THE DRIVER'S CORNER 2001 archive

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EXCERPTS FROM DISCUSSIONS WITH DAVID COES

  GNH and UL's, Kent Narrows, Decatur, Tonawanda,
Valleyfield, Cambridge, Hampton, Bush River, Rising Sun

The class is becoming stronger, quickly. This isn't just wishful thinking. Last year Region 4 had NO active GNH boats. This season (2001) we have 2; my boat, the Demon Chaser and Dan Ramsey in D.R. Construction. In the last few years, Region 3 has been plagued with boat problems; this year Thom Heins is coming out with his MAS epoxy sponsored Karelson and a new engine. John Schurer (Showboat), who typically runs strong and Tom Morgan should be ready to go. From farther west, Tony Stalder, the Mule, running faster every year and Jimmy Deel's " Deel Me In," who is always in the money, should be competing. Dennis Macy, former Summer National Champ and always a contender may be running also. Ken Brodie, who has been instrumental in negotiating solid sponsorship for several of our races, is in the process of getting his GNH back after having it totally rebuilt. He will definitely be participating in all the GNH races he can get to this year.  I know that all of us in the GNH class are looking forward to seeing his boat and hearing the details about the reconstruction. I have a very keen interest in this myself, having  just finished this process with my boat. I don't have a confirmed list of all the GNH boats which will be running; this is just off the top of my head. At the latest GNH engine meeting in Ohio a tentative agreement was made to entertain the concept of running specific heats with GP's to enhance spectator appeal. Since then, 4 of the tentative races have been confirmed, complete with SPEEDVISION coverage. I think it is going to be a very, very good year for the GNH class. 

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DISCUSSIONS (CONTINUED)2/9/01

First I need to re-iterate that I am answering as the owner/driver of an east coast GNH/UL team, and I am giving my opinion as an individual. This is not in any way an "official" GNH class stance and, while I know that my opinion is shared by at least some GNH owners, I don't know how everyone in the class feels. First of all, a little background is necessary. The Unlimited Lights are a series, not a class, and originated from the GNH class. The major distinction between a GNH and a UL visually is a canopy, escape hatch and tails. The GNH's have two engine combinations they can run, the largest cubic inch displacement being 468 ci. The UL's have a number of engine combinations (I believe 5), with the cubic inch displacement not to exceed 511 ci. In addition, this year, there is an engine combination that will utilize a blower. A GNH equipped with the canopy, escape hatch and tails can compete in the UL series however, in order for the UL to compete as a GNH, it must "step down," that is, run one of the two smaller engine combinations. More important than the distinction between the two types of boats is the geographical and prize money issue. Traditionally, the inboard categories in the west (Region 10) have generally run for trophies. In the east (Regions 3 and 4), the inboard categories receive cash prizes. Why this is so, I don't know, but I certainly can hazard a guess. The West and the Midwest have the Unlimited Hydroplanes. The focus therefore, and the bulk of the cash sponsorship monies, goes to the Unlimiteds, not on the smaller inboard classes (including the GNH's). The East Coast has no Unlimiteds. The spotlight is on the limited inboard classes, the largest of which is the GNH or 7 liter class. The GP's (Grand Prix) are sort of in a class of their own as they are the only supercharged inboard hydroplane class and they normally do not run at the venues which have the 1.5L and up classes. When the GNH's in the West seceded (in a sense) from the GNH class and created the Unlimited Light Series, they changed the base GNH rules to mandate the canopy, escape hatch and tails as well as bring in the aforementioned engines. They "piggy-backed" the Unlimited Hydroplane circuit and ran as a large piston engine "little brother" to the bigger turbine powered Unlimiteds. The goal was to generate excitement and to receive sponsorship support for the class/series. While this affected ALL the GNH's in the West (generally speaking you had to move up to UL standards to race competitively) it did not affect ANY GNH's on the East Coast. The simple answer is that nobody from the East Coast can afford either the time or money to run a series that has venues primarily on the West Coast or in the Midwest. In addition, the GNH's on the East Coast already receive sponsorship. There is no incentive for a race team to go to the additional time and expense of changing their boat and building new engines to run in the Unlimited Light series. This initially created two problems. (1) It split a traditionally smaller, more expensive class into two even smaller entities and (2), the GNH owners in the Midwest were caught in the middle. They either were forced to run the East Coast races only, or change their boats and motors to be competitive on the West Coast circuit. There is a practical issue that needs to be addressed and explanation of some personal attitudes, which may also come into play. Since the Unlimited Hydroplanes run on (relatively) "big" water, the new UL boats that are currently being built are bigger. This affects competition in that a smaller boat, running against a faster, bigger boat generally ends up taking a physical beating. The rooster-tails are much larger and therefore the water disturbance is tremendous. As far as personal attitudes go, in an e-mail to the Inboard Hydroplane list, Cal Phipps, a driver for both GNH and UL teams put it this way: "The feeling around the pits (from GNH guys) is that the UL class started out as GNH boats. They then chose bigger boats and a larger motor. I think that it was suggested not to do the changes because "Some day you might have to come home," well now they want to come home. (So to speak)......" Cal goes on to say "most GNH guys don't want to and/or can't compete with these state of the art crafts with 511 motors in them."

When I bought my boat, I commissioned Nate Brown, Unlimited driver/boat builder to immediately build a canopy, install an escape hatch and fabricate tails for me. This was done even before I transported the boat back to the East Coast. To be honest about it, I had two reasons. The first is that I am used to running with a canopy and escape hatch (I have a Jones capsule in my 2.5L) so I planned on that retrofit anyway. The addition of the tails was the only change I hadn't planned. The second reason is that if I was able to obtain a major sponsor, I wanted to be able to have the option of running in the UL series races. Currently there is only one UL race on the East Coast (Norfolk, tentative) and I wanted to at least be able to participate in it. As I have already pointed out, from an EAST COAST PERSPECTIVE, this GNH/UL split, other than making the class smaller, HASN'T HAD ANY EFFECT. The races on the East Coast have always been GNH and will continue to be unless simultaneously every GNH owner on the East Coast decides to build both a bigger boat and engine. This is something for which there is absolutely no incentive. Currently we have 4 races that are going to be televised on SPEEDVISION as well as running the usual number of inboard races in both Regions 3 and 4. I plan to fully support the GNH race schedule in both regions and hope to make it to some races in the Midwest and of course, Valleyfield. It doesn't take a rock scientist to figure out (after everything I've already pointed out) that I unless I (1) get a major sponsor, (2) win the lottery or (3) somehow become independently wealthy; I don't have much choice anyway. I have neither the time nor money to compete on the West Coast. And the number of races I attend is dependant, like most owners, on how the season unfolds and taking into account the financial consequences of broken parts. (Notice how I didn't say, "IF I break...")

I want to make it crystal clear that I feel that these people have done an absolutely tremendous job. I have been paying close attention to what they have been doing. It is pretty obvious that there are some very talented, hardworking people involved with the administration of the UL program. They are doing an excellent job of marketing the UL series and I wish them all the luck in the world. I am neither stupid nor naive and I didn't come into this situation with any emotional baggage, or preconceived notions of "loyalty" to one "side" or another. My position is simply this-- I don't see the conflict, simply because of the geographical issue I spoke about earlier. I would expect to support a UL race if held in Norfolk (I certainly wouldn't boycott it just because it's not a GNH race) and I simply can't see why anyone would think or do otherwise. Yes, as an East Coast GNH owner, my agenda is to promote and support the GNH class first, but I am not going to get involved in diminishing or sabotaging the hard work of others. I believe and hope that others would agree with me. The way I see it, the UL's started the series with both practical and good intentions; they were trying to obtain major sponsorship to run their venues. For better or worse, the owners (who are mostly owner/drivers) on the West Coast, opted to take a gamble and change the criteria they were running under. The owners who were hurt are those who decided not to make the change; they now really had no venues (or those venues were severely curtailed) to run in. They simply left the sport. However, it should be kept in mind that people leave (and enter for that matter) the race scene for a variety of reasons. Few decisions are strictly financial; most are a combination of both personal and financial reasons. Priorities change. My decisions concerning running GNH or the UL series are both practical and financially based. From a practical standpoint, my boat, in relation to the UL's currently running, is smaller, so even if I could afford it, it would not hold up to running an entire UL series. (Have I mentioned the 25' boat I've been thinking about building...??) Following that train of thought (and taking into account the geographical location of races), I built my engines to meet the GNH criteria. From the financial standpoint, my decision to enter the GNH class was simply based on three very important facts: (1) There is GNH competition in practically all the races I attended in my 2.5L Stock; the venues which I can easily get to and are attended by all my racing friends, (2) The engine rules are very simple and minimally restrictive and (3) the engine rules have basically not changed for 10 years.

