VOLUME 70, ISSUE 6 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
APBA.ORG • USA: $5.00
AMERICA’S GOT TALINN U.S. A-Team Learns Estonian Customs
QUAKE ON THE LAKE
2016 Inboard Summer Nationals
solar splash
Here Comes the Sun!
Rockey Stone Memorial Kilos & John Myers Memorial 1/4 Mile Devil's Lake Lincoln City, Oregon
OCTOBER 1-2, 2016 PLEASE PREREGISTER by Sept. 27 - idzyne@comcast.net ON-SITE REGISTRATION Sept. 30th from 4-6:00PM DRIVERS MEETING 7 a.m. SHARP Oct. 1st and 2nd CLASSES All UIM, Inboard, PRO, Stock and Modified
Outboard, J-Classes, Inboard Endurance, and Special Events ENTRY FEE: $175 ($150 with preregistration) REGION 10 RECORD RUN $60 ($50 with preregistration) This event may be cancelled due to circumstances beyond the control of the race committee. Watch www.columbiaoutboard.org or the race circular for up-to-date information and on-line registration. Crane available on site - $50 fee If you have plans to travel far, or if you have any questions, please contact Allen Thorsen at 503-939-5072 or Laureen Thorsen at 503-250-0756
Rockey Stone, 1954. Photo by Carver & Swanson
IN THIS ISSUE 17640 East Nine Mile Road, PO Box 377 // Eastpointe MI 48021-0377 PHONE: 586.773.9700 // WEB: apba.org // EMAIL: apbahq@apba.org twitter.com/APBARacing // facebook.com/APBARacing EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACCOUNTING MEMBERSHIP SANCTIONS/ HIGH POINTS PROPELLER EDITOR
Patrick Mell Linda Likert Sabrina Haudek Cindy Minoletti Tana Moore
pmell@apba.org llikert@apba.org shaudek@apba.org cminoletti@apba.org tmoore@apba.org
2016 APBA OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT NATIONAL COMMISSIONER TREASURER SECRETARY LEGAL COUNCIL
Mark Wheeler Fred Hauenstein Charles Strang Steve Compton Mary Williams Steven Hearn J. David Augustine Sr. Kyle Bahl Dan Kanfoush Jean MacKay-Schwartz Howie Nichols Jan Shaw Bill Thompson James Chambers Buddy Tennell
president@apba.org VP@apba.org NC@apba.org treasurer@apba.org secretary@apba.org legal@apba.org patndave2@verizon.net racerkyle@hotmail.com dankanfoush@yahoo.com jean84c@earthlink.net apba113@aol.com info@woodshedemb.comcastbiz.net boatinspector@comcast.net OPC@apba.org Region14@apba.org
COUNCIL-AT-LARGE: Penny Anderson, Bruce Broussard, Jeffrey Conant, Gloria Crim, Richard Fuchslin, Patrick Gleason, Alex Jennings III, Jack Meyer, Steve Noury, Bob Wartinger, Rachel Warnock, Matt Yarno
2016 RACING CATEGORY/COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN Inboard Inboard Endurance Junior Classes Modified Offshore OPC Outboard Drag PRO Special Event Stock Thundercat Unlimited Vintage and Historic
Mark Weber Ted Kolby Patrick Gleason Tom Sutherland Mark Wheeler James Chambers Jr. Chris Fairchild Kristi Ellison Scott Schatz Jeff Brewster Jeff Howie Steve David John Krebs
inboardracing@apba.org Inboardendurance@apba.org junior@apba.org modifiedoutboard@apba.org offshore@apba.org opc@apba.org outboarddrag@apba.org prooutboard@apba.org specialevent@apba.org stockoutboard@apba.org masterauto1150@yahoo.com unlimited@apba.org vintage @apba.org
2016 REGION CHAIRMEN Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Region 7 Region 8 Region 9 Region 10 Region 11 Region 12 Region 14 Region 15 Region 16
Dave Jones John Krebs Ann Shaw Richard Shaw Jeff Titus Tom Johnston Kris Shepard Don Lick Billy Wichers Rick Sandstrom Julian Rucki Roger Carr Buddy Tennell Carleton Callahan Dutch Squires
region1@apba.org region2@apba.org region3@apba.org region4@apba.org region5@apba.org region6@apba.org region7@apba.org region8@apba.org region9@apba.org region10@apba.org region11@apba.org region12@apba.org region14@apba.org region15@apba.org region16@apba.org
PROPELLER© welcomes unsolicited articles and photos. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publication and do not represent official APBA policy. Advertising herein cannot be construed as an endorsement by APBA or its members. PROPELLER (ISSN 0194-6218) (USPS 0047-800) is published six times yearly for $25.00 (U.S. and Canada); $55.00 (foreign) by APBA, 17640 E. Nine Mile Road, PO Box 377, Eastpointe, MI 48021-0377 Periodical postage paid at Eastpointe, MI, and additional mailing office. Postmaster: send addresses to APBA, PO BOX 377, Eastpointe, MI, 48021-0377.
From the Top Breaking Down Barriers to Entry 2 Nominations Due APBA Honor Squadron, Don Allen Award 8 A Talk with Jimmy Shane 5 Solar Splash 2016 6 Suited for Safety 8 Race Calendar 9 Smoke on the Water Kingston, Tennessee PRO Nationals 10 America’s Got Talinn U.S. A-Team in Estonia 12 World Championships UIM/OPC/APBA SST 45, SST 200 14 Quake on the Lake 2016 Inboard Summer Nationals 16 Madison Fireworks H1 Unlimited Season Opener 18 OPA Offshore Great Start to APBA Offshore Season 20 The Ride of a Lifetime A Lifelong Dream Comes True 22 Category Corner Junior Classes 24 Modified Outboard 25 Inboard 26 Stock Outboard 27 Region Roundup 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 28 Race in Peace IBC CORRECTION In the June/July issue of Propeller, on page 10, we listed the wrong top 3 in the 250cc Mod Hydro Winternationals. Tim Sidor was actually the winner, and here are the correct top three in the class:
250CCMH TIM SIDOR MICHAEL THIERFELDER JOEL KIDDY
We apologize for the error, and congratulate Tim on a great start to the season. ON THE COVER: Scott Liddycoat drives the NM-30 Budget Buster Racing to an Inboard Summer National Championship at the 2016 Quake on the Lake! F. Peirce Williams photo
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FROM THE TOP BY // MARK WHEELER, APBA PRESIDENT
Breaking Down Barriers to Entry
APBA President Mark Wheeler. Photo by Robert Koschka
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Perhaps the biggest problem that APBA faces is that our classes are difficult for “outsiders” to begin racing. This problem manifests itself in several ways. Competitive equipment is often difficult to find, time to work on equipment is in short supply, and speed secrets are tightly held by established racers.
The sealed engines and standardized propellers make the class attractive to newcomers (and also to established drivers who don’t have the time to commit to more traditional classes). Drivers do not need to hunt for equipment to learn speed secrets in order to be competitive on the race course.
Based on the races that I’ve attended this year, APBA’s Stock Outboard category has found a great way to reduce barriers to entry: the 300SS class.
How successful has this approach been? I can only answer based on what I’ve seen in Region 6 this year. The Franklin, PA race on Memorial Day weekend featured 19 entries in the 300SS class. On Father’s Day weekend in Constantine, MI, the 300SS class had 22 entries. At Grass Lake, MI in early July, the class again drew over 20 entries. The racing was extremely exciting and competitive at all three events. In fact, the 300SS provided some of the best racing at each event.
The class requires a sealed Yamato engine, and the engine must be returned to an authorized repair center to be rebuilt. One propeller is sold with each engine. These propellers are collected by the race committees at each event and redistributed among the drivers at each event. Each driver arrives with one propeller and leaves with one propeller. The probability of a given driver leaving with the same propeller that he or she came with is 1/ (number of entries). If there are 10 entries in the class, each driver has a 10% chance of leaving with the propeller they came with and a 90% chance of leaving with a different propeller.
The 300SS class works extremely well when combined with a club driving school. Driving school graduates have a class they can readily join by purchasing the sealed engine. Again, it does not ree a great deal of time searching for good equipment to be competitive on the race course. The success of the Stock Outboard 300SS class suggests a model that other categories may wish to explore.
nominations due
You are invited to submit names for the APBA Honor Squadron and Don Allen Award APBA HONOR SQUADRON
The Honor Squadron of the American Power Boat Association, the highest of APBA’s award programs, recognizes outstanding individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the sport of power boat racing. The APBA is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Honor Squadron. The program was established in 1953 as a feature of the Association’s fiftieth anniversary celebration. A special committee set up guidelines for selecting inductees, and, along with several prominent boating journalists, chose ten charter members from among participants from APBA’s first 39 years. Currently, over 100 outstanding men and women compose the Squadron. Participants from all areas of the sport are considered for membership. Drivers, owners, designers, builders, and engineers, as well as organizers and officials, may be selected. Inductees receive certificates presented at the Association’s Annual Meeting. NOMINATION, SELECTION AND PROCEDURE CRITERIA • Nominations may be submitted anytime between February 1st and October 1st. • Ballots and copies of the nominations are mailed to the Honor Squadron Committee by October 15th. • Ballots are due October 31st. • To be a candidate for induction, the nominee must receive a vote of at least 50% of the Honor Squadron Committee members.
• A maximum of 2 nominees will be selected by the Committee for induction into the Honor Squadron, for presentation at the next APBA Annual Meeting Banquet. In case of a tie, the chairperson will resolve it with her/his vote. CRITERIA FOR NOMINATION AND SELECTION OF CANDIDATES: Extensive service and contributions to APBA and powerboat racing such as: (a) major boat race promotion accomplishments (new race sites; race sponsors) (b) major structural improvements in APBA’s organization; (c) major contributions to APBA’s functioning through rule restructuring, driver and official recruitment, committee activities. (d) major technological improvement to one, or several, aspects of the sport. (e) Exceptional long-term racing accomplishments may be considered.
All nominations must be received no later than October 1st, 2016. DON ALLEN SR. MEMORIAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Each year the Don Allen Sr. Memorial Leadership Award shall be presented during the APBA Annual Meeting. This award honors service contributions to the American Power Boat Association in the areas of leadership, officiating, safety, or other activities contributing to the benefit of the APBA not directly related to racing of a specific boat. The contribution may be judged on the efforts of a single year, or for work done over a period of years, at the judgment of the selection committee. The selection committee is chaired by the sitting APBA President, and shall comprise the six surviving selectees. It is not required that there be a selectee each year, but it is encouraged that there be a selection process each year. Any member interested in making a nomination for this award may do so by submitting the nomination with written details to APBA Headquarters. All nominations must be received no later than September 30th, 2016.
The description of each contribution, exceptional service, or accomplishment must be specific. Any member interested in nominating someone for this award may submit the nomination with written details to Honor Squadron Chairperson Ann Fitzgerald, 208 S Railroad Ave., Rio Grande, NJ 08242 or email: annfitzgerald@comcast.net.
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IN BRIEF... BOX 21 DOES A GOOD TURN At this year’s Quake on the Lake in Waterford, Michigan, Race Director Kyle Wilson had radio contact with the local sheriff patrolling the spectator fleet beyond our outer buoy lines. The sheriff radioed that he wanted us to stop racing, as he had two seriously injured persons in the water and needed to enter our outer course markers to gain immediate access to these persons. It is my understanding that the injured persons were riding a personal watercraft at a high rate of speed while circling an island, and they were swept off the watercraft by a low-hanging tree branch. Kyle advised me of the situation and told me to stop the heat, as saving a life is more important than a boat race. We red-flagged the heat using the radio corral and I shot a flare to get drivers’ attention quickly. From here I only have second-hand reports. I was told via land communication with the Box 21 team that the sheriff requested their help. With all boats stopped, the Box 21 team entered the area and transported one seriously injured female to our rescue dock, who was then transported to hospital. It was reported to me that this person went into cardiac arrest on route to the hospital and the medics were able to revive her. Last information I was given was that she was alive and in hospital as of noon Sunday. While tending to race and inspection duties, I did not get a chance to thank the the Box 21 team for a job well done. I’m thankful that this was the only action they had, as we had 0 (zero) water or land incidents this weekend! Less paperwork for me. —Chas Dodge, Chief Referee, Quake on the Lake 2016
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Right: LOOK FOR THE HELPERS: At the Hinton, WVA Stock/Mod/J Nationals, Lisa Jennings was working under difficult conditions. But her cheerful response was: “Thank you to all the racers and their families who helped me do my job in inspection all week (even when Jeff Williams took my table to CC motors). Love you, Jeff and Mary Williams.” LuAnn Willey Whitaker photo Right: TRUST BUT VERIFY: SST 45 World Champion Mark Schmerbauch tests his gold medal at the Roar on the River in Trenton, Michigan. Paul Kemiel photo Below right: H1 Unlimited driver J Michael Kelly with young teammate at Madison. Paul Kemiel photo Below left: PRETTY PUMPED: Callie Shensky was clearly happy about winning the ASR closed course race at Trenton. Paul Kemiel photo
A TALK WITH JIMMY SHANE A Driver of Unlimited Possibilities PROPELLER had a chance to talk to this exceptionally talented and wellspoken young racer as he heads into another successful H1 Unlimited season. One win at Madison is already in the books; if Jimmy continues to top the points chart in 2016, it will be his third winning year in a row. Jimmy Shane started racing young, in J Runabout and J Hydro, then moved to the small Inboard classes as soon as he turned 14. Growing up in a racing family (parents Stuart and Robin, sister Kelly) he said, was a “unique experience. We built our own raceboats and engines.” He became uniquely skilled at driving, diagnosing and communicating handling and setup problems. Despite the competitive atmosphere of racing, Jimmy said his parents “held back their expectations; they let me experience success and failure on my own.” Of course, they are very proud of him these days, as he successfully drives the world’s top tier of raceboat—Unlimited Hydroplanes. MADISON: The Madison course is challenging: rough water, wind, mile-long straightaways, and tight turns. The race crew did a good job sweeping large hunks of debris from the water, but any Ohio River racecourse will always have a few branches, etc. floating by. Jimmy tested all day Friday before the race, and the crew prepared for conditions by using a bigger gearbox and a smaller prop. Because of rough water and 15-18 MPH headwinds , Jimmy could not safely run the U-1 at top speed. “I felt the boat start to lift,” he said. “I decided that 175 to 180 MPH was as fast as I wanted to go.” The tight turns, he said, were not a problem. “The boats are amazing in the way they handle.” THE TEAM: Jimmy started driving for the Miss Madison, now the HomeStreet Bank team, three years ago. The U-1 team includes established crewmembers who have been with the team for over 20 years. He said, “We have the best-prepared boat in the Series.” Because Jimmy speaks their language, racing is truly a team effort. It was hard when Oberto ended 40 years of sponsorship, but soon the team had a new partnership with HomeStreet Bank. The bank actually sought out Jimmy and the U-1 team and offered a title sponsorship deal. It has been a very supportive and mutually rewarding partnership. Jimmy said, “They spur our competitive edge.”
