Where is Chowchilla, CA?? Well, imagine the planet Tatooine except with a stage 4 smog alert from all the fires..and a reservoir for racing...Then you'll have it.
What a GREAT time we had with Kevin & Stacy Kraft, Kenny Shaw, Kim Sullivan, and all the other "Moliminators" that showed up in the 100+degree heat.
I'm still WAAY in the learning curve. On qualifying day, I went from 5th out of 13 to 10th out of 13, not because I got worse--in fact I got better each pass except for two redlights--but everyone else got so much better than me.
Race day was another learning experience. I got to run Kevin in eliminations. I ran a 10.04 @ 112.58mph in the 10-second class against Kevin's 10.25, but he took the win owing to a faster reaction time (0.475 was my pathetic time and Kev did 0.2something). I thus learned, in IHBA rules you add the R/T + the E/T to determine the winner. I had previously thought only the E/T mattered as long as you didn't redlight. BZZZT! Wrong. Ultimately it's whoever doesn't redlight AND makes it across the line first, no matter the E/T. Kevin's margin of victory was 0.060 seconds when you added in the r/t's.
I had a REAL hard time with consistency in the R/T. At Red Bluff I could leave on a 7 every time and cut it just about OK but when I'd leave on a 7 at Chowchilla I'd redlight EVERY time. And leaving on a 6...well, TERRIBLE r/t's so I had to like figure "leave at 6.5" which is easier said than done.
On the flipside I had a MUCH easier time with "the rope" having learned the skill at Red Bluff.
OK, so here was one sweet justice....BEAT the car motor guy who eliminated me at Red Bluff in a qualifying heat. That was cool..:cool
Also, during "second chance" run I REALLY screwed up by leaving the trim up when I mashed the pedal...the boat stood straight up VERTICAL and it was said you could see the skid plate, I'll bet it's not long before a pic of that makes it onto the net somewhere. My family said the whole crowd gasped and thought I was going over. Well, at least I could provide some kind of a show.
What a GREAT time we had with Kevin & Stacy Kraft, Kenny Shaw, Kim Sullivan, and all the other "Moliminators" that showed up in the 100+degree heat.
I'm still WAAY in the learning curve. On qualifying day, I went from 5th out of 13 to 10th out of 13, not because I got worse--in fact I got better each pass except for two redlights--but everyone else got so much better than me.
Race day was another learning experience. I got to run Kevin in eliminations. I ran a 10.04 @ 112.58mph in the 10-second class against Kevin's 10.25, but he took the win owing to a faster reaction time (0.475 was my pathetic time and Kev did 0.2something). I thus learned, in IHBA rules you add the R/T + the E/T to determine the winner. I had previously thought only the E/T mattered as long as you didn't redlight. BZZZT! Wrong. Ultimately it's whoever doesn't redlight AND makes it across the line first, no matter the E/T. Kevin's margin of victory was 0.060 seconds when you added in the r/t's.
I had a REAL hard time with consistency in the R/T. At Red Bluff I could leave on a 7 every time and cut it just about OK but when I'd leave on a 7 at Chowchilla I'd redlight EVERY time. And leaving on a 6...well, TERRIBLE r/t's so I had to like figure "leave at 6.5" which is easier said than done.
On the flipside I had a MUCH easier time with "the rope" having learned the skill at Red Bluff.
OK, so here was one sweet justice....BEAT the car motor guy who eliminated me at Red Bluff in a qualifying heat. That was cool..:cool
Also, during "second chance" run I REALLY screwed up by leaving the trim up when I mashed the pedal...the boat stood straight up VERTICAL and it was said you could see the skid plate, I'll bet it's not long before a pic of that makes it onto the net somewhere. My family said the whole crowd gasped and thought I was going over. Well, at least I could provide some kind of a show.
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