rebelracewriter Posted August 9, 2009 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 18th Annual Lakefest Drag Boat Races @ Lake Marble Falls, 8/7-9/09 By J M Hallas Marble Falls, Tx., (Aug. 8th, 2009) For the 18th year the Marble Falls Chamber of Commerce transformed Lake Marble Falls into a drag strip on water for the International Hot Boat Association(IHBA). The IHBA created the sanctioning body in 1982, leading the way in rules and safety regulations for drag boat racing. The sanctioning body runs event in National and Divisional races all across the country. Similar to land-based drag racing, the IHBA series pairs two boats off in simultaneous runs over a quarter mile in timed runs, with the winner advancing on. The biggest major difference is starting line procedure. Unlike regular drag racing from a standing start, the IHBA uses a "holding rope" to help drivers control the launch for their rolling start. Classes for the IHBA mirror their IHRA/NHRA brothers with the top class of Top Fuel Hydros, these 7000hp rockets fly through the water at speeds over over 250mph. Next in class would be the Top Alcohol Hydros with less weight and only 3000hp, these babies still run up to 200mph. Top Alcohol Flats, as their would imply, are flat bottomed craft using a rudder and ride plate for steering and turn laps of over 150mph. Pro Mod Hydros use the latest technology and design for their 7-second passes. The IHBA also runs index classes, Pro Eliminator(8 seconds), Top Eliminator(9 seconds), Modified Eliminator(10 seconds) and Stock Eliminator(11 seconds) as well as Pro Competition Eliminator and Gambler Class(a mix of many classes running a handicap start), River Racer Class, and two age determined Personal Water Craft classes. Friday's event include a test and tune during the day, with an autograph session in the evening for the fans, plus a show and shine. Capping off the night is a Top Fuel "fire up" and concert in Johnson Park. Racing events begin on Saturday with all classes running qualifying passes throughout the day, starting at 7:00AM. After qualifying, Johnson Park again hosts a free concert for spectators and fans. Sunday's event kick off at 11:00AM with opening ceremonies, followed by elimination runs for each class. The IHBA is posting a purse of over $70,000 in money and awards. Saturday's Pro Qualifying rounds kicked off with opening ceremonies, followed by the Pro Mods, Top Alcohol Flats, Top Alcohol and the biggest crowd pleaser, Top Fuel Hydros. These nitro burning, bad boys skip across the water at unreal speeds, putting up a 20-25' rooster tail in their wake and sending an eerie thunderous, echo through the canyon. In Round 2 of Pro Qualifying everyone was reminded how dangerous these boats are when Bill Diez destroyed the Lucas Oil, Mako Force boat. Just past half course the boat started rocking port to starboard, nosed into water, disintegrating into hundreds of pieces. Fortunately the top classes all are built with a driver capsule pod than did it's job. Diez' pod was quickly attended to, with the driver communicating with safety crews. Diez was reported to be alright, but the only part of the boat left salvageable was the motor, which had to be retrieved by divers. Round 1(top qualifiers) Top Fuel Hydro Daryl Ehrlich, Round Rock, Tx. Problem Child, 4.706 @ 257.10 Top Alcohol Hydro Kent Price, Gardner, Kan., Black Draggin, 6.591 @ 126.94 Top Alcohol Flats Don Bausher, Las Vegas, Nev., Habit