Racing Runs in the Family Sam Stewart finished her race, got out of her Jersey Speed Skiff inboard racer, and quickly sat down in a folding chair next to Valerie Wilson. She looked worried. Then she said her neck hurt. Someone asked the Region Four rescue team to stop by, so they came over and did an initial assessment. A medical collar was called for, to brace her neck. After a fast couple of minutes, it was deemed prudent that she get “checked out” at Anne Arundel Medical Center. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="5525,5526,5527,5528,5529,5530,5531,5532" orderby="rand"] A minute later a flat board showed up, and a dozen rescue workers gently got the board between her and the folding chair. That got her into position so she could be moved, and it was then onto a stretcher. The ambulance then took Sam and her mom away. That is the drama of racing. Up until then, two full days of racing had just resulted in some cracked hulls and a driver getting wet. Now, right at the end of the meet, we all went home worrying about Sam. Sam (short for Samantha) is a fourth generation powerboat racer. She started her own career in racing in the limited horsepower (9 hp) class, J Stock Hydro, designed to get young people into the sport. Now she drives a high-powered skiff (about 350 hp), giving and taking her lane on the race course equal to anybody else in her class. We connected with Sam’s family, who reported that she is doing fine after the accident, but still has a bit of a sore neck. Wheeler R. Baker, President of the Kent Narrows Racing Association (KNRA), gave us big expectations as he mentioned the various categories and classes at this two-day weekend event: “Our show includes five classes of hydroplanes, Jersey Speed Skiffs, and Big Block Flat Bottoms,” he said. And boy, did the spectators see action! Good viewing of the races was easy on the grounds of the lovely Kent Island YC, whether you were along the bulkhead or in the bleachers. One of the highlights of this meet was the competition between two women raceboat drivers who were neck-and-neck crossing the starting line of the 1.5-liter Stock Hydro class race, powered by their Toyota engine. Karson King from Bear, DE, did beat out Ciara McClure from Marcus Hook, PA, with John Shaw from Centreville, MD, coming in third in the final. Another highpoint of this class was Kevin Gunter coming in second in a heat. It was only the second time he had ever been inside a hydroplane. Jumping up to the 2.5-liter Stock Hydro class (letter designation: S), which easily breaks 100 miles per hour in competition, the final score found Bobby Kennedy from Baltimore, MD, in first; Doug Martin, from Purcellville, VA, was second; and Howie Schnabolk, Fair Haven, NJ, came in third. At some point in the day, everyone finds their way over to Marilyn in the concession stand and gets one of her over-stuffed pit beef sandwiches. As she says “I want to keep the crowd happy.” She manages to do just that. The first of the flat bottoms (the Sportsman Entry class) also gave the crowd some action, using all the speed and turning ability their 16-foot long ski boats powered by a small block (350 cubic inch) Chevy V8 via a vee-drive could deliver. A relativity new class for racers, these boats run around 85 miles per hour. First, overall, was Tonawanda, NY’s Peter Hackett; second, Jeff Clauss from Mickleton, NJ; and third, Jodi Clauss, from Mullica Hill, NJ. Tracy Coleman brought his 1948 flat bottom — a predecessor to today’s ski boat classes — for the crowd to enjoy. The boat was restored to a classic standard by Howard Johnson from Old Time World in Upper Marlboro, MD, and she sure showed that today’s racing has a strong link to the past. Tracy is a retired racer who previously competed in the 2.5-liter and 145 hydroplane classes. Now the Jersey Speed Skiffs put on a show that had the crowd on their feet every time they ran. Down the straightaway they jumped, bounced out of the water, and changed course countless times as each 1600-pound boat was pushed around by the choppy water conditions. One always wonders if the driver is in control or simply stabbing at his school bus-style steering wheel doing his best to make thoughtful adjustments to get his racer down the course in his lane. And that is the straightway run! These skiffs turn hard by rolling up on their hull sides until the prop under the boat (these are center-engine, direct-shaft drive boats powered by a small block Chevy V8s) loses its bite in the water. Then the boat flops down, the driver gets it to bite in the water again via steering corrections, and the boat speed goes back up in a nanosecond as the power pushes against the water via the prop. Once at speed, the driver turns the boat again; she rolls up on her side again; the prop loses its bite again, and the boat turns a bit more. This up and down, on the boat’s bottom as well as its side, is repeated six to eight times to get around each race course turn. Two turns, two straights per lap, and three laps to a heat. These boats are out of the water more than they are in it! Skip Gilliam’s boat JS-5 got the start. His was the only wooden-deck skiff within the 11 boats running in this class this weekend (which was the biggest class of racers running the two days of the meet). But Skip’s engine power could not hold back Jimmie Stewart from Annapolis, MD, Thomas Petterson, Blairstown, NJ, and Mike Buturla, N. Lauderdale, FL for the podium finish. This was unfortunate, considering how far Gilliam traveled for the weekend. He towed his racer up from Miami, FL, (about 1,100 miles) for this race. Why? He’s a racer. According to his wife Esther, Skip used to take the money he won racing his GTO as a teen on Fridays (his Grandma co-signed its car loan) to pay for his boat racing costs on Saturday. Now, a senior member of all kinds of racing, he still campaigns a boat at the races. He says that Thunder on the Narrows is an important race on his schedule that all the racers try to attend. Pro Stock Flats (letter PS) saw Dominic Cournoyer of Sorel, Quebec, Francois Campeau of Candiac, Quebec, and Paul Reed of Amherst, NY, finish 1,2,3 for a final. Back to Hydroplane racing results. In the one-liter modified heats: Keith Mc Mullen, Annapolis, MD, Marty Hammersmith, North Bend, OH, and Durwood Wilson, from Hampton, VA, finished first, second, and third (respectively) in the finals. The 2.5 Mods and the National Mods ran together. Clarence Phaff, from Washington, NC, won his class (2.5 Mod) and Thom Heins from Cinnaminson, NJ, won the National Modified. In the fast E-350 Hydros, Bobby Kennedy, Baltimore, MD, finished in first place; Chuck Miller of Chester, MD, came in second (using a motor that was put together the day before the race); and owner/driver Tom Pakradooni, Glen Hills, PA, came in third. Chuck Miller was inducted into the American Power Boat Association’s Hall of Champions for his achievements driving a hydroplane race last year. On the way out, we spoke with Chuck Miller’s dad, who, along with his granddaughters, has managed the entrance to the racing course for 24 years. Once also a racer, he admires his son’s accomplishments in racing. “Powerboat racing is a family affair,” he says. It certainly is. by Chris "Seabuddy" Brown. Photos by Walter Cooper, Ben Dubit, and Chris "Seabuddy" Brown.