H1 Unlimited driver JImmy Shane and (below) the U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank. Photos by Paul Kemiel Jimmy, his wife Bianca, and sons Colton, 3, and Hudson, 5 months, moved to Seattle, where Bianca’s family lives. She, too, grew up racing, and Jimmy can’t imagine being married to anyone else. “It’s hard for people outside the sport to understand why we do what we do, going to races and working on boats all the time.” Does Bianca worry about his safety on the racecourse? Jimmy laughed. “No; she worries if I don’t race well.”
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SOLAR SPLASH 2016 BY // DAVID LUNEAU, HQ@SOLARSPLASH.COM • PHOTOS BY LINDA HOGAN
Thirteen collegiate engineering teams competed in the 23rd annual SOLAR SPLASH® competition in Dayton, Ohio, June 15-19. Sponsored by IEEE-PELS for the tenth consecutive year, SOLAR SPLASH provides a showcase for the students’ innovative boat designs and gives awards for endurance, sprint, maneuverability, and slalom on-thewater events, plus awards for technical reports, visual display, workmanship, and engineering design. This year SOLAR SPLASH became a sanctioned American Power Boat Association event. Each student team spends a year designing, constructing, and testing their solar boats. The boats, driven by a single skipper, vary greatly in appearance but must conform to size, power, and safety specifications. The boats compete in maneuverability and endurance events with solar panels onboard. Skippers must comply with weight limits, and be able to safely steer the boats around set courses. The same boats then compete in sprints, but may have a different configuration which often does not include onboard solar panels. Batteries, however, must be charged by solar panels, many of which the students construct themselves. Rules for the event, as well as results and photos from the past 23 years, can be found at www.solarsplash.com.
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Cedarville University (OH) placed first in the overall results and received the George Ettenheim Memorial World Championship Trophy. Middle Tennessee State University and the University of South Carolina followed in 2nd and 3rd places. Cedarville finished first in the slalom, endurance, and sprint events; and finished second in qualifying, contributing to their overall winning point total. First-year entrant University of New Mexico was the top-scoring rookie team, edging out the University of Colorado Denver and three other rookie teams for that honor. Weather for the event was excellent with ample sunshine. At the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon, teams received competition awards for their boats’ performance as well as design awards as judged by teams of engineering judges. A new award for innovation was introduced this year, with the University of Colorado Denver taking the honors for a system that uses lake water to cool their solar panels, increasing the efficiency and performance of the panels. Cooperation and teamwork are important elements, so a sportsmanship award, a teamwork award, and a perseverance award are given. This year the above awards were won by the University of New Mexico, the University of Dayton, and the University of Buffalo, respectively.
Clockwise from left: Solar Splash buoy; fast start; boats rounding a turn; working on a panel ; and a triumphant Cedarville team. Linda Hogan photos The students, typically three to a dozen or more on each team, spend the five days in the tented paddock area or near the water while their boats perform. Launching and removing the boats from the water are team efforts. Pre-launch inspections include safety checks and verification of certified batteries and radios. While out of the water, teams must be ready for inspectors and volunteer judges who question them regarding engineering decisions and designs. A morning meeting is held each day so event officials, called Redshirts, can update the students on the day’s schedule and answer questions. Lunch is provided on site, and the afternoon ice cream break is a favorite with the students and faculty advisors. An opening day welcome dinner is held each year. The first SOLAR SPLASH competition was held in Milwaukee in 1994. Eleven competitors participated that first year. Since the initial competition, over 90 American universities, 10 international universities, and five high school teams have participated. Other locations have included New Orleans, Louisiana; Buffalo, New York; Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa. Dayton, Ohio, will be the site of the competition again in 2017. Dayton, which has a long history of engineering and technical
innovation, offers a central Midwest location for the event. SOLAR SPLASH is a trademark of Solar Splash Inc., a non-profit organization formed to promote engineering education and interest in solar innovation. Solar Splash Inc. seeks to involve college and high school students in hands-on educational activity by hosting the SOLAR SPLASH competition each year in late spring or early summer. By partnering with engineering societies, corporate sponsors, and local volunteers, Solar Splash Inc. facilitates the event by managing competition rules, arranging for the competition site, and providing meals and extracurricular events for the students participating. SOLAR SPLASH “Redshirts” are the officials who manage the five-day event each year. Dr. Jeff Morehouse, University of South Carolina; David Luneau, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and Dr. Roy Hogan of Sandia National Laboratories are the engineering officials of the event. For more, visit www.solarsplash.com
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SUITED FOR SAFETY BY // DON (ELI) WHITNEY, APBA SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN POINTS, POINTS, POINTS. As the final races of the 2016 racing season approach, drivers and owners get on edge if they are in a points race. Don’t sacrifice safety in your eagerness to garner more points; you need to keep it safe and sane on the water. Same for your race hull. Normal wear and tear alone means you need to make that repair—don’t skip it! At the risk of being repetitive, same goes for your safety equipment! Is everything still tight and tidy? Does that zipper need a repair? Does that strap hold tight? Just because things were fine when an inspector examined stuff in April does not mean things are OK now; you owe it to you and yours to make sure of your personal equipment. If you are a boat owner, you owe that same care to your driver, so check your stuff out and make sure it is always up to par! Next year? Why not start planning now for upgrades to your safety equipment? Might be a good time to order a new life jacket, cutsuit or helmet. Maybe you’ve outgrown some stuff. Plan on selling usable condition equipment to another racer; that can give you some funds towards new replacements! I know there are not too many swap meets for boat racers, but when a club schedules one, look into participating; use a want ad or your club newsletter! Don’t be shy about attending automotive swap meets, either—you can often find good deals on new stuff you can use. These events are common, starting in October and November—keep your eyes and ears open. Time to patch, repair, or retire some equipment? At right, Petros Giannakouris/AP photo
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October is the season for region meetings and determination of racing representatives for the various racing commissions. Go and vote; be part of the process, don’t just be pushed around by the process. Vote for reps who will look out for your well-being, especially including safety-related decisions. Those are the gals and guys who will make decisions at the next APBA Annual Meeting in January, and you want good decisions made. The region meetings often include dunk tests, so plan ahead if you need one! I urge every driver, even if you don’t drive restrained in a cockpit, to take the training; you’ll be exposed to some SCUBA principles, and learn that being inverted in the water instead of on top of the water, while different, ain’t so bad. You’ll also meet some of the safety teams, and find that they are good gals and guys also interested in boat racing, and make some new friends. How could all that be bad? I know of one dunk test for sure—it will be at the APBA Region 6 Fall Meeting in Perrysburg, Ohio, October 15 and 16, 2016 (Holiday Inn French Quarter, 7:30 AM poolside), Box 21 conducting, reasonable donation is all that is requested. Others? Rescue teams, put it on the APBA website; I can help with that! December brings the annual PRI show, but plan on it now so you don’t miss it. It is held in Indianapolis, Indiana, Thursday through Saturday, December 8-10, 2016. If you can do so, just go and wander the aisles. This is the best single location to check out applicable safety equipment manufacturers and their wares. There is also a safety seminar put on by Stand 21 Racewear, which works closely with all of motorsports, including boat racing. There is always stuff to learn!
RACE CALENDAR REGION 1 9/10-11 36th Taunton, MA Cup & 1st Annual Bill Giles Memorial Regatta PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/24-25 10th Annual Kingston, NH Fall Classic PRO, Stock, Junior Classes
REGION 2
REGION 9
9/17-18 Redwood, NY - 20th Annual Crystal Lake Regetta MOD, Stock, Junior Classes
REGION 3 9/3-5 Lock Haven, PA Labor Day Regatta PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/10-11 The Mary Ann and Daniel J. Murphy, Jr. Memorial Regatta Mays Landing , NJ - Lake Lenape Inboard 9/17-18 Lake Hopatcong, NJ - New Jersey State Championships Inboard 9/25 Lake Hopatcong, NJ Grand Prix Offshore 10/8-9 Millville, NJ Regatta MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 10/15-16 Berwick, PA - Riverfest Special Events, Junior Classes
REGION 4 9/3-4 10/9
Wheeling, WV Vintage Raceboat Regatta Ocean City, MD - Grand Prix
Special Events Offshore
REGION 5 10/15-16 Jesup, GA - 2016 Fall Jesup PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 11/18-20 Tavares, FL Fall Thunder Regatta Special Events 11/19-20 Englewood Beach, FL Waterfest/OPA Worlds Offshore
REGION 6 9/10-11 The Hillsdale, MI American Legion Championships PRO, MOD, Thundercat 9/10-11 Grass Lake, MI - Wild Ones Regatta Stock, Junior Classes 9/17-18 Big Rapids, MI - Mecosta County Regatta Stock, Junior Classes 9/23-25 Duffy, OH - New Martinsville Records & Regatta Challenge Special Events, Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, Outboard Performance Craft, Thundercat, Junior Classes
REGION 7 9/3-4 Oshkosh, WI - Shake the Lake 2016 9/17-18 Madison, IN - Vintage Thunder 2017 6/17-18 Lawrenceburg, IN - Whiskey City Regatta
PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes Special Events
9/3-5
Shreveport, LA - POWERBOAT NATIONALS /Grand Prix of Louisiana OPC Nationals Outboard Performance Craft, Junior Classes
REGION 10 9/5 Grants Pass, OR - The Wild River Brewing and Pizza Labor Day Regatta Special Events 9/10-11 Sea Tac, WA - The Frank Hanson Memorial Regatta PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/10-11 Spanaway WA - Yapachino Memorial Regatta Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, Outboard Performance Craft 9/17-18 Yelm, WA - Lake Lawrence World Record Regatta PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes 9/24-25 Manson, WA - Norm Evans Memorial Apple Cup Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, Outboard Performance Craft 10/1-2 Lincoln City, OR - Rockey Stone Memorial Kilos and John Myers Memorial Quarter Mile Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, PRO, MOD, Stock, Outboard Performance Craft, Junior Classes
REGION 11 10/1-2 Antioch, CA - Delta Thunder VII Special Events, Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, Outboard Performance Craft 10/15-16 Lathrop, CA - 3rd Mossdale Quarry Regatta Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, Outboard Performance Craft, Junior Classes
REGION 11 10/29-30 Nicolaus, CA - Lake Minden Halloween Fest and Bonus Points Event Special Events, Inboard, PRO, MOD, Stock, Junior Classes
REGION 12 9/16-18 San Diego, CA - Bayfair Special Events, Inboard, Inboard Endurance, Stock, Outboard Performance Craft, Unlimited, Junior Classes
Outboard Performance Craft
REGION 8 9/10-11 Forest Lake, MN - Ron Baker Sr. Regatta
Outboard Performance Craft
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Jim Nilsen (R2) was able to secure two wins, in the Service classes. Here H-81 Jack Campbell in the lead and E-8 at left is Tim Weber. Jean Tennell photo
SMOKE ON THE WATER Kingston, Tennessee hosts PRO Nationals, Modified North American Championships BY // DAVID WEAVER • PHOTOS BY JEAN TENNELL Late June and early July found a strong turnout of Professional Racing Outboards and Modified Outboards competing for the fourth consecutive year on Watts Barr Lake. The race has become an integral part of Kingston, Tennessee’s July 4th weekend celebration. Once again, the town and Parks Department welcomed racing teams from across the country to compete on the water and to enjoy the local hospitality. The City has continued to improve the park and pit area. The race committee laid out a much improved racecourse by repositioning the start/finish line and the attitude of the course within the cove. Racers expressed satisfaction with the longer straightaways, well-designed turns, and better protection from wind and off-course traffic. The Carolina-Virginia Racing Association again served as the host club. Dave Augustine Sr.; Jerry Davids; Joyce Golley; Buddy, Jean and Sam Tennell; Kristi Ellison; Tom Burwinkle; Will Augustine and several other club member were very busy Wednesday, June 29th setting up, as a constant stream of race trailers rolled into the pit area. Many thanks to the judges’ stand, which included many of the above plus Mark Wheeler, Mary Williams, Val D’Agostino, Nicki Burwinkle, Eric VanOver and many more. Also, we appreciate Jerry Davids’ and Jeff Williams’ efforts in inspection. Huge thanks to all who contributed to a terrific post-race teardown. The CVRA equipment trailer and safety boat were packed in record time and in an orderly manner. This makes the race committee much happier! We enjoyed a good day of testing on Thursday, thanks to the volunteers working the patrol/tow boats. I believe that everyone stayed dry. Again this year, the fine restaurant Gloria Jean’s hosted the race teams and officials for dinner following testing. The C Service/Racing guys really got after it this year with very competitive heats. I think C Racing Hydro had a flip in every heat! I also recall a flipped C Service Runabout. Trying to go out for a heat of C Racing Runabout, R-18’s flywheel came off with the top of the crank! Well, this will give Dwight Malhiot something to work on when he arrives home. Jim Nilsen secured two wins, in the Service classes.
