Patrick Mell Interview Part 2 From The Liquid Speed Show

Flyin Brian Smith hosted another great Liquid Speed Show Tuesday night on LiQuID SPEED Radio with a great interview with Patrick Mell the Chairman of APBA.The Liquid Speed Show is a weekly internet radio show hosted by Brian Smith, the race promoter for Region 5. The interview lasted over 2 hours and Brian was very respectful but no pertinent subject was considered taboo. This blog post will cover the second half of the interview. After a short break in the interview Brian then asked Patrick Mell what benefits does the APBA provided for its members. Patrick explained that the members receive PWI Magazine, a rulebook, decals, participant accident and liability coverage, and most importantly the ability to race. Brian then followed up asking if we could get more involved with the actual APBA to better recognize what we (PWC racers) do, such as including the rider of the month on their web site. Patrick felt as though very few PWC racers actually went to the APBA web site and the our site was better suited for the PWC racers.

The subject of just how many card carrying members does the APBAR actually have was then brought up. Patrick said that there were approximately 250 single event members with a total of 568 member in 2008. Brian then calculated that based on the number of members that the yearly dues totaled about $39,760. Brian then asked how was this money distributed such as in marketing. Patrick explained that the money typically went to member benefits, operating overhead, costs associated with the web site, trophies and his own salary. They then discussed the feasibility of doing co-branded PWC events with the APBA. Mr. Mel stated that there is some co-branding taking place and that there are some opportunities but that the larger hydroplane events were not interested in co-branding and that these events wished to focus strictly on boat racing. Brian also brought up the possibility of having freestyle competition as part of the X-Games. Patrick said that he has contact them and that jet ski racing did not meet their format but he did see an opportunity for freestyle competition.

Brian then inquired as to how many promoters were lined up and in what regions. Patrick said that there were either 14 or 15, several of which were new and some that were still not able to commit to do an event. He also said that the existing region 3 promoter was probably not going to be able to do any events but that he had been in contact with others that are trying to put a program together. He said that the other regions looked good and that there were also going to be some additional racing including drag and endurance races. Perhaps the most important question asked was how the APBA planned to attract new racers and was there any incentive given to promoters to attract them. Patrick said that this topic was discussed at the annual meeting and that putting posters and fliers in dealerships and creating a mentor program was suggested. He felt that wherever the races were held was where the new racers would come from and that the addition of the vintage class in his own region had been successful in bringing in additional racers. Brian then asked what was being done to retain existing racers. Mr. Mel said that people are racing because it is fun and if they are having a good time at the events that they will return.

Brian then went into his “hot seat” questions the first of which addressed tech rules enforcement especially at the nationals, had the amount of complaints dropped and how to deal with those caught cheating. Patrick said that the existing policy of placing fines as defined in the rulebook would continue to be used and that there are no changes to the existing policy. He also felt that there was not a problem with complaints about tech and he thought this past year was one of the best. Brian then wanted to know what the sanctioning fees that promoters pay each month actually go towards. Patrick said that those fees, like the membership fees went towards the APBA budget and that the total amount generated by the two were not a lot of money and that he felt as though they were able to accomplish a lot with this very small budget. Brian also asked if he thought if it was not a good idea of having one national event, such as Nashville, featured on network TV to give the sport additional exposure. Mr. Mel said that we were unable to afford to get coverage on ESPN or Speedvision with programing fees being around $25,000, that the event must be shot in high definition, and would basically be a $50,000 production to meet the requirement to get on ESPN. Brian then inquired to why is the payment for additional medical coverage necessary at each event when it should have been covered in the event package. Patrick said that the insurance package that every event has include participant accident coverage and spectator liability and about half the premium that a promoter pays is for each person event. He added to have full coverage for each person at the event would cost the promoter between $5,000 – $10,000 in premiums and that promoters could not afford to put on the races.

The Liquid Speed Show can be heard live on Tuesday nights at 7pm central on LiQuID SPEED Radio.

Tags: APBA, Jet Ski Racing, Jetski Racing, Liquid Speed Show, Patrick Mell, Podcast, PWC Racing