My First Drag Boat Race... (1 Viewer)

[RMS]

Well, i know theres a couple drag boat fans on this site so i figured i would post this up here. This weekend i went to Red Bluff for the IHBA Nitro Nationals, first time i had ever been to a drag boat race and well, it wont be the last ! Man those things are crazy! I took a couple pictures from the weekend, not many "action" shots because i left my big lens at home (stupid me, i know...) but i did what i could do with what i had. Anyways heres the link if you want to check them out: Quarter Mile Designs - Red Bluff Nitro Nationals - May 25-27

 

[Joker]

Nice photo's Steve. I have only been to one drag boat race and it was a minor one down here in Clear Lake one year along time ago and I enjoyed it. Scenery aint too bad huh! I was surprised to see a guy wearing an Astro's hat, must have been from here in Houston.

 

[BaldyLochs]

Nice photos. I went to a couple of the Waco meets when I lived in Texas. It's amazing to see how similar (particulalry the nitro guys) they set up thier motors compared to the "dry" top fuelers. They also keep pace with the latest innovations and technology, no differently than John Force or Kalitta does.
One year I was there a funny thing happened.... I was hanging out at the launch ramp/staging rope area. Usually 1 or 2 guys will stand in the water making sure the boats get off the trailer OK & get lined up.... in like chest-high water, a nice way to stay cool & enjoy the races, huh? Well this one guy started getting pinched by crawdads!!!! He had marks all over his body. Eventually someone got him a wetsuit so they coudn't pinch through it.

 

[Toejam]

Being from Albuq. Charlie Fegan who now owns IHBA owned a TF Hydro named American Flyer. We had another TF Hydro here driven by Tom Cantrall called "Beautiful Noise" hense the name I used for some time. Tom was killed after crashing at Chowchilla, Ca. back in 1997. I've been to Phoenix like 7 times! The only let down about Dragboat racing is the downtime, you can easily go 10-15 minutes between runs towing boats off and lining them on the holding rope, etc...

But seeing a Pair of TF Hydros make side by side 4 sec. runs with the 300' Roostertail is a sight even Pavement Dragracing can rarely compare to! And the Eye Candy.......... You'll end up with a Sore neck at the end of the day at those things. I think the term silicone valley was stolen by someone who went to a Dragboat race. The Plastic surgery's on Full parade, But it seems like it was better back in the Mid 90's.

The Shirt "Drag racing on asphalt is for Pussys" is very popular at the lake, but they've also lost a lot of Drivers too: Tome Cantrall, Tom Black, John Hipwell, and the numerous drivers with life threatening injuries like Clinton Anderson who is now in a wheelchair. I hope this Craig Gilday lawsuit doesn't destroy the sport.

 

[none]

The Shirt "Drag racing on asphalt is for s" is very popular at the lake, but they've also lost a lot of Drivers too: Tome Cantrall, Tom Black, John Hipwell, and the numerous drivers with life threatening injuries like Clinton Anderson who is now in a wheelchair.

Don`t forget about losing Tim Capaldi, who raced both on the water and in alky dragster in NHRA. Used to go to Castaic a long time ago and watch him, Anderson, Braaksma, Promnitz etc. when I lived in Ventura. Lots of good times at those IHBA races!

 

[Toejam]

Don`t forget about losing Tim Capaldi, who raced both on the water and in alky dragster in NHRA. Used to go to Castaic a long time ago and watch him, Anderson, Braaksma, Promnitz etc. when I lived in Ventura. Lots of good times at those IHBA races!

Sorry I forgot about Tim Capaldi, he died at Puddingstone lake less than a month after going to the Semi's in Alky Dragster at Pomona in '94. Those two facilities are about a mile apart. John Hipwell was killed while driving Ron Braaksma's "Madness" TF Hydro, John's widow sued Braaksma in a wrongfull death lawsuit after the entire Dragboat family raised over $20,000 for the Hipwell family! Now IHBA requires all spouses to sign releases to allow their Husbands to race!

 

[RMS]

Yea this was at Red Bluff on the Sacramento River. I guess that is the place to break records since the water is so cold and thick. In Top Fuel both ends of the record were touched but not backed up, and in either Pro Mod or Top Alcohol Flat (cant remember) the speed record was broken and it was a 12 year standing record!

And yea when that TF boat crashed ("Problem Child" driven by Dale Ishimaru) it was scary, not like any asphalt crash ive seen. Hopefully he is alright, they never announced anything over the speakers about him. But the driver of the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Hydro was reported ok with just minor injury's.

The down time is the 1 bad thing about drag boat racing tho, 5-10 minutes between pairs sometimes! Sure its nice and relaxing, but when you forget chairs, your legs start to hurt! Lol

 

[RMS]

I was surprised to see a guy wearing an Astro's hat, must have been from here in Houston.

