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Well, Sunday opened up w/ even hotter weather than the previous days w/ “heat warnings” being broadcast all over the airwaves…
First out was the final heat of the 175cc hydro World Championship. Buddy Tennell had 3 solid first place finishes in the previous heats and just needed to finish. With that in mind he hung towards the back of the pack on the start and worked his way up though out the heat. The final order of finish was Jason Sailer 1st, Buddy Tennell 2nd, and Tim Small third. Buddy was crowned the World Champion of the class with w/ Tim Small in the second position .
1100cc runabout is always a crowd pleaser and the spectators wait all weekend for the class. This year they were not disappointed w/ a full field of 9 boats! The first heat saw Terry Klemm fast and out front on the start until an ignition issues took him out on the first lap. Jaime Nilsen and Tony Lombardo did a spectacular flat spin in the first turn and were “ejected” from the boat, but both were ok. That left the drag race between Thirlby and Fuchslin, with Thirlby winning the first round. The second heat had Fuchslin making a spectacular start and Thirlby having to thread his way through the pack. Heat 2 to Fuchslin. The 3rd heat was a battle of wills between Fuchslin and Thirlby w/ the “big 6” putting out all she had. In the end, Mike Thirlby w/ his 16 year old nephew Colin riding deck inched out Paul Fuchslin & Joe Johnson at the finish line for the win and the championship, leaving Fuchslin in 2nd and Steve Litzell w/ Nick Noethe in third.
125cc hydro had 15 boats and a mess of points between heats 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and the final. With 2 firsts, and a 2nd the new title holder is Billy Allen from MA., Curt Hellsten 2nd, and Brandon Thirlby in third.
350cc Runabout was a great class to watch w/ local favorites Paul Fuchslin, Joe Johnson, and Allen Sutfin all competing. The first heat had Rich Krier winning w/ Jarrod G. in 2nd, Paul in 3rd, and Joe in the 4th spot. Allen Sutfin spun in turn one. Heat 2 was an impressive one for Johnson, dominating the heat, but unfortunately jumping the gun by a deck handle…leaving the win to Krier and Fuchslin in second. Allen again had problems, breaking off the stinger of one pipe. The third heat Krier once again dominated w/ Paul Fuchslin in the 2nd spot. The final finish had Rich Krier as the National Champion, Fuchslin second, and Jarrod G. in 3rd.
As a note, 350cc Runabout and 1100cc Runabout were run in the same flight w/ only one heat in between. With the heat, humidity, and exhaustion, the boys were wrapped in iced towels, cold neck rings and chugging Gatorade between their heats!
1100cc Hydro was a major event for the weekend w/ Robbie and Debra Eldridge Golletta of Vertical Rehab providing major sponsor money for the class. The first heat saw Jamie Nilsen out front and running, with Sean McKean giving chase. Unfortunately for Jaime, that same clock that bit Joe Johnson got him too, giving Sean the win and David Hooten 2nd. The second heat had Jaime out front again and this time with a legal start. Brandon Thirlby spun in the first turn taking him out of the game, Sean had engine issues, as did Hooten. The 3rd heat had Sean McKean floating even before the 1 minute gun, shaping up a battle between Hooten and Nilsen. After a lot of bumping and shoving in the first turn, Hooten came out just ahead of Nilsen. The final finish crowned David Hooten as the new National Champion w/ Jaime in the second spot. Also, the team if Howard Andensen was awarded Vertical Rehab’s Top Hydro “High Standard Award” for professionalism, appearance, sportsmanship, and fan interaction.
250cc Hydro was the hot bed class on contention for the day! On the first attempt of heat 1a, too many boats were on the water and the heat had to be restarted. The winners af heats 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b respectively were 15-T Denny Henderson, F-222 Chris Hellsten, V-71, and F-222. The final heat of 12 boats looked like Denny in first and Chris in second until the barge (aka judges stand) determined that they could not identify all of the gun jumpers and that the heat had to be rerun. The rerun of the final heat had Chris Hellsten in the first spot and an impressive driving display by David Weaver of GA in second. The new National Championship went to Chris Hellsten, Denny Henderson in 2nd, and Ben Thompson in the third spot.
Photo CD’s of the PRO Nationals are available, including misc. shots, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s racing, and all awards presentation. The cost is $50 for the event and half of the proceeds will go to Nic Davis’ Family fund and the other half going into the promotion/support of boat racing. Please contact me (Teri Ziemer) @ Ziemerunit@aol.com to order.