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Ryan Gowin ran away with K PRO, using a well-tried hydro from the State of Washington that has won championships for many young drivers. Mac Hellsten was in pursuit, but did not have quite enough speed to catch Ryan. Nate Mitchell and Sam Tennell each competed in K PRO for the first time and drove very well. The Mod guys competed for North American Championships in addition to 850cc Hydro. Eric VanOver secured good wins in 500MH and 750MH. Jerry Davids also had two wins, taking 750MR and 1100ccR (Val D’Agostino riding). Jerry held off two Konigs in rough conditions in the first heat, scoring enough points for the win. Brandon Boyd completely removed the bottom of his 750MR with a hard hit in the start of the first heat. He was OK, and came back to win 350MH on Sunday. His runabout will need a lot of work. But he looked good, walking around carrying his boat from the inside following the wreck! Brandon also experienced a busted bottom in the first heat of 1100cc Runabout while running third. The OSY class had a great shootout. Daniel Korpe came all the way from Washington and was rewarded with a hard-fought victory. Matt D’Agostino was very well prepared, and drove in his typically outstanding manner. Chris Johnson stole the start of the second heat, and was never headed as he took that win. Kristi Ellison dominated the 125 class with very fast lap times. Will Augustine gave chase, as did Bob Cronin and Brent Simmons. Bob bounced back to win 175 Hydro handily. Brent put together three good heats to secure 2nd place. John Maddrell found the right prop in the final two heats to overcome no points in heat 1. Chris Hellsten got his long racing weekend off to a good start in 250cc Hydro, finishing ahead of nephew Kevin, Marc LaRose and David Weaver. Kevin also drove 1100cc Runabout for the first time with Will Augustine serving as deck rider. The boat ran well, and it is clear that they had a blast! Dwight had speed on everyone, but chucked a shear pin leaving the pits in heat two. Again, we extend a heartfelt thanks to the town of Kingston for hosting, and to all the volunteers that worked unselfishly to put on this event. We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2017.
850 Modified Hydroplanes charging towards the start. Jean Tennell photo Zach LaRose competed in 125cc and 175cc Hydroplane. Jean Tennell photo
K PRO Hydro Champion Ryan Gowin. Jean Tennell photo
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AMERICA’S GOT TALLINN
The U.S. A-Team in Estonia.
BY // UNITY FLAGSTAFF • PHOTOS BY DAVID RECHT The U.S. A-Team began its 2016 World OSY-400 Championship campaign when its newest driver, West Coast hotshoe Kyle Lewis, flew east to race one of three O’Connor hydros at the South Shore Outboard Association Ice Breaker Regatta in Standish, Maine May 26-27. After a night at the Parke Avenue Speedboat Club in Squantum,Team Captain Billy Allen and Lewis headed north to the nether reaches of New England, where Lewis tried out the “Left Coast Ghost“ boat he would drive at the World Championship July 23rd-24th in Tallinn, Estonia. “I didn’t want Kyle getting in the boat for the first time at the World Championship‚“ said Allen. “It was important for him to get comfortable in the rig.“ After Friday testing the setup was complete, the exact prop was selected, and the beautifully painted red #93 was ready for racing Saturday morning. Lewis brought West Coast cool to Region 1, practicing yoga positions in black stretch pants in the pits under the sideways glances of his bearded, plaid-shirted Yankee competitors. However, his friendly personality soon overcame any trepidation and the New England racing crowd offered him rides in several other classes. Also joining the team was Video Operations Director Valerie Lighthart of Germantown, Wisconsin, gathering footage for a documentary of the trip. After Lewis flew back on Monday, it was back to getting ready for the World Championship. Billy and Racer Allen and driver Mike Akerstrom from Westford, Mass., put in a heavy three weeks of testing and preparing the team’s other two hydros as the June 13th shipping date loomed. On shipping day, Billy Allen and longtime Team Scott member Jeff Thompson loaded the container for the long journey to Estonia at Cool Air Creations in Smithfield, Rhode Island (where the team purchases all of their great-looking apparel). As the container doors swung shut, the team captain sent up a silent prayer that the boats and equipment would reach Tallinn in one piece and on time. However, international shipping presents unforeseen obstacles. As the July 19th departure date neared, A-Team Administrator Rachel Warnock emailed the shipping company to ensure that the boats would be safely at the Port of Tallinn by July 20th. She was reassured that all was in order—until July 15th. Then the team’s Estonian contact, Race Director Algo Kuus, wrote that the Estonian customs agent said that their container would not arrive until the day before the race. It had missed the boat to Tallinn due to congestion at Hamburg, Germany. Team Captain Billy Allen chewed his fingernails as he wrestled with a yearly anxiety attack. Should his team fly to Tallinn? Several days and more emails between the A-Team, Estonian customs, the shipping company and race organizers determined that the ship had over a 50% chance of making it to port and clearing customs by Friday, July 22nd. The first day of racing was on Saturday the 23rd. The team would take the chance and fly to Tallinn. Arriving in Tallinn on Wednesday afternoon were the 2016 U.S. A-Team crew: Billy and Racer Allen, Rachel Warnock, Kyle Lewis and Mike Akerstrom, Alan Akerstrom, Lois and Dudley Smith, photographer David Recht, and Valerie
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Lighthart. The team had planned to use Thursday as a setup day in the crowded pits, but could now only sit and wait for their ship to come in. The latest report from their very competent customs clearance agent was that their container would arrive on Thursday evening, would be expedited as priority cargo off of the ship, and be cleared through Estonian customs on Friday morning. The team prepared to explore the historic city of Tallinn on Thursday, but were horrified by a text: the paperwork from their U.S. shipping company was improperly submitted. Rachel went to work in the hotel room, struggling with emails, phone calls and texts across the U.S./Estonia time difference while Billy lay on the bed, trying not to puke. The clock was ticking. After another full day of work, the details again seemed to be ironed out and the team was assured that the container had a good chance of clearing customs sometime on Friday. On Friday at 9:00 am the call came in from Algo Kuus: the boats would be released and could be unloaded from the container within the hour. The elated team piled into a rental car and followed Algo 20 miles to the unloading facility in Maardu, Estonia. Algo heard that the container was being put on a truck at the port and would arrive shortly. But, on the phone with the customs clearance agency, Algo said, “There is another problem.“ This time it was a big one. The paperwork for a temporary import from the U.S. shipper was missing the most important page with the required stamps from U.S. Customs. Once again Rachel got on the phone to the U.S., fighting the time difference and trying to straighten out the problem. It was now past 11 am. Tick tock. Estonian Race Director Algo Kuus came to the rescue. Without the proper U.S. Customs stamps on the import papers, there was no way that Estonian Customs could legally release the container. The only other option was for the Estonian Racing Federation to post a bond equaling the value of the shipment: thousands of euros. The team headed 20 miles through traffic back to the Estonian Racing Club, where Algo had an office. He tabled his duties as Race Director for the benefit of the team. Again the Americans could only sit and wait. Tick tock. Finally, at 5 pm Friday, a weary Algo Kuus emerged from his office and said, “I think we can go get your boats now.“ With mixed trepidation and hope, the team again piled into the rental car and followed Algo, now in a van with a trailer hitch, the 20 miles back to the container unloading facility. After another 20-minute wait, the container, which had left six weeks prior, was pulled into the facility and hastily unloaded by the frazzled Americans. Stop the clock. As the van towing the three U.S. boats pulled into the pits at 6:30 on Friday evening, a round of applause went up inside the big tent where a UIM meeting was taking place. Unbeknownst to the Americans, their shipping and customs woes had been circulating throughout the pits all day. Everyone was relieved to see the trailer carrying the red, white and blue hydros finally arrive. The team went to work with renewed urgency, unpacking bins, erecting EZ-ups and boat dollies, unloading boats, assembling engines and, of course, hoisting the American flags in their pit area. Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny with little wind and calm water for the 8:00 drivers briefing. Race coordinator Varhu Joala welcomed the 60 drivers from 14 countries and two continents, and gave a course review with explicit
instructions foer the drivers and crews. Time trials for the OSY-400 class would begin at 9:30. Each boat was allowed one timed solitary lap to determine start positions for heat one. The fastest boat would start on the inside or pole position, with the other boats lined up from left to right according to their lap times. The order would be determined by the boat number. Slovakia’s Miroslav Bazinski in the #2, driving under an Italian license, would go first ,with #3 Valdis Estereikis from Lithuania going second. Mike Akerstrom, driving the fastest of the American entries, made a costly miscalculation when he steered his #8 for the pit exit buoy instead of the corner pylons, costing him a couple of seconds. His pedestrian 65.32 was good for only 8th place. Allen, in the #16, ran a 62.24—the fastest lap so far, beaten only by last year’s polesitter Cezary Strumnik at 60.54 and defending World Champion Rasmus Haugasmagi from Estonia at 60.66. Kyle Lewis ran a very respectable 64.26, which was good for 6th. Then it was back to the pits for prop and setup changes as the teams got ready for heat 1 of the World final at 11:30. Four heats would be run and each driver’s best three scored to determine final placings. When the red light expired starting heat 1, the 17 finalists flew off the jetty in an explosion of spray and noise. Estonia’s Haugasmagi passed polesitter Strumnik and took command of the heat in his usual fashion. Allen followed in 3rd; Estonia’s Anika Suuk took 4th. Miroslav Bazinski rounded out the top 5, with Lithuania’s Gintaras Marcinkus 6th. Americans Lewis and Akerstrom finished 7th and 8th respectively. When the Americans rolled their boats back to the pits,
they were pleasantly surprised to see American UIM Representative Fred Hauenstein, in Tallinn for a series of UIM meetings, and vacationing Ralph Donald, a UIM racing veteran. Heat 2 saw another great battle up front as the top three drivers repeated their finishes from heat 1. Estonian Erko Aabrams made some adjustments to his hull which greatly improved his speed and handling. He moved from 9th to 4th, which put him in the medal hunt. Heat 2 also saw Lewis and Bazinski crash out of turn three. Lewis, with a ruined prop, could not finish; Bazinski finished 5th; Akerstrom moved up to 6th. The Americans then went to work in the pits, fixing Lewis’s boat before attending the drivers’ party. The heavy metal band stopped playing long enough to present Valerie Lighthart with a bouquet of flowers in honor of her 19th birthday. This was just another example of the extraordinary Estonian hospitality. Another beautiful day greeted drivers and crews on Sunday as 17 boats lined up again to compete in heat 3. The Americans’ best chance for a medal now rested on Allen‘s shoulders. Lewis was reduced to the last starting spot due to his second heat DNF; and Akerstrom was still battling just behind the leaders. As the boats blasted out of turn 1, Haugasmagi’s unbelievable acceleration again propelled him to the lead, with Allen fighting Aabrams’ newfound speed for 2nd, and Strumnik in fourth. After 2 laps, Aabrams had settled into 2nd and Allen held off the hard-charging Strumnik for another 3rd place. Akerstrom moved to 5th, with Bazinski finishing 6th. With 3 heat wins, Haugasmagi
and his hull were whisked into the technical inspection area. After vigorous scrutineering he would claim his 4th consecutive Gold Medal, a feat never before accomplished in the history of UIM racing. As the Americans lifted Akerstrom’s #8 boat onto the dock, the deep voice of their new pit member Hauenstein announced more bad news:“You’re missing a blade from the prop‚“ said Fred sadly. With Haugasmagi not competing in heat 4, Aabrams now drove from the pole position. He sprang to the lead off the jetty, with Strumnik in hot pursuit and Allen battling Bazinski for 3rd. Allen had to win heat 4 to get to the podium, but he just did not have the speed. When the points were tallied, it was Haugasmagi with 3 heat wins for the gold, Strumnik with three 2nds with the silver and Aabrams with a 1st, a 2nd and a 4th grabbing the bronze. At the post-race celebration the Americans were all smiles and handshakes with their Estonian hosts and competitors, as team shirts were traded and Champagne sprayed the awards stage. Captain Allen was quick to praise his hosts and competitors. “After what we went through getting our boats in the race this year, we were just happy to be racing,” he said. ”The Estonian race organizers, especially Race Director Algo Kuus, were just fantastic. As for the competitors, these guys are great drivers. You can tell these teams work very hard, and they are fast!” It was at this moment that Billy Allen was picked up by Miroslav Bazinski, along with the Polish team, and given a complimentary toss into Lake Harku.
The OSY-400 start!
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The SST 45 start. Paul Kemiel photo
Shepherd, Schmerbauch win UIM/APBA/OPC
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BY // FRED MILLER • PHOTOS BY PAUL KEMIEL
The 66th Annual PNC Bank Roar on the River, produced by the Trenton Rotary Club and the Trenton Outboard Racing Club, took place July 16-17. For the 8th straight year, it featured the SST 200 and SST 45 UIM/APBA World Championships. Rounding out the show were the Thundercats (SLTs), the F1 Sport class, the Stock Outboard Marathon and A Stock Runabout. In addition to PNC, major sponsors included The News Herald, Gorno Ford, Bud Light, Walmart, FCA Foundation and over 100 Trenton area businesses.
Jeff Shepherd cruises to a World title in SST 200. Paul Kemiel photo
Zeller 3rd, Jimmy Robb, Jr. (W. Bloomfield MI) 4th and Danny Trosen (Trenton) 5th. Jason Nelson finally got started on lap 10, then hit a buoy for a disastrous 8th-place finish. Heat 2 put the top finishers from heat 1 at the back of the start dock. Not to worry. Schmerbauch, starting 8th, again came off the dock hard and was in the lead by the end of lap 1, followed by returning-to-form Nelson in 2nd, Dawe in 3rd, Zeller 4th, Robb 5th, Landon Goudreau (Devon, Alberta Canada) 6th (his first race in a 45!), Trosen 7th and Milo Degugas (Keyport, NJ) 8th. The top 3 held their positions to the finish, with Robb moving up to 4th, Goudreau a fine 5th, Trosen 6th, Degugas 7th and Zeller 8th. Sunday dawned with beautiful sunshine, but also wind from the South. Water conditions were choppy but raceable early on. Saturday’s leaders again started in the back for heat 3. Schmerbauch showed the rest of the field how to run over the rough stuff to a commanding lead by the end of lap 1. Meanwhile, Dawe, who was 2nd in points at the end of the first 2 heats, hit a buoy, spun out and dropped to the back of the pack. Nelson was charging hard trying to stay ahead of rookie Goudreau (obviously a fast learner) and Robb. However, Goudreau went down on lap 9 with engine problems, moving Trosen (Trenton’s favorite son) into 4th, Degugas in 5th, Dawe in 6th, and Goudreau taking 7th with 8 laps in. Jeff Zeller DNS in the final.
