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Gents,
I'd like to thank the Indiana Outboard Association for the superb race that they hosted at Zanesville this past weekend. We were blessed with nearly perfect water conditions, great pits, fine weather and a good, solid turnout of Mod and Stock racers. I counted 80 entries on Saturday and about the same on Sunday. We had great community support: from the Dillon State Park officials, to the local newspaper that ran stories with pictures on 3 consecutive days, to the Ohio Division of Watercraft that posted a full-time patrol boat to control nearby pleasure boaters during the races, etc, etc.
It was one of the best races I have ever been a part of. The IOA club members all pitched in to help with the dozens of little jobs that must be done right and done on time in order to pull off an important race such as this one.
We had our normal problems that weren't anticipated (mostly by my lack of experience) but most were corrected on the spot and the others will be fixed for next years race.
There are just too many people to thank for all of their tireless efforts.. but I must single out Steve Roskowski. Steve arrived early and was the field marshal that directed the whole show. I think he must have set a record for things accomplished on a race weekend. In addition to being chief referee, he wrenched for his son Kyle in J hydro, competed quite successfully in about 5 classes, himself, and directed the rest of us in our jobs. He never stopped working all weekend and was the last guy out of the pits on Sunday evening. His wife, Donna, started each day at registration and when the sun was going down she was still finishing up her scoring duties. What a great racing family, what a great leader for the IOA club !
The competition was fierce in most of the classes. The first turn in a 9-boat
field of FEHydro is a sight that makes your heart pound. Our "special" "A" Mod runabout memorial event featured 4 competitive Mark 20H's roaring up the front stretch and one, lone Hot Rod. Tom Herbert, an old BU driver, was our featured guest and he actually had tears in his eyes as he watched from the VIP pavilion. Tom brought his whole family, all of his children, all of his grandchildren and in-laws to share the special honor we had for him. He was touched by our gesture to recognize his 50 years of supporting outboard racing during the drivers meeting Sunday morning. Racked with the debilitating final stages of Parkinsons disease and the after effects of a recent stroke didn't dampen his spirit or sense of humor. He shuffled through the pits shaking hands with drivers all afternoon, steadied on each arm by his sons. He stayed for the entire days racing. He was exhausted when he finally left the pits but he probably knew it would be the last boat race he would ever attend. Thanks, Tom Herbert !
I hope to have the race results posted here, soon. Mike Marshall, Raceboat 61-S
I'd like to thank the Indiana Outboard Association for the superb race that they hosted at Zanesville this past weekend. We were blessed with nearly perfect water conditions, great pits, fine weather and a good, solid turnout of Mod and Stock racers. I counted 80 entries on Saturday and about the same on Sunday. We had great community support: from the Dillon State Park officials, to the local newspaper that ran stories with pictures on 3 consecutive days, to the Ohio Division of Watercraft that posted a full-time patrol boat to control nearby pleasure boaters during the races, etc, etc.
It was one of the best races I have ever been a part of. The IOA club members all pitched in to help with the dozens of little jobs that must be done right and done on time in order to pull off an important race such as this one.
We had our normal problems that weren't anticipated (mostly by my lack of experience) but most were corrected on the spot and the others will be fixed for next years race.
There are just too many people to thank for all of their tireless efforts.. but I must single out Steve Roskowski. Steve arrived early and was the field marshal that directed the whole show. I think he must have set a record for things accomplished on a race weekend. In addition to being chief referee, he wrenched for his son Kyle in J hydro, competed quite successfully in about 5 classes, himself, and directed the rest of us in our jobs. He never stopped working all weekend and was the last guy out of the pits on Sunday evening. His wife, Donna, started each day at registration and when the sun was going down she was still finishing up her scoring duties. What a great racing family, what a great leader for the IOA club !
The competition was fierce in most of the classes. The first turn in a 9-boat
field of FEHydro is a sight that makes your heart pound. Our "special" "A" Mod runabout memorial event featured 4 competitive Mark 20H's roaring up the front stretch and one, lone Hot Rod. Tom Herbert, an old BU driver, was our featured guest and he actually had tears in his eyes as he watched from the VIP pavilion. Tom brought his whole family, all of his children, all of his grandchildren and in-laws to share the special honor we had for him. He was touched by our gesture to recognize his 50 years of supporting outboard racing during the drivers meeting Sunday morning. Racked with the debilitating final stages of Parkinsons disease and the after effects of a recent stroke didn't dampen his spirit or sense of humor. He shuffled through the pits shaking hands with drivers all afternoon, steadied on each arm by his sons. He stayed for the entire days racing. He was exhausted when he finally left the pits but he probably knew it would be the last boat race he would ever attend. Thanks, Tom Herbert !
I hope to have the race results posted here, soon. Mike Marshall, Raceboat 61-S
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