 This is simply a communication issue. On the East Coast, the GNH's are pretty quiet; there's no web site and most people (fans) don't know what's going on. My web site, in addition to providing information about my racing program, hopefully can fill the gap until a better solution is found. In addition, these past couple of years have not been kind to the East Coast boats. Accidents and breakages have decimated the class. You can't repair a GNH boat as quickly as, for example, a 2.5L Stock simply because it is much larger. It requires much more help. To turn the 2.5L Stock over, I just get a few guys together and we turn it over in my garage. To work on the GNH, I had a "rotisserie" designed and fabricated. This takes more time, energy and money. "Time" more than anything, is the enemy. None of us have enough time. Everyone in the class has to work for a living. The racing endeavors take place after work. That is why it has taken me 2 and 1/2 years to get my boat ready. Of course this was a major, major reconstruction and I am very picky. To get back to the issue of number of boats, I think when a couple of boats crashed this past year people figured the GNH class was really going down the tubes. Not so!! Certainly it drastically affected the current race season because boat count was down anyway as several teams had taken a hiatus. This year is the beginning of the turn-around, as, in addition to the boats that traditionally run, I will be running. I have gotten Dan Ramsey (who also lives in Hampton) interested in the GNH class and he has purchased George Conover's boat and is ready to run today. So we have gone from zero GNH's in Hampton to 2. Without even counting the boats owned by Tony Stalder (who traditional runs in Region 3 and 4) Jimmy Deel, Dennis Macy and others, we have 6 GNH's in Regions 3 and 4 that can run regularly. Add in just those guys, and, without even counting Bob Larimore and others who might travel east, you have 9 GNH's. So I think it's safe to say that we can expect at least 6 - 7 running on a regular basis.

In my opinion, the ugliest word in the English language when you are discussing racing is "parity." The definition of parity is: "you obviously are kicking my butt so I'll change the rules to make things even." The UL engine rules can be changed at any time by the technical inspector with the concurrence of the chairman in the name of "parity." In my opinion, this is the major drawback I see with the UL's. For me, that is the kiss of death. If I spend the time and money R&D'ing my engine program, I cannot afford to have it outlawed just because I may be faster than everyone else. If I start R&Ding, believe me, it's going to be a long, dragged out ordeal. Probably a couple of years. You can see how long it took me to get the boat ready!! Personally, I could not afford to spend the time, effort and money to build something and then have it restricted. I see this as a problem with their blower alternative this season. If you can afford to experiment, it isn't a problem. The guys in the series obviously are OK with it and they're the ones who have to live with it. My only stipulation is this: If these are the rules you are going to play by, then deal with it. Nothing irritates me more than someone who knew the deal going in and then starts complaining or trying to change things when someone smokes him.

No, we have to move with the times but we also have to be realistic. One of the major reasons I joined the GNH class was because of the lack of restrictions and stability of the rules. I am not aware of a lot of disagreement concerning the rules or upgrading them. At the recent engine meeting in Ohio, one of the members brought up the subject of fuel injection and we all agreed we should look into it. The major expense in the GNH class concerning the engine is the 600 cfm carburetor. Why is that a major expense? Because all the R&D is directed to getting around it. It's a tiny carburetor. A 600 cfm carburetor whose flow characteristics are sufficiently re-worked to gain that extra power is very expensive-- more expensive than a fuel injection system. Fuel injection is more efficient and is instantly programmable. We agreed for a member to further research it and come back to us with his findings. The important thing is that if rules are going to be changed, it has to be done judiciously and there has to be a reasonable length of time, based on the change, for the membership of the class to comply. In the case of fuel injection, the idea would not be to mandate it, but rather to loosen the restriction so it would be allowed. In this particular example there would be a tremendous amount of additional power generated so if everyone decided this was the way to go, the time frame for allowing it to be used would have to be reasonable. This way, an owner can plan and budget for the change, if they want to be on the cutting edge. I am very much in favor of this particular change however; I can tell you unequivocally that I will not be one of the first to switch over. I have had engines built that are tuned to the carburetors I have (which are very expensive) and I'm simply not going to throw them out!! Again, this goes back to being reasonable about the time. Lets say we research it for this season and everyone decides it's a good thing. Ok, perhaps instead of saying we're going to institute it the very next season, we say we'll do it the season after. While I still wouldn't be doing it that soon myself, I certainly have no objection to others being able to. Certainly we need to look after our own interests, but we also have to look at what's good for the class.

The GNH class is the class with the largest engine of the inboard, naturally aspirated hydroplane classes. If you want to compete at this level you have to be willing to spend some money or get sponsorship. APBA has a number of classes; a person should choose the class that he/she can afford. Remember, the guys that own the boats are (or should be) making the decisions to change class rules if rules are to be changed. These are (sometimes major) financial decisions that are directly impacting them and cost both money and time. It is very easy for someone who is not affected (not a member of the class) to make suggestions.  GNH owners have resisted suggestions such as going to a stock engine in the GNH class because it is a giant step backward. The National Mod (NM) class (a class that in theory should be slower) has boats (right now) which are faster because, to a certain degree, the GNH class has been sleeping. This is about to end. NOW. For the last several issues of the inboard news, there have been a variety of negative comments made concerning the lack of competition that a GNH can give to a NM. This was a point of discussion at the GNH engine meeting in Ohio a couple of months ago. I would venture to say that those who have publicly putting out this garbage are in for a wake up call.On the subject of cost and engines, it is easy to suggest that the GNH class go to a stock engine, or that the UL (Unlimited Light and GP (Grand Prix) classes combine. When you examine this closely, I think you will see that it is easier said than done. The UL's could have simply gone the GP route in the first place if that is what they desired. They didn't. GP owners aren't going to "step down," and build engines less powerful or of a different cubic displacement because there isn't any incentive. Therefore, that leaves a UL owner a choice of building a separate engine to compete on the GP level. The provisional supercharged engine the UL's are allowing to run this year is a maximum 468 cubic inch engine with a 6-71 or 8-71 blower. The GP engine is a maximum 511 cubic inch engine with a supercharger. There is a definite horsepower advantage to the GP.  Certainly a UL owner can build a larger engine. That is a financial decision the UL owners will have to make.The UL series is NOT a class. It is a SERIES and there are a variety of engines that may be run. The GNH and GP classes are just that; classes. GNH owners (myself included) are not going to the expense of building new engines to try to compete on a different level. I've already discussed how the size of the boat impacts on class/competition so I wont re-visit that subject. I have also discussed the "boat count" issue (that in GNH has increased) so I likewise, am not going over that ground again. I think the UL's have a choice to "step down" to GNH or "step up" to the GP ranks if they desire; or they have the option of running a series. The idea that the GNH and the GP owners would modify their rules is unlikely because it doesn't make any financial sense. It's easy to talk about deleting and/or combining this or that, but remember; these changes cost money. Most owners who have an investment of one or two engines aren't simply going to switch to something new without a financial incentive. I seriously considered moving into the GP class prior to entering the GNH class. What stopped me was that the GP's rarely run at a venue where the GNH's compete. The GNH's generally run at all the limited inboard events. My thought process in building the 25' boat I am contemplating, is to be able to run in several classes; I could still run GNH or the UL series regularly and, after building a larger supercharged engine, could compete in the GP class also. When talking about which class to run in, an individual has to examine the hull he is running, not just the engine. When we are talking about making changes, owners have to take a very close look at the financial impact the change will have. People making these suggestions about class deletion and combining, however well meaning they may be, are ignoring the 'real world' financial issues, as well as the fact the current owners have spent a lot of money to be competitive in a specific class. Changes don't happen in a vacuum.

