Not sure how many other racers feel about this but Fall racing is my favorite. Now you might be saying “ hey Johnny, you race all year long, how can you pick a favorite?” Well that’s true, our season starts as soon as we lose ice or usually we take a trip south in March or April and we race right up to the last weekend in October. It’s a long season but if you manage it right you can attend a race almost every weekend from Jesup to Tabor City. It turns into an addiction quick and you never want to miss a weekend, trust me I know.
While most people enjoy the Fall for cool weather, football and Fall related activities such as pumpkin picking and apple picking, a boat racer has other reasons and these are mine. Chasing points, and seeing this beautiful country. If you have had a great season, Fall is the time to lock up that 2US shield and earn yourself one of those fancy patches that look cool sewn on kevlar sleeves or stuck on the side of a boat. Display it, you earned it! Along with chasing points , comes the races in the fall. Here on the East Coast, we kick off the Fall season with Lock Haven, if you haven’t read the previous posts or attended the event. Make sure it is on your schedule for 2020.
After Lock Haven, we find ourselves heading North, to Standish, Maine. A quint town, that has a killer lobster restaurant not far from the pits. The ride from New Jersey is always a long one but putting the Connecticut traffic aside, it‘s a very scenic trip. The leaves are changing as fast as the
temperature is dropping. I recommend packing warm clothes and staying in your boat, it seems shortly after the races are held the locals are ice fishing. Continuing the North East tour, one would find themselves in Crystal Lake, New York. Right outside Fishers Landing and Clayton, home to the Antique Boat Museum which houses some awesome hydroplane history. What makes this race so special other than being so close to the location of the 1000 islands marathon, is that it draws a full field of classic BSH. Being a joint sanction, many of our friends from thd North come down to play. Nothing cooler than seeing 12 boats