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Photo by Mark A. Dull
Jimmy Robb of Howell, shown in the last heat on Sunday, took two first-place finishes and a second at the races.
Article published Sep 25, 2006
Hydroplane races go over well
By Tim Robinson
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
HAMBURG TWP. — After two days of mostly event-free racing on Bishop Lake, Indiana Outboard Association president Jim Robb was ecstatic late Sunday afternoon.
"It was a very good event on all sides," he said. "We had 90 entries each day. We had full fields and elimination heats in some classes, all the racers liked the course and the facility. We couldn't have asked for a better place to race."
For the second consecutive day, racing in the Brighton Modified Outboard Michigan State Championships, as the event was called, ended two hours before the scheduled 6 p.m. deadline.
That was due to only a couple of delays for boats whose motors had stopped and three crashes, none of which involved a serious injury.
"Even the guys who crashed said it was a good time," Robb said. "We had a lot of races where you had 2-3 boats battling for position instead of a parade, which really made it nice. We had a lot of good stuff going on here."
Robb estimated attendance at about 1,000 over the two days.
What they saw were boats that are much smaller than the hydroplanes that compete on the Detroit River, competing on a course that was less than a half-mile around.
"It's one of the smallest courses I've ever been on," said Robb's son Jimmy, who took two firsts and a second on the day. "It was more like a Bristol (NASCAR) race than a Talladega."
Racer Mark Miskerik of Howell said the small course put a premium on good starts.
"You don't max out your speed here, so a good start is critical," he said. "Once you get through that first corner or first lap, it's pretty hard for people to track you down unless they're significantly faster."
Miskerik, who has won 16 hydroplane nationals at the age of 34, primarily runs stock outboards, but enjoyed competing in modified classes over the weekend, to a point.
"I did pretty good in one class and not so good in the other," he said with a grin. "We had problems with the engine, and that's one of the reasons why we came to race in the modified class."
Another was the relatively short drive from his home near Hartland to the Brighton Recreation Area, where Bishop Lake is located.
"That's why it's a great venue," he said with a hearty laugh. "It's 20 minutes from home. I can be the last one out of the pits and still be home quicker than in most races.
"It's a beautiful park, and all the state recreation areas are nice facilities," he continued. "We were at the campground last night with some friends, and there's the beach, too. All the facilities are here, so I think this is one of the nicer venues, in terms of the amenities. It's a smaller course than what we're used to racing, and it's unfortunate that we can only put about six boats out there racing. You see a 12-boat race, that's a good show."
Miskerik's oldest son is 6, too young to race for a few years, but there were several families, besides the Robbs, who had multiple generations involved in the weekend's racing.
Jessica Beegle of Clarkston, a 10th-grader at Clarkston High School, won her first career race on Saturday, which came as a surprise, as did the reward.
"I had no idea I had won, because in the first heat I finished second and I didn't know the guy in front of me had been disqualified," she recalled. "I didn't know I had won, but I was racing so hard (in the second heat) that I almost (flipped) over to get first.
"I came in and my dad came out to pick me up," she recalled. "I thought he was going to carry me in."
Instead, he threw her into the water, the customary rite of passage for all first-time winners, as those on the shore applauded.
The same fate befell 16-year-old Jennifer Fackelman of Petersburg, who volunteered to race in the A stock class and won despite having a restrictor plate on her motor while her opponents did not have one.
"They weren't supposed to throw me in," she said. "But they figured she's running in a faster class with a slower boat, so let's throw her in anyway."
Fackelman said that in good humor, her day completed.
After two days of dire weather predictions, there was almost no rain on the day and while the wind kicked up on Sunday afternoon, the occasional patches of sun made up for it.
Robb, the IOA president and event organizer, had a good weekend on the lake, too. He didn't compete, but his boat won Saturday and Sunday in the E modified class.
He was talking about next year's event even as Sunday's racing was winding down.
"I would hope and pray we'll be back next year, because this is an event that will grow with the community," he said. "The club did well, our association did well and my team did well. It was an awesome weekend. I couldn't ask for anything more. To win at my hometown race really meant a lot."
Robb said he will meet with park officials later this week to discuss a possible return in 2007.
