Nitro Racing In Florida/ Nitro Series

[JeremyEdge]

Hello All,At our last D3 meeting i submitted a request for discussion to have nitro and gas run separate high points on separate weekends from one another. not to say one is better than the other but because we are just holding each other back from growth for nitro and gas(my opinion).My submission was turned down and now the winter nats is coming up and it is apparent by the current entries there that nitro is not favored by the racers or the host.

If we would like nitro to stay alive and strong we need to come up with something that is new and have proper support from both the clubs that would like to hold nitro events and the racers that run nitro class's. We can not develop something and in 6 months have racers not show up to races and let it die.

I for one love running nitro and really enjoy this hobby and I know all of you that run nitro do it not because you have too but because you share the same love for it as I do.

I am happy to speak speak with others my ideas and welcome all opinions on your ideas as well on setting something up for a nitro series in Florida and help keep nitro alive.

My Idea

Having a 2 day race series would be optimal, with having 75-130 nitro boats we would have plenty of time in two days to have very good/fun racing with a relaxed setting with plenty of time to complete, meaning, taking 15-30 min breaks between rounds for refueling/changing plugs and actually get to visit with your fellow racer and maybe enjoy your lunch with out having to scarff your food down to run to the pits to make your heat.

We can use some of the general rules that are currently in [place for points racing, but we should work together and develop new ideas and was to keep nitro growing.

I know there is lots of people with nitro stuff on the self collecting dust that if something like this is put together they would come out and support this new idea.

I am not suggesting this for the hole USA but mainly just for our state of Florida.

Please tell me your suggestions and please be constructive and not destructive.

Sincerely,

Jeremy

 

[Robert Pickard]

It might be possible also not sure but run one on saturday and the other sunday, i see a problem with the weekends back to back hard on the clubs

 

[JeremyEdge]

With proper planning Robert it could be done.

Jeremy

 

[Ken Webb]

What nitro classes are you considering? Also have you talked to the other D3 clubs?

 

[JeremyEdge]

Yes I am speaking with other clubs.

The class's would be your common nitro class's

A b c x mono and hydro, tunnels, scale and sport too.

 

[Joe Warren]

Sanaction a race at the Brandon Pond the same time as the Florida GAS Winternats Nats in january. We come to Florida every january. if we can race boats? We bring the Race Trailer...If not... we just Run thru all the theme parks eat & drink. Sanaction a Race at the BRANDON POND in Mid january 2015.Lets begin to Fill the Air with NITRO........ Now i`am not against Gas..... But I do not own any Gas Boats...... I`ll Sponsor your Twin Nitro HYDRO Class.

 

[Joe Warren]

Lets RACE SOME NITRO BOATS in FLORIDA JAN 2015....

 

[Elias Vazquez]

There should be enough nitro boats within our district to offer these types of races and be well supported. I for one would be for it, enjoyed the pace of our most recent nitro shootout tremendously!

Would like to hear the opinions of more of our fellow racers though!

 

[Andy Brown]

A nitro race on the weekend before or after the Winternats would be a good idea. Everyone would have a choice to attend one or both.

 

[Robert Pickard]

I never go to the winternats cost to much for me but always looking to race that month, also i think if we have just nitro races alone might draw people from Geo. and the Carolinas more

 

[VenomCC]

The biggest problem I saw when I was in charge of putting the Winternats race together was the nitro guys would not enter the race when it first opened for entries. For 3 years I put up a post on IW and Jim's Boat Dock at the same time letting everone know when entries would be taken and that the racers would determine the number of boats in each class until I got to the heat limit. It never failed that the nitro classes were the slowest to be filled. I would get lots of phone calls from nitro racers about opening up more nitro classes and tried my best to accommodate if possible. If you guys would get your entries in early there would be a higher nitro turnout. Im not posting this to get slammed but just stating the facts from my experience of setting up the Winternats in the past.

The ratio averaged the 3 years I was in charge. 33% nitro to 67% gas

 

[Matt Minassian]

The other problem I see is with people like myself who race both gas and nitro. I have a hard enough time deciding which races I go to as I can't attend every one of them due to time off from work so I have to pick and choose. If we broke races up into gas and nitro I would have to be even pickier and possibly drop racing one fuel type over the other.

I think Wayne brings up a very valid point, in District 3 it's very clear that Gas is way more dominant than nitro is. Going with that idea, I don't think the idea should be to split the district apart based upon fuel styles, but head in the direction that you are already heading in Jeremy and that is, get a few clubs to hold additional specialty races that will draw in crowds from surrounding states.