I think it's great. I presume their choice to run a UL series race at Valleyfield will depend on the number of race teams able to travel. Since they have the flexibility to "step up" to the GP class (with their current engine combinations), they can always do that if they find that the whole field can't make the trip. The same holds true for the other GNH/GP races. While I've been told those race sites are not negotiating a separate UL series race, it is good they are being invited to participate in the already agreed upon format. If the UL teams from the West find that they are able to travel, I think you may find some of them joining the GP class. Their boats are big enough; it's now just the matter of the engine. Somehow I just can't see guys "stepping down," and building smaller engines, now that they have built bigger boats. If I were in their position, I would build one GP engine to be competitive in that class and still be able to run the UL series with the other combination engines. As a GNH boat owner, if my boat were bigger, I would do the same. I would build a engine to fit the class or series I wanted to run in. It doesn't make sense for me to do that now because my boat is too small. The boat is set up to run in the GNH format. I can say that I very interested to see how the boat runs in the heats with the GP's. I expect a very, very rough ride!! At any rate, no matter how the GNH/GP "combination" shakes out, it can only be a positive thing for hydroplane racing. It's just an added bonus to the regular GNH schedule. I think that because the GNH class has not "advertised,"  most fans are unaware that we run in most of the limited inboard races on the East Coast. That was a big factor in my getting involved in the GNH class; I wanted to race the venues I was used to seeing all my "racing" friends at.

First off, any type of fighting or "back-biting" between classes or series or whatever you want to call it, is counter-productive. I think most people feel the same way. This hold true whether you are discussing tunnel boats versus the ULs running at the same venue with the Unlimiteds or Jersey Skiffs running with the 5L's. (Let me make it clear that example means at the same venue-- combine some Skiff drivers and 5L drivers in the same heat--- well, that would be some fireworks!!). Anyway, back to the matter at hand; inboard hydroplane racing, by it's nature is a "niche" sport. Whether we like it or not, we don't have much publicity and we don't do a good job of marketing ourselves. That's the big picture; harsh-- but true. Certainly there is nothing wrong with marketing your product (GNH's, UL's, bananas, whatever) to a potential race site or sponsor. However, as a sport, we are not F1, Indy Car, Nascar, the NFL, the NBA or anyone else in that wealth category. So we don't have the luxury of acting like spoiled brats or petulant kids. There's a lot of truth to the old joke that "you can make a small fortune in boat racing," with the punch line being "if you start out with a large one." As a sport, we need to concentrate on marketing or selling our product, rather than make negative statements about others or we are going to end up being told to take our boats and go home. What unites us is our love of this sport; we need to remember this.

Actually, in this case, this is a moot point. The GP/GNH agreement is already in place with SPEEDVISION as part of the package. From a discussion point of view, I've already addressed this earlier in this column. In addition,  I think Ken Brodie more than addresses this issue in his e-mail to me on the "GNH News" section of this web site. He specifically lists owners who have made the commitment to be at the GP/GNH combination races. Actually he forgot to include himself in the list so there's one more.  Even if unforeseen events occur and one or two boats can't make it,  there are more than enough GNH's to put on an excellent race. I don't see boat count as a concern. 

I don't have a magical wand. I know there is some "background" and strong feelings about the original split of the UL series from the GNH class but I still have to go back to the "UL's on the West Coast, GNH's on the East Coast" theory. APBA Region's III and IV are on the East Coast. If you look at these two regions-- I am the ONLY owner that has a boat that meets the UL requirements RIGHT NOW in those two regions. Some of the other GNH's that meet the UL requirements travel to Regions III and IV to compete, but are home-based farther west, closer to the Midwest. I find it hard to believe that UL owners on the West Coast could afford the time and money to compete on a regular basis in Regions III and IV, any more than the GNH's here could afford to travel to Washington State to compete regularly. Incidentally, with the earthquake out there, I had to get on the phone to Art Davidson, my engine builder in Olympia to make sure he was still alive and kicking. He is, but apparently some of the crankshafts in his shop took a tumble. Anyway, the "simple solution" is for the UL guys to build engines that meet the GP requirements as they already have bigger boats. However, that's a financial issue, and needs to be decided to by the UL owners. I just believe that we need to find a way to work together. 

Hydroplane racing is a small, niche sport to begin with, and the GNH's, UL's, and GP's are an even smaller subset of it. We need to promote our own agendas without denigrating others. I am a relative newcomer to hydroplane racing; this coming season will be my 5th season. I have already gotten another person involved (he bought a GNH and will run this year) and there is the possibility that I can continue to get others involved. We, as racers and owners, are the best promoters out there. If people see that we truly are having a great time, they too, will want to be involved. Any competition that is developed should be geared toward a fan base. Building a rivalry between certain boats and drivers IN a class, not National Mods versus GNH or GNH versus UL, or UL versus GP. I did not get into boat racing to be involved in politics or "turf wars." While there will always be spirited discussion amongst strong individuals, we have to remember we do this because it is fun. I, for one, will stop racing when it starts to become an ordeal. Like a lot of people, I vote with my wallet. If  I am involved in a sport or activity, I am willing to spend money to further the activity or my progress in it. I am pretty committed to hydroplane racing. I have invested the equivalent of the gross national product of a third world country in my  race program because I simply love this stuff. I just purchased a motor home to take the family to the races in. I don't simply view racing from the standpoint of getting in the boat, putting the pedal to the floor and turning left. It's much more than that. It's not just racing the boat; I appreciate the way the local racing community has embraced my children just as I appreciate the friendships I have made in these past few years. Boat racing is like no other sport-- and believe me, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I've been involved in a few sports. There is no other sport in the world where a competitor will lend you hand or a part to get your boat running, just so he can smoke you in the water. To me, that is TRUE competition. Boat racing IS different. Let's keep it that way. We don't need to sink to the levels you see in other sports. 

The session was absolutely great. I was comfortable in the boat from the moment I left the dock. I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise as everything in the cockpit was built to my specifications. I wish I could say something was unusual but everything just seemed normal. Almost abnormally so, if that makes any sense.  With the incredible amount of work we have done on the boat, I would not have been surprised if things had needed major adjustment. This simply was not the case. I had a variety of shims for the skid fin made up and ran a slightly thicker version on Sunday and the boat seemed dialed in. I was getting a bit of right sponson lift at the end of the straightaway, but apparently with the prop I was running, this is quite normal. We'll keep an eye on it and see what the flight characteristics are with a larger prop. We may end up putting a fence on the sponson but I am going to run the boat for a while until I am satisfied there are no other alternatives. I am very hesitant about arbitrarily making changes; a lot more data (runs) will take place before I start making material changes. Without trying to sound like I've completely lost my mind, I really didn't find that much difference between flying the 2.5L and the GNH/UL. Of course the buoys seem to come at you slightly faster :-) I do have more control in the big boat as I have a wing. I played a bit with it; on each run I would go deeper into the far turn before I would activate the wing. Since it is pedal operated, there is a relatively quick response. I purposefully redesigned the cockpit in order to change from an electrical activation system to the pedal system for just that reason. I did not have a wing in the 2.5L; to dump air, I would have to "wave" the rudder. Other than the canard, the main difference in a positive sense is that my visibility is much better in the GNH than in the 2.5L. Granted, I am going a lot faster, but I am much more comfortable with the view. Eventually I have plans to put a cockpit cam in the boat so everyone can see what I see when I fly the boat. To put things in perspective; I ran the 2.5L for 3 years (2000 I didn't run at all as I was trying to get the GNH ready). I ran around 13 weekends a year. Since you normally run 2 races per weekend (with the exception of Hampton and few others), this computes out to around 24 or so races per year. In addition, I tested for 2 days prior to running in any races. I felt more comfortable in the GNH after I flew it 100 yards than I do in the 2.5L after 3 years of competition. And, I'll add that I still really love my 2.5L. It is a great, stable boat. On Sunday, I had a drop in oil pressure so I cut the power and got towed in. Since I have been preparing for Decatur, I haven't had the time to see what the full extent of the problem is. I did have a large amount of trash in my oil pump  which simply destroyed it. It has already been sent off to be rebuilt. I suspect that there may have been a bit of debris in the engine from sitting, and, as much as I hate to admit it, I probably am responsible in some way for the problem. We made up a majority of new oil lines however, I did use a couple of old ones and I neglected to insure they were thoroughly clean prior to installing them. Fortunately neither my oil nor water temperature rose, so the damage may be minimal. We don't know yet.As I type this, it is the night before I leave for Decatur. I am looking forward to "running in traffic." After all, running around the course all by yourself, while certainly a heck of a lot of fun, is not particularly hard. I have been watching the drivers in the GNH class for years. My assessment is this: On any given day, just about any of them are capable of winning. There simply isn't anyone who can be taken lightly. I expect there will be at least 10 GNH's at Decatur; the competition will be fierce. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I was very impressed with Decatur. It is the first stop on the Hydroplane Super Series and I thought it was very professionally run. Since it was my first time out there, "first impressions" mean a lot. It was a long drive (17 hours), and future decisions to attend were going to be based on this first experience. The fan base was tremendous (it is held in conjunction with a festival) and the over-all experience was a good one. I will definitely try to make it back next year. 

