INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Salute to the 2011 NJBA Champions
Family Traditions - The Fawks Family - Randy, Ashley and Alyssa
Spring Catalog Buyers Guide
Drag Boat Nostalgia - The Evolution of Drag Boat Racing
Drag Boat Review's Most Intriguing People - Tamari Riehl, DBR's West Coast Sales
Sear Fashion Means Business - Speedwear Designs

Plus:
2012 National Race Schedule
Classified Ads
... and more!

Click on the image for a sample of the great content that we have in this month's issue!

Don't miss any of the drag boat action from all across the country by subscribing to Drag Boat Review, or you can even purchase just this issue!

DRAG BOAT NOSTALGIA

Organized drag boat racing got its first start with the formation of the Kern County Boat and Ski Club (KCBC), founded by power boat enthusiasts in 1945 at Hart Park Lake. Mostly used for water skiing in the 1950’s, Hart Park Lake was the site of the first drag boat race in February of 1956. The National Boat Timing Association (NBTA), founded by Bakersfield’s famous boat builder, Buck Smith, was the first sanctioning body for drag boat racing. Once boat speeds reached 100 miles per hour, Hart Park Lake was outgrown, however, as drivers either beached their boats or had to make a sharp right turn up the canal for shutdown. Along with other Bakersfield officials, KCBC lobbied in Sacramento to build a larger lake for racing. Finally in 1959, carved out of the foothills by the Kern River, Lake Ming was approved and built. Beginning in April of 1960 the first race was staged there, initially sanctioned solely by the KCBC until they later joined forces with the APBA and began running regattas of both circle and drag boat races. Not long after that, the Bakersfield Outboard Racing Association (BORA) was formed, thus separating circle and drag boat racing.

Unlike today’s orderly, safety-oriented programs, the early days saw no safety standards or regulations until the formation of the Southern California-based National Drag Boat Association. The NDBA was founded by a group who met in a boat shop in Downey, California in February of 1963 to compile a set of racing rules with the intent of standardizing racing procedures and reversing the trend of making decisions in the middle of a race event.

Attending that first meeting was a small group of very notable people, many of who are still associated with drag boat racing today. Little did they know the impact they would have on the sport and the success that has since come about while bringing their efforts to fruition. At the first General Membership meeting in March of 1963, two schools of thought, albeit poles apart, were prevalent. One presented the ideas that the most recognized racers of the day were not receiving the prestige nor the purses to which they felt they were entitled while another faction, much larger in scale but made up of the average racer, sought better organized racing, more races and uniform treatment for all competitors.

The first NDBA race was held at Long Beach Marine Stadium on March 31, 1963 where 13,000 spectators witnessed Barry McCown’s daring 161.87 mph pass in his Top Fuel Hydro, "Banzai", crowning him the "Drag Boat King". Rich Hallett built the boat, which was powered by a Keith Black-tuned Chrysler. A year later the city fathers feared that drag boat racing was becoming too fast and would only allow pump gas to be used for fuel at that venue, resulting in a 15-20 mile per hour drop in speeds. And here is another tidbit of information - in 1965 at Ski-Land in Perris, California 18,000 spectators paid $1.50 each to witness 350 boats race for $20,000 in prize money.

....more!

SDBA Awards Banquet
LODBRS Awards Banquet
CDBA Awards Banquet
SLDBA Awards Banquet
KDBA Awards Banquet2011 FAN GUIDE:


John Loshbaugh, Scott Schultz, Daryl Ehrlich, Eddie Knox, Joel Weber, Randy Benson, Charles Duncan, Bryan Sanders, Shannon and Casey Beal, Tina Hill, David Cooper, Todd Ebert, Pete Collett, Ed Anderson, Ronnie Hodge, Steve Thomas, , Joe Don Summerville, Joe Peroceschi, Joey Bishop, Kevin Weldon, Paul Hodges, Denise Hodges, Ryan O’Hara, Alyssa Fawks, Cole Payne, Shelby Ebert

Plus:
Family Traditions - Spotlight on the Haavisto Family
National Race Schedule
Classified ads
... and more!

Click on the image for a sample of the great content that we have in this month's issue!

Don't miss any of the drag boat action from all across the country by subscribing to Drag Boat Review, or you can even purchase just this issue!

FAMILY TRADITIONS – The Haavisto Family

Newly elected as the President /Commodore of the Columbia Drag Boat Association (CDBA) Andy Haavisto has been actively involved in sanctioned drag boat racing since he and his wife, Ginger, first attended the Haystack Reservoir event in 2002. Their fondness of boating goes as far back as the ‘80’s, though, as Ginger’s family actually got him interested in running on the Colorado River before they were even married. In 1989 they bought a jet boat and brought it home to Redmond, Oregon, and years later in 2000, they became friends with Al Zemke when Andy started doing Al’s jet pump work. Andy recalled, “We were testing before the Haystack race and broke a pushrod guideplate. Al said, “Why don’t we put my numbers on your ugly old yellow boat and go racing?” Al’s number is 177, and Andy’s “Old Yeller” is 177X. And the rest is history.

The Haavisto’s ran the 1974 Glencoe Jet boat in the River Racer category through 2004 when Andy purchased a 1983 Eliminator Daytona Dragster hull and moved up a notch to the Stock Eliminator class under the name, “Another Quick Piece Please”. That same year Andy and Ginger met Kent Price and Bryan Sheckler in Merced, California before they were the “Black Draggin” TAH team. Andy recalled, “Kent and Bryan helped Ginger and me out and introduced us to the awesome national drag boat racing family that we are all a part of. We have been friends ever since.” In 2006 he moved up to the Modified Eliminator class and secured the M/E Runner-up title in 2007. In 2008 he purchased a Bernard Mondello-built 565 cubic inch Chevy and moved up once again to the Top Eliminator class, where he has run consistently and trouble free for the past four seasons.

Andy and Ginger have two daughters - Kayla, age 26, and Jessica, 30, who has followed her dad’s racing since he began, ten years ago. Seeing all the fun that her dad was having, Jessica took over the driving chores for the “Old Yeller” River Racer in 2007, and the two boat team, aptly named “Two Carat Racing”, was born. Ginger, who also volunteers administrative services to the CDBA, is the Logistics Director for “Two Carat Racing”, and Andy plainly stated, “There is not enough paper to list all the things she does for us and the CDBA.”

Jessica claims to be the better driver of the two -”by far”, she said, adding, “He is a great Crew Chief, though.” She got her first win in 2010 at Lakeside, Oregon, secured the R/R Championship title in 2010 and was the Runner-up champion in 2011. In fact, “Two Carat Racing” has been to the podium four times now in the last five years.

Reminiscent of the 2011 season, Jessica recalled, “We lost a valve in the Chevy of “Old Yeller” at the July, 2011 Dexter race during qualifying. The engine was destroyed. That $2,500 garage special held together for 53 passes and pushed the old girl to an all time best 87 MPH. I thought I was done for the season. Dad has two complete aluminum headed, roller cam, Olds top ends. Two weeks later, after regular jobs and a lot of thrashing, Mom and Dad left Redmond at 10:00 pm and drove 250 miles to Lakeside. The engine hadn’t even been fired yet. Between Dad, Me, Richard, Cody and Mom we were able to final-assemble, fire, qualify and win the first round with a brand new bullet. I turned on the red light the second round. Dad wouldn’t have done that. I ended up 108 points out of first place. It still feels like a win!”