Burlington, WI - RIP

[18W]

Dave-
You are mistaken. The night race was at the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. Someone wants to compare spectators, that place took the cake.
www.summerfest.com/flash2011/#

It was also my first race.

Many memories. Adrians custard stand right across the street. The coaster fight at "Dougs" chit chat club,now Chris USA. Many years of a bon fire out where the chocolate fest grounds are now. The pig roast untiting many past and current racers and families Saturday evening. A unique view of the first turn from shore, up close and personal.

As far as on the racecourse...
Walking a flipped 25 runabout in from the second turn because there was no way to get it flipped over and not getting the thissle wet. Great last heat of the bay... right Burdick? Darrell telling everyone in BSR to take it easy it's not the Nationals and then proceding to take a fresh motor and ingest it with some fine Burlington silt. My favorite was after a rebuild a few years ago, my BSR was moving rather well. I passed Ed arround the outside the first day. Later that evening at the tavern, he made a comment saying I would never win another heat. I had him write that down on a $1 bill. I swept every heat that weekend, and still have that bill.

Great thread Bill!
Davey

[thepiranhabros]

Etched in my memory

It's just getting to shallow to race on. I do wish I had my camera when Chris took a dive on the back stretch and came up with a face full of mud.

I don't need a picture; that image is burned on my brain. I was right behind him on the inside in that heat, about 50-feet back. I couldn't figure out why he was suddenly going sideways toward the infield in a straight, so I backed off, saw the splash, then saw him come up muddy and helmet-less. That was pretty intense. Poor guy. He still had mud coming out of his tear ducts the next day.

Ah, Burlington. Allow me to wax nostalgic and go all Carl Sandburg for a moment. Shallow water aside, this is one of the best, if not the perfect race venue. Great shaded pits. Great protected water. Loads of spectators. Trains. Adrian's Frozen Custard. Fred's Burgers. Yes, Burlington has it all; a veritable racer's nirvana! It too was my first race back in 1983. And Holden's in 2009 come to think of it!

I sure am glad we got to race there, and we will sure miss it.

[Team B&H]

I'll second Spud getting shot by the starting cannon and up you with Earl Granrath using his personal fire extinguisher to put out an engine fire. He just put it out instead of watching it burn like some female did up at Wakefield. How about the patrol boat over the dam? My favorite was having a balky carb on a 45 motor that I couldn't figure out so I took it over to the OMC truck (what a factory truck at a local stock outboard race?) and Ziggy Boettle took it all apart and when it still wouldn't work, he pitched it in the lake and gave me a new one. How about the couple years when we had factory wars in MOD 50 with the OMC guys against Merten in the Merc? Remember Fred Miller's starter motor going out so a bunch of us pulled off his cowl, lifted his tunnel boat up and rope started it, then put the cowl back on and sent him out.

And it was all due to Pete Mersberger's effort. Was that really 30 years ago?

[Dave M]

Sad

I only raced there one time, and intended to be back some day. I enjoyed the race course, and the atmosphere. The pits were decent enough. Loved the bar across the street from the hotel, a bars bar.

Hopefully something can be done in the future to get it back.

[Haüenstein]

My favorite race site ever

The setup at Burlington couldn't be beat: a downtown lake with shaded pits, on a point, with the judges' stand at the end of the point and spectators lining the bank until they wrapped part-way around the first turn. We launched from the opposite side of the point so planing wakes weren't too big a problem on the course and the pits were very accessible but didn't obscure the race course view.

Also walkable from the Rainbow Motel was everyone's favorite breakfast spot, the White Fox Den.

A couple more quick memories: something like 17 JSH entries for a local race; unsecured patrol boats going over the dam one rainy night; walking out onto the frontstretch and finding my brother's 44XS cowling by hand (perhaps a bad sign); the Cottonpicker waitress asking Brian if he wanted "soup or salad" with his dinner and BP responding "sounds great!"; or BP sending back his tuna for being overcooked—twice—then doing the exact same thing the next year.

Burlington was the number one race my brother and I would come back to attend once we Escaped Wisconsin, and also where my Uncle Jim and later Cousin Kenn and Troy visited from California for shake-down runs on a couple new boats. Three days of racing with everything you could ask for.

[Ron Hill]

Everything Has A Life Span....

I watched a Stock Race at Neosho in 1973. I think this is where I met Steve Warnoch face to face. (I made him a prop or two before that and it was here I taaught him to drive a boat)...I promised myself I'd race Neosho in 1974.....and I did...I jumped the gun four out of four heats, but I learned to start on the Badger State clock...you needed to be late. I was sadden when the Badger state lost Neosho!

I'm thinking the first Burlington race was 1975, as I remember looking the pit area over, and being in my Winnebago I thought this would never work. Seems, before I could decide what to do, Peter Mersburger, Hank Menzies and a few others had unhooked my trailer and ran it into the pits...I parked the Winnie a block away..

