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Take a survey of the guys as to why they aren’t running and go from there. I can tell you one thing, the more mods you allow the more people will find it less attractive. Look at stock outboard, 20 and C in particular as compared to 300SSH. Where is everyone going or trying to go? 300SSH. Ron Hill and I had a discussion about this a month ago. Worst thing that ever happened with yamato engines was allowing mods and 3 blade props and jacking the engine up. It really burns me that I’ve had to do all kinds of machining over the years to keep up with the rule book because the guys making the rules are making them for their benefit in order to try and stay out front. I may as well being running mod at this point. Most people don’t have the time, desire and money to throw at a rig these days. Make it fun, give everyone an equal shot at winning and more people will become involved. Keep It Simple! In 300, at GrassLake a person won the race with the club boat, had 9 different winners in 10 races that year. The simpler it is the better for explaining it to fans and potential new racers which are usually fans first.

It just seems that we had a good strong class then we started to get people whining about the proper way to do a compression test and half the guys thought they were the tech inspector. I'm not saying we have politics now but we did and it made the class not fun for a bunch of guys and they found something else to do with their time.

How many 850 boats do you have? Why don't you bring them out?

We still have Jim's 911 yamaha T850. Jim stopped racing in T850 when the boats got too fast and he thought there would be a serious accident.....He was right about the serious accident and we did express our concern thru e-mails to many T850 racers prior to the accident. We decided to support T750 and built the Toaster. Jim raced it for a couple of years which I think was a benefit to many of the new T750 racers. Same as this topic.....they had a racer in the class with a lot of racing experience and a lot of natural skill. They learned for Jim. Jim did not want to make our T750 any faster......the toaster was a very easy and safe competitive boat to race.....we decided to let other drivers run the boat in the class to help promote the class. We did that. As for me.....I retired from work 3 years ago at age 72....I told TORC that I was not going to commit long term and I was now more day to day as to whether I would be at the races. As for comments I make of these posts, I don't need to talk BS at my age. I have been active in T type racing since 1964 and have been involved in boat racing at every level. My comments are based on my experience. There is no need to take shots at me, but it is OK to tell me if I am wrong in my posts.

Sorry Don, that wasn't a shot at you lol..it was a real question. You're in the same situation as most of the other racers who don't race. You have boats but no drivers...I know you have a new grandchild so that makes it tough for Jim to find the time for racing...but what are the other barriers to getting him back in the seat?

No problem here...I'm just an old fart that is getting more sensitive with age. You and I and OPBRA all want to get the class back to where it was....and it was fun for everyone and a fan favorite. You are one of the racers that comes out to race when you can. Your a fun guy to be around and its good to have you there. People's age changes priorities as do their commitments. Many racers are out of racing in the late 20's and come back to the sport in their forties and fifties. Money, children etc. and available TIME are the reason. Jim is in the time out period now....he was upset when I came close to selling his 911 boat two years ago....so the interest is still there.
Many people like this type of thread because it helps clear up the HEAR SAY comments they hear that many times is BS.
I do like the OPBRA rules and I think they need some minor changes to define more accurately what a rule means. In any tech rule it is always better to use the word Stock ....simple ...no need to guess...no need to ask what if questions.
I would like a 3 part inspection......compression test.....cylinder depth measurement ....jet measurement....for the OMC 56
I think many of the previous T850 will not be back so we need to draw new racers into the class.
New racers will come in to OPBRA with the rules and inspections in place.
T750 is growing slowing.....we have some VERY strong competitors and speeds on the oval 60 ish.
I do think we can get a larger boat count by including VP75 type boats in the T750 class.
Those boats would race at the much heavier VP75 weight [900 lbs] but would be allowed to run short shaft motors with the stock large lower unit to improve their handling.

Here's my take on this whole situation.....We at OPBRA put out a set of rules very similar to the existing TCORD rules but reworded them to make them OPBRA rules. We want them simple with little change so they are familiar to existing racers and previous racers who might still show interest. I think the T750 class is set up exactly as it should be....we just need more boats out there. Now I understand there has been some political hurtles with CBF and am hoping that is why many racers were absent at OPBRA races. As for T850 I honestly believe we need to take that class down a level.....back to running ALL STOCK ENGINES such as the 70 Yamaha, 49ci and STOCK 56ci, and the Merc 60 and 70! Get rid of the Mods and SST60 engines. I think first for this upcoming season let everybody run whatever they have just to get the boats out there. We're just a show right now....there's no points or prize money...YET. I myself have 2 T850 boats out there with SST60 engines on them so the guys that will have to change their powerheads next year, you're not alone! I also show up with 2 spare nitro cases and 2 spare STOCK 56 powerheads so if there are racers who are stuck for power or parts just call me! I want to see big numbers at all 3 OPBRA races. Nobody will be turned away due to illegal equipment....at the race we will come together as a class and work it out or make changes or whatever. The oval classes have always been exciting to watch and the crowd is not going to see a difference if we're not running MODS and SST60s. Guys just use the rules as guidelines for now till we build up the classes again, then we'll get serious. Remember OPBRA has a FAIR COMPETITION rule so nobody is walking away with all the wins at every race. This is a fun sport when everybody participates so lets get it going again!

First I love the idea of going back closer to stock (for selfish reasons lol) but I also love the "run what ya brung" part of the class that made us all creative to make power and push each other.

I think it's quite evident from the turn out at Peterborough that the "less rules" attitude appeals to the 850 guys. Many of use understand that this is not about winning so much...there's no prizes lol. It's a hard situation to get racers to show up with the boats that are out there and still have a level playing field.

I'm also of the opinion that we put too much emphasis on the rules and then don't do anything but check compression for tech anyway lol. I'm totally cool with the amount of tech...and I personally like the idea of a jetting rule for the 56 but only for selfish reasons lol.

Agreed. I like the idea of a stock class to bring back the Yamaha 70, OMC 49, Merc 60's, etc..
Then we'd maybe also need a class for the 70+mph 56'ers..

So we end up with 3 classes total, but maybe run 2 of them together to fit them in the day's schedule and provide more boats out on the water at the same time for entertaining the spectators.
...until racer attendance increases, then split them up..?

When we first started T Class we had a T PARTY in the spring prior to race season where we invited current T racers and interested future T racers to get together, test the boats and have a BBQ. We had the party at Six Mile Lake, but, we could hold the event at Gull Lake Gravenhurst with its launch ramp and picnic area. The party was always a good success and it gives T boat owners the opportunity to play with their boat and chat with the T boat racers. Plus non racers could drive a real T boat race boat. This year we could also include a drag test course. And have a T850 boat set up with a 2019 suggested stock OMC 56 motor so it can be tested.
The other thing we did was increase the entry for the race $10.00 per entry or got sponsor support. The money went into a lucky draw at the end of the weekend. When we had large boat counts we did the draw for both Saturday and Sunday.

Trish and I would be in for a T party....I'll bring a boat with a sst60 and a boat with a STOCK 56 and a T750. Gull Lake would be perfect.....or here on Belmont lake...Brent Berry is a T850 racer and owns the marina on the lake....we could run out of there also.