I know you had your nitro race all the way down there in Fort Lauderdale and you still drove people in from out of state, and if I remember correctly you said all in all it was a great success. On top of that, Carlo from CC has started the RC gas championship which gives racers a chance to go to several states and compete on an all gas level. I think this might be something someone might want to look into for Nitro as well.

Being a tunnel head, it's very saddening that when it comes to nitro tunnels I am pretty much stuck racing the Brandon, Riverview and the Tampa races for the district because outside of those three races, no one for nitro tunnel shows up for the rest of the district 3 races and the heats almost never make. I think a decent chunk of the problem with that is, a lot of people don't want to race in Ft Lauderdale during the summer months especially some of the guys who have been doing this for so long, and are really only looking to go out and have fun rather than chase district 3 points. It might be worth while bringing up to the district to reschedule the locations based on the time of the year to possibly attract more attendees.

Lastly because I can talk forever and don't want to bore everyone, nitro is a very tough sell to beginners because of it's learning curve. Younger people just want to fuel and go, and while gas boats are not easy, they definitely are a lot easier than nitro boats. It takes a very special person to want to learn how to make a nitro boat run right and adjust for conditions that can vary by location let alone the fact you can be changing settings by the hour. For me nitro was an easy sell, I got hooked on tunnels and with gas I had one choice, with nitro, I have four choices. In the future I would actually like to see the 60 tunnel class come back because I think that would be awesome to watch.

 

[Andy Brown]

The biggest problem I saw when I was in charge of putting the Winternats race together was the nitro guys would not enter the race when it first opened for entries. For 3 years I put up a post on IW and Jim's Boat Dock at the same time letting everone know when entries would be taken and that the racers would determine the number of boats in each class until I got to the heat limit. It never failed that the nitro classes were the slowest to be filled. I would get lots of phone calls from nitro racers about opening up more nitro classes and tried my best to accommodate if possible. If you guys would get your entries in early there would be a higher nitro turnout. Im not posting this to get slammed but just stating the facts from my experience of setting up the Winternats in the past.

The ratio averaged the 3 years I was in charge. 33% nitro to 67% gas

Yes, I know that you are right on about that Wayne. 12-15 years ago Gas was growing and Nitro WAS shrinking...and not because the gas boaters were pushing them out. It was simply a reduced lack of interest for nitro. I can remember only one heat of 67 riggers at the 2002 or 2003 Winternats. 25 years ago the race was packed out with 330 nitro boats and not everyone that wanted to enter got in. These days I know many old time nitro guys that only race gas now.

However, there are a number of racers that still want to race nitro and there is simply not enough room for all of us at one race when it comes to the big races like the Winternats.

Simple solution is for the Florida district to support some nitro only events.

We do not need lots of dialog or hard feelings. Just simply sanction some district supported nitro only races.

 

[Elias Vazquez]

A nitro race on the weekend before or after the Winternats would be a good idea. Everyone would have a choice to attend one or both.

+1

 

[dwilfong]

You know I here all this BS but when it comes time to register for a race where are the people typing on the key board.
We have a race in October in Orlando and not one nitro boat but mine.

O thats right there is no room for them with all the gas boats.

 

[Andy Brown]

You know I here all this BS but when it comes time to register for a race where are the people typing on the key board.

We have a race in October in Orlando and not one nitro boat but mine.

O thats right there is no room for them with all the gas boats.

As you mentioned yourself David. 23 classes is part of the problem. The other part is that many Fla Nitro boaters are going to the Fall Nats two weeks before the Orlando race. Tough to do both.

I will add...Why are the Fla Nitro racers going to the Fall Nats? Because they are looking to race some different racers.

 

[VenomCC]

Why are the Fla Nitro racers going to the Fall Nats? Because they are looking to race some different racers.

Good point Andy and very true.

 

[Robert Pickard]

I am looking to go out of state this next year same reason

 

[JeremyEdge]

With great joy I would like to annouce that we are banding together and are following thru with an all nitro series in Florida.

Our first race will be in January so please start your planning and stay tuned.

 

[Andy Brown]

With great joy I would like to annouce that we are banding together and are following thru with an all nitro series in Florida.

Our first race will be in January so please start your planning and stay tuned.

Date? Some of us have entered the Orlando race.