[Southsider2k12]

http://www.powerboat-world.com/usa/Super-B...y-action/112428

The next stop for Super Boat International is the fifth Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix on Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Indiana, August 1-4. The 2012 Grand Prix Event brought in an estimated 100,000 people and nearly seven million dollars to the community. As reported by the NWI Times, this year should even be better, as last year’s racing action never happened due to high seas. The crowds enjoyed sunny skies and a beautiful day, however the lake had 8-10 foot waves which made it unsafe to race and unsafe for the medical rescue teams.

Super Boat teams have been racing hard all season, which started in April, and they are prepared for another exciting race in Michigan City. Along with the teams, the president of Super Boat International, John Carbonell, believes it will be a great event. 'Last year was very unfortunate and something no one could have predicted. That was the first race we have had to cancel due to weather in over 500 races. The previous three races [four events] have been fantastic and have been gaining momentum every year. In the event there is a threat of severe weather for Sunday, the decision will be made well in advance to run on Saturday. The LaPorte County team with Jack Arnett and Jason Miller and their entire group of volunteers make this a great event. We are proud to be the show that everyone recognizes as the area’s biggest draw and most rewarding for economic stimulus in surrounding counties.

Teams in the Superboat, Super Stock and SuperVee have been real crowd pleasers this season and that’s not to dismiss the other classes who just rip up the racecourse. The previous race in Sarasota, Florida was flanked by 1000’s of spectator boats on a beautiful sunny day. Super Boat is hoping to see the spectator fleet line the course from the lighthouse all the way down the 2-mile course.

In the Super Vee Class, one boat looking to make their season debut is the Snowy Mountain Brewery 14 Outerlimit. Owner / throttleman, Doctor Mike Janssen, is looking forward to the race. 'It’s been such a very busy year with my practice and I haven’t had the opportunity to race. However, I was able to make it to the first race of the season and support the team who purchased my Fountain ‘Watch Your Back’ Vee bottom. The people there are very nice and the town is really getting behind the event.'

There are a lot of great racers and teams this year and the race for the National Title is very close. As teams close in on the latter half of the year, the boat setup and managing to make it to the end of the race is becoming some of the highest goals for teams. Making to the end of an 80-mile race might not seem like a lot, but the races this year have been in rough seas and it has been very tough on equipment. The 2013 season has seen very little of equipment failure from teams and it has proven to be a very exciting season of racing.

Teams will be arriving Friday, August 2, for the dry pits to set up their equipment. This is where fans can get an up-close look at all the boats and can get a chance to talk to their favorite teams. Teams and drivers always encourage the fans to come down and spend time in the pits, where they can get a chance to swap racing (boating) stories.

[taxthedeer]

75 degrees and partly cloudy forecast for Saturday and Sunday, no idea on wind speeds or wave conditions, if winds are calm I will go watch the race, if the wind is gusty like last year I'm making other plans.

[taxthedeer]

Race day forecast, 73 degree, partly cloudy and 8 mph winds, looking forward to seeing everyone at the beach, I'll be the guy in the tent behind the senior center.

[Ang]

Race day forecast, 73 degree, partly cloudy and 8 mph winds, looking forward to seeing everyone at the beach, I'll be the guy in the tent behind the senior center.

Well, I might just have to stop by and say Hi!

[ChickenCityRoller]

The current NOAA marine nearshore forecast indicated that the race is going to run and the boats should be able to run wide open.

This Afternoon: NW wind around 10 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves around 2 ft.

Tonight: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Partly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.

Friday: WSW wind 5 to 10 kt increasing to 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Waves 1 to 2 ft.

Friday Night: W wind 5 to 10 kt becoming S after midnight. A slight chance of showers. Waves 1 ft or less.

Saturday: NW wind 5 to 10 kt becoming N in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.

Saturday Night: NNE wind around 10 kt. Mostly clear. Waves 1 to 2 ft.

Sunday: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves around 1 ft.

Sunday Night: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Partly cloudy. Waves 1 ft or less.

Monday: Variable winds 5 kt or less. Partly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.

[taxthedeer]

I shot this video of the boat parade. There was only 9 boats in the parade. I hope there is a larger field in the race today.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=plcp&v=nHQqN5iLtk0

[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/...9de616a23f.html

Review of this race...

[ChickenCityRoller]

“It was a gorgeous day with big water, and that added to the collective excitement,” SBI media relations director Rodrick Cox said. “The crowd looked bigger than it ever has. The parade was bigger. It seemed everything was bigger and better.”


did the crowd look bigger to you guys?

[Southsider2k12]

They are saying these were potentially record crowds for the event...