This year, the water was perfect for Saturday’s racing, but Sunday was challenging. Due to a south wind and rough water, the 4th heats were eventually cancelled for both World Championship classes.
The scheduled final 4th heat was cancelled due to wind and whitecaps on the Trenton Channel. So, Mark Schmerbauch defended his World title in dominant fashion via 3 first-place finishes, with Nelson 2nd, Dawe 3rd, Robb Jr. 4th, Trosen 5th, Degugas 6th, Zeller 7th and Goudreau 8th.
First up for the SST 45s were the time trials, with 5 states and Alberta, Canada represented. Mark Schmerbauch (the defending champion from Greenfield, WI) copped a 34.89 lap to take the pole for the first heat, followed closely by Steven Dawe (LaQuinta, CA) just a tick behind at 35.32. The top 5 were rounded out by Jason Nelson (Atlanta, GA), Jeff Zeller (Fenton, MI) and Milo Degugas (Keyport, NJ). Schmerbauch shot off the dock and never looked back, taking the 1st heat by 11 seconds over Dawe,
Next up was the SST 200 Worlds, with 5 entries from 4 states plus Alberta, Canada. Also running with the 200s (and scored separately) were two F1 Sport boats. The time trials were dominated by Dustin Terry (Thibodeau, LA) with a run of 33.9 seconds in his F1 Sport boat. Pre-race favorite Merv Bjork (Zimmerman, MN) had mechanical problems and idled back to his trailer. That put David Hensel (Hamilton, OH) 2nd, Mike Klepadlo (Gaylord, MI) 3rd, Jim Robb (Grand Blanc, MI) 4th, Jeff Shepherd (Woodlawn, TN) 5th,
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Merv Bjork 6th and rookie Landon Goudreau 7th (hit a buoy). Heat one started out with Terry firing hard off the dock and building a substantial lead by the end of lap 1. Bjork, following his engine repair after the time trials, had come from 6th off the dock to a distant 2nd, followed by Shepherd (in his borrowed 200 rig) 3rd, Klepadlo 4th, Hensel 5th, Goudreau 6th and Robb 7th. On lap 8, Bjork had run down Terry and started to pull away. Alas, Bjork’s Opti powered Pugh boat lost power on lap 10 and relegated him to last place for the heat. At the end, Terry copped the win, Shepherd 2nd (lst in 200 class), Hensel 3rd, Klepadlo 4th, Goudreau 5th, Bjork 6th and Robb 7th. Heat 2 start was the reverse order of finish from heat one. Terry again demonstrated his dominance off the dock by leading at the end of lap one over a rejuvenated Bjork, who apparantly had fixed his engine problem from heat one. In maybe the most exciting heat of the day, Bjork passed Terry on lap 10, building a slim lead over the next 9 laps, only to again suffer engine problems on lap 20, causing him to trail Terry over the finish line 4 seconds back. Taking the 3rd was Shepherd, 4th was Klepadlo, 5th Goudreau and 6th Robb. Hensel was a DNS with engine problems. Sunday was a new day; once again it came down to 3 boats with a shot at winning. After a long night of re-tuning his Opti-Mercury engine, Bjork was intent on getting back into the World Championship hunt. Shepherd was leading the point standings with 700 to Bjork‘s 527, followed by Klepadlo with 450. This time, Bjork had the jump off the dock, leading lap one over Terry in 2nd, Klepadlo in 3rd, Shepherd 4th, Goudreau 5th, Robb 6th and Hensel 7th. As Bjork showed his speed throughout the 20 laps, Terry and Shepherd were the show in the battle for 2nd. Finally, on lap 20, Shepherd made the pass to take the 2nd and wrap up his first World Championship in his APBA racing career, garnering 1,000 points over Bjork’s 927 for the 3 heats. Because the 4th heat (as with the SST 45 class) had to be cancelled due to weather, the races were scored based on the 3 completed heats. In the F1 Sport class, Terry took the win over Jim Robb Sr. Congratulations to all the drivers and crews that made the 66th Annual PNC Bank “Roar on the River” a success once again! Hope to see you all back July 21-23, 2017 for the 67th Annual “Roar”!
Trenton Sunday results for support classes: Thundercats Bandit 1st Kyle Yacko-Rachel Anspach 2nd James Yacko-Stephanie Greene 3rd Andrew Ashworth-Chris Ashworth Outlaw 1st William Chernick-Amanda Chernick 2nd Scott Folzon-Justin Cole 3rd Raymond Crooks-Emily Crooks X Class 1st Jeff Howie-Cynthia Appleyard 2nd Steve Hertz-Lauren Hertz 3rd Mark Hodorek-Gary Kowalewski Stock Outboard Marathon ASR 1st Terry Kerr 2nd Leland Broge 3rd Jason Bonanno CSR 1st Dustin Pearson 2nd Michael Affholter 3rd Jacob Alkema DSR 1st Brian Mitsch 2nd Joe Purzycki 3rd Paul Kotwicki ASR Closed Course 1st Callie Shensky 2nd Leland Broge 3rd Jason Bonanno Above right, a happy Jeff and Suzy Shepherd with Jeff’s SST 200 World trophy; and Mark Schmerbauch in the cockpit. Paul Kemiel photos
Mark Schmerbauch defends his World Championship title in SST 45. Paul Kemiel photo
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(L-R) National Mod action with Brent Harnack’s NM-88 and Scott Liddycoat NM-30. F. Peirce Williams photo
QUAKE ON THE LAKE 2016 BY // MARY ANNE WILSON • PHOTOS BY F. PEIRCE WILLIAMS The 17th Annual Quake on the Lake was the host of the APBA Summer Nationals! In fact, for the first time in 30 years, the coveted Summer Nationals for all Inboard classes, including flatbottoms, was held at one event! SEs, SAs and, yes, Cracker Boxes from Southern California, all made the trip! In the final run of a three-year Summer Nationals bid, I am extremely proud to represent one of the premier race sites in the country. It’s melancholy for me as well, as earlier this year I announced that this would be my last year to chair the Quake. I have made countless friends along the way, and have learned a lot about the APBA and Inboard racing, and how thankless, yet rewarding, this role is. It is no small feat to put on an event—anyone who has done so would agree—but I believe a change in leadership keeps the event fresh and prevents burnout. I am very pleased to say we have a few candidates interested in keeping the Quake going, so all words of encouragement and any help are greatly appreciated. Plus, I’ve been called the “queen of spreadsheets,” so I’m certain whoever takes over won’t be lost! It has been my honor to get to know so many of you through the years and a privilege to be responsible for such a great event! Thank you all for your support along the way. With your help, we have donated well over $125,000 to the Rainbow Connection and granted at least 20 different wishes, making an impactful difference in the lives of these children and their families. When the weekend’s over and we reflect on how things went, we don’t focus on the parking issues, the pit passes, or even the weather—instead, we know that Victoria (left) and her family went to bed with smiles on their faces as they look forward to a trip where they can forget everything they are going through. So—a really cool race, a community event, and making a difference in someone’s life—that is what keeps us going here!
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John Shaw (Y-35) and Jimmy Shane (Y-6). F. Peirce Williams photo
At left, the Sportsman Advanced class debuts at Waterford. Below, The JS-11 INDIAN SUMMER rocked and rolled to a National title. F. Peirce Williams photo
Cracker Box: Michael Schatz/Joe Sovie (P-92) and Scott Schatz/Chris Ritz (P-9). F. Peirce Williams photo 2016 INBOARD SUMMER NATIONALS 1.5 LITRE STOCK T5 Douglas W Hagatha / John Shaw / Matt Henning T720 Courtney Stewart T16 Keith Gunther / Kevin Gunther 1 LITRE Y6 Nick Bononcini / Jimmy Shane Y35 Edmund Thompson III / John Shaw Y8 Nick Bononcini 2.5 LITRE STOCK S69 Thomas Huganir S83 Dutch Squires / Justin Squires S92 Alfred Thompson 2.5 LITRE MOD A23 Douglas Havell Jr A51 Mark Manos 5 LITRE E14 Richard Hearn / Donny Allen E1 Thompson Brothers Racing / John Shaw E13 Andrew Keogh NATIONAL MODIFIED NM30 Budget Buster Racing / Scott Liddycoat NM357 Andrew Christopher / Mark J Weber NM12 William Whitlock GRAND NATIONAL HYDRO GNH18 George L Conover Sr / Scott Liddycoat GNH317 Steve Kuhr / Stephen Kuhr II GNH17 Frederick Shearer / Andrew Mitchell / Tony Black JERSEY SPEED SKIFF JS11 Rob Garratano / Keith McMullen JS1 Courtney Stewart / Richard Shaw JS99 Dave Greenlaw/David B Greenlaw/Samantha Greenlaw GRAND PRIX GP59 Mario V Maraldo / Bobby King GP77 Martin Rochon CRACKER BOX P9 R Scott Schatz / Christopher Ritz P92 Michael Schatz / Joseph Sovie P38 Bob Nyland / Jimmie Stewart SPORTSMAN ENTRY (SE) SE29-1 Jim Clauss / Jeff Clauss SE10 Thomas Winarske / Peter J Hackett II Tom Huganir’s S-69 gains on Bobby King in the S-242. F. Peirce Williams photo
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MADISON FIREWORKS H1 Unlimited Season Opener
BY // BRUCE MADEJ, H1 UNLIMITED PHOTOS BY PAUL KEMIEL H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing fans were excited to see the MainSource Bank Indiana Governor’s Cup presented by Belterra Casino Resort over the July 4th weekend in Madison, Indiana. Jimmy Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank was the hometown favorite. The community of Madison has owned the boat since 1961, making the team the longest-running in the sport. Going out in the second section of qualifying for the H1 Unlimited season opener, Shane took the top position with the fastest lap at 145.877 MPH. The course was lengthened from 2.5 to 2.89 miles to ease the turns, but drivers still hit heavy rollers entering the backstretch. The biggest qualifying surprise was rookie Andrew Tate driving the U-9 Les Schwab. The youngest driver on the circuit grabbed the second spot with a speed of 143.900. J Michael Kelly in Graham Trucking was third fastest, averaging 142.598; and Tom Thompson in the U-11 Peters & May was fourth at 138.740. Cal Phipps in the Dalton Industries U-27 hooked going into turn three and broke a steering cable. The U-99.9 Carstar Auto Body/KISW Rock with 2015 Rookie of the Year Kevin Eacret and Brian Perkins in the U-21 Paynewest Insurance did not qualify. Jimmy Shane in the U-1 HomeStreet Bank and J. Michael Kelly in the U-5 Graham Trucking were in familiar positions after the first day of racing on the Ohio River, winning their preliminary heats and setting up a possible Sunday matchup similar to those in 2015. Shane won heat 1A with a fast lap of 135.411 and Kelly took heat 1B with a fast lap of 136.325. “We knew we wanted lane one, and we also knew that Cal (Phipps) was probably going to take it easy,” said Shane. “We hit all of our marks and had a very good run.” Phipps and the U-27 Dalton Industries were still recovering from the violent hook. “Our team did a great job getting the boat fixed and back on the course,” said Phipps. “We needed to make sure it worked, and now we can make a few changes to get ready for tomorrow.” Kelly, on the other hand, found himself in a three-boat battle into the backstretch, then ran away from the field.