Forming II, 6.496 @ 165.28 Pro Mod Shawn Reed, Aurburn, Wash., Top Secret, 7.022 @ 166.14 Pro Comp Eliminator Randy Ball, Shawnee, Ok, Lucas Oil, 7.869(7.85DI) Pro Eliminator Kyle Brawley, Midland, Tx., Alcohol Dependent, 8.045 @ 122.30 Top Eliminator Reagan Everett, San Angelo, Tx., Nut N Up, 9.036 @ 110.42 Modified Eliminator qualifying Bob Prigmore, Lake Havasu, Ariz. Abracadabra, 10.06 @ 96.40 Stock Eliminator Brad Klug, Rio Rancho, N.M., Red Hot, 11.035 @ 89.50 Round 2 (top qualifiers) Top Fuel John Haas, St Louis, Mo., Speed Sports Special, 4.576 @ 249.58 Top Alcohol Kent Price(same as round 1) Top Alcohol Flats Don Bausher(same as round 1) Pro Mod Shawn Reed(same as round 1) Pro Comp Eliminator Randy Ball(same as round 1) Pro Eliminator Jeff Luehring, Los Alamos, N.M, Hot Damn Honda, 8.000 @ 129.16 Tom Roberts, Thousand Oaks, Calif., Outa Control, 8.000 @ 141.72 Top Eliminator Dallas Collier, Perkinston, Miss., Another Temptation, 9.006 @ 116.72 Modified Eliminator Lauren Bensen, Mansfield, Tx., Daddy's DNA, 10.003 @ 98.86 Stock Eliminator Jayne Bradley, Lodi, Calif., 11.022 @ 96.34 Round 3(top qualifiers) Pro Mod Shawn Reed(stayed on top all three rounds) Pro Comp Eliminator Randy Ball(stayed on top all three rounds) Pro Eliminator Luehring and Roberts hold their spots(hard to improve on triple 0's) Top Eliminator Collier's, (round 2, 9.006 stands) Modified Eliminator Bensen, (round 2, 10.003 can't be bettered) Stock Eliminator Pete Barons, Centennial, Colo., Holeshot, 11.002 @ 90.56 Final Qualifying results Top Fuel Hydro John Haas, St Louis, Mo.,4.576 @ 249.58 Daryl Ehrlich, Round Rock, Tx.,4.706 @ 257. 10 Doug Verstuyft, San Antonio, Tx., 4.763 @ 245.38 John White, Austin, Tx., 5.028 @ 222.02 Jarrett Silvey, New Braunfels, Tx., 5.076 @ 210,10 Scott Lumbert, N/A, N/T Top Alcohol Hydro Kent Price, Gardner, Kan., 6.591 @ 16.94 Mike Fry, Rancho Cucamunga, Calif., 7.157 @ 102.16 Buzzy Boose, Cushing, Tx., 9.939 @ 49.14 Joel Weber(broke in practice Friday night) Top Alcohol Flats Don Bausher, Las Vegas, Nev., 6.496 @ 165.28 Jerry Davis, Montgomery, Tx., 6.887 @ 155.70 Steve Westerfield, Wake Forest, Calif., 6.920 @ 160.28 Andy Dement, Riverside, Calif., 7.804 @ 103.92 Marcus Kinsey, Granite Shoals, Tx., 7.814 @ 100.72 Bill Diez, Bullhead City, Ariz., (crashed in round 2) Pro Mod(7.00 index) Shawn Reed, Aurburn, Wash., 7.022 @ 166.14 Bryan Sanders, Houston, Tx., 7.023 @ 166.76 George Olson, Galveston, Tx., 7.040 @ 168.74 Dustin Nesloney, Orange Grove, Tx., 7.060 @ 165.72 Tim Ortiz, Conroe, Tx., 7.075 @ 15114 Marty Logan, Arlington, Tx., 7.085 @ 165.24 Brutus Utter, Overland Park, Kan., 7.094 @ 161.26 Greg Lempar, Comfort, Tx., 7.121 @ 170.48 Terry Kain, Los Alamos, N.M., 7.231 @ 56.36 Vic Esposito, Alamo, Calif, 6.967 @ 164.96 Pro Comp Eliminator Randy Ball, Shawnee, Ok., 7.869(7.85DI) Dave Lipinski, Madera, Calif., 8.423(8.34DI) Mike Carruthers, Ft. Worth, Tx., 8.337(7.79DI) Pro Eliminator(8.00 index) Jeff Luehring, Los Alamos, N.M., 8.000 @ 129.16 Tom Roberts, Thousand Oaks, Calif, 8.000 @ 141. 