No thats just my buddy Michael...he jumped in front of my camera at least 5 times trying to be funny and finally the last time he did it i said "ok im not deleting this one, its going online" lol

 

[dragboatphoto]

Welcome to the wet stuff Steve , glad you enjoyed yourself. Dale in Problem Child will be ok after sometime but did sustain a few injuries. The fastest pass ever was this weekend by Problem Child with a 4.69 at 263 mph . Wish I would have been there to see it. Thats quite an amazing sequence you got of the problem child crash...good job.

Your lucky too you got another one coming up here in a couple weeks in Chowchilla June 8-10

 

[RMS]

Your lucky too you got another one coming up here in a couple weeks in Chowchilla June 8-10

Yea me and my friends i went to Red Bluff with want to go but we have a drag race that weekend here in Sacramento...but im sure we'll be booking a hotel next month for the Nitro Nationals next year.

Oh and im glad to hear that Dale will be alright, that was a bad wreck...

 

[Toejam]

Welcome to the wet stuff Steve , glad you enjoyed yourself. Dale in Problem Child will be ok after sometime but did sustain a few injuries. The fastest pass ever was this weekend by Problem Child with a 4.69 at 263 mph . Wish I would have been there to see it. Thats quite an amazing sequence you got of the problem child crash...good job.

Your lucky too you got another one coming up here in a couple weeks in Chowchilla June 8-10

I was wondering when Mike would stumble on this thread! A 4.63@263?? That's rotating the Earth!

 

[Buzzz Miller]

Dale set a leg up on every end of the record in Eddies Problem Child after pedaling it off of the line once and losing a blower right before the lights.
I am not certain if my information is correct, but I have heard word that Dale was banged up a bit. They say he actually drowned, but was recessitated, and appears to have a broken back.
Again, not official word, just what I have heard from my buddies in the boat world.
Hope he is O.K. and recovers well.

 

[RMS]

The only let down about Dragboat racing is the downtime, you can easily go 10-15 minutes between runs towing boats off and lining them on the holding rope, etc...

And poison oak..... This stuff SUCKS!!!

 

[dragboatphoto]

Dale set a leg up on every end of the record in Eddies Problem Child after pedaling it off of the line once and losing a blower right before the lights.
I am not certain if my information is correct, but I have heard word that Dale was banged up a bit. They say he actually drowned, but was recessitated, and appears to have a broken back.
Again, not official word, just what I have heard from my buddies in the boat world.
Hope he is O.K. and recovers well.

The rumor that he acctually drowned is false, he had a rupture in his L2 vertebrae, but the capsule and rescue crew did its job and Dale never had any water in his lungs. According to my source anyway.

 

[Buzzz Miller]

Correct, you are- young Skywalker.

He did not drown. My information was from a mediocer source, so that is why I prefaced as I did. I found out the truth later in the evening, but did not have a computer.
But looks like he is going in for some surgery on his back maybe as soon as today, and they are estimating a FULL recovery. I hope all goes well there.

Another note, Johnny Heidemann threw down in the TAF class with a new record, fully backed up, of 174 mph and change. They said he was flying the nose like an old Pro Gas Flat. So much for decade old records there.

 

[BlueStangGT]

Buzzz, I thought you were going to say "like a Blown Fuel Flat" but then I realized you may not have been born when those were around. I always thought that those were the absolute nuttiest thing on the planet... just plain crazy.

Anyone know when they did away with those?

 

[Toejam]

Can you imagine how up in Arms the NHRA fanbase would be if Pavement Dragracing had the fatality record of Dragboat racing?? The sport would cease to exist!

 

[Ronny Robinson]

Buzzz, I thought you were going to say "like a Blown Fuel Flat" but then I realized you may not have been born when those were around. I always thought that those were the absolute nuttiest thing on the planet... just plain crazy.

Anyone know when they did away with those?

Al Bush had to be one of, if not the craziest BF/Flat pilots I ever saw, know there were others, something about Al just sticks in my mind, seems like they did away with the class around '82-'83 maybe.......could have been later, they say your memory is the second thing to go, I forget what the first is.........

 

[BlueStangGT]

Al Bush had to be one of, if not the craziest BF/Flat pilots I ever saw, know there were others, something about Al just sticks in my mind, seems like they did away with the class around '82-'83 maybe.......could have been later, they say your memory is the second thing to go, I forget what the first is.........

The one I remember is Bob Morgan (The Kansas Badman?).

 

[Buzzz Miller]

Check this out.
This is a video of the pass before the crash, but right after the 263. That is impressive driving to win the round.
YouTube - Crazy Top Fuel Hydro Pass '07 Nitro Nationals