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Tom Thompson in the U-11 Peters and May and Brian Perkins in the U-21 PayneWest Insurance put on a great battle for second place. The two were almost deck-to-deck with Thompson slightly ahead. Then in the final turn, the U-11 hooked to the left, giving Perkins second place. “When I got into the turn the sponson was already down, and I hit a hole,” said Thompson. “When that happens, you just hold on and hope you can save it.” Thompson did save it, and placed third. Rookie Andrew Tate in the U-9 Les Schwab, the second fastest qualifier on Friday, had to start behind the field for two heats before joining the front line. With that handicap, he placed fourth in heat 1B. In the Sunday final, Jimmy Shane rocked the hometown U-1 to a decisive victory. He started the first lap in lane two, between—and a bit behind—Kelly and Phipps. He shut his eyes, hoped for the best, threaded the needle on the first turn and grabbed the lead by turn 2, then pulled ahead. On the final lap, as the three approached the bridge, Cal Phipps pushed hard and the U-27 blew over, ending the race. With 3 completed laps, that gave the win to Shane and the U-1 HomeStreet Bank/Miss Madison. The hometown crowd went wild! Shane described hearing the roar of the fans as an “amazing experience.” Kelly in the U-5 almost blew over too—twice—but held it together to take second. Brian Perkins was third (U-21 PayneWest Insurance); Andrew Tate was fourth in the U-9 Realtrac Performance; and Tom Thompson fifth in the U-11 Peters & May. The next stop on the H1 Unlimited tour was the HAPO Columbia Cup in Tri-Cities, Wash., July 29-31. There, J. Michael Kelly, driving the U-5 Graham Trucking, was named the winner on Sunday after a controversial final. Fans might have left thinking that Jimmy Shane and the U-1 had won. Shane had been in lane 1 of the five-lap final, when he and Jean Theoret in the U-16 Oh Boy! Oberto (in lane 2) collided in the turn. Race officials initially handed Theoret a one-lap penalty. Shane finished first, with Kelly right behind. But after the race, H1 officials reviewed video and reversed the call, saying Shane slid out from Lane 1 and hit Theoret, who was actually ahead in the turn. The penalty put Shane in last place in the race, but for the time being he held on to a season points lead. At Seattle Seafair, there was another surprise as rookie Andrew Tate claimed the victory for Jones Racing in the Jones Racing U-9, followed by Jimmy Shane (U-1) and J. Michael Kelly (U-5). This H1 Unlimited race is getting closer, so stay tuned all the way through San Diego. Above L-R: Brian Perkins in the U-21 PayneWest, J Michael Kelly in the U-5 Graham Trucking and rookie Andrew Tate in the U-9. Paul Kemiel photos
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OPA OFFSHORE Great Start to 2016 APBA/OPA Season BY // CHRIS REINDL • PHOTOS BY RON POLLI, OPA RACING The 2016 OPA Offshore Racing season just finished the 4th race of the season, with over 70 boats registered for the year. Exciting National Championship battles are forming, with nine or more boats in three classes. The season started at Point Pleasant Beach with an intense Extreme Class battle between Miss Geico and Alex and Ani. After swapping the lead several times, Miss Geico took the victory there, and again in Atlantic City. Geico held a 10-point season lead over Cat Can Do/ American Ethanol, which finished second in LOTO and won the 22nd annual St. Clair River Classic. Alex and Ani holds 3rd place over CMS MTI’s and Wicked Sensation in Extreme Class national points. The circuit then headed to beautiful Lake of the Ozarks, MO.There CMS, driven by Bob Bull and throttled by Randy Scism, nabbed an Extreme purse of over $15,000 in their beautiful orange and black MTI. OPA then headed to the Atlantic City Gran Prix sponsored by Geico, race producer Dave Patnaude’s last event. Man, did he go out with a bang; the racers navigated huge Atlantic rollers safely yet again. The racers were then tested with the wicked currents of the St. Clair River July 30-31. They will be challenged again just upstream in Port Huron/Sarnia, before heading to Fall River the last weekend in August. The remaining schedule will take them to Lake Hopatcong, NJ September 23-25, followed by the National Championships in Ocean City, MD October 7-9. The 2-race World Championships will end the season November 16-20 at the Englewood Beach Waterfest. Here is a breakdown of the top three in each class just before the halfway point: In class 100, Lightning Jack’s Marina, powered by two Josh Wall Racing 1250 engines, is well on their way to their 24th National title, putting sponsors BP Fuels and Pit Crew Lube in victory lane once again. They are followed by the Here We Go Batboat and Bounty Hunter. Last year’s Class 200 National Champions, the Bat Boat, holds a 10-point lead over Global Restoration, with Team 27 in 3rd. In Class 300, V1 Wazzup holds a small lead over Strictly Business with Repeat Offender 2 settling into 3rd place in just their first year in the class. With a pair of wins each, Saris Racing and Simmons Marine are tied for first in Class 400 with Wicked Marine 2 just 22 points behind in third. Fresh off their APBA Hall of Champions induction last season, Boomer and Anthony Smith (Wazzup 2) are back on top of Class 5, the most competitive in Offshore, with over a dozen boats registered. Making her case for Rookie of the Year is the only female driver on the tour, Jeannette Allred. After a few 4th place
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finishes, she took her first checkered flag in the six-foot-plus waves of Atlantic City. She is leasing Reindl Powerboat’s Wanna Race? V-24 sponsored by Synergy Prototype and Stamping, and is currently in 2nd place in the national points race. Just behind her is 2014 Rookie of the Year EJ Salamone and his father in the beautiful light blue Superboat. Look for both of them as well as the last two year’s High Point Champions, Reinforcer and CISCO, to keep the pressure on Wazzup 2 all season. “I love racing this class. When you win you know you really did something—you beat the best of the best,” added longtime racer Lee Baker, now driving for Dave Raabe’s Repeat Offender. You Gun Learn has been dominating the 9-boat fleet in Class 600 with three wins and a second. They are followed by last year’s National Champions, Smith Brothers Racing in their Joker Powerboat. In 3rd place, the newcomers are holding their own in Reindl Powerboat’s Early Detection Racing Batboat sponsored by Synergy Prototype and Stamping. Synergy Owner Marcus Stackpoole is gearing up to defend his rookie season victory in Port Huron on August 14th, just a week after they hold a company team-building event with the batboats at Tiki Bob’s. The consistency of Hangin’ N Bangin’ has them on top of the highly contested Class 700 fleet, just 2 points ahead of Bay Rat, which has 2 wins on the season. Ken Bird’s new 22 Kryptonite Sport hull is sitting in 3rd place after the first 4 races. In Super Vee Light, We Haul Boats.com has two victories and a second, putting them on top of the standings. They are followed by Octane and BoatFloater.com in second and third, respectively. Super Stock is once again led by Gary Ballough’s FJ Propeller, followed by Ryan Beckey’s Double Edge Motorsports and Above and Beyond Roofing in third. The Super Cat class is crowded at the top, with only 2 points separating the top three: Performance Boat Center/Jimmy Johns, followed by Cleveland Construction and Warpaint. Once again the boats are staged at Ed Smith’s River’s Bend Marina between the Michigan races, getting ready for another tough river battle in Port Huron/Sarnia August 14th. Stay tuned to www.oparacing.org for up-to-the-minute results and livestream feeds of the upcoming races. Editor’s Note: Chris Reindl has been building, racing and leasing Offshore race boats since the late 1990s. His race boat leasing program and corporate teambuilding events have introduced thousands of people to the world of Offshore powerboat racing. He has throttled for 6 World Championship teams with 6 different drivers. For more information on leasing boats at any race or for a corporate event, visit www.reindlpowerboats.com or call Chris at 702-228-2628.
FROM TOP: Peter Galbraith/Lou Mastantuono in Class 7 #723 BAY RAT, Al Pisacano/Donald Goodwin in Class 5 #546 REINFORCER and Jeannette Allred/Chris Reindl in Class 5 #502 WANNA RACE?, get some air at Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Ron Polli photos
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Entering the course.
THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME BY // DR. TOM MIJARES • PHOTOS BY LORI WEBER AND SANDY CODY Summer in Detroit means Tiger baseball, fireworks at the Freedom Festival, and the Gold Cup on the Detroit River. As long as I can remember, I wanted to drive an Inboard hydroplane with the hope of ultimately driving one of the big boats. Watching my neighbor Harold Weber design and build 16-foot boats for the 2.5 Litre class from scratch merely whetted my appetite. He powered them with 215 cubic inch Buick engines which he modified himself to meet class requirements. Early in my career as a Detroit police officer I purchased a very used 5 Litre, and an equally used 302 cubic inch Ford engine. However, revolving shifts and weekend duties, graduate school, coaching a soccer team, teaching Sunday School and raising four daughters with my wife (also a Detroit police officer) meant the boat never saw the water. After I retired and movied to central Texas to pursue a second career as a university professor, I had no racing opportunities. The Texas drought did not help. Then, I learned that Mr. Weber’s grandson Mark had become a driver in the Unlimited hydroplane circuit and was now conducting classes for prospective drivers in a program called “The Ride of a Lifetime.” My wife Janet repeatedly said that I had to enroll; and I am grateful for her encouragement. When I called Mark, he remembered me as a family friend and encouraged me to join him for classes in Dayton, Ohio. The anticipation of finally getting behind the wheel of an Inboard hydroplane after all those years, even briefly, was exciting. Before participating in such a strenuous activity, I began a strength and cardio regimen as rigorous as in my days on the police SWAT team. Under the supervision of a doctor, I eliminated carbohydrates from my diet and boosted my protein intake to lose weight while increasing the muscle mass and strength needed to operate the boat safely. The diet and exercise routine produced a weight loss of 20 pounds. I would at least be able to get into the cockpit. On the first day, the class of 18 went through capsule training in a pool at Wright State University in Dayton. After being briefed on procedures and equipment, each of us took a turn in a floating cockpit capsule, similar to an F-16 only with a steering wheel instead of a joystick. We were then put into a 15’ pool and tipped over. We had to disengage and remove the wheel, extricate ourselves from the five-
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point safety harness, and properly exit the cockpit while completely inverted. Wearing a helmet and crash vest added a degree of difficulty, because their flotation material tends to push the driver back up into the capsule after disengaging the safety harness. Some people expressed anxiety about being strapped into the cockpit while upside down and underwater, but everyone followed the sequence and exited the capsule properly. The mandated procedure is to surface at the nose of the boat, because rescue divers will enter the water at that location during an actual crash. Seconds are critical in these situations. Each student was scrutinized closely to ensure that all procedures were followed in the correct sequence. I believe that the SCUBA training I took over 50 years ago was a major factor in feeling relaxed throughout the process. The next day was devoted to classroom training led by Darryl Monette. He covered safety procedures, boat operation, course regulations, and a review of crash procedures. We were also fitted for Nomex driving suits, helmets with built-in flotation Strapped in and ready to go.
and radios, and life vests with Kevlar pads over the ribs, kidneys, and thighs. Later in the day we were able to watch as experienced drivers who had already undergone the training tested various Inboard and outboard hydroplanes on the 1-1/2-mile course. We had our first look at the boat that we would drive the next day—a 20-foot cabover hydroplane built by Jon Staudacher of Kawkawlin, MI in 1981. It was powered by a 305 cubic inch Chevrolet engine that generated 275 horsepower and turned a 12 x 21 three-blade propeller at 6500 RPMs. The rudder, strut, and shaft were custom-crafted. The engine was built by Marollo Racing Engines. The hull and engine are maintained by Tom Newman of Columbus, Ohio. The engine runs on pump gasoline and uses a Holley singlebarrel carburetor. During a class the boat is driven by several different people, each with varying levels of experience and ability. While the attraction of operating such a boat is speed, the entire package of hull, engine, and hardware is built to enhance reliability, durability, and safety. Several items have been added to keep the boat running continuously. The added weight lowers topend speed by 10 to 15 MPH, but it promotes longevity, and reduces maintenance and the time needed between student drivers. Because the boat may travel 150 laps during a given training session, an oil cooler
the middle of the course. After their 10 laps, many seemed to be afflicted with rubber legs—the after-effects of an adrenalin rush. Eventually it was my turn. After such a high level of anticipated excitement, the experience seemed to take on a surreal quality. I could not believe that I was finally driving an Inboard race boat. Although I had seen other drivers starting the boat, the roar of the engine directly behind me was startling. When the ignition catches, the propeller shaft is in direct drive and the boat is immediately moving. The thrust and instant acceleration exceeded what I normally feel in my Corvette. The drivers were in continuous radio contact with our instructor Darryl, who reminded us to accelerate fast enough to keep water flowing through the pickup line built into the rudder to keep the engine from overheating. The first lap was relatively slow (about 45 MPH) so that we could become familiar with the handling characteristics of the boat and locate the landmarks of the turn buoys. On the next lap he gave me approval to accelerate to ¾ throttle. I maintained this speed—about 80 MPH—for a couple of laps to build confidence in the equipment and my own ability to handle the increased speed. Soon I was taking the straightaways for the rest of my allotted ten laps at approximately 105-110 MPH. At that speed the gentle ripples in the lake surface feel as hard as concrete.
All too soon I began my 10th lap and Darryl reminded me that it was time to decelerate so that I could leave the course safely. Since the boats are not designed to turn quickly to the right, the return to the pit area involved driving on a gentle slope from the course after finishing the fourth turn. The driver has to slow down but must keep the boat on plane to avoid nosing in, and to keep an adequate amount of water flowing through the intake hose. Darryl radioed me to cut the power when I was about 40 feet from the dock, and then float to the attendants. I must have had an ear-to-ear grin on my face, but it was hidden by the helmet’s face shield and air mask. As soon as I was back on dry land I shed my helmet, life vest, and Nomex driving suit. Instead of hanging around with the other drivers, I retreated to the quiet of my car, offered a prayer of thanks for the experience, and called home. This sort of boating is not for everybody. Because of my age and distance from sanctioned races, I will not be able to pursue the sport. However, I got it out of my system. I should be used to thrills from being a police officer, but the excitement of the Ride of a Lifetime was a thrill that far surpassed my wildest expectations. From WOODEN BOAT magazine, August 2016, reprinted by permission of the author
Going down the straightaway, entering turn 1.
and alternator have been added. The fuel tank carries approximately 11 gallons. The same boat in racing trim would weigh less, but would require longer pit stops— and occasionally even an entire engine change. On Sunday, lots were drawn for our driving order. Fortunately, there would be no other boats on the course when we would be on the water. Throughout the entire process I was impressed by the safety procedures in place. Certified emergency medical technicians with two ambulances were present at all times in the pit area. Two crash boats with SCUBA-equipped rescue divers were in
The experience can be compared to riding in a Roman chariot with wooden wheels and no shock absorbers over a cobblestone road. The natural tendency is to slow down when entering such tight left turns to avoid spinning out from the centrifugal force and because of the increased water pressure on the rudder. The reinforced skid fin attached to the left sponson and the overall design of the keep the boat stable through the turns. With the experience and practice of each lap came the confidence to approach the corners more aggressively. Turning requires a firm grip with both hands and is definitely not for someone who is totally reliant on power steering.
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CATEGORY CORNER
Junior Classes racing at Black Lake, Washington. Gleason Racing Photography
JUNIOR CLASSES
BY // PATRICK GLEASON, JUNIOR CLASSES COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN By the time you read this, the Hinton Nationals will be long past. Since this article is being written the week before I leave for Hinton, it’s pretty much impossible to acknowledge the winners of this year’s Nationals. With that in mind, we hope that our Nationals were fun, exciting, competitive and safe. For me, it’s a highlight of the summer to get to see
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and meet so many J racers from around the country. At the North American Championships in Rock Falls, IL, the Olson brothers continued their strong runs in the J and AX classes, with Cole Olson taking home titles in AX Hydro and AX Runabout, and Cody Olson picking up the win in J Runabout. Only Tyler Price of
Haymarket VA was able to break the Olson brothers’ domination with a win in J Hydro. Congratulations to all the participants and thanks to Marine Racing Club of Chicago for hosting a terrific event! Looking forward to seeing all of you in Hinton. Until then, race safe!
MODIFIED OUTBOARD BY // TOM SUTHERLAND, MODIFIED OUTBOARD CHAIRMAN In case you haven’t noticed, the combined Stock, Modified and PRO Outboard rulebook no longer exists. Through no fault of the Modified Commission, the Stock, Modified and PRO rulebooks are now separate individual rulebooks. At first you might think, as I did, that separate rulebooks aren’t that bad an idea. But if you are a referee, inspector or scorer working at a combined category event, in addition to the increased duties required by our insurance carrier, there are now three separate, uncoordinated rule books to replace the once combined set of rules where common and
similar rules could all be found together. We all expect our race officials to know the rules. But to officiate a combined category race, they have to be familiar with the APBA By-Laws, the Stock Outboard rulebook, the Modified Outboard rulebook, the PRO Outboard rule book and the Junior Classes rulebook. That’s five separate reference sources, with very similar but often different rules for identical situations that may occur during a race.
