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STAFF PHOTO BY MATTHEW APGAR
Earl Desiato of Middlesex shows off two of his boats, a hydro, front, and a runabout, back. Desiato has been racing for 18 years and recently placed fourth in a national competition.
By ROB GROSS
Staff Writer
MIDDLESEX BOROUGH -- After a 21-year break from hydroplane racing, it didn't take Earl Desiato long to regain his form.
In his first year back in competition and his 11th race since returning, Desiato took fourth place at the 2006 Stock/Modified/J National Championships this July in Wakefield, Mich.
Desiato, who raced in the ASH (A-Stock-Hydro) racing class, qualified for the finals by winning the Northeast Divisional Championship in Thompson, Conn., earlier this year. The fourth-place finish is only one of a number of strong finishes this year for Desiato, who is currently in fifth place in the national point standings for the ASH class.
Desiato, now 48, started racing hydroplanes when he was 10 because both his father, Rusty Desiato, and his uncle, Joseph Desiato, raced hydroplanes. But Earl Desiato, who is a longtime member of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and the Delaware Valley Outboard Racing Association, decided to take a hiatus from racing to spend time with his wife, Mary, and their four children.
"I missed (racing) because it gives me an outlet instead of working all the time," said Desiato, who works for a company who manufactures printing ink. "I missed seeing all my buddies from over the years also. We are a tight-knit community, like brothers and sisters."
Mary Desiato realized how important a return to racing was for her husband and she appreciated the sacrifice he had made for their children. She said Earl was always involved with the activities of their children despite having a job that entails a lot of traveling.
"I knew how much he enjoyed it when he was younger, so now that our kids are older there wasn't a reason that he couldn't go back," Mary Desiato said.
Earl Desiato has shown how much he missed the sport with his success this year. Desiato said he has been called a "Cinderella story" by fellow racers on a hydroplane racing online forum and was even dubbed "The Comeback Kid" after his Northeast Regional victory by Propeller Magazine, the official publication of the APBA.
"It's a very exciting comeback," said Earl Desiato. "It's the best I've done in 30 years since I've been racing."
Desiato attributes his success to becoming wiser with age.
"When I was younger, I used to drive like a madman," Earl Desiato said, "but now that I am older I am more analytical about how I drive. I pick and choose my holes to pass people better now."
Though Earl Desiato started racing hydroplanes at an early age, he has yet to get either of his two sons, ages 23 and 19, or two daughters, ages 17 and 16, to participate in the sport, though he said his 16-year-old daughter has recently been thinking about giving it a try.
"We'll see how she does with it and how she likes it," said Mary Desiato. "I'm a little nervous about it."
While the sport is relatively safe, Mary Desiato did express some concerns about the stories she has heard of people being killed or seriously injured by hydroplanes over the years. Earl Desiato, though, says all racers wear protective clothing, also worn by road racers, to protect from being cut by the propellers.
Earl Desiato's next race in his chase for national high points will be Labor Day weekend at the Lock Haven Regatta in Lock Haven, Pa.
from the Courier News website www.c-n.com
WHAT IS HYDROPLANE RACING?
# A hydroplane boat, powered by an engine and a propeller, is typically built to trap air under the hull.
This trapping of air causes the boat to actually travel above the water's surface at top speed -- hydroplaning.
Hydros are very tricky to operate because of the delicate cushion of air they ride on.
Too much air and the boat goes over backwards. A sudden change to no air under the boat can cause the bow to dive.
A typical stock outboard hydroplane boat weighs 125 lbs., with a 15-horsepower engine, and can go about 60 mph.
Races normally run two heats of three laps in a counterclockwise direction. The course rules allow drivers to design and rig their boats to turn left effectively.
One of the unique things about boat racing is that while the outline of the course remains the same, the condition of the water is constantly changing, forcing drivers to stay sharp, watching the waves as well as the other boats.