As a qualified driver but a new driver in the GNH class, I am required to run three heats behind the pack. (A new driver who has not competed in an inboard race must run 8 heats behind the pack). Generally the referee is the deciding factor in the total number of heats a driver must run in order to qualify. It should be apparent the rule is in place for the safety of the other racers. The referee will generally take into account the experience the driver has in making his/her decision to "qualify" the driver. It's pretty much a common sense thing.Since I was just going to qualify, I had no intention of "running hard" and expected to pretty much follow the pack. I'm still getting used to the torque curve of the engine I have in the Demon Chaser and the amount of reaction time the boat takes  to generate lift. Even still, in all honesty, I was a bit farther back at the start than I had wanted to be.  Even so, the boat did exactly what I had expected it to do. I had set my rev limiter quite low so as to force myself to "play nice." One of the things that I have noted early on in my experience with this boat/engine  is that it is a true thoroughbred; it simply isn't designed to go slow. That suits me just fine. I do however,  expect to be "early" on a couple of starts this year until I get it under control. Things were generally going according to plan for the first three laps; I ran several different lanes to get a feel for "entrance" angles to the turns and to check if I was sliding out at all on the exit. In short, I was having a pretty good time playing with the boat, although I must admit I don't like being at the back of the pack. Period. Unfortunately this one sided love affair I was having with my boat ended in the first turn of the 4th and final lap. Coming out of the turn, I experienced a noticeable loss of power. I had been checking my gauges religiously and my oil pressure and temperature as well as water temperature was exactly where it was supposed to be. Based on the normal gauge readings, I continued around the course, trying to reach the finish line. I assumed (and you know what "assuming" will do-- if you don't, e-mail me and I'll tell you-- after all, this is a "G" rated site), that my throttle cable had either caught or fallen off the holder and was limiting my ability to feed the carburetor. Upon reviewing the video my friends took, I notice the announcers also took the trouble to point out the painfully obvious; that I was "going slower..... and slower...... and slower..." After being overtaken by another boat just feet from the finish line, I crossed the line, pulled in to the infield and shut down.A quick look at the engine in the pits made it clear that I was going to be watching rather than racing for the rest of the weekend. The "throttle" theory was just wishful thinking. I had a mechanical impairment which meant broken internal part(s). Since I didn't have a spare engine with me, I was finished for the weekend. Incidentally, GNH 1 (Deel Me In) also broke down. He borrowed Tony Stalder's (GNH 83) back up engine and proceeded to just smoke the field in the final.As unbelievable as it may sound, I still had a good time. Decatur is a great place to race. The only drawback (and this is nothing that can be solved) is that it is hard to get the weather to cooperate for three days. The fans were great. I spent the remainder of the weekend, watching some great racing, signing autographs and admiring the boat. Man, I love that boat!! Now to get the boat up and running again!! Unfortunately I will be unable to make New Martinsville as we are dealing with the aftermath of debris in my oil lines which affected my #1 engine during testing at Kent Narrows, Maryland.  I have been told that the true test of character comes in dealing with adversity. Well, all I can say is that I think I've got enough character now....... Looking forward to Tonawanda.

Tonawanda was a lot of fun. The race site is a brand new park and the viewing is spectacular for both the spectators and pit crews. The race had the usual "growing pains" for a new site but it was obvious that the race committee was working very hard to smooth out any trouble spots. I'm going to climb on my soap box a minute to rant about the 'whiners and complainers' that are out there. I am personally sick and tired of listening to people complain when things are not going quite on schedule.  At times there will be delays and equipment will fail. I don't like to wait any more than anyone else does, however occasionally it is inevitable. I have a hard time believing that people who volunteer their free time to work all weekend are all engaged in some sort of mass conspiracy to screw things up or not get my boat to the crane or a million other issues they have to take care of on race day. I have yet to attend a race where the committee was not receptive to changing things to make things better for the racers and fans.  The key to making things better is constructive criticism followed with alternative suggestions; not complaining about things. Don't get me wrong-- I'm no saint. If I am treated badly, I tend to behave badly. (I personally go by the maxim that if you step on my foot, I'm going to break your leg-- just kidding!!) It is just that in my 5 years on the race scene, no matter what the situation,  I have always been treated in a courteous manner. If it doesn't pass the "mommy" rule, a person should re-think their actions. (For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the "mommy" rule-- it is simply taking any given action and saying to ones self-- "what would my mother say if she knew I was going to do (say) this?" and then acting appropriately). Saturday started out rainy and damp. It eventually cleared up but there was really only time to run a restricted race schedule. One heat was run on Saturday. On Sunday, the weather was absolutely beautiful and we ran a 2 heat schedule. All told, there were 7 GNH's, 4 ULs and 4 GP's. The GNH's, UL's and GP's opted to run elimination heats combined, primarily to enhance spectator enjoyment, although we were still only competing in our respective classes.  Originally the UL's were going to run separately and the GNH's and GP's were going to combine for the qualifying heats and then have separate finals. By combining all the boats, we were able to run 3 full qualifying heats of big blocks and hopefully give the crowd their money's worth. From a points standpoint, the GNH's were only competing against the other GNH's as the qualifiers were based on time.Both myself and Dan Ramsey (GNH 3/Rambunctious) were restricted drivers. I, as a new GNH driver (but already a qualified driver), was assigned a lane (as were the other boats) but I was not allowed to lead into the first turn. This is simply a safety measure to insure I know how to handle the boat and don't get myself in trouble. Dan was mandated to run behind the pack and on the outside as a qualifying driver. In the first heat, I was assigned lane one with the caveat that I would not lead into the turn. During the 2nd or 3rd lap my throttle cable fell off. I had wire-tied one end but had neglected to wire-tie the end that was secured by a metal clip. I figured the clip would keep it in place. I was wrong. I was also very happy that the problem was that simple. And inexpensive. On Sunday, (my second heat), I was assigned lane 2 with the same stipulation as on Saturday; that I would not lead into the first turn.  I was pretty careful; watching my gauges and making sure my oil pressure and temperature as well as the water temperature was in the correct range. Things went well as far as I was concerned. Since we (both Dan and I) were in the final, the heat was a good chance to practice. We had Ken Brodie, Jr in GNH 44, Randy Haas in the UL 110, and Tommy Snyder in GP 154 running with us also. I was having a bit of trouble marrying the big engine/power I have in the boat with the size and configuration of the turns. On Saturday, the configuration of the buoys wasn't quite right and the race committee made some welcome changes to the course for Sunday's competition. The first turn was fine but I simply couldn't apex turn two correctly (or at least the way I wanted to do it). On Sunday's Final (the second heat), I started in lane 2 as a qualified GNH driver. I was no longer restricted (no excuses now!!) and was able to fight for lane position.  I made an average start; not on full power but I didn't jump the gun either. Tony Stalder in GNH 83/Blue Mule,  led in lane one coming into and out of the first turn. I put the hammer down and felt really good. The boat was flying really well and I was eating up the real estate coming up the backstretch. As I approached turn 2, I was fixated on Tony's engine cowling and made a judgment call. I decided to keep the foot planted on the throttle. As I got to the crucial point (apex) of turn 2, I semi-hooked the boat so that the right side of the boat was headed down range and the nose was pointed into the safety zone; I was perpendicular to the race course. Not where I should have been. I actually steered out of it without stalling the boat but I lost a crucial 5 or 6 seconds as well as the rpm band dropped off.  It took a lifetime to get back up to speed and I learned a valuable lesson. The real problem is that the boat feels so good, you feel as though you can do things that fly in the face of physics. It was a very valuable, but expensive (in terms of position) lesson. Judging by the number of people (both spectators, drivers and crew) who were watching and described the event, it appeared to be pretty spectacular, at least from a "viewing" position. From the cockpit, it really didn't seem like a big deal except I was very irritated at myself for not driving better. All in all, I had a great weekend. The engine is perfect and so is the boat. I need more seat time to maximize the potential in both the boat and power band of the engine. I expect (hope) that by the time the World Championship at Hampton this year (August 10-12) rolls around, I will have a handle on things. Sometimes it's the journey, as well as the destination which makes the endeavor worthwhile. Valleyfield (July 6-8) next-- I can't wait. July 13, 2001

Valleyfield was interesting. I have not been to Canada in a number of years and this was my first time at Valleyfield. There is a big festival in conjunction with the race so there are a great number of people who flock to the area to enjoy the shows and festivities as well as the final fireworks show. The pit area is decent and they have a number of cranes so things move well. The physical layout of the race in relation to the pits makes it hard for racers who have small crews. The crew chief/radio personnel for the teams can call the race from the start/finish line tower (which is a fantastic viewing area) but the pits are quite a hike from there, so if the crew chief is pulling "double duty" and getting the boat in the water in the pit area, it is difficult to make it to the tower by the start of the race. You can only see turn one from pit area. At one point, we were able to hitch a ride on a golf cart, but we were only fortunate to do this once. The viewing area for the race was spectacular; there are grandstands which line the front stretch. For the racers, there is an additional digital clock which can be viewed from the pits however, unfortunately it went down shortly after the start of the weekend.As far as the weekend went, weather wise, the race was put on hold for the most part on Friday with some of the F1 tunnel boats going out and some other classes testing. The GNH/GP time trials and qualification heats were cancelled because of the high winds. Saturday was extremely rough and windy. An individual time trial was run and a qualification heat with combined GNH's and GP's took place. On Sunday the weather conditions were perfect. The water was like glass and there was no wind to speak of. An individual time trial was held and separate finals were run with the GNH's running against GNH's and the GP's running against GP's.