Raced all day and returned to Janesville that night. The next day.......after being "THRASHED AGAIN" by Region 7ers....I once agian did nothing and my trailer was hooked to my Winnie and my wife and headed for the Dayton Nationals, 1975. My two year old daughter, Jessica, stayed in Janesville with her grand parents.

I never made it back to Burlington, though I once told Fred Hauenstein I'd love to make it...Time changes things....in '77 Chad was born.....a few short years later I had Broc....

If it only took dredging, I'd bet boat racers could dredge it with shovels....or would this require governmental approval, not to mention union contracts????....

Sad to see one MORE race site gone!!!

Anyway, I still think you could race in Janesville on the Rock River by the hospital....

[Ron Hill]

Kingsburg, California...was great too!

The setup at Burlington couldn't be beat: a downtown lake with shaded pits, on a point, with the judges' stand at the end of the point and spectators lining the bank until they wrapped part-way around the first turn. We launched from the opposite side of the point so planing wakes weren't too big a problem on the course and the pits were very accessible but didn't obscure the race course view.

Also walkable from the Rainbow Motel was everyone's favorite breakfast spot, the White Fox Den.

A couple more quick memories: something like 17 JSH entries for a local race; unsecured patrol boats going over the dam one rainy night; walking out onto the frontstretch and finding my brother's 44XS cowling by hand (perhaps a bad sign); the Cottonpicker waitress asking Brian if he wanted "soup or salad" with his dinner and BP responding "sounds great!"; or BP sending back his tuna for being overcooked—twice—then doing the exact same thing the next year.

Burlington was the number one race my brother and I would come back to attend once we Escaped Wisconsin, and also where my Uncle Jim and later Cousin Kenn and Troy visited from California for shake-down runs on a couple new boats. Three days of racing with everything you could ask for.

Racing around the island at Kingsburg, California, no bouys, just and island, was a fun place to race...Motel at the water's edge...Restaurant and bar behind the motel....Fred's Cafe just down the road with great chilli sizes....2 cent a gallon truck's discount for gas....

[Haüenstein]

Racing around the island at Kingsburg, California, no bouys, just and island, was a fun place to race...Motel at the water's edge...Restaurant and bar behind the motel....Fred's Cafe just down the road with great chilli sizes....2 cent a gallon truck's discount for gas....

Sounds good to me!

[spunky64w]

'Tis a sad day indeed.

+1 more for their first race. It was my favorite non-nationals race site and I have many fond memories both as a racer and as a small child running helter skelter all over the place. Taking shelter from the wind and rain with mom and grandma in the motor homes when we used to camp by the baseball field. I used to find money sometimes in the dugouts. Traditional visits to Adrian's custard, running on the rocks that lined the shore, braving the wind to work on the judges' stand, bringing hot chocolate to those that worked all day (this was gramma Warnock's idea), and of course, sunsets over the lake while everyone was talking and eating roasted pig. A first turn right in front of the spectators. It seemed that no matter who dropped out of the sport, they all came back for a big family reunion at Burlington. I'm gonna miss that place.

[Shawman]

Brrrlington

Rachel my lovely , twas my first race also , my first butt chewing from Warby for comming into the pits to fast ,( To much coffee that morning ) but the best one is the 30" stump I pulled out of turn 2 the week before while cleaning up the course with my fishing boat ,that saved someone a motor !! Your trailer is comming along nicely ! Dad # 13 -W

[53-W]

Dee's speach in drivers meeting on a sunday about why does all of the ASR drivers need to be all in lane 1 at the first turn at the same time? I think that was when Andy Hansen comment about the young guys giving him no respect by not giving him the inside lane?

Davey that was a new experimental boat and my completely fresh good B engine and it was fast, but when started to turn left but it wanted to go right more then I did left and I ran into every one in first turn got hit by Bill and rolled it that was a wild expensive ride!
That whole ride lasted 120 seconds and I had my engine torn down and in oil basket in 20 min after i got towed in, costed me about in parts $600.00 for a second a rebuild the next week!

53w

[17M]

Special Place

Old thread, but I just came across it. I had to add that Burlington was, and will always be my absolute favorite place to race. The site is awesome, I started building lifelong friendships there, and the race course rewards the driver with the biggest balls! The brats, the parade and playing on the rocks as a kid all come to mind. So does some other stuff... If Burlington ever comes back on the schedule, I PROMISE I will come up with a rig and make the trip from Washington!

[doc 35-0]

The water is one of the smoothest, even when the wind was blowing. We like to take the kids to the carnival at night...

[runabout333]

Steve and Craig Johnson spent a lot of Memorial week-ends at Burlington..
Clear back to the mid 80's.

[indyracer87]

I came up three times with my dad. It was a long drive from Indianapolis but it was worth it. Also, it was something to do on Memorial Day weekend since we hardly ever go to the 500.

It was a fantastic race course and we always had a good time there.