[LaughingCat]

I'd like to agree with the direction of this thread. But shafting Team Geico out of $150 Large has to be a contender for the lead.

[TUFFboat]

All I remember about racing with Ike's first version of support is that dispite all the talk of his big money, he never paid the prize money he owed us. When you are a little team with a small budget, you depend on the few thousand that is promissed to you for placing in top 3.

So in my brief experiance, I can't say that he would have actually paid for anything at all.

[2scoops]

Just a couple decimal points to the right.....................Wow, That makes a big difference doesn't it.

[DAREDEVIL]

Who cares? Its already yesterdays news.