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My granddaughter who just started college sent me an e-mail yesterday, my wife read my answer and said I should post it. So here it is.....
Kourtney asked…..
“I want to talk about what racers feel before a race. Obliviously, I can only imagine what it is like. Do you mind explaining what you would feel before a race? What were your thoughts and emotions?”
Most people can’t imagine what it like to race or why anyone actually race. To a Racer, it isn’t a hobby or job, it’s a way of life! There is no death wish involved, just the opposite - It’s to feel alive, to live life to the fullest.
The night before an event your stomach starts acting up, you wonder if the race boat and engine are prepared as best as they can? Some drivers need liquid courage the night before, I never did. You get very little sleep the night before an event.
When you wake up the day of the race, your stomach is acting up more than the night before. From the driver’s meeting to the time of actually getting the race boat into the water your stomach is ratcheting to higher and higher levels. In your mind you think the worst, that you may have a serious accident or even killed.
Just before your scheduled race, you finally get into your race boat, the butterflies in the stomach are the worst that you ever had. You hope the engine starts and you get a good flying start to the Clock. You must be at full speed, over 110 mph at the line, just as the Clock hits zero.
The three minute gun fires, your pit crew pulls on the rope to fire the alcohol burning, two-cycle 700 cc race engine. It didn’t start!
The crew raps the rope around the flywheel for another pull, it doesn’t start again.
Your heart is pounding and the butterflies are a full pitch. Same thing happen for three more pulls of the rope. 15 seconds remains to start the engine and get on the race course, “**** it” start!
For the last time, the pit crew puts all their effort to crank over the engine, with a roar it lights up, all 700cc, 200 horsepower, alcohol burning beast, roar thru the open exhaust.
The Hydro boat is launched.
The butterflies stop once the boat is launches and moving under power. At this time, all other things in your life are forgotten, family, friends, work, it time to get down to business it’s - RACE TIME!
Your boat leaves the pits it’s extremely hot in the cockpit, once the boat reaches speed it begin to cool off you can finally get a cool breath.
The Starting Clock is all ready counting down to Zero, you enter the first turn at under race speed. You are hoping that the engine won’t foul out. Your Hydro enters the backstretch, the engine begins to rev up 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 and finally 13,000 rpm - full engine revs.
The boat begins to reach racing speed of 110 mph down the backstretch. In front of you, the other eleven Hydros are jockeying for position.
We enter turn two at full speed. I’m on the outside, my favorite position. Coming out of turn two and 500 feet down the course is the Starting Clock.
The Clock is counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, your heart is pounding with every tick. I got to make a good start! 1, zero, I’m at the line, full speed on the outside and legal, All Right!
All 12 boats have their eyes focus for the first pin at Turn 1. We all hit the start of the Turn together, some boat on the inside foul out to spaying water into the carburetors, some boats crash together and stop running. I’m lucky this time, got thru the turn at full race speed and down the back straight without an incident.
There is a Hydro in front of me, got to try to catch it!
My boat is running great, the boat is aired out nicely, both sponsons of my Hydro are off the water, and only about 6” near the transom is in the water some of the time.
Going thru turn 2, I catch the lead boat, 4 laps later if I’m lucky I have won the race.
Racing is a all time high, it’s a adrenaline rush that I have not found doing anything else. I race not because it’s easy for me, but because it’s hard and most people can’t or won’t do it.
Bill - Racing, Life can't get any better than that
Kourtney asked…..
“I want to talk about what racers feel before a race. Obliviously, I can only imagine what it is like. Do you mind explaining what you would feel before a race? What were your thoughts and emotions?”
Most people can’t imagine what it like to race or why anyone actually race. To a Racer, it isn’t a hobby or job, it’s a way of life! There is no death wish involved, just the opposite - It’s to feel alive, to live life to the fullest.
The night before an event your stomach starts acting up, you wonder if the race boat and engine are prepared as best as they can? Some drivers need liquid courage the night before, I never did. You get very little sleep the night before an event.
When you wake up the day of the race, your stomach is acting up more than the night before. From the driver’s meeting to the time of actually getting the race boat into the water your stomach is ratcheting to higher and higher levels. In your mind you think the worst, that you may have a serious accident or even killed.
Just before your scheduled race, you finally get into your race boat, the butterflies in the stomach are the worst that you ever had. You hope the engine starts and you get a good flying start to the Clock. You must be at full speed, over 110 mph at the line, just as the Clock hits zero.
The three minute gun fires, your pit crew pulls on the rope to fire the alcohol burning, two-cycle 700 cc race engine. It didn’t start!
The crew raps the rope around the flywheel for another pull, it doesn’t start again.
Your heart is pounding and the butterflies are a full pitch. Same thing happen for three more pulls of the rope. 15 seconds remains to start the engine and get on the race course, “**** it” start!
For the last time, the pit crew puts all their effort to crank over the engine, with a roar it lights up, all 700cc, 200 horsepower, alcohol burning beast, roar thru the open exhaust.
The Hydro boat is launched.
The butterflies stop once the boat is launches and moving under power. At this time, all other things in your life are forgotten, family, friends, work, it time to get down to business it’s - RACE TIME!
Your boat leaves the pits it’s extremely hot in the cockpit, once the boat reaches speed it begin to cool off you can finally get a cool breath.
The Starting Clock is all ready counting down to Zero, you enter the first turn at under race speed. You are hoping that the engine won’t foul out. Your Hydro enters the backstretch, the engine begins to rev up 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 and finally 13,000 rpm - full engine revs.
The boat begins to reach racing speed of 110 mph down the backstretch. In front of you, the other eleven Hydros are jockeying for position.
We enter turn two at full speed. I’m on the outside, my favorite position. Coming out of turn two and 500 feet down the course is the Starting Clock.
The Clock is counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, your heart is pounding with every tick. I got to make a good start! 1, zero, I’m at the line, full speed on the outside and legal, All Right!
All 12 boats have their eyes focus for the first pin at Turn 1. We all hit the start of the Turn together, some boat on the inside foul out to spaying water into the carburetors, some boats crash together and stop running. I’m lucky this time, got thru the turn at full race speed and down the back straight without an incident.
There is a Hydro in front of me, got to try to catch it!
My boat is running great, the boat is aired out nicely, both sponsons of my Hydro are off the water, and only about 6” near the transom is in the water some of the time.
Going thru turn 2, I catch the lead boat, 4 laps later if I’m lucky I have won the race.
Racing is a all time high, it’s a adrenaline rush that I have not found doing anything else. I race not because it’s easy for me, but because it’s hard and most people can’t or won’t do it.
Bill - Racing, Life can't get any better than that
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