So, when at a race, please be patient with the officials. Most of them are also racers just like you and me. Or, better yet, become an official yourself. With most of our clubs, a minority of the membership do a majority of the work. Your help is needed. Without referees, inspectors and scorers, we don’t race!
6-R Ken McMurphy and 28-R Sean Byrne at Black Lake in 500cc Mod Hydro. Photo: Alan Lagervall
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INBOARD
BY // MARK J. WEBER, INBOARD CHAIRMAN We have just completed the 2016 Summer Nationals. I wish to congratulate the winners and thank all the racers who attended. The IRC, along with the Marine Prop Riders and some personal donations, allowed for a nice dinner on Saturday evening. Thanks to Mike Weber and his team for organizing a great time. The entire Quake on the Lake Committee has done a great job over the past three years hosting the APBA Summer Nationals. And, every good organization has a great leader—in this case, a great family. I’m talking about the Wilson family. Mary Anne, Bob, Kyle, Becky, Charlie and Kyle’s fiancé Kelsey all have been committed to the success of Quake for many years. They should be proud of how well they hosted our premier race. On behalf of Inboard Racing, thank you. Next, I would like to thank the officiating team. It’s no secret that we need more officials, but you would have not known that at the Quake. This year Chas Dodge and Barry Pray refereed the race, with help from many turn judges over the weekend. Kim Liddycoat was under the gun with an early start time on Saturday and had many people step up to help keep us on time. Sam Anspach and the pit area management team had the boats ready and in the water. Andy Keogh, E-13 “Lady Luck” and John Shaw, E-1 “TM Special” at Waterford. F. Peirce Williams photo
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Next is the Inspection team which, this being the Nationals, can have a very long day. Jim Sechler led an inspection army, so racers were not held there till 10, 11 or even midnight, as sometimes happens. Region 6 Inspectors Rich Falcinelli and Rich Evans stepped up and were a huge help. Rich Evans drove up from Ohio just to help out so that Sunday would go smoothly. When a record was set, adding more work, Dan Kanfoush helped inspect. Carol and Russ Dodge came East and were a big help sealing engines, taking fuel samples and weighing boats as the top three in each class returned to the pits after the finals. At one point I heard Jim Sechler say 73 fuel samples were tested. Not sure if that was a final number or not, but you get the idea. So while we all very much need more officials, it may not have been noticed in Waterford. So many members teamed up and worked together for one common goal—the sport we love. Thank you! In closing, I wish to congratulate Greg Barker and Bobby Kennedy for setting the 2.5 Litre Stock record. What makes this one special is that Greg and Ann Barker set their first APBA record after 62 years in the sport. Now, that’s cool! Have fun and race safe. Remember—it’s a hobby!
28-R Black Lake Record: Kyle Lewis drove Lee Sutter’s C Stock Hydro to the record book for the fifth time in two years. The duo beat the former record of J Michael Kelly by almost 8 seconds, to 63.38MPH Photo: Alan Lagervall
STOCK OUTBOARD BY // JEFF BREWSTER, STOCK OUTBOARD CHAIRMAN As we prepare for our Nationals season and the flurry of activity that it provides, it is a perfect time to reflect on how our season has been so far. Obviously, there are many different angles to this subject—way more than I will remember. Most importantly, though, it has been a safe season so far; and that’s all that matters in the long run. Some that deserve an honorable mention are: • D ana Holt, Joe Pater and Jesse Swain, all showing dominance in their respective classes at the Winter Nationals. • Future superstars Austin VanOver and Braxton Miller battling it out in DSH in
Jesup, Georgia • K yle Bahl qualifying in three classes for the summer Nationals at the Western Divisionals. • Seeing our fellow Stock Outboarders moving up in categories and doing so well. It has been difficult to know whom to cheer for when we have drivers like J. Michael Kelly, Dustin Echols, Jimmy Shane, Jeff Bernard and Andrew Tate on the water. From what I’ve seen on video so far, it won’t be long until Donny Allen joins them! • K yle Lewis establishing a new CSH record for the 5 mile, 4 lap course. • Huge entries posted so far in 300SSH
around the country. Numbers in the twenties accomplish some incredibly close competition. • Our US A-Team, for a remarkable performance of having all three finish in the top ten at the OSY400 World Championships in Estonia. An amazing job of driving was displayed by team captain Billy Allen, Kyle Lewis and Mike Akerstrom. Soon, we get to see some history-making performances at our Hinton, WVA Closed Course Nationals and the Marathon Nationals in Indian River, Michigan. Like many of our members, I can hardly wait for our Nationals season to begin! // 27
Drivers make sure that fans get cooled off at the Trenton, Michigan Roar on the River. Paul Kemiel photo
REGION ROUNDUP
REGION 2 Our Region has been a little quiet for a few months, but it doesn’t mean folks aren’t hard at work preparing their equipment and getting ready to host races. On August 20th the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York, is again bringing retired boat racing equipment and friends to the St. Lawrence River (home of the 1000 Islands Marathon) for its biannual Antique Race Boat Regatta. The Fishers Landing Racing Club will host its 20th Annual Crystal Lake Regatta September 17th and 18th as the club celebrates its 68th anniversary. We hope to bring the 1000 Islands boat cruise back on Saturday night after racing. The boat will depart from Alexandria Bay at 7:00 PM for a small fee. We have a new racing family that is taking the Northeast by storm in CSR, CSR and JSH—Dan and Jacob Shaver. Dan has been competing for a couple of years as a Fishers Landing Racing Club member starting in the Classic division and stepping into CSR. He then got Jacob started, joining the J ranks last year along with the Henderson and Sovie boys. We are happy to see a good field of Js this year from Region 2. If you are interested in supporting the Fishers Landing Racing Club by joining as a member, please contact Scott Reed at reed28n@gmail.com. —Scott Reed REGION 3 The racing season is already half over and this is only my second report! There is a lot to catch up on, as Region 3 has been traveling near and far, claiming titles and trophies. So where do we start... The Stuart, Fla. Sailfish Regatta was in the online SPIN.
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Next stop: Cambridge, Maryland. With five short days to return from Florida and make any necessary changes, it was on to the Cambridge Classic. As usual, Region 3 showed up in force, making up 24 of the boats present. John Shaw, driving Region 4’s Y-35 for Team TBR, overcame a bent rudder and destroyed propeller to finish with a 3rd and two 2nd places. John Shaw/ Matt Henning in the T-5 “Trophy Hunter” swept two 1st places Saturday, but could not hold off the Region 4 contingent on Sunday, and finished with two 2nds. In 2.5 Stocks, Willard Wilson’s S-145, with John Shaw up, had electrical issues Saturday and remained on the trailer Sunday waiting for the “Wizard” to look it over. Karson Kennedy’s S-25, hit by mechanical ills, finished with two 4ths; and Charlie Williams’s S-216, with Matt Henning up, finished with a 4th and a 3rd. The S-80 “On the Edge” and Al Thompson’s S-92 “Tenacity” ran strong all weekend. Howie in the S-80 finished with two 2nds and a 3rd, but the S-92 swept three 1sts and a 5th for the weekend. Eight 2.5 Mods were in attendance. Doug Havell’s A-23 “Geezer Boat” started strong with a 2nd place, but a driving infraction cost him the final. Our 5 Litres, Tom Huganir‘s E-30 and the E-816 with Keith McMullen, put on a great show, as did George Conover’s GNH-18 with Scott Liddycoat up. Budget Buster’s NM30 with Scott driving worked out some glitches in the qualifier and was unbeatable in the final. The big yellow boat is always a thrill to watch. Seven R3 Skiffs made the trip, including three rookie drivers. It was great to see new faces: the JS-25/Richard and Shane Fairhurst, the 61/Michael Hendrickson and Brian Hinman, and the 427/Rocky Mangina and Dillon Zilusky. They struggled all weekend, but will be fierce competitors in races to come! Rob Garratano/Keith McMullen won their qualifier in the JS-11 “Indian Summer” but DNS in the final. Jim and Jeff LaMarco ran strong in their JS-24
“BAZINGA!” with three 2nds, but a DNF in the final cost them 2nd overall. JS-99 “Veri Cheri” with Dave Greenlaw/Jody Clauss took three 3rds and a 2nd in the final. However, the JS-77 with Tom Pakradooni/Tom Petterson squarely swept the weekend. Tom Petterson was beaming! Region 3 sent Brandon Kennedy’s GP-25 and Tom Pakradooni’s GP-88. Brandon DNF but the 88 ran great all weekend, sweeping four 1st places as they prepared for their next event at Gananaqua. Most of the SEs hailed from Region 3. Jeff Clauss in the SE-29 again prevailed with three 1sts and a 3rd. Jody Clauss’s SE-30 “Christine II” took two 3rds, a 2nd and a 4th; and Katelyn Shaw, three 4ths and a 2nd. Since we did not run in Kent Island, the Thunder on the Narrows trophies were awarded with the Cambridge trophies. Al Thompson won the Nathan Foundation’s Performance Index Award for coming the closest to setting a record in his S-92 “Tenacity,” plus the Alton Pierson award. Congrats, Al! Very much deserved! Tom Petterson’s JS-77 “Lap Dancer” with Tom riding and Pakradooni driving were the top Skiff team, earning the coveted Paul Sohn Memorial Award. Tom Pakradooni’s GP-88 also earned the Skeeter Johnson Memorial Award. Mark your calendars: Cambridge dates are May 27-28, 2017! Soon it was time for Region 3’s home opener. We knew the boat count would be low due to a schedule conflict, but 37 boats rolled in for the Greenwood Lake Power Boat Races. With just 17 hydros, this was definitely a flatbottom event! Not even Sunday’s rain and fog could keep boats off the course. Five 1 Litre Mod hydros competed hard all weekend. John Shaw in Eddie Thompson’s Y-35 “TM Special” and Chris Oliver’s Y-80 “Outlaw” with Keith McMullen battled corner to corner for the win. 3rd and 4th place were also up in the air, as Richard Shaw in Eddie
Thompson’s Y-350 “Plum Crazy” and Kevin Gunther in Jim Davis’s Y-444 “Clam Digger” fought neck and neck. John Shaw swept four 1st places. Keith was right behind with three 2nds. Richard edged out Kevin for 3rd in Saturday’s qualifier, but gremlins put the 444 on the trailer the rest of the weekend. The Y-350 finished with three 3rds and a 2nd. With Scott Melowic’s determination and his crew’s efforts, the Y-40 gets better each heat. In T-class, Max Ewancio made a few test laps in the T-314 “Irrational,” as he prepares to take over driving when his sister Sam reports to college. John Shaw/Matt Henning had a perfect weekend in Wayne Hagatha’s T-5 “Trophy Hunter.” The battle for 2nd-4th was among Courtney Stewart’s T-720 “Hangin’ Loose,” cousin Sam Ewancio T-314 and Kevin Gunther’s “Sporting Wood.” In Saturday’s qualifier, the 314 took 2nd place, with Courtney 3rd and Kevin a close 4th. Watch out, Courtney! In the final, no way Courtney would let her little cousin beat her twice. The 720 stole 2nd place, with Sam 3rd and Kevin 4th. In Sunday’s qualifier Kevin took “Sporting Wood” to 2nd with the T-720 3rd and T-314 fourth. The final ended with the T-314 2nd and T-16 3rd. Courtney had some penalties, but we all know it was Jimmie’s fault on the radios...how was she supposed to see that buoy in the fog? Five 2.5 Stocks answered the call with a familiar yellow boat missing. The S-145 team could not race, but a fast field still competed. Howie Schnabolk in the S-80 stole the show on Saturday with two 2nds, but Al Thompson came on strong Sunday, taking the win. Al finished 3rd in the qualifier behind Doug Martin’s S-33 “Keen’s Sunday Money.” Matt Henning/S-216 was 4th, with Doug Havell/S-79 in 5th. In the final, Al was 2nd, as the other boats DNS. Sunday’s qualifier saw Howie in 2nd, Doug Martin in 3rd, Havell in 4th and S-216 in 5th. Matt DNS in the 216, and the order of finish remained the same as the qualifier.
2001 3rd and Sebastian Leboeuf 4th. Jonathan Freniere in the SA-99 had a water issue but fixed it for the final to take 3rd, with Paul 4th and Sebastian 5th. Sunday’s qualifier had JT out front again, with Jonathan 2nd, Dominic 3rd, Sebastian 4th, Jody Clauss in the SE/SA-30 5th and Paul Reid 6th. Sunday’s final was a nailbiter. Dominic and JT battled all 4 laps; Dominic took the checkered with JT right behind. Jonathan ended 3rd, Jody 4th, Sebastian 5th, and Paul 6th. It will be exciting to see this class grow!
Clauss in hot pursuit in the SE-29. Also racing were Mike Aimers in the SE-88 and Katelyn Shaw in the SE-127.
Fourteen Skiffs! Yup, you heard correctly. For the first time in memory there were three elimination heats of Skiffs, all vying for the top 8 spots for the final. Dave Greenlaw in the 99 led the first qualifier, after the JS-11 had a poor start. Rob climbed back to 2nd, with Jimmie Stewart/Peg Ewancio in the JS-10 “Yumpin’ Yimminy” 3rd, Rocky Mangina/Dillon Zalusky in the JS-427 4th, and Richard Fairhurst/Chris Pomnatz 5th. The second qualifier finished with Pat Dender in JS-100 out front, with Billy Sewell/Lauren Brown in JS-991 2nd, Dave Savage/Tom Petterson’s JS-77 3rd, and Keith and Kevin Gunther DNS. In the 3rd qualifier Bob and Tim Presley rose to the top in the JS-9 “Kentucky Blue,” with John Waltz’s JS-75 2nd, Jay Hardy/Joe VanHook 3rd. With so many Skiffs, everyone was on the edge of their seats for the final. After a few penalties for gun jumpers, Dave Greenlaw won in the JS-99, with the JS-10 2nd, JS-991 3rd, 9 4th, 77 5th, 11 6th and 100 7th. Unfortunately, gremlins got to a few Skiffs Sunday, and we were down to two eliminations. Club president Jay Hardy saw his first win at his hometown race in the first qualifier, and went for a swim after the final. Jimmie Stewart’s JS-10 finished 2nd with JS-24 3rd and JS-99 4th. Pat Dender took the checkered in the second qualifier with Dave Savage and Tom Petterson 2nd, and JS-11 3rd. Greenlaw took the win in the final, with JS-10 2nd, JS-24 3rd, JS-22 4th, and JS-77 5th.