Jimmy Robb of Howell, shown in the last heat on Sunday, took two first-place finishes and a second at the races.
Article published Sep 25, 2006
Hydroplane races go over well
By Tim Robinson
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
HAMBURG TWP. — After two days of mostly event-free racing on Bishop Lake, Indiana Outboard Association president Jim Robb was ecstatic late Sunday afternoon.
"It was a very good event on all sides," he said. "We had 90 entries each day. We had full fields and elimination heats in some classes, all the racers liked the course and the facility. We couldn't have asked for a better place to race."
For the second consecutive day, racing in the Brighton Modified Outboard Michigan State Championships, as the event was called, ended two hours before the scheduled 6 p.m. deadline.
That was due to only a couple of delays for boats whose motors had stopped and three crashes, none of which involved a serious injury.
"Even the guys who crashed said it was a good time," Robb said. "We had a lot of races where you had 2-3 boats battling for position instead of a parade, which really made it nice. We had a lot of good stuff going on here."
Robb estimated attendance at about 1,000 over the two days.
What they saw were boats that are much smaller than the hydroplanes that compete on the Detroit River, competing on a course that was less than a half-mile around.
"It's one of the smallest courses I've ever been on," said Robb's son Jimmy, who took two firsts and a second on the day. "It was more like a Bristol (NASCAR) race than a Talladega."
Racer Mark Miskerik of Howell said the small course put a premium on good starts.
"You don't max out your speed here, so a good start is critical," he said. "Once you get through that first corner or first lap, it's pretty hard for people to track you down unless they're significantly faster."
Miskerik, who has won 16 hydroplane nationals at the age of 34, primarily runs stock outboards, but enjoyed competing in modified classes over the weekend, to a point.
"I did pretty good in one class and not so good in the other," he said with a grin. "We had problems with the engine, and that's one of the reasons why we came to race in the modified class."
Another was the relatively short drive from his home near Hartland to the Brighton Recreation Area, where Bishop Lake is located.
"That's why it's a great venue," he said with a hearty laugh. "It's 20 minutes from home. I can be the last one out of the pits and still be home quicker than in most races.
"It's a beautiful park, and all the state recreation areas are nice facilities," he continued. "We were at the campground last night with some friends, and there's the beach, too. All the facilities are here, so I think this is one of the nicer venues, in terms of the amenities. It's a smaller course than what we're used to racing, and it's unfortunate that we can only put about six boats out there racing. You see a 12-boat race, that's a good show."
Miskerik's oldest son is 6, too young to race for a few years, but there were several families, besides the Robbs, who had multiple generations involved in the weekend's racing.
Jessica Beegle of Clarkston, a 10th-grader at Clarkston High School, won her first career race on Saturday, which came as a surprise, as did the reward.
"I had no idea I had won, because in the first heat I finished second and I didn't know the guy in front of me had been disqualified," she recalled. "I didn't know I had won, but I was racing so hard (in the second heat) that I almost (flipped) over to get first.
"I came in and my dad came out to pick me up," she recalled. "I thought he was going to carry me in."
Instead, he threw her into the water, the customary rite of passage for all first-time winners, as those on the shore applauded.
The same fate befell 16-year-old Jennifer Fackelman of Petersburg, who volunteered to race in the A stock class and won despite having a restrictor plate on her motor while her opponents did not have one.
"They weren't supposed to throw me in," she said. "But they figured she's running in a faster class with a slower boat, so let's throw her in anyway."
Fackelman said that in good humor, her day completed.
After two days of dire weather predictions, there was almost no rain on the day and while the wind kicked up on Sunday afternoon, the occasional patches of sun made up for it.
Robb, the IOA president and event organizer, had a good weekend on the lake, too. He didn't compete, but his boat won Saturday and Sunday in the E modified class.
He was talking about next year's event even as Sunday's racing was winding down.
"I would hope and pray we'll be back next year, because this is an event that will grow with the community," he said. "The club did well, our association did well and my team did well. It was an awesome weekend. I couldn't ask for anything more. To win at my hometown race really meant a lot."
Robb said he will meet with park officials later this week to discuss a possible return in 2007.
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