RIVER RUSH

Continuing a tradition that kicked off in 1985, racers chart a course to Central Idaho to conquer the Clearwater River.

Above: CX racers Tim Harding (driver) and Vance Scott (navigator) took first place in the class—and the overall event—in their Burning Desire competitor. They finished the event with a time of 2:19:33. Wild jetboat racing action heated up in central Idaho, when the Clearwater River Rush jetboat race continued a tradition that began in 1985. Racers in three classes (FX, CX and A) took to the waters of the Clearwater River in central Idaho near the city of Orofino.

The overall winner (and winner in CX Class) was Burning Desire, with Tim Harding (D) and Vance Scott (N), who finished with a time of 2:19:33. Both men are from Gold Beach, OR. Harding has been promoting and racing jet boat river races for more than 25 years. He is presently organizing the 2022 World Jet Boat Races, to be held in Idaho, Oregon and Northern California in the middle of next May. Because of Covid, this premier event has been postponed twice.

Driver Chris Barger and navigator Chandler Lytle, both of Orofino, ID, were the winners in FX Class (and second overall), with a time of 2:40:04. First place in A Class (and third overall) was won by the father/son team of Jeff and Jeremy Edwardson of Lewiston, ID, with a time of 2:47:50.

Fatal Attraction, the first-place finisher in FX Class, also finished second overall with a time of 2:40:04. The boat is driven by race organizer Chris Barger and navigated by Chandler Lytle.

Maniacs was the first-place finisher in A Class and the third overall winner. Piloted by father Jeff Edwardsen (driver) and son Jeremy Edwarden (navigator), the team finished with a time of 2:47:50.

Second-place finisher in FX Class was Alcohaulin’, with driver Mike Lindsey and navigator Riley Brooks, both of Lewiston, ID. On the second day of the race, Lindsey totaled the boat at the 6-Mile Rapid. There were no injuries to either of the men.

Rude Awakening, the second-place finisher in A Class, is driven by Alan Paul and navigated by Rhenn Casto, both of Orofino, ID. They finished with a time of 3:23:10.

A Class competitor Sneaky Snake, featuring driver Ryan Hudson of Lewiston, ID, and navigator Jason Locke of Pasco, WA, finished third in the class with a time of 3:32:16. Hudson, along with Jeff Edwardsen and Mike Lindsey, are organizing the upcoming Thunder on the Snake Jet Boat Race in Lewiston, ID, Aug. 27-29.

speed, records the average speed of a boat as it travels 1 kilometer. OPA competitors from four spec classes came to set records. In Pro Stock Vee, Relentless (with driver Travis Pettko and throttleman Steve Papp) set a record with a speed of 88.83 mph; in Modified Vee, Punisher (with driver Sean McCarthy and throttleman Anthony Silvera) set a record with a speed of 96.09 mph; in 450R, Marine Technology (with driver Taylor Scism and throttleman Randy Scism) set a record with a speed of 121.81 mph); and in Vee Extreme, Knucklehead Racing (with driver Edward Smith and throttleman Anthony Smith) set a record with a speed of 122.84 mph. Each team nabbed a cash prize of $7,000.

Finally, Sunday’s shootout was a “run what you brung” event, with plenty of triple-digit top speeds. It was a lively affair, kicking off with stunt pilot Brian Correll in his biplane chasing both Team Scism in their blue Marine Technology raceboat and Carey in his 2021 37' Midnight Express, powered by four Mercury Racing 450Rs. “That was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Carey says. “I can not say enough about Brian. What a great guy. In addition to flying the plane, he also came out and interacted with the crowd and answered their questions.”

Among those who participated in the shootout were owner Bill Forenski of headline sponsor WMF Watercraft & Marine, who wowed the crowd with runs in his MTI 340X cat, as well as a pair of pontoon boats, all powered by Mercury Racing 450R outboards. Also vying for the Fastest on the River award were the Scisms in their Marine Technology 390X with a speed of 118 mph.

But the big winners of the shootout were local heroes Brit Lilly and Kevin Smith, who ran Steve Stanley’s 40' Skater, Chaos, to a top speed of 139.4 mph. It was one of three boats the pair ran at the event—they also piloted their World Champion offshore raceboat LSB Hurricane of Awesomeness in the kilo event, as well as Tug It/Pit Viper, which the LSB team campaigns in Modified Vee.

“It was by far the biggest poker run I’ve ever seen on the Bay, and this is my hometown,” Lilly told Speedboat. “Everybody really outdid themselves.” He added that the Chaos boat—which Lilly’s Sport Boats maintains— was a blast to drive. “We’ve been taking care of it for a long time,” Lilly says. “My dad (offshore legend Art Lilly) used to race it in the local OPA event in 2006 to 2008, so it was nice to get back in it all redone.”

Carey says he was delighted to host the crew from Marine Technology Inc. (MTI), which hauled three boats from their headquarters in Wentzville, MO, nearly 900 miles away—including aforementioned 390X Marine Technology offshore competitor driven by Taylor and Randy Scism in the kilo run, another 390X that ran in the poker run, and MTI’s 42-V center console demo boat. (The Scisms also raced against Brian Correll in his biplane prior to the shootout, in a stunt patterned after the one Correll also does at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.)

“We were really impressed by their presence,” he says. “Their interaction with our guests—and maybe their future clients—was incredible. They answered a lot of questions and provided demo rides. They’re really a first-class operation.”

Carey is already looking forward to the 2022 event, and so are we!

OBSERVER’S SEAT RAY LEE

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their many contributions to the city and to express their gratitude for it.

We then traveled to the small town of Boyne City, MI, for the Boyne Thunder Poker Run. My first time at this event was two years ago and I fell in love with the event for its casual schedule, the cooler summer temperatures and friendly people. I had hoped to return again in 2020 but it too, fell victim to the dreaded Covid. 2021 was far better to Boyne City as the event returned in all of its glory. Previous organizer Bob Alger had since stepped down and handed over the reins to Ingrid Day, who did a remarkable job putting it all together.

The appeal was so great that it attracted manufacturers such as John Cosker and his Mystic Powerboats, Peter Hledin and his Skater Power-boats, Outerlimits renaissance man Dan Kleitz and his fleet of vees and cats, the team at Mercury Racing, who was there with their display truck and even lured first-timers NorTech Boats with dealer manager Geoff Tomlinson all the way from Florida to experience Michigan boating, at its finest. All of them were impressed with “the Thunder.”

I was privileged and honored to be invited on board the iconic 47' Apache Kemosabe again, just as I was in 2019. Owner John Frohlich is the most gracious host and offers complimentary earplugs and loaner goggles for the E-ticket ride. I’ve learned that this is mandatory equipment for protection from the forced winds in the face and the loud decibels coming from his triple fire-breathing 950-hp Sterling Performance engines. Even Barney the loving dinosaur joined in on the fun with us. Thanks again, John!

The rest of the boating season is jammed packed for us, as more and more events continue to invite us to join them at their home cities. And we are thrilled to be there to experience as many as we can and bring the coverage to you—our readers. We thank you for your subscriptions and for your support of the printed publication. We couldn’t do it without you. Mascot Barney stands guard over the 47’ Apache Kemosabe from the expansive dash.