John Shaw/Matt Henning won the 1.5 Stock title in Wayne Hagatha’s T-5 “Trophy Hunter.” The 2.5 Stock title will reside in Region 3 with the Dooche himself. Tom Huganir never let up, even when it seemed that Greg Barker’s S-9 would win hands down; persistence paid off for S-69 “Busted Prop Racing”. I am sure they are still celebrating!
David Turner in the A-50, Doug Havell in the A-23 “Geezer Boat” and Scott Liddycoat in George Conover’s GNH-18 “Magnum” put on an exhibition and fine-tuned their boats for the Nationals.
Despite the weather, it was a great event and we all had fun. The club awarded Howie Schnabolk and the S-80 crew the Jim McLean Memorial Award for their outstanding performance. Many thanks to all who attended, and we look forward to seeing everyone back for the 2017 event!
Four SEs showed. Jody Clauss took two 1st places, edging out Dominic Cournoyer in Bob Jones’s SE-57 and Katelyn Shaw in the SE-127. A penalty in the final moved Katelyn to 2nd and Dominic to 3rd. Jim Clauss in J&J Marine’s SE-29 DNF. Katelyn’s motor also failed, and the class had to scratch on Sunday.
From Greenwood Lake, some of us prepared for the Nationals; others went on to join the Unlimiteds at the Madison Regatta. The river was calmer than last year, but driftwood created challenges. Scott Liddycoat shone in both the NM-30 “Pennzoil” and the GNH-18. (See the Region 4 report.)
APBA’s new Sportsman Advanced flatbottom class debuted at Greenwood Lake. Six boats answered the first one-to-the-five. JT Brinton’s PS-97 “Light Speed Too” was unbeatable Saturday, taking two 1st places, with Dominic Cournoyer SA-122 in 2nd, Paul Reid in the
After Madison it was off to Marietta, Ohio where the SE class joined the OPCs at Roar on the Riverfront. This race is always interesting; very tight course and a flag start. Parks Jones in the SE-57 swept the weekend, with Jim
Finally, the most recent race: the Inboard Summer Nationals in Waterford, Michigan. This is always a great event, with near-perfect water and weather. Region 3 claimed a few titles. Of six Sportsman Advanced entries, Jody Clauss dominated in Bob Zabady’s SA-555 “Show Boat” Saturday. (Regular points.)
The 2.5 Mod class showed that sometimes the underdog comes out on top. Doug Havell won his first title in the A-23 “Geezer Boat.” As he pulled out of the pits Sunday, his trophy was on display in his RV window, where it likely stayed all the way home. Scott Liddycoat claimed the National Mod title in Budget Buster Racing’s NM-30 and the Grand National title in George Conover’s GNH-18 “Magnum.”* Congratulations to both teams, as they work day in and day out to make their racecraft top-notch. The Skiff title was reclaimed by Rob Garratano’s JS-11 “Indian Summer” with Keith McMullen riding. For the first time in a long time, the flatbottom Nationals took place outside of Southern California. Jeff Clauss, driving for his dad Jimmy, took the title home to the East Coast in the SE-29 J&J Marine. Other podium finishers were: John Shaw driving the Y-35 and E-1 “TM Special” for TBR Racing to 2nd places; Al Thompson S-92 “Tenacity”- 3rd; Dave Greenlaw/Sam Greenlaw driving JS-99 “Veri Cheri” for Dave Sr.- 3rd. Many thanks to the countless people who worked so hard to put on the above events. Aside from racing, congratulations to Cassidy Henning for graduating from Cinnaminson High School and being accepted to Monmouth University on a scholarship! Tune in next time to see how the second half of the season wraps up as we return to New Jersey for events at Mays Landing and Lake Hopatcong. Hope to see you all there! —Katelyn Shaw
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REGION 4 The early part of summer has been fairly quiet for Region 4 members. Since Greenwood Lake in early June, only a few teams were active until the Summer Nationals in Waterford, MI July 22-24. Greg Isaac took his NM-247 “Blitzkrieg” to Madison, Indiana’s Ohio River obstacle course. Steve Kuhr drove to a 2nd and a 3rd on Saturday’s, but F.N. Craig struck in the final, leaving the boat too damaged to compete Sunday. Also in Madison, Scott Liddycoat drove Region 3’s GNH-18 “Magnum” owned by George Conover, and Ray Lynn’s NM-30 “Budget Buster Racing.” In GNH Scott took a 3rd and a 5th in Saturday’s heats, narrowly avoiding a collision when the GNH-515 lost its skid fin in turn 2. Scott took three 1st place finishes in National Modified in dominating fashion. Thompson Brothers Racing packed up their new 1 Litre and headed west for the second season in a row. Ed Thompson and driver John Shaw are figuring out the new boat, and dial it in better each heat. In Region 10 they face very stiff competition, where any one of a number of boats can win a given heat, and in each heat the competition gets faster. In Soap Lake, the team took three 4th places and a 2nd place finish in the Sunday Final. In Black Lake, they took a 4th and a 1st on Saturday, and two 3rd place finishes on Sunday. The next stop for many Region 4 teams was Waterford, MI for the Summer Nationals. About a dozen Region 4 teams and/or drivers headed to Quake on the Lake with the goal of bringing home one of those Michiganshaped trophies. Many of them accomplished just that! Our teams were prepared to compete against the best in the nation, and held their own in doing so! The 1.5 Litre Stock class consisted entirely of Region 4 boats. The most dominant was Wayne Hagatha’s T-5 “Trophy Hunter” team, with John Shaw driving on Saturday and Matt Henning on Sunday. The team took three 1st place finishes, including the Summer National Championship. Courtney Stewart and her T-720 “Hangin’ Loose” took 2nd and Kevin Gunther’s “Sporting Wood” took 3rd in the National final. Sam Ewancio found more speed on Sunday and had better finishes. The 1 Litre class was truly a National field, with teams from the East Coast, Midwest and West Coast competing for the Summer National title. Region 10’s Jimmy Shane (Former Region 4 driver) took the title on Saturday, but he had to work hard to fend off the Thompson Brothers Racing Y-35 “TM Special” driven by John Shaw. Jimmy and John raced deck to deck for several laps until the Y-6 edged ahead of the Y-35 by about a roostertail at the checkered flag. Bob Wilson’s Y-80 “Outlaw” took 5th in the National final with Keith McMullen driving. This was an incredible field of boats. Any one of them could
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have pulled out a victory in any heat. John Shaw drove the Thompson Brothers’“TM Special” 5 Litre to a 2nd place finish in the Nationals as well. This was another class that had stiff competition, with many teams improving in speed each time they took to the course. Unfortunately, several 5 Litres scratched on Sunday, and the Thompson Brothers stepped up to support the 2.5 Litre Modified class. The team placed 2nd in the qualifier and 1st in the Sunday final. Tom Thompson and Randy English’s “Fat Chance” team were jinxed at the Nationals this year. Many people in the pits were surprised by the issues they faced with their boats. One thing is guaranteed: this team will figure it out and will be back stronger than ever! The National Modified heats in Waterford were some that I looked forward to the most as a spectator. Several World Record boats were there: the NM-88 “Mr. Jiggs” driven by Josh Harnack, NM-100 “Sum Toy” driven by Tony Black, NM-30 “Budget Buster Racing” driven by Scott Liddycoat, and Steve Kuhr in Greg Isaac’s NM-247 were the top competitors in my pre-race pick. The NM-30 easily won its qualifier, but the NM-88 offered the duel I hoped for in the Nationals final. Harnack led Liddycoat every lap until a catastrophic failure ended “Mr. Jiggs’s” weekend, leaving the NM-30 with the victory.
Congratulations to Keith McMullen, Riding Mechanic of the JS-11 “Indian Summer” owned and driven by Region 3’s Rob Garratano. This team is always a favorite to win wherever they race. Jimmie Stewart volunteered to ride in Bob Nyland’s P-38 “Rascal.” Jimmie said that while the Cracker Box ride was different, it was fun! Congratulations to all the teams that participated in the Inboard Summer Nationals! As I write this, next up for Region 4 Inboarders is the final region race of the season, the Eastern Divisional Championships in Hampton, VA August 6-7. We hope to see many teams come out to support the event this year. The Hampton Cup Committee has been working tirelessly to promote and fine-tune one of the oldest events in the country! Many of us have been called and interviewed live on the local radio station each Saturday morning for the past few months. The Carolina-Virginia Racing Association was also putting the finishing touches on the 2016 Stock, Mod & Junior Nationals July 31st-August 6th in Hinton, West Virginia. Good luck to all racers in Hinton and Hampton! —Richard Shaw, Region 4 Chairman
Greg Isaacs’s hull sustained some damage in the qualifier, but Greg and F.N. Craig worked all day to fix it for the final. Unfortunately, “Blitzkrieg” sustained more damage in the final, forcing the team to withdraw for the weekend. On Sunday, Liddycoat continued to show the NM-30’s speed in the qualifier, but due to attrition and a boat pulling into the pits 200 feet prior to the start, the class did not have four starters to score points.
REGION 5 “Carole Reno KICKED BUTT!” I loved the headline!
Scott Liddycoat also drove George Conover’s GNH-18 “Magnum” to the Summer National Championship. This team continues to dial in their new hull and improve each weekend. I believe this is the first Summer National Title for longtime racer George Conover and the “Magnum” team.
Now I can talk about the guys in the deal. Region 5 has done well this summer, as Jeff Reno won the Divisional Championship in SST 120 in Knoxville, and Ashton Rinker placed 2nd.
Jimmie and Courtney Stewart took their two Skiffs to Waterford for a chance at the Summer National title. Jimmie and sister Peg Ewancio received a penalty in the qualifier which kept them from the final in the JS-10 “Yumpin’ Yiminy;” and a motor issue forced them to withdraw for the weekend. Courtney Stewart and Richard Shaw placed 2nd in the qualifier and final heat on Saturday, despite losing power in the final lap. When the rest of the Skiff class scratched on Sunday, so did the Goin’ Skiff’n Crazy team. Keith Gunther rode in the JS-771 with Dave Savage from Region 3, but a mechanical malfunction ended their weekend.
Carole won the SST 60 event in Marietta, Ohio on July 11th. Now, this is not her first win, as she won in Chattahoochee, Fla. in 2000 and also in Huntington, WVA awhile ago...BUT this is now, and she won! I will follow up with “You Go, Girl!”
Then at the Marietta event, Ashton Rinker was first and Jeff was 2nd. (I am beginning to see a pattern here... same three names making podium appearances again and again.) I think this makes for bragging rights for Region 5, as Ashton is from the Tampa, Florida area and Carole and Jeff are from Okeechobee, Fla. With four races scheduled by Powerboat Nationals in July and August, as well as the OPC Nationals on Labor Day weekend, I hope to be able to write another YOU GO GIRL article in the next Propeller! This column is short, as there is not much racing in Florida. I would like to say it is too hot here in the summer, so Region 5 drivers head north. However, it
is just as hot everywhere else recently... Oh, well...talk more later in the fall. Thanks for listening, —Sally Titus REGION 10 At the time of this writing, we are right at the peak of the racing season: For some, Nationals have been completed; some are en route to their Nationals, and others are packing their trailers and getting ready to make the cross-country trip. We start off this month with Tacoma Inboard Racing Association and Region Vice Chair Ana Cappelletti, with updates on TIRA’s upcoming races, plus an early plug for the Devil’s Lake Kilos: “The time is near... we have a few successful races under our belts, despite challenges with boat count this year. I have seen all the clubs persevere and, more importantly, come together to make each race run as smoothly as possible. “Tacoma Inboard has been working hard on both Pateros and Spanaway, and we are looking forward to great racing, good water and weather at each of our events this year! Tim Hamilton has been working with Julie Porter on the Terry Troxell Hydro Classic August 20-21. The last few things are getting buttoned up and we are all ready to go! “Sue Troxell has been working hard on this year’s Western Divisionals at Spanaway. Things are looking good, and we are excited to be hosting the Divisionals again this year. We hope all are excited to come fight for a Divisional title. Tacoma Inboard is looking forward to all those coming to both of our races, and wish all those traveling long or short
distances safe trips. We will see you on the water! “All those who are going to Kilos, feel free to contact me so we can get an idea of what classes are coming, and if you are interested in helping volunteer as well. We are looking for those that truly want to get involved yearly, as the Kilo race committee would like to have more help. If you have never been to Kilos, it is something you must experience. It is a great time to set those records and to watch your fellow racers do the same.” Jim Codling finally caught his breath after a very busy weekend manning the PA at the Black Lake Regatta in Olympia a few weeks ago. Here’s Jim’s recap: “A very successful Little Creek Casino Black Lake race came off with hardly a hitch just last week. 75 race boats showed up to claim the “King of the Mountain” title. The race is long established as the one to win out west, and the place to go fast and get your records. We have had two outboard records set—by Kyle Lewis in C Stock Hydro, and J Michael Kelly driving a very fast 500cc Mod Hydro. They were joined by the Colorado-based 2.5 Stock team of Dutch and Debbie Squires, who ran away with the 2.5 title, and the record. Ol’ Pops Squires upped the speed mark by almost 2 MPH . It was very impressive. “Race Chairman Shawn Waters had a lot of loose ends to get together, with 3 pit operating areas, 3 entry gates, and running his own GPS 95 entry (Frankenstein). The park was full, the bleachers packed, and there was a lot of fun racing. A couple of accidents marred the racing; Mike Kelly tipped over his C Stock boat and Josh Culver blew over the 1 Litre entry after a very fast heat.