My overall experience was an extremely positive one due to a totally unexpected meeting which colored the entire event. I'll address that in a moment. The "racing" aspect, while not entirely a disaster, certainly was a disappointment, to say the least. My first heat on Saturday was slated to be an individual time trial. While the weather was terrible; it was windy and rough, I looked forward to running the course for the very first time. Every course has it's quirks and Valleyfield is no exception. I had previously been warned by everyone to watch out for turn two as the boats are heading up the backstretch into the wind and the water does some funny stuff going into the turn. I cranked over the engine and motored away from the dock... and couldn't get up on plane. My air vent (which in the process of being redesigned) was letting in enough water to soak me and to get water all over the inside of the cockpit including the windshield. I finally got up on plane and headed up the backstretch and worked the boat a little. I think I only got to do the one lap as, after I passed the start/finish line, rounded turn one, ran up the back stretch and entered turn two (which was extremely rough), I suddenly "plowed" into the turn and hooked. I was going at medium speed so the whole situation took me by surprise. I couldn't get up on plane after that. I motored into the infield and got a tow. As soon as I got out of the capsule, I could see my problem. The wing was jammed in a radical "up" position, which caused the nose to go down. No wonder I couldn't get on plane. An examination in the pits revealed the wing had slipped past the mechanical stop and jammed in place. The friction from the side of the stop plate was not allowing it to return to the neutral position. I realized that my earlier problems were probably from the wing getting temporarily jammed, then releasing. Finally the mechanism had gotten to the point where it couldn't "unjam" itself and hence the resulting problem. A new stop was fabricated and put into place and we were ready to run. I had drawn lane two in the qualification heat and was anxious to run the course. I really wanted to get some seat time, especially on the entrance to that tricky turn two. The gun fired and I headed out with no problems, running up the backstretch and around turn two and back down the front. The boat felt fine and I felt good. With about 1 minute and 45 seconds to go, I cut in from the backstretch to head across the middle because I wanted to burn some time. My intention was to come out on the front stretch and go around turn one as fast as I could and then repeat the maneuver (going into the middle and out the front stretch again) as I figured the timing would be about right. As I headed across the middle, I saw one of the GP's barreling down the front stretch. The boat was at the top of the course so I probably could have made it straight across with no problem but I simply didn't want to take the chance. I couldn't judge precisely how fast he was going and I didn't know if my roostertail would have caused him a problem as I was going at a 90 degree angle to him. In retrospect, as I have said, there probably wouldn't have been a problem but I wasn't going to take the chance. I turned again and tried to make another turn inside the middle of the course. By now the boat had come off plane and I was burning way too much time. In addition, I was getting soaked with the water coming in the vent hole, the "little man" inside my head was screaming that I way, way too late and my timing and positioning were long gone. I did finish the heat but I didn't run the boat as hard as I could because I wanted to save the engine for the next day. There was no point in beating up the boat or the engine. Unfortunately, it was too late. When we craned the boat out of the water, Jamie pointed out the hole in my canard support. At this point I wasn't feeling all that good mentally. I had about 4-5 people ask me what was going on-- was I OK etc., and how "you were doing great and then all of a sudden you started doing donuts in the middle, what was that all about?" On top of that, I had a hole in my pride and joy. Several hours later, the hole was fixed and we were ready to go for the next day.Sunday was a perfect day to run. There was no wind and the water was smooth. I could barely contain myself. The misadventures of the previous day were distant memories. I was slated to be third in the time trials, and the GNH's were the first class of the day. The boat was craned in the water and I was ready to go with plenty of time to spare. When I was given the go-ahead, I cranked over the engine and this horrible sound emanated from the starter/flywheel. It was obvious we weren't going anywhere. The problem turned out to be broken teeth on the flywheel and accompanying burred up starter drive. I was able to borrow a starter from Tony Stalder (GNH 83/Mule) but couldn't get the right size flywheel (ring gear). Because of oil pan clearance problems, I could only use one particular size. We indexed the broken ring gear and put everything back together. The tower was already calling for the boat so we quickly fired  the engine, put the engine cowling on and hustled over to the tower. I was the last boat in the water and the five minute gun was actually fired before I was strapped in. I wasn't worried at all and actually felt very relaxed. The rules state that the boat has to leave the pits at least one minute prior to the start of the race and I knew I was going to make the deadline with ease. I wasn't going to get to do a timing run but I already had a time from the previous qualification I had done so I figured I'd be alright. I attempted to crank the engine and it basically went "clunk." I couldn't believe it. I continued to try but to no avail. It just wasn't meant to be. We got the boat back into the pits and did some extensive troubleshooting. It turned out the engine couldn't turn over because the carburetor was malfunctioning and simply pouring gas into the engine. A simple rebuild will take care of that problem.So.... to answer the question how did the race go, I'll respond with a question, "How was the play, Mrs. Lincoln" you can draw the obvious conclusions......

The thing that made the weekend a positive event and not a negative one was something that sounds like it belongs in a movie or a book rather than being a true event. I went to Valleyfield alone, without any help. The individuals who are intimately involved with the racing program simply could get away or had other commitments they couldn't break. I was fortunate that Paul Davidson, a Canadian I had been corresponding via the Internet was there to help me. We had a great time together and he was a great help. Normally when I don't have any help, or as in this case, someone who is unfamiliar with the boat, I try to get to the pits a bit early and organize everything so I can move as quickly as possible.  Friday morning, I was pretty preoccupied with the tasks ahead, when I suddenly noticed this guy looking very closely at my skid fin or at least that side of the boat. It was Glenn Cupit, the crew chief for the Demon Chaser when it was owned by John Prevost and called the Shazam. Prevost, for those who haven't been to the "History" section of the site, is the original owner of the boat. The story of how Glenn and his wife Betty came to be in Valleyfield is one for the books. 16 years ago, Prevost convinced Glenn that he needed to have his honeymoon in Valleyfield, as Prevost intended to race the Shazam there and he needed his crew chief present. Things came up and the boat never did make it to Valleyfield but Glenn and Betty did. As Glenn relates, everyone expected the Shazam, and while it didn't show up, Glenn and Betty were treated like royalty. They made friendships that have lasted to this day. Now, fast forward to present time; Glenn and Betty decided to return to Valleyfield. They had no idea the Demon Chaser/Shazam was going to be here. Their Canadian friends pointed out an article published in the local paper which noted the boat would be racing in the event and Glenn was out of the house by 6:00am on Saturday in search of his old boat. Glenn is simply one of the most knowledgeable people I have met when it comes to the sport of hydroplane racing. In addition, he has conducted an enormous amount of research on the boat itself; he has this incredible knowledge base of what will work and what won't, through the testing he has conducted in the past. His help throughout the race weekend was invaluable; the fabrication and repairs I mentioned in the previous recounting of events were his accomplishments. Based on several comments I made concerning the boat, Glenn suggested several simple changes. When I drove the boat after the changes were made, the increased responsiveness and performance of the boat was immediately noticeable.

