Originally Posted by
Mike A.
No rational person can disagree with 2TR's sentiment. Back stabbing, name calling, advancing personal agendas at the expense of the sport and other competitors, and negativity have been rampant in offshore racing for decades. This is not a new phenomenon.
I grew up around the sport in the 1970's. My dad was a national Production class champion and competed in Open class too. He also served on the ORC and was the category attorney for a time as well. I went everywhere with him including meetings attended by the heavyweights of the era, Nordskog, Satullo, Cook, et al. and saw the politics from the inside.
As many of you know, I also raced offshore in the 90's, and then served as Gene Whipp's counsel and then a member of the ORC. From 1999 through 2003 I served as Chairman of the category, so I was on the front line of the political battles, backstabbing, personal agendas and negativity during that period as well.
Indeed, as many of you also know, I was the subject of many relentless personal attacks both on the Internet and behind the scenes. Eventually, the environment got so poisonous we realized we could never make a profit and had to call it quits. Plenty of blame to go around so I am not going to rehash that again.
But, I also think it is fair to say that the sport overall has not improved since then and arguably has been diminshed in many ways. With all due respect to SBI, were it not for Smitty and OPA the sport may very well be dead.
In the Internet age, whether we like it or not, unfiltered discourse is reality and not just here but everywhere: political blogs, partisan websites, sports blogs, motorsports chat sites, etc. And like in life, most of the people throwing stones are well-intentioned and feel justified in doing so because the other side started it or whatever. In other words, perspective matters. Which brings me to the recent SVL debate.
Again, there was plenty of name calling and personal attacks on all sides. From my perspective, I got involved for several reasons. First, I was deeply involved in the original development of the SVL class. Second, I had been asked to help advise with the 2010 SVL season. Third, when the new Fountain was sprung on everyone with less than a week before the first race of what was supposed to be a new era for the class, I was asked for my advice and perspective. And when you go to my original post, I made a flat, blunt statement that allowing the boat into the class, unfettered and unknown, would be a huge mistake and death knell to the class. Nothing personal, no name calling or backstabbing. Rather, my comments were out in the open. It devolved from there for a variety of reasons. Again, no reason to lay blame or point fingers. Everyone has their own perspective.
But the fourth and most important reason I weighed in was that I had seen this movie before. Class killer comes in, personal agendas spanning the gammut take hold, old boats are instantly obsoleted, owners leave the sport, and classes die with no controls in place to manage and maintain competitive balance. I was told to shut up by some and asked to keep hammering away by others. I sided with those who agreed with me but my message stayed the same throughout: Do not let this happen. Nip it in the bud before it is too late. Write a set of rules and lock them in place. Why? Simple. I did not want to see history repeat itself.
The future of the class is now in the hands of those who matter most: the SVL team owners. I have offered up the 2003 SVL rules to the class and will gladly post those for everyone else to see. Grandfather all the old boats. Allow new boats in subject to strict homologation and pre-approval rules. Go to the sanctioning bodies and secure written agreements that they will allow the class subject to the owners' rules and enforcement, and above all else, control your own destiny as owners. Do not let the ABC's dictate your future. Beware of those bearing gifts and if you are inclined to accept those gifts, fine, just do not relinquish control and take the gifts on YOUR terms because at the end of the day, the class and its future belongs to you - exclusively.