What is your name?
This is Tom Kargus.
How did you get involved in boat racing?
I come from a very large racing family. Early '50's my dad was going to buy a Harley or a racing boat. My grandmother said if you buy a Harley you are out of the house. So my dad bought his first boat, A-Utility with a big lighting bolt on each side. My mom's family, the Berghauers, had a place up in Eagle River, WI. They went to a boat race up there. My uncle Denny Berghauer said he wanted to race so my grandfather bought him a race boat. My parents got together at the races and the rest is history. Making our racing family even larger, my sister Krysti married Don Allen Jr. in 1980.
When and where was your first race and what classes have you raced?
My first race was Neosho, WI, June 21, 1973. I was 12 years old and drove a Marchetti in ASH. I made the finals and fell out in the second corner. I then blew over on the start at the divisionals...signs of things to come. In 1977 I started racing BSH & 25SSH. I was 16 and drove a 1964 Sid Craft. We went to Lock Haven that year. Lenny Falcone let me drive his 15 hydro in ASH and I won. My dad talk to Lenny & John Runne about building a boat for me for BSH. They built me my Runne boat which I ended up winning 1-BSH Championship & 2-BSH high point championships. Unfortunately due to a car accident December 1, 1977, my dad never saw me win another race. When they obsoleted the 20H & 25ss motors, I decided to go race Jet Ski's. I did that for a few years. In 2000, they were having a last blast BSH race in Wakefield. Joey & Chuck Zolkoske helped me get my Runne BSH rig going for that race. Chris Dudek offered me his backup 15SSH rig to race for the rest of 2000. Joey & I started racing together as KarZol racing in 2001. We then changed our race team name to Zolkar. Joey built me a killer BSH boat which I raced with pretty good success. I raced through 2006 winning 20SSH in 2002. In 2003 I won BSH Nationals and BSH high point.
Who have you looked up to in the sport?
The people I looked up to were some of the great drivers from my childhood. Stover Hire, Hank Menzies, Andy Hansen, Shannon Bowman, Billy & Jeff Hutchins, my Berghauer uncles are just a few. My dad was my number one. He was my idol growing up. He was a great driver in BSH & ASR. He won BSH in 1962. In 1976 he won BSH in Hinton which is still my proudest moment in boat racing. He worked so hard to win and was the first to win a stock championship with a 3-blade prop which he made by cutting apart 2-blade Smith & Michigan props. I still get emotional thinking about how excited I was watching him win that championship.
Greatest accomplishment in racing? My uncles, Denny, Dewey & Dee Berghauer were very successful winning many nationals in CSH & DSH. One nationals in the 60's they finished 1-2-3 in CSH. Denny & Dewey were the first to win the Parker 9 Hour Enduro for Mercury in 1973.
My best nationals was 2003 when I got 1st in BSH, 2nd in 20SSH (on time) and 3rd in CSH. That didn't compare to the success my nephew Donny Allen would achieve. I think he won 3 or 4 at the Washington nationals and 9 or 10 nationals in less than a decade. Donny is the most successful in a huge racing family. I've had my father, brother, brother-in-law, uncles, cousins, niece's & nephews who have raced. It was priceless being able to be with my family every weekend at the races. I still try to get to some of Donny's races as you never get boat racing out your system once you have done it.
What are some activities you enjoy outside of racing?
Another great benefit is the life long friends you have from racing. They are really like extended family. I snowmobile during the winter and most times I'm riding with one ex-boat racers or another.
Best Advice?
Racing wise, you get out of racing what you put into it. The guys who are winning now have something in common with those who have won championships in the past....hard work and dedication! Most of us can say some of our best memories in life are from boat racing.