I think that it must be apparent that I certainly would love to have his assistance. Unfortunately we are separated by geography/time. Of course I am hoping that he and Betty will be able to make it to a couple of races this year or next. I have been very fortunate  with the help I have received with the Demon Chaser. I don't have a lot of people involved, but each one brings a wealth of knowledge and talent to the table. In addition, we all mesh well together; very talented people who respect each other. Glenn's easy manner would fit in perfectly. I have been greatly remiss in that I have not finished the "Team" section of the site. There is a reason for this. I want to make sure that I do justice to the people who have helped me . It is a very important part of this site. While several (Steve Lewis, Henry Lauterbach and Dexter Phibbs) have been mentioned in the "Restoration" section of the site, there are others who have been instrumental in helping also (Durward Wilson and Kenny Patterson). Ray Downes' role in bringing this site to life is phenomenal. Hopefully I will be able to fully articulate the commitment these individual have to the racing program and fully explain their roles when I do the "Team" section of the site.  Hydroplane racing is a team effort. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into putting a successful boat on the water.

I missed having my family there; they will be back at all the races from now on. People are used to seeing Mo and the kids and it will be nice to get back to normal. Decatur, Tonawanda and Valleyfield were just too far to drag the whole family to. Valleyfield was a success from the personal standpoint only because I met Glenn and Betty, and Paul Davidson. I learned a lot from Glenn about my boat; it was fascinating. In a way, the trade-off between what I learned versus not being able to race really seems like a simple one. What I learned was much more valuable. The things I learned will stay with me a lifetime; the feeling from a successful day would have been fleeting. However, in the heat of battle, it is hard to recognize this simple fact. The disappointment from not being able to race because of mechanical failures beyond my (or anyone else's) control is a bitter reality. It was a long trip to get there and it was a longer trip home. I have talented people who put their time and effort to get me on the water, it's only natural that I want to be able to do my part; drive. It was difficult for me to come home and talk about all the things that mechanically went wrong. The weekend was emotionally draining. I have gone into every athletic event that I have ever done, seeing myself winning. (This includes events in which I would need a miracle just to be in the top ten!!). When I taught Karate, I also tried to prepare my students for reality and that is, while every time I stepped in the ring I expected to win, at some point, it became survival; I just wanted to finish. However, this is just a phase; get through it, and you will win. In an event where the dominant personality can be the deciding factor, this is extremely important. You merely have to "outlast" or at least make your opponent believe you can "outlast" him. In motorsports, it's very different. "Personality" only comes into play when everything else is going right. All the aggressiveness in the world isn't going to get you to the start line if you have a bad starter. You can't "psych" yourself to a win. It is a new frontier for me and this past weekend really brought it home. You can't fight the battle if you can't get to the start line. In my introductory comments about myself, I mentioned that light years ago (in 1976), I won a championship at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden. What I didn't mention was the year prior (1975), I entered the same championship and failed miserably. I lost in the first round to an opponent I was clearly superior to. I went home and started training the next day. A year later, the results were drastically different. Glenn made an simple comment to ease the pain of the weekend which I will try to keep in mind. Paraphrasing it, he said "when the good times come, you look back on these days and it is times like these that make the good times so much better." I knew times like this would come; I just didn't expect them at every race!! Well, we've dwelt on this enough. Time to quit feeling sorry for myself and get to work. Cambridge is next.... There will be the same fast opponents there. I'll be ready.July 24, 2001

The saga continues. After taking half a day off from work to finish up with the odds and ends on the boat, I worked until about midnight and then left for Cambridge at about 1:30 AM. I thought everything was ready to go but apparently it wasn't. We had already installed a brand new flywheel/ring gear and starter and the carburetor had been rebuilt. We immediately started to strip the flywheel and burr up the drive on the starter. Shades of Valleyfield!! More troubleshooting and finally we determined the gaskets on the powervalves in the carburetor were the culprit. We carefully re-installed the gaskets in the carburetor (thanks to Charlie Gary and Steve Lewis!!) and indexed the flywheel and went into the water for the first qualifier. I was late to the crane due to all the work and was still getting strapped in when the gun fired. I must have hit the clock in all the machinations to get strapped in and, as a result, did not have a clue as to how much time I had before the one minute gun. I got out on the course but had a hard time getting oriented to the buoys. I ended up missing a buoy and going through the safety zone (a big "no-no") and then going outside of the outside buoy which marked the start/finish line. Both the inside and outside start/finish line buoys were blue, and I must have picked up the outside one, thinking it was the inside buoy. Anyway, I felt pretty stupid as I haven't ever done this before. It was small consolation that several other drivers "lost" the course also. Anyway, while it cost me a DQ, the only positive thing I could salvage from this run was that while I was at the start/finish line area, the other boats were at the one minute pin, exactly 1/2 lap ahead of me. (I was out of position because I didn't know what time it was). I ended the heat at the tail end of the pack so I made up a half lap during the race. I didn't have any problems with turn one, which was fairly tight. For the final, we indexed the flywheel but I could not start the engine. Steve jumped on the boat and tried to re-index the flywheel several times but to no avail. I was pretty disappointed but decided to drive back to Hampton (4 plus hours) with Dan Ramsey (GNH 3) to pick up my  spare flywheel and a foot pedal assembly for Dan as his had broken in several pieces and was in-operable. We got the pedal assembly for Dan and I couldn't find the flywheel so I purchased a flexplate and headed back. We got in about 2 AM and I got up early to put my parts on. Unfortunately the auto parts store had given me a flexplate for an externally balanced engine (which had a weight attached) and I have an internally balanced engine. The frustrating part about this was that I saw this when I purchased it, and questioned the parts guy at the store and he assured me it was for an internally balanced engine. Since I had never gone this route before, I did not know what the flexplate should look like. I took him at his word. It's pretty apparent he didn't know what he was talking about. Regardless, we ended up drilling the welds and removing the weight. Tony Stalder (GNH 83)  was of great help and then loaned me a spacer to attached between the plate and the oil pump gear. I thought I was ready and went to start the engine. My electrical disconnect started to go wacko on me as well as the solenoid which stuck. I didn't make it to the qualifier and continued to work toward making the finals. Finally, everything appeared to be in working order and I actually got to the cranes with plenty of time to spare. We had gone to a 3 minute gun so I knew everything had to go off on time or I wouldn't be able to run. Everything worked out right and I headed out for the course. Because of the compressed time schedule (3 minutes instead of 5), I only got to do one lap and then settled into lane 2. Everything seemed right but I later found out that I, along with 3 other boats had jumped the gun. We had only been early by perhaps 1/2 a second (the front section on the sponsons were showing as across the line on the video) but it was still too early. I was third coming out of the first corner with Ken Brodie (GNH 44) in lane one ahead, and Tony Stalder (GNH 83) in lane three, also ahead of me by a slight margin. During the race, I was in third (not counting the penalty, of course) and fighting off Tommy Thompson (GNH/UL 2) on my right hip. On lap 4 (the final lap), after coming out of turn one, Mo told me on the radio that something had happened and that GNH/UL 2 was no longer beside me. (I was told later that his skid fin had broken and he had gone into the spectator boats but no injuries or damages had occurred). I had been watching my gauges pretty closely and saw my oil temperature was a little higher than normal although the rest of my gauges were reading normal.  I decided to shut down and go into the infield, which I did. I probably could have gone the final 1/2 lap without incident but since we are still "shaking down" the boat, I didn't want to take the chance. The boat was  handling beautifully and everything else seems to be OK. I will check things out this weekend so I can be ready for Kent Narrows on August 4-5. My trip home was pretty eventful. The trailer managed to come un-hooked and the hydro and trailer attempted to pass me as I was going through the tunnel. Fortunately no damage was sustained to the boat or motorhome and very little to the trailer. I hooked things up and went on my merry way. A few miles down the road I stopped to check everything and it all looked OK so I traveled the 45 minutes or so to my home in Hampton. At this point, I realized our dog Nellie must have gotten out of the RV when I stopped to check the trailer connection. I went back to the area and searched until about 2 AM without positive results. We called all the local authorities and put an ad in the newspaper and are hoping for the best.While it sounds like I am encountering a myriad of problems, they are pretty small and to be expected when you are running the first year after doing the amount of work I have done on the boat. I am looking forward to when we have worked through all these problems and things run a bit smoother, though.