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...d574a4c1f8.html

[ChickenCityRoller]

They are saying these were potentially record crowds for the event...

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...d574a4c1f8.html

I think they say that every year, lol

In 2009, the first year, they claimed 80,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...01422966834.txt

In 2010 they claimed approx. 100,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...32572862355.txt

In 2011 they claimed 125,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2011/0...9a460536564.txt

In 2012 they claimed 120,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2013/0...d6930460448.txt

my point is, who know what the heck the true numbers are. Talk is cheap, actually it's free and none of us can verify how many people actually come to town.
I like how they've melded the "taste" with the race and this year, shutting down the north end of Franklin made a lot of sense.

All that said, I'm really not sure if the sanctioning body will "re-up" the contract next year after three consecutive poor turn outs. in '11 they shortened the course and ran the boats together. If I recall, there was only one heat that year?
In '12 it was cancelled all together
In '13 NINE boats out of 46 raced.

To me the writing is on the wall. July would have been a MUCH better time to run this race instead of August. the lake always starts to pick back up in August and most of July offers offshore breezes with 1 foot or less waves.

[Southsider2k12]

I think they say that every year, lol

In 2009, the first year, they claimed 80,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...01422966834.txt

In 2010 they claimed approx. 100,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...32572862355.txt

In 2011 they claimed 125,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2011/0...9a460536564.txt

In 2012 they claimed 120,000 people
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2013/0...d6930460448.txt

my point is, who know what the heck the true numbers are. Talk is cheap, actually it's free and none of us can verify how many people actually come to town.
I like how they've melded the "taste" with the race and this year, shutting down the north end of Franklin made a lot of sense.

All that said, I'm really not sure if the sanctioning body will "re-up" the contract next year after three consecutive poor turn outs. in '11 they shortened the course and ran the boats together. If I recall, there was only one heat that year?
In '12 it was cancelled all together
In '13 NINE boats out of 46 raced.

To me the writing is on the wall. July would have been a MUCH better time to run this race instead of August. the lake always starts to pick back up in August and most of July offers offshore breezes with 1 foot or less waves.

I get the impression that City is fit into the boating schedule, and not the other way around, no?

[ChickenCityRoller]

I get the impression that City is fit into the boating schedule, and not the other way around, no?

Yup, I would imagine that's the case...

I think in the next round of negotiations of the contract, it would make sense for all parties to explore switching us with the Sarasota date:

2013 Super Boat Race Schedule – Click here to download
April 25-28 Biloxi, MS 9th Annual “Smokin’ The Sound” Super Boat Grand Prix
May 17-19 Cocoa Beach, FL 4th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix
May 31-Ju 2 Orange Beach, AL 10th Annual “Thunder on the Gulf” Grand Prix
July 5-7 Sarasota, FL 29th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival
Aug 2-4 Michigan City, IN 5th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix
Sept 6-8 New York, NY 23rd Annual New York Grand Prix – Tribute to 911
Sept 27-29 Clearwater, FL 5th Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship
Nov 3-10 Key West, FL 33rd Annual Key West World Championship

[j4katz]

I have spoken to many of the race officials and boat owners. They all state that this is their favorite event because of the community reception. They feel like they are treated like superstars here. When in NY or other venues very few people notice them and they feel ignored. I have been on the water for each of the 5 years of racing. This weekend's races were the most competitive and it was clearly obvious who was racing against whom and I liked fewer boats for that reason. Reasons reported for the smaller turnout include, damaged boats, injured racers, Ramadan and economy. Everyone promised more racers next year.

[ChickenCityRoller]

That's great news to hear they really do enjoy it hear.

[Milldew37]

That's great news to hear they really do enjoy it hear.

Roller (Jeff), let me clarify some of your erroneous comments since you asked me to by name.
This week's lower turnout was due to economics and internal politics among racers and orgs. It had nothing to do with the host organization or the city. As was mentioned in the thread, the racers LOVE this site and this city because, as was stated, they are treated like rockstars here.
The organization is excited to keep the deal with Michigan City going and is currently working on a new contract.
As for the boats that attended being "scrap" boats or whatever you said, JDByrider, Stihl and WHM are the top three in the points standings in their class; Gary Ballough (TopStarz) is first in points in his class and is one of the winningest drivers in offshore history with nearly 120 checkered flags; Snowy Mountain Brewery is first in its class and Red Hot Racing (smaller ByRider boat) is second; team Kilt is first in its class.
The sanctioning organization determines the date, not the host, and this year - 2013 - is the first time the course has been shortened.
Look at the "46 boats" listed on SBI's website then look at the results of all of this year's races. Tell me how many of the sites have had high boat counts using your rationale.
Just some actual information to counteract the erroneous "facts" you posted.