You go, girl! Carole and Jeff Reno enjoy a winning streak. Claudia Haraway photo.
“Our Indian canoe race was a crowd favorite, with 7 of them roaring around the ¾ mile course. Each boat is handcarved out of a 30-ft. tree (shortened to 20 ft. long) with a 35 HP mod motor stuck on the back, Oh, and the drivers have to be very thin. (I do not fit). “The 1 Litres ran very fast all weekend. Jim Sechler tuned all the new motors he built, and also helped with inspection. This class left everyone smiling. The SE class ran well with 7 entries, and 3 different heat winners, over the 2 days. “The 5 Litres were also there, ready to roll; but Wally Johnston’s’ engine woes continued amid some very tight competition from Kurt Meyers, a relatively new racer who has his ride really humming. Cody Holmes also got his new 5 Litre running well, on the beautiful 1 ¼ mile course. “Next, we gear up for the Inboard Summer Nationals; then the Tri-Cities UL event; then Seafair; and finally our race at Oak Harbor up on Whidbey Island; so we’re looking at a busy few weeks ahead for all of our clubs’ racers. “Many thanks to all the helpers and sponsors who make this event possible, and a pirate nod to Jet Chevrolet for their help again this year.” Our Vintage Inboard group was well represented at Black Lake and a number of other events so far this year. Here’s their latest news, courtesy of Ron Morrison: “With three 2016 regattas in the books and what looks like four remaining, Region 10 Vintage is active and enjoying an increasing boat count—6 boats at Richland, 7 at Soap Lake, 10 at Black Lake and 12-15 possible for upcoming Pateros. Weather influenced Richland with 100+ degree heat, and running in the rain on Saturday at Soap Lake. In its first year, the Richland event was excellently planned and organized, with great community support. The future looks very positive for this site, and Vintage looks forward to returning. “A key element in what Region 10 Vintage tries to accomplish is the visual show it can give on the water. The mock race format used is, by intent and rule, not competitive—display only. The Vintage approach is to have the race boats run close side-by-side with multiple roostertails flying. We believe with these visuals, unique to boat racing, our division can enhance the whole program. “Here are a couple of updates on Region 10 Vintage boat happenings. Don Kelson’s original 265 Chev powered “Calypso” (recently restored) has been sold and is headed for display in a
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museum in Chehalis. The “Mr. Whoppit,” a 1972 Ron Jones Jr. 225 class hydro, has been returned to the Northwest. Bob Morris purchased it from the owner in Kalispell, Montana; and made a quick, stay-awake round trip to retrieve it. Jerry Armstrong was the owner/driver when this boat was the APBA National High Point Champion in 1973-74.
About the only bad thing about the timing of this year’s Nationals is that those of us making the big trip will miss both the Tri-Cities and Seattle Unlimited races. I know the H1 gang is looking forward to a couple of great events out west.
“And, a note on the July 8th passing of Lee Davies. Lee, from Vancouver BC, Canada, was a longtime very successful competitor in Outboard Performance Craft racing. Along with racing separate OPC events, many will remember that he regularly appeared at Region 10 Inboard events as well. Lee succumbed to ALS. Godspeed!”
—Patrick Gleason
Mike White of NOMA has had the Sport C gang very busy so far this year. Here’s Mike’s update of all things tunnel boat racing: “The Newberg race has come and gone. The Sport Cs had a great turnout, with 5 boats racing with a clock start on Saturday. Jeff Cannon hopped into Jan Norvold’s boat on Sunday, so 6 boats raced a LeMans start. The crowd really seemed to enjoy the event. We thank Steve Walde from Region 11 for his continued support. It is always great to see the drivers’ excitement in the competition. “Region 10 OPC has been busy this last month. Sport C driver Russell Mead participated in the Western Divisionals in Oroville CA; and Bollinger Racing had 3 Formula 150s in the races at Soap Lake, WA. “With the Oak Harbor Hydro for Heroes race just around the corner, Sport Cs and Formula 150s participated in the 4th of July parades in Oak Harbor and Sedro Woolley, WA, spreading the word and excitement the event is sure to bring. Following the Oak Harbor race, Sports Cs head out to race on the Columbia River at the Pateros Hydro Classic. “We thank Rick Sandstrom, Matt Yarno, and Lenny Baker for their support at the NOMA meetings.” Seattle Outboard was well represented in Kingston, Tennessee at the PRO Nationals, with Ryan Gowin taking home the first place trophy in K PRO Hydro, Daniel Korpe winning his first Nationals in OSY400, and Jim Nilsen taking home wins in two of the PRO C Racing/C Service classes. Looking forward to the Stock/ Mod/J Nationals, a dedicated contingent of Region 10 members are headed to Hinton. We hope by the time you read this, we’ll have a few more members of our Region crowned as National Champions.
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Best of luck to all; here’s to a successful and safe Nationals for all of our region’s racers! REGION 11 On a beautiful California weekend at Lake Minden in Nicolaus, CA, the Northern California Outboard Association hosted the Region 11 Bill Boyes Memorial Race to kick off the 2016 season. The Boyes family was in attendance. Kay served as the Official Scorer; son Matt worked on the judges stand and drove a memorial flyby as a tribute to his father, while his daughter Chloe did the flags. (I think boat racing is in her DNA.) Bill and Kay’s daughter Andrea, her husband Gio, and their young ones Jackson and Scarlett cheered for Uncle Matt on the water. It was such a fitting family tribute on this special occasion. The Super Stock 300 Hydro class made a grand debut, with a nice fleet of competitors hitting the water for the first time here in Region 11. Joe Johnson of Vacaville, CA reeled in first place; David Hale of Sunland CA had a solid lock on second, followed by David Biagi from Morgan Hill and Brian Vincent of Lakeport, CA sharing third place honors. After a little practice on Saturday, David Biagi delivered an overall first on Sunday. Word is that more of these affordable motors are on order and that this class looks like it’s going to be a “Biggy.” What better way to showcase a new class than to have wily veterans like Joe Johnson and David Biagi demonstrate what a 300SSH can do. Special thanks to Stock Category Chairman Jeff Brewster, the Godfather behind the introduction of the new class. He has the support of Jean MacKay and others here in the region. Look for Johnson, Biagi, Chris Madewell and Brian Vincent to promote expansion of the 300SSH Class here in Region 11. And, look for some new boats to come out of the molds of Composite Craft in Modesto very soon. Denice Morris, after a brief hiatus, made an impressive return to boat racing with a series of podium finishes. On Sunday she took the wheel of Pam Wilde’s A Stock Hydro and emerged the winner over top guns Britney Schwarzenbach and Daniel Wilde. To cap this performance, Morris jumped into Julian Rucki’s P-28 Crackerbox, driven by Jerry Croft, and shared a solid 2nd place finish in all heats. This was behind John and Courtney Canfield’s P-5 Pandora’s Box driven by perennial champion Tony Lombardo. BTW, this is the same Jerry Croft who got a podium finish in the Cracker
NAC at the Mossdale Race last October. Looking good, Jerry and Denice. Brett Williams took time off from his studies at the University of Washington to run 20SSH at Minden, garnering 400 points on Saturday to set the pace in a field of eight boats, including Roger Hewson and David Hale from the Southland. It’s always nice to see David and Roger. Ryan Morris of Stockton, on his return, showed some of his old form. RJ West beat the gun in one heat but managed 300 points in his second after a little practice. Chris Madewell and Tony Lombardo were among the five “eager beavers” who beat the gun! The Sport Cs trotted out a nice field of seven boats and put on quite a show for the weekend. New kid on the block Justin Noack stole a start and led the pack all the way to the midpoint of the first and second turn only to experience an attack of gremlins; the pack blew by him. On Saturday, Mike White of Sedro Woolley, WA eased out Steve Walde of Discovery Bay, followed by George Stewart of Antioch and Bob Joe Finkbohner of Sacramento. Another highlight was the jubilant finish of Mike “MikeBig” Biglow of Modesto, CA in his first race after a chemo hiatus. You can check out complete results on the APBA website. The Time Trials in Oroville produced a lot of records, but more importantly, worker bees from Regions 10 and 11 teamed up to deliver a very successful event April 2-3. On June 11-12, Regions 10 and 11 again combined efforts to conduct the Stock-Mod Divisionals at Oroville. Our own Teri Ziemer served as Race Director, along with Stuart Ford and Brian Vincent, who is in training under a team of experts. This was truly a combined effort utilizing talents from both Regions. Sam Houghtaling served as Chief Referee, assisted by Jim Nilsen and Larry Darneille. Steve Greaves inspected, along with our own Steve Wilde and Joe Johnson. Jean MacKay did the scoring with Kay Boyes and Denice Johnson, while Gloria Crim helped Bill Miller with timing. Karl Bishop did his usual outstanding job as Assistant Risk Manager. Results are posted on the APBA website. The East Bay Boat Club was putting together a big one for August 13-14 at Salt Springs, with a Driving School on Saturday morning. Stay tuned for a recap in the next issue. Ciao. —Frank L. Banducci
RACE IN PEACE LEE DAVIES (1941-2016) Lee Douglas Davies passed away peacefully July 9, 2016 in his 75th year after a brief but courageous battle with ALS. He was predeceased by his lovely partner in life, JoAnne Ashley (2014), his father William Davies and his mother Catherine Davies. He leaves behind his sons Clayton (Sonia) and Jason (Leigh), and stepdaughters Rhonda, Debbie and Patti. He will always be alive in the happy memories of his grandchildren, as well as two great-grandkids. He will be sadly missed by his brothers and sisters back home: Arlene (Kay), Earl (Donna), Judith (Tom), Rick (Judi) and Bill (Barb) and many nieces and nephews—especially Katie and Josh. Lee was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He headed for BC in his 20s with his good friend Skip Warnick. He established himself in the world of boat racing and the marine industry, eventually opening Lee’s Marine with partner and friend Wayne Fabris. The business flourished for almost 40 years. Lee had many accomplishments in the racing world with his “Out of Pocket” racing, including two world competition records (MOD U at 104.33mph average and Champ at 101.363 mph average). He was inducted into the Greater Vancouver Motorsports Pioneers in 2007, and into the American Power Boat Association Hall of Champions in 1998. Lee was one of a kind—a loving husband/father/ grandpa to his family, a racing buddy to many, a dependable marine repairman to his customers, and a character and friend to all! Everyone he touched
became his friend, and boy, do they have funny stories to tell! His sense of humor, his affection for risk, and his love of a good time were appreciated by many. The twinkle in his eye and his trademark grin will be missed. Among those who will miss him dearly will be his family, his friends in the racing community, Nick Springate, Brian Stoker and Tom Stanley (who were there from beginning to end) and all those amazing, special people he befriended along the way. Heartfelt thanks to Rhonda Taylor and Tom Stanley for their friendship and dedication to helping to ease Lee through his journey with ALS. Also thank you to the special staff at Eagle Ridge (MCU) Hospital and McKenney Creek Hospice at the Maple Ridge Hospital. —Vancouver Sun/The Province July 22-23, 2016 CARLOS MCCLENDON Carlos Ray McClendon, 49, of East Brainerd, Tenn., crew member of Pirate Racing, passed away after a tremendous battle with cancer. Carlos was a very special person to the Pirate Racing team. To everyone in OPA Racing, he was family. A lifelong resident of the Chattanooga area, Carlos was retired from Nissan North American in 2008 due to declining health after 10 years of service. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Angela Levi McClendon; sons Tucker Chase McClendon, Jacob “Jake” Mark Gilley; daughter Kaitlin Marie Gilley; father and stepmother, David and Dianne McClendon; brother
Cliff; uncles and aunts Jerry (Terrye) McClendon, Donetta (Sam) Amberson, RuthAnne McClendon; in-laws Ronnie and Carolyn Levi; and his dearest friends at Pirate Racing Team, Dale Avans, David, Martha and Travis Denham. Carlos was a BIG part of our racing family. He meant so much to so many in OPA Racing. He appeared to be everywhere. He was there not only for David and Travis Denham, but for any team that needed a helping hand. He was also a member of the World of Wheels. There was never a bad thing that could have been said about Carlos. He was a true gentleman with a heart of gold. He will remain in our hearts forever. Contributions may be sent to Graceworks Church, 6445 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, TN 37421 for the family to help with medical expenses incurred during Carlos’s years of illness. — www.chattanoogan.com and Pirate Racing KEVIN GILDAY (1955-2016) Kevin J. Gilday, age 61, of Woodhaven, Michigan, passed away on July 31, 2016. He is survived by his wife Beth Gilday, and many friends in several spheres: marathon running, HAM radio, Inboard racing, and emergency medicine, among others. Kevin leaves a legacy of humor, kindness and service to others.
A FLOCK OF Js SPOTTED AT HINTON NATIONALS
BUFFALO BILL: Rich Entertainment Group owns the Toronto Blue Jays AAA baseball farm team, the Buffalo Bisons. To promote a recent raceboat event, they had Bill DeGlopper take their Buster Bison mascots for a Jersey Speed Skiff ride. A videographer in a chase boat made a video which was then shown on the huge Jumbotron screen at the Bisons baseball field for every July home game in during the seventh inning stretch. (The mascots wore lifejackets underneath the costume.)
Jean Tennell captured this group shot of Junior Class drivers at the Stock/Mod/J Nationals in Hinton, West Virginia. Look for a recap in the next issue of PROPELLER.
DONATE TO THE OUTBOARD DRIVING SCHOOL FUND!
Outboard Driving Schools are a proven way to bring new members into APBA. The APBA Historical Society maintains a fund to provide grants to local clubs to help offset expenses, so they can introduce more newcomers to the thrill of racing. Invest in the future of racing. Please consider a donation to help APBA clubs with their Driving Schools in this racing season and in years to come. The APBA Historical Society is a 501(c)3 corporation, so your donation to the Driving School Fund is fully tax-deductible. Contact Linda Likert at the APBA office, or visit www.apbahistoricalsociety.org .
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