I feel very, very good about the boat. It handles perfectly and it just plain feels fantastic to drive. I am absolutely comfortable in the boat. It should be obvious that I don't like all these technical problems but the positive side of the situation is that I am learning a tremendous amount. I would be lying if I said I was real happy with my performance in the boat. I'm not. My progress at this point is pretty average. However, patience is the key here. I am pretty methodical about everything I do and this is no different. My shutting down in the final on Sunday is an example of this. There is no need at this time to beat up the engine or the boat. I need seat time and because of the technical problems, I am not getting as much as I had anticipated by this time in the season. I am already very, very confident in the boat-- now I need to learn it's parameters, and this will take time. In terms of driving, right now I need to be conservative. I don't know how the boat is going to react to certain maneuvers and what it's limitations are. It has nothing to do with confidence or courage but rather common sense. I am not intimidated by my boat or the competition out there. This is an internal issue within myself. When I am ready to push the boat to it's limits, I will do so. But to do this before I know the boat better is just plain foolhardy and stupid, and puts other drivers at risk. A very concrete example of this was the final on Sunday. I was third coming out of the first turn which was pretty tight. Since I didn't have the opportunity to go into the corner during the 5 (3) minute period at full throttle, I didn't know where I would end up-- how far outside I would slide. I purposefully came off the throttle going in because of this. Until I get a feel for the different settings I have for my skid fin, I will continue to err on the side of caution.So, we'll continue to work at fixing all the "gremlins" and get ready for Kent Narrows, August 4-5. See you there.July 25, 2001DOG UPDATEI received a call at the house tonight in response to our classified ad in the 'lost and found' asking for a description of our dog Nellie. (Today was the first day the ad had run). After I described her, the caller advised she thought she had the dog. The caller's residence was approximately  1/4 mile (straight line distance) from where I had stopped to check my trailer late Sunday/early Monday morning. I drove over there with my two littlest munchins and sure enough, there was a very tired and stressed out Nellie. She's home safe and sound now and everyone's happy.August 17, 2001

Good question!! I don't have a clue. For the first time in years we had enough boats competing in the GNH class to be forced to have two qualifying heats. Since we can run only 8 boat max in a heat and 10 boats registered, it looked like it was going to be a war out there. It was, but not the type that anyone in the class or grandstands could have foreseen. The first two heats were on Friday and 9 boats ran (GNH 114 arrived to late to compete) in two heats. It immediately turned into a GNH Armageddon; a scene of self-inflicted genocide. 5 boats went down immediately and were damaged so badly they were unable to return for the rest of the weekend. I was having major problems and could not get on plane or above 2000 RPMs. This turned out to be a situation where the distributor slipped about 30 degrees as well as an issue  with my carburetor; specifically the "squirter" on my primary. On Sunday, we cleaned everything out and thought we were ready to run; especially after I did two test laps at about 7400 RPM. During the start, I ended up having to slow so as not to jump the gun and was unable to get above the 2000 RPM mark again. The carburetor simply refused to function properly so once again I was a DNS. The final ended with only the winner running; the other 3 boats were dead in the water and I had not started. A very, very discouraging way to culminate a World Championship.  I was invited to compete in the Invitational and borrowed another carburetor to run. It did not have power valves (mine does) so we "up jetted" it to compensate. I was only able to get up to between 4 and 5000 RPM so I pulled into the pits. As it was, I was glad after checking my spark plugs as it was pretty obvious I was running "lean" and continued running could have caused a major problem. The GNH race was a disappointment to owners, drivers and fans alike. We had an excellent field and the water was perfect. We have not had this type of attrition in any of the other races we have run this year and it is puzzling why it occurred. While I didn't keep track of the other classes, I did note that the 2.5L Mod class only started with 4 and 3 broke down with the winner doing his victory lap alone also. Bizarre, puzzling and very disappointing. Especially for me. When the carburetor was working, the boat was running and flying beautifully. The water conditions were perfect. The carburetor will be reworked in the coming week and we will be at Rising Sun.September 3, 2001

I love the Bush River course. It is a HUGE, 1 and 1/4 course and a real pleasure to run. The only drawback is the pits are very small but the people (volunteers) and the spectators who come through the pits are really great. I had many conversations with a large number of spectators who were very enthusiastic about seeing the races. It is a very "friendly" place to  race. I didn't expect many of the GNH's to attend, primarily for two reasons: (1) Most of the guys are repairing their boats after the debacle at Hampton, and (2) the bulk of the class is trying to get ready for the following week at Rising Sun, Indiana. I, and Dan Ramsey (GNH 3) are from Region IV and, as do most other racers, try to support all the races in our respective regions. It was really fantastic to see Glen Mustillo in GNH 4, the former Steeler. They had literally just purchased the boat this week and were trying to shake it down. I had thought it would just be Danny and I getting some seat time, so it was nice to see them getting right out there to get the "bugs" worked out of the boat. (There are always "bugs" as I can readily attest to, when a boat sits for several years!!)

The problem I have been having with my carburetor has disappeared. My carb got a total tune-up by a local wizard, Charlie Morgan, who does carb work for several major Nascar teams. I did have several people tell me that they thought I was hitting the rev limiter but I had one of the guys who was turn judging said he thought it sounded like I was getting a little fuel starvation in the turn. I will be checking everything and trying to track any issues down today. My only problem was that my digital clock switch went down before the start of the race, so I didn't have a clock. I was picking up the time as I went by the main clock but I was also listening to my spotter, who by now had been told I didn't have a clock. I also had a minor radio problem in that I can hear what the spotter says, but I am not transmitting. I came around on my second lap, having a great time flying the boat and playing with the wing and thought I must have misread the clock because my spotter said I had "1 minute and 30 seconds", as I was coming out of turn one. Actually, what he said was that I had "1 minute and 30 seconds to mill." The latter two words (pretty crucial!!) "to mill" got cut off. Since I want to be in turn one at around one minute (if you're at the one minute pin in a GNH at one minute, you are way early), I cut across the middle at a leisurely pace, ticking off the seconds in my head (I can't see the clock from that end of the course) and then powered up the back straight. I figured I might be a few seconds off and could adjust as I rounded turn 2. I got the surprise of my life as I picked up the start clock and saw 20 seconds on it as I came out of the top turn. And, knowing whether it is two seconds or twenty seconds early, the penalty is basically the same, I figured I might as well run the boat. As it was, it didn't matter. I got "black flagged" (return to the pits) as I was the only one running. GNH 4 had blown out a sparkplug and had stopped and GNH 3 had his low oil pressure light go on, so he stopped also.  I guess it must have looked like "amateur hour" out there, with the timing situation, but that's just the way it is. A little embarrassing, but that's life. I'll have a backup clock the next time. I had a great time flying the boat. With the exception of the clock, everything was working great. The oil pressure and temperature, as well as the water temperature were right on the money,  and the boat was running absolutely perfectly. I was having the time of my life. GNH 4 and I were going to run on Sunday, but Sunday morning a check of the GNH 4's skid fin strut revealed a crack so they were unable to run. We were both disappointed, but the bright side of things are that is a relatively easy fix. Unfortunately, the nature of hydroplane racing is that you "shake down" your boat and do your prop testing during races. There is precious little time to do otherwise, as the logistics (getting a crane and safety boats) turns a testing session into a major endeavor. For me, getting in the water was great. We have been "shaking down" the boat all season, and now, with about 3 races left, it looks as though things are starting to come together. I am very excited about the upcoming races. Perhaps now we can actually "race"!!

I have some really warm feelings about Rising Sun and when I explain my continuing ordeal (that had a happy ending!!) you'll understand why I feel the way I do about the place and the people. I have been having a "slight" problem with my trailer which has now been identified as worn-out  axles. We initially thought it was a bearing issue and I changed out the bearings just prior to heading out to Rising Sun on Thursday night. Since I had the work to do on the trailer (along with a bunch of other things), I left about 4 hours after I had intended to (which, of course, made me very grumpy) but that didn't matter because I was traveling by myself and couldn't take my ill humor out on anyone else. My mood didn't improve much when I checked the trailer a ways down the road and realized that the "bearing" thing was just wishful thinking; it hadn't solved the problem. Looking at the wear pattern on my tire, I figured I could make it since I had a spare. It took me approximately 12 1/2  hours of driving time and when I pulled into the Anderson's Riviera Inn, the tire was almost ready to go. Barb and Gregg Anderson were simply great, and located a trailer place who was willing to help me immediately. I set out right away and promptly had a flat tire on a section of road (which seemed to stretch for miles) where I couldn't pull over. I finally got to a place where I could change the tire and got to the trailer place in one piece. After we all put our heads together (and armed with the knowledge I had already changed out the bearings) and took some measurements, we came to the consensus that the axles were simply worn out, which was causing the wheel to ride at such a strange and extreme angle. So, on to the tire place to get a new tire. With a new spare, I could finally go on to the pits. (Of course the reason for leaving Hampton as early as I did, was to be able to get to Rising Sun, drop the boat off and spend the balance of the day relaxing. Instead, this was already turning into a pretty big ordeal). I set up the boat and immediately attracted an 11 year old who was enamored with the boat. He wanted to help and it was obvious he just loved the boat. THAT put me in a good mood. I set up the boat and took a look at the race site itself. It seemed a little tight but it really is an optical illusion; there really is ample room. Joe Marshall (GNH 33) and his crew set up next to me and they were absolutely great. I had talked with Joe on the telephone several years ago but this was our first meeting. He has kids from the local technical school crewing for him (as well as an adult crew) and the whole crowd is a real credit to sport.