72 Jerry Hardwick, Pecos, Tx., 8.005 @ 146.28 Lanny South, Frisco, Tx., 8.016 @ 140.24 Gary Davis, La Jolia, Calif., 8.016 @ 144.16 Kyle Bramley, Pecos, Tx., 8.045 @ 122.30 Bryan Sheckler, Olathe, Kan., 8.072 @ 139.26 Brian Schmidl, Live Oaks, Calif., 8.092 @ 138.92 Lee Warren, Walters, Ok., 8.127 @ 143.74 Greg Cawyer, Orange Grove, Tx., 8.195 @ 138.48 Sam Nasise, Jamez Springs, N.M., 8.268 @ 121.86 Allen Forsyth, Hawthorne, Calif., 8.296 @ 127.16 James Elliott, El Campo, Tx., 8.299 @ 130.74 Chad Magerkurth, Marble Falls, Tx., 9.158 @ 93.26 Heather Mattiza, Ft. Worth, Tx., 7.998 @ 139.16 Top Eliminator(9.00 index) Dallas Collier, Perkinston, Miss., 9.006 @ 116.72 Stan Tweedy, Henderson, Nev., 9.018 @ 118.92 Walter Dulin, Austin, Tx., 9.029 @ 120.70 Jeff Vail, Redding, Calif., 9.033 @ 109.02 Reagan Everett, San Angelo, Tx., 9.036 @ 110.42 David Hobbs, Corpus Christi, Tx., 9.067 @ 112.00 Larry Morden, Jonesboro, Tx., 9.073 @ 112.46 Duane Thorton, Lake Havisu, Ariz., 9.082 @ 116.68 Tommy Rice, Ft. Worth, Tx., 9.113 @ 120.62 Ronnie Hodge, San Antonio, Tx., 9.125 @ 119.06 Bill Miller, Taylor, Tx., (.150 @ 106.04 Lupe Mungia, Odessa, Tx., 9.173 @ 108.34 Travis Tuttle, Rio Vista, Tx., 9.275 @ 104.22 James Salesbury, Lake Hills, Tx., 10.909 @ 96.40 Stephen Sutton, Bertram Tx., 14.414 @ 70.18 Steve Prewit, Midland, Tx., 8.940 @ 114.38 Modified Eliminator(10.00 index) Lauren Bensen, Mansfield, Tx., 10.003 @ 98.86 Johnny Lacky, Poolville, Tx., 10.019 @ 107.90 Bob Prigmore, Lake Havisu, Ariz, 10.043 @ 96.54 Greg Carr, Schlater, Miss., 10.078 @ 93.30 Mike Schovanec, Bullard, Tx., 10.093 @ 107.42 Bill Henderson, Wedawee, Ala., 10.168 @ 103.44 Roger Gaines, Lipan, Tx., 10.473 @ 102.08 Stock Eliminator(11.00 index) Pete Baons, Centennial, Colo., 11.002 @ 90.56 Bob Winder, Lake Hills, Tx., 11.009 @ 91.70 Jayne Bradley, Lod, Calif., 11.022 @ 94.34 Brad Klug, Rio Rancho, N.M., 11.025 @ 89.40 Jay Johnston, Albaquerque, N.M., 11.039 @ 93.24 Bill Mason, Denton, Tx., 11.070 @ 94.80 Mike Allbright, Odessa, Tx., 11.122 @ 86.54 JT Mooney, Marion, Tx., 15.499 @ 47.46 Mark Creel, Pelham, Ala., 10.950 @ 90.64 Rennie Easley, Exeter, Mo., 10.927 @ 95.16 River Racer(run against dial in) Justin Niesner, Granite Shoals, Tx., 12.010 @ 88.20 Skully Alley jr. Bessemer, Ala., 12.565 @ 78.72 Casey Clauson, Leander, Tx., 12.502 @ 80.62 Roger Sayles, Fort Mojave, Ariz., 12.212 @ 82.74 Frank Carter, Volente, Tx., 12.052 @ 87.85 James Dyer, Granite Shoals, Tx., 19.878 @ 47.34 John Murray, Kingsland, Tx., 12.618 @ 82.20 Stephen Harrison, Corsicana, Tx., 12.249 no MPH Hoppy Harris, San Angelo, Tx., 16.316 @ 59.80 Bret May, Seguin, Tx., 16.360 @ 57.10 Chuck Armand, San Diego, Calif., 12.602 @ 76.26 Steve Thomas, Granite Shoals, Tx., 12.495 @ 76.26 Grant Blackburn, Lago Vista, Tx., 14.070 @ 75.50 Ansia Gobert, Kingsland, Tx., 14.971 @ 64.52 Charles Rachel, Marble Falls, Tx., 42.053 no MPH PWC1(ages 10-14) qualifying Tyler Robles, Bertram, Tx., 22.910 @ 38.96 Glendon Boehme, Rio Medina, Tx., 16.675 @ 56.86 Cody Gray, Kingsbury, Tx., 20.201 @ no MPH Keaton Hahn, Marble Falls, Tx., 19.318 @ 47.56 Blair Burton, Marble Falls, Tx., 14.026 @ 66.50 Joe Dyer, Granite Shoals, Tx., 35.524 @ 32.42 PWC2(ages 15+) qualifying Tyler Tuttle, Rio Vista, Tx., 15.578 @ 59.94 Mallori Carroll, Granite Shoals, Tx., 15.801 @56.66 James Hogan, Spicewood, Tx., 14.877 @ 63.60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted August 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 I'm going to have a short piece on Marcus Kinsey tomorrow.....being pretty much a newbie to drag boat racing, I talked to him about the ins/outs and nuances of circle track racing vs. drag boats. Wish I could have gotten a picture of the Diez crash......It looked like putting a cherry bomb in a bag of Cheetos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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