[ChickenCityRoller]

Roller (Jeff), let me clarify some of your erroneous comments since you asked me to by name.
This week's lower turnout was due to economics and internal politics among racers and orgs. It had nothing to do with the host organization or the city. As was mentioned in the thread, the racers LOVE this site and this city because, as was stated, they are treated like rockstars here.
The organization is excited to keep the deal with Michigan City going and is currently working on a new contract.
As for the boats that attended being "scrap" boats or whatever you said, JDByrider, Stihl and WHM are the top three in the points standings in their class; Gary Ballough (TopStarz) is first in points in his class and is one of the winningest drivers in offshore history with nearly 120 checkered flags; Snowy Mountain Brewery is first in its class and Red Hot Racing (smaller ByRider boat) is second; team Kilt is first in its class.
The sanctioning organization determines the date, not the host, and this year - 2013 - is the first time the course has been shortened.
Look at the "46 boats" listed on SBI's website then look at the results of all of this year's races. Tell me how many of the sites have had high boat counts using your rationale.
Just some actual information to counteract the erroneous "facts" you posted.

Hey Jason, thanks for responding, I know that you would know more about this than anyone so that's why I asked.
Again, I'm happy to hear that the sanctioning body enjoys coming to M.C. I'm not surprsied that they enjoy coming up here and experiencing some hoosier hospitality. This is specifically why I asked the question. If we're doing such a good job and they love coming here, why the low turn out. I'll take your word on economic and political factors playing a major roll in the lower numbers. My trepidation was that they didn't like racing on our waters after last years cancellation. Wasn't the race shortened in 2011? Maybe not the physical course but the format? (speaking of formats, what is the format of the race? I really haven't been able to find anything: http://www.michigancitysuperboat.com/ ) Didn't they just run one heat that year or lump all the boats together? I seem to recall they changed something in '11 or '10, just can't recall exatly what it is, maybe the sun got to me.
When you say my rationale, I'm not sure what you mean? I'm trying to cite information I'm finding on websites. That said, here is the the attendance of the various venues this year (or at least the ones I could find online)
Biloxi 12 boats
Cocoa Beach 19 boats
Orange Beach 13 boats
Sarasota 22 boats
Miami ?
M.C. 9 boats ?
Again it was my fear that the teams didn't like making the haul up here because of past bad experiences. Are the races cancelled at other locations often? I have no clue. I just really enjoy the event and the excitement that comes with it, I don't want it to go away, on the contrary, I'd love to see the whole race run with a good amount of boats.
SBI should consider bring the race here in July when the waters are flat. Where there any boats that came to M.C. this year and didn't run because of conditions?

Thanks for the response

-Jeff with a G

[ChickenCityRoller]

As for the boats that attended being "scrap" boats or whatever you said, JDByrider, Stihl and WHM are the top three in the points standings in their class; Gary Ballough (TopStarz) is first in points in his class and is one of the winningest drivers in offshore history with nearly 120 checkered flags; Snowy Mountain Brewery is first in its class and Red Hot Racing (smaller ByRider boat) is second; team Kilt is first in its class.

I don't think you got what I was asking. I didn't "say" anything, I asked a question and a valid one at that. Thank you for answering it. This is what I said:

My question is, how the heck does that work? Were the teams that showed up in M.C. simply scrub teams who were looking for points? You can't see on their website what the current points standing is. I'd be willing to be that the points leaders had a closed door meeting to agree not to come to M.C. and that way it wouldn't affect thier position in the points race. I dunno... maybe Jason Miller will chime (or chine) in...

Tell me if I'm wrong but is there anywhere, where an average Joe like myself can see the current points standings? It good to hear that point leaders showed up in M.C. I was asking that question because I didn't know. If there is a place on their site or another that shows the points standings, please point me in the right direction, I'm curious to see them.

Again, nobody is a bigger fan of watching this race than me. Every year I have a party on the beach and I've had between 20-75 people come down and watch while we cook out and have a good time. Granted last year I had to freeze a couple hundred bucks of hot dogs, burgers and buns and had a nearly lifetime supply of capri sun drinks but that's a different matter.

Nothing would make me happier than to have these guys run the complete race with a great turn out.

[Southsider2k12]

Estimated $7 million of economic impact

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte...0202334865.html

[ChickenCityRoller]

I like that number!

[Southsider2k12]

Video highlights from one of the racing teams that was here a couple of weeks ago.

http://stihloffshoreracing.com/races/stihl...-michigan-city/