We got "weathered out" on Saturday and didn't run, which of course was a disappointment to the crowd and racers alike. Sunday had a couple of torrential downpours and the heats were running when they could, but I was starting to fear that we (the GNH's) weren't going to make it. The weather would be good and then would turn horrible; either the wind would kick up or it would rain. By now, I was willing to run in a hurricane; if I had to drive home after all the problems I had had, AND not get to run, I was not going to be a happy camper. (Like that really matters!!). The race committee made the decision to shorten the heats to 3 laps (instead of 4) in an effort to get all the heats in, which was smart. The way the weather was acting, I figured the GNH's were only going to get to run one heat anyway. 7 GNH's hit the water for the qualifier and away we went. I made a number of mistakes during the qualifier, the least of which was that I ran into the residue from a roostertail in the turn and almost completely stalled but still finished in third place. I was craned out and noticed what appeared to be a huge gouge in bottom/side of the sponson. Unfortunately I didn't examine it real closely when the boat was being hauled out, and then started to have second thoughts about it. I really didn't want to sink at the dock when they put me in for the final (I have already had that "honor" when I got hit in my 2.5L at Hampton one year). Since there really weren't enough cranes to be able to get my boat inspected (they were working as hard as they could to get all the heats off before the weather went haywire again), I made the decision that I would get ready and inspect the boat as it was being lifted to being put in the water for the final. If it didn't look right, I wasn't going to risk it. (I couldn't examine it on the trailer because it was on the side of the sponson that is up against the trailer bunk). As I was going to the dock to wait my turn to be craned in, a number of spectators wished me luck and I could hear Jeff Ayler, the announcer and another individual discussing the GNH lineup over the PA system. I knew that Jeff had announced at Kent Narrows a few weeks prior, as well as working regularly with the Unlimiteds, and I had heard good things about him. He is a real hydro enthusiast and knew the history of my boat without my telling him a thing. I spent about 10 minutes with him (and his friend Shari) early Saturday morning when he went through the pits talking to all the drivers and doing his "homework" for his announcing duties. I examined the bottom of my boat and quite frankly wasn't real happy with what I saw. I started to tell the crane operator to put the boat back on the trailer but I could hear Jeff saying all these positive things about the boat over the PA system and thought about all the spectators who had wished me luck and what the long drive home after not running was going to be like. Certainly I could have justified it, based on the possibility of sinking my boat; but the truth of the matter is that I really, really wanted to run. And Jeff was starting to make me feel like I would be letting him down after such a positive report on the boat if I didn't at least give it a try. He was coming as close to saying I was going to win without actually saying the words. Or at least that's the way I interpreted it. So really I have to credit him with the final "push" in my decision to run. It was just what I needed, so we put the boat in the water and off we went.I was in lane 3, which was exactly where I wanted to be, and (unlike Bush River) had a backup clock on my steering wheel, although my digital display was working just fine. I was able to make a couple of test runs and felt I had the timing down OK. At the start though, I was probably only at about 50 percent of the speed I wanted to be at. A review of the tape I have supports my own recollection of the race; I held back and was quite a distance back from the boats in lanes 1 and 2. I started to go full bore about half way through the turn and then had to come off the gas a hair because I just knew I was going to be early; the boat was getting ready to "launch." I've gotten used to the power/torque curve in the boat and it is not linear. By that I mean that if I am not flying, I will go at a certain speed, and then suddenly the boat will take off like a scalded rabbit (before I start to fly). It's beautiful. As it was, I was (if I'm reading the angle of the start/finish line in the tape correctly), within 1 second of the gun (just a tiny bit late) but again, not at full speed, still accelerating. The boats in lane 1 and 2 had to really come off the gas so I was ahead of them however, whoever was in lane 4 hit the line perfectly at about 80-90 percent and was just hammering. Since I had the inside lane, I had the shortest distance which made up for my not-so-perfect start and the boat was flying beautifully. What is nice about having a video tape is I can see now what the attitude of the boat was doing when I was manipulating the wing. I felt I was very, very light at times, and the video tape certainly supports this. Mark Johnson was handling the radios for me and he was perfect. I'm  a firm believer of radios (in the GNH class it's mandatory) because when you run with a canopy, your vision is a bit restricted. He let me know exactly where the other boats were (safety issue) and periodically gave me time checks, which I could check against my clock. After the Bush River situation where my clock went down, I am hypersensitive to wanting to know exactly what time it is. You can only see the clock from about halfway into turn 2 to the start/finish line-- which means (obviously) that you see the clock only once or twice on your warmup laps, depending on how late you left the pits after the 5 minute gun. Normally you vary your speed depending on the time left on the clock. When your clock goes down, you end up running around the course at full speed so you can see the clock as many times as you can prior to the 1 minute gun. (The clock's real importance is in vying for lanes prior to the 1 minute gun; you can see the clock soon enough during the start to vary your speed accordingly). If you have been racing for 20 plus years, you know from experience how much time you will eat up at a certain RPM in a particular class. The clock (in your boat) isn't absolutely crucial. From my standpoint, I know all the basics; where I want to be at 2 minutes, 1 and 1/2 minutes, and when the 1 minute gun goes off and I do the test runs to find what RPM/location I want to be at (depending on the lane) coming out of turn 2 for the start. Since I can't draw from that wealth of experience that individuals who have been racing for years have, the clock IS absolutely crucial. While you always need a clock, I think it's importance diminishes as the amount of experience you have grows.

From watching the tape, I can see where I can improve on my line through some of the corners; and improve on the way I fly the boat. But that will come with time. I was extremely happy with the outcome. When I raised my canopy in the pits after coming in, all the crews for all the other boats were applauding, and it was really nice. Everyone in the class pretty much knows the technical problems I have been running into this year and I think everyone was actually relieved that everything worked out for me. Joe Cheezum came down to the dock and didn't say anything which I though was sort of weird. I couldn't figure what he was up to; then he threw me into the water for the traditional 1st win thing.I was particularly happy for the people back home who have helped me; we all have an emotional stake in the boat. I called Henry (Lauterbach) and Dexter Phibbs and it was the greatest feeling in the world to be able to at least tell them I had finished a race, let alone win it. I left messages with Ray Downes, Steve Lewis and Kenny Patterson (couldn't reach any of them) and talked to Durward Wilson the next day (I knew he would be coming back from Mays Landing and wouldn't get in until late). Dan Ramsey (GNH 3) had been trying to reach me and I was finally able to give him the news. I didn't have Glenn's (Cupit, former crew chief for the Shazam) phone number with me on the road, so I e-mailed him when I got home. Of course the first call was to my wife, who in her inimitable manner, though it was "nice." Those of you who know Mo know that she really isn't into the competition thing. She loves the people and the boats but the actual competition doesn't really do anything for her. I think the thing that made her the happiest was that I actually got to drive the boat instead of being towed in for the umpteenth time. Boat racing is a team sport; it is impossible (at least I can't) do everything by myself. What has meant the most to me is that we worked for almost three years to not only rebuild an existing boat but, we changed certain things and made it our own; and it worked. There is so much satisfaction in that. I will admit that I definitely would not have chosen this route; I certainly didn't expect that it would be this difficult; but I honestly can say it was worth it.  It would have been great to just jump in the boat and be successful, but the reality is that it would not have been fulfilling. Brian (Reynolds) struggled and worked hard for 9 years to enjoy the success he had. Just as I bought a championship boat from him, he bought a championship boat from John (Prevost). He endured the trials and tribulations also. Somehow, it would cheapen the process if it were easy. It has been a very long road to get to this point but now we can focus on my driving and going faster. We are finally at the beginning.I was very honored to receive the Rick Grenier Memorial Sportsmanship Award. I did not know Rick personally but I certainly had heard of him and knew he was very well liked. For me this is a very important award; not only because it will always remind me of my first GNH win, but because of what it represents. Memorial awards are given so that the memory of those it honors will not be forgotten. Those who have gone before and are no longer with us should not be forgotten, and their accomplishments should not be diminished or tossed aside because they are not physically present. Memories are forever. 

Page last updated Friday, March 02, 2007