Not Your Typical Trophy
	Photo By RAP :: Race Action Photography

RAP RENDITIONS - 2007 IHBA SAN DIEGO THUNDERBOAT REGATTA

2007 IHBA San Diego Thunderboat Regatta, an annual 3 day event typically held every mid-september, was held on September 14-16. The event gave spectators choices of 3 venues, unlimited hydroplanes, circle boats, and drag boats. The drag boats, sanctioned by the IHBA, went smoothly if we can ignore some rough water due to the high rollers created by the off shore boats, and unlimited hydroplanes.

The unlimited hydroplanes look like a flattened float plane without the floats and are so large they have to be dropped into the water by a crane. The off shore boats look like midget ocean liners. If you are into pretty boats the drags at crown point was the place to be and don't let the prettiness fool you, these babies fly down the 1/4 mile at various speeds sometimes exceeding 267.00 mph. Try throwing the NHRA onto a water track and you might have the feel for what went on at this event.

The drivers are the most colorful personalities you could ever expect to meet at any race and certainly the friendliest.

Drivers and teams like the Silvas who are not only multi-award winners but find the time to cook for their competition and offer some of us custom special orders, like no pepper for Greg Kienitz.

Drivers like Michael Doll, ME #707, Lap Dance, walked away with the Gambler trophy, not bad for a man that endured heart surgery just over six months ago.

Speaking of boat losses there were none at this event. The weekend was accident free although there were a few near heart attack moments. One of those moments was Saturday when an off shore race team got lost and raced down the dragboat track in error. I guess in error is a mild word to use, considering they were going the wrong way down the track and headed for the holding rope.

Dennis Frohm, took a turn at venturing off track, heading out on a 45 degree angle towards the unlimited hydro/offshore track but shut down within seconds, was that a payback? Dennis made a great license run on Sunday, doing 6.80, faster than the Pro Mod 7.0 index.

Another picture perfect license run was made by Scott Thompson. Pressure brewed after Problem Child made a big bang at the 20 foot mark, refusing to cooperate with Thompson who was attempting a full license pass. Scott Thompson, the new driver for TFH #1, Problem Child, ran the fastest pass of his career, and finished the weekend swapping his PM license for a valid TFH license.

While on the topic of picture perfect moments, SE driver of the DUDE #352, Seth Brady, photo above, proposed to his first love in front of his second love. After 5 years, he decided he couldn't choose between his boat and his girlfriend, so he asked her to marry him on Saturday evening. His future in-laws and parents, and the DUDE watched the man get down on one knee. The Brady bunch, his folks and her folks,all came down to the race for this magic moment. Caleb Brady made his oath to win the race. In SE Round 1, Jayne Bradley, eye glued to the clock had an excellent reaction time of .064 and 11.073 ET at 98 MPH while Caleb wiped #1 qualifier Roger Silva off the Eliminations list with a .023 reaction time and 11.024 ET at 89.48 MPH. Silva red lit. The two, Bradley and Brady made their way to the finals, and the icing on the cake for Caleb was tucking that winners trophy under his arm as he walked down the podium aisle.

October is near, and halloween came early on Saturday, when TFH driver,John Hass. went down the track with his boat playing the roll of an olympic torch. Glen Wilson and the Toxic Rocket team, who have been arm wresting the boat, finally slam dunked it to the finish line, with a head spinning reaction time, knocking Jarrett Silvey (Hot Licks Bullet) out of the event. John Haas and the Speed Sports Special team, spiced up the french-fried TFH for the Sunday semi-finals against Glen Wilson. Wilson, piloting TFH #420, Toxic Rocket, ran a sweet pass but red lit. Haas went on in a neck to neck race with Rex Childers. Childers in round 1 against Scott Thompson, who broke at 1/4 track, drove from third track thru the finish line with his parachute open, dragging air and water for about 300 feet still mustered up over 200 MPH, 4.97 ET. Haas, during round 1. had the treat of a single run and used it to monitor his reaction time, and after a short start, shut down knowing .034 was the magic number. Haas won the finals, while Childers repeated his parachute trick.

TAH Kebin Kinsley got spanked by Kent Price who ran an ET of 5.60 at 201.96. Kebin ran into a some trouble at 3/4 track but still managed an ET of 5.97 198.90 MPH, with a 17 hundredths of a second difference at the finish. Price, previously swamped by trials, tribulations and multiple crashes, has finally found his groove. Price went on to stomp #1 qualifier Bob Pizza, with a 200.68 MPH pass at a 5.767 ET. Price has been on a winning streak since June 2007, in Chowchilla.

TAF Bausher red lit, putting Steve Westerfield in the winners circle as runner-up against event winner Ermshar.

PCE was a 3 boat field. Ugly Customer PCE #590, typically driven by Bob Holt, was all decked out with a new motor and and sported #500 for the event. Cole Thurston, earned the invitation, and #500 had the points to compete, but Thurston parked his #500 after 2007 Lakefest at Phoenix and has not been in the seat since. His plans were to not race until he was behind the wheel of his new ride, a TAF. The spectators watched Cole Thurston duel it out with Sean Lipinski during Friday's test and tune, and the fact that there is no love lost between Lipinski and Thurston is not any big hush-hush secret. Ugly Customer broke a rocker arm stand. The boat was trailored to LA where Lew Larson (owner) replaced the motor. After putting some carburator issues to bed, Thurston faced Lipinski again, and flew down the track at 127.08 MPH and 8.356 ET, but red lit. Lipinski won the round with a 86.84MPH run at 9.489 ET, and was heading to the final round against #1 qualifier, Brad Parrack. Lipinski red-lit and crawled down the track at 55.20 MPH. Parrack at 100.03 MPH an 9.198 ET took the win.

Pro Mod first round of eliminations was aglow with double red lights for both Hagberg (Team 122) and Baxter (771 Bottoms Up) with the lesser of two evils being Baxter. Dunn got a gift from Blattler (Pure Nasty) when he red lit, jump starting Dunn into the finals against Baxter. A broken Bauer puttered down the track looking at Esposito (his sponsor) who red lit after a 7.008 ET. Despite winning, he was a no show in the semi finals giving Baxter a single run. Speaking of gifts, #1 qualifier Shawn Reed, didn't make the call and Dunn also got a single run. Baxter went on to duke it out with Dunn, and won the event winner title while Dunn held a podium spotlight snagging the runner-up plaque.

Joe Shelfo PE#623, took out the #1 qualifier Allen Forsyth, and went made his way to the podium, for the first time in a long time (about 3 years), after defeating Greg Vanderwende.

Another long awaited trophy (about 18 years) was earned by Kenny Shaw. Kenny, driver of Wild Thang II, ME #26, has been racing since 1989, and this was his first stone guy and it couldn't come at a better time, onsidering Kenny just negotiated an additional sponsor for his team.

River racers on the liquid quarter maintained a mph in the sixties range Keith Sayles, #1 qualifier and class winner, stood out from the crowd running consistantly in the eighties. Keith Turley lucked in when all his competitors red lit, during Rounds 1 and 2, this guaranteed him, a worst case scenerio of runner-up. Sayles, had am almost perfect finals run ET at 11.959 (85.20 MPH) but almost doesn't cut the cheese when the dial in is 12.00, and you run too fast. Turley walked away with the winners trophy for the River Racer class while Sayles earned runner-up.

Jeff Vail, who considered moving up to the PE class, is probably feeling good about his decision to stay in the TE class. Vail, the #2 qualifier, ended up #1 among the TE competitors, dancing his way through the pits with his lifeless trophy partner.

Stay safe, so we can see, your face in a race.