Teri
First out was the final heat of the 175cc hydro World Championship. Buddy Tennell had 3 solid first place finishes in the previous heats and just needed to finish. With that in mind he hung towards the back of the pack on the start and worked his way up though out the heat. The final order of finish was Jason Sailer 1st, Buddy Tennell 2nd, and Tim Small third. Buddy was crowned the World Champion of the class with w/ Tim Small in the second position .
1100cc runabout is always a crowd pleaser and the spectators wait all weekend for the class. This year they were not disappointed w/ a full field of 9 boats! The first heat saw Terry Klemm fast and out front on the start until an ignition issues took him out on the first lap. Jaime Nilsen and Tony Lombardo did a spectacular flat spin in the first turn and were “ejected” from the boat, but both were ok. That left the drag race between Thirlby and Fuchslin, with Thirlby winning the first round. The second heat had Fuchslin making a spectacular start and Thirlby having to thread his way through the pack. Heat 2 to Fuchslin. The 3rd heat was a battle of wills between Fuchslin and Thirlby w/ the “big 6” putting out all she had. In the end, Mike Thirlby w/ his 16 year old nephew Colin riding deck inched out Paul Fuchslin & Joe Johnson at the finish line for the win and the championship, leaving Fuchslin in 2nd and Steve Litzell w/ Nick Noethe in third.
125cc hydro had 15 boats and a mess of points between heats 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and the final. With 2 firsts, and a 2nd the new title holder is Billy Allen from MA., Curt Hellsten 2nd, and Brandon Thirlby in third.
350cc Runabout was a great class to watch w/ local favorites Paul Fuchslin, Joe Johnson, and Allen Sutfin all competing. The first heat had Rich Krier winning w/ Jarrod G. in 2nd, Paul in 3rd, and Joe in the 4th spot. Allen Sutfin spun in turn one. Heat 2 was an impressive one for Johnson, dominating the heat, but unfortunately jumping the gun by a deck handle…leaving the win to Krier and Fuchslin in second. Allen again had problems, breaking off the stinger of one pipe. The third heat Krier once again dominated w/ Paul Fuchslin in the 2nd spot. The final finish had Rich Krier as the National Champion, Fuchslin second, and Jarrod G. in 3rd.
As a note, 350cc Runabout and 1100cc Runabout were run in the same flight w/ only one heat in between. With the heat, humidity, and exhaustion, the boys were wrapped in iced towels, cold neck rings and chugging Gatorade between their heats!
1100cc Hydro was a major event for the weekend w/ Robbie and Debra Eldridge Golletta of Vertical Rehab providing major sponsor money for the class. The first heat saw Jamie Nilsen out front and running, with Sean McKean giving chase. Unfortunately for Jaime, that same clock that bit Joe Johnson got him too, giving Sean the win and David Hooten 2nd. The second heat had Jaime out front again and this time with a legal start. Brandon Thirlby spun in the first turn taking him out of the game, Sean had engine issues, as did Hooten. The 3rd heat had Sean McKean floating even before the 1 minute gun, shaping up a battle between Hooten and Nilsen. After a lot of bumping and shoving in the first turn, Hooten came out just ahead of Nilsen. The final finish crowned David Hooten as the new National Champion w/ Jaime in the second spot. Also, the team if Howard Andensen was awarded Vertical Rehab’s Top Hydro “High Standard Award” for professionalism, appearance, sportsmanship, and fan interaction.
250cc Hydro was the hot bed class on contention for the day! On the first attempt of heat 1a, too many boats were on the water and the heat had to be restarted. The winners af heats 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b respectively were 15-T Denny Henderson, F-222 Chris Hellsten, V-71, and F-222. The final heat of 12 boats looked like Denny in first and Chris in second until the barge (aka judges stand) determined that they could not identify all of the gun jumpers and that the heat had to be rerun. The rerun of the final heat had Chris Hellsten in the first spot and an impressive driving display by David Weaver of GA in second. The new National Championship went to Chris Hellsten, Denny Henderson in 2nd, and Ben Thompson in the third spot.
Photo CD’s of the PRO Nationals are available, including misc. shots, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s racing, and all awards presentation. The cost is $50 for the event and half of the proceeds will go to Nic Davis’ Family fund and the other half going into the promotion/support of boat racing. Please contact me (Teri Ziemer) @ Ziemerunit@aol.com to order.
Teri