Source: American Power Boat Association, www.apba-racing.com.
Earl Desiato of Middlesex shows off two of his boats, a hydro, front, and a runabout, back. Desiato has been racing for 18 years and recently placed fourth in a national competition.
By ROB GROSS
Staff Writer
MIDDLESEX BOROUGH -- After a 21-year break from hydroplane racing, it didn't take Earl Desiato long to regain his form.
In his first year back in competition and his 11th race since returning, Desiato took fourth place at the 2006 Stock/Modified/J National Championships this July in Wakefield, Mich.
Desiato, who raced in the ASH (A-Stock-Hydro) racing class, qualified for the finals by winning the Northeast Divisional Championship in Thompson, Conn., earlier this year. The fourth-place finish is only one of a number of strong finishes this year for Desiato, who is currently in fifth place in the national point standings for the ASH class.
Desiato, now 48, started racing hydroplanes when he was 10 because both his father, Rusty Desiato, and his uncle, Joseph Desiato, raced hydroplanes. But Earl Desiato, who is a longtime member of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and the Delaware Valley Outboard Racing Association, decided to take a hiatus from racing to spend time with his wife, Mary, and their four children.
"I missed (racing) because it gives me an outlet instead of working all the time," said Desiato, who works for a company who manufactures printing ink. "I missed seeing all my buddies from over the years also. We are a tight-knit community, like brothers and sisters."
Mary Desiato realized how important a return to racing was for her husband and she appreciated the sacrifice he had made for their children. She said Earl was always involved with the activities of their children despite having a job that entails a lot of traveling.
"I knew how much he enjoyed it when he was younger, so now that our kids are older there wasn't a reason that he couldn't go back," Mary Desiato said.
Earl Desiato has shown how much he missed the sport with his success this year. Desiato said he has been called a "Cinderella story" by fellow racers on a hydroplane racing online forum and was even dubbed "The Comeback Kid" after his Northeast Regional victory by Propeller Magazine, the official publication of the APBA.
"It's a very exciting comeback," said Earl Desiato. "It's the best I've done in 30 years since I've been racing."
Desiato attributes his success to becoming wiser with age.
"When I was younger, I used to drive like a madman," Earl Desiato said, "but now that I am older I am more analytical about how I drive. I pick and choose my holes to pass people better now."
Though Earl Desiato started racing hydroplanes at an early age, he has yet to get either of his two sons, ages 23 and 19, or two daughters, ages 17 and 16, to participate in the sport, though he said his 16-year-old daughter has recently been thinking about giving it a try.
"We'll see how she does with it and how she likes it," said Mary Desiato. "I'm a little nervous about it."
While the sport is relatively safe, Mary Desiato did express some concerns about the stories she has heard of people being killed or seriously injured by hydroplanes over the years. Earl Desiato, though, says all racers wear protective clothing, also worn by road racers, to protect from being cut by the propellers.
Earl Desiato's next race in his chase for national high points will be Labor Day weekend at the Lock Haven Regatta in Lock Haven, Pa.
from the Courier News website www.c-n.com
WHAT IS HYDROPLANE RACING?
# A hydroplane boat, powered by an engine and a propeller, is typically built to trap air under the hull.
This trapping of air causes the boat to actually travel above the water's surface at top speed -- hydroplaning.
Hydros are very tricky to operate because of the delicate cushion of air they ride on.
Too much air and the boat goes over backwards. A sudden change to no air under the boat can cause the bow to dive.
A typical stock outboard hydroplane boat weighs 125 lbs., with a 15-horsepower engine, and can go about 60 mph.
Races normally run two heats of three laps in a counterclockwise direction. The course rules allow drivers to design and rig their boats to turn left effectively.
One of the unique things about boat racing is that while the outline of the course remains the same, the condition of the water is constantly changing, forcing drivers to stay sharp, watching the waves as well as the other boats.
Source: American Power Boat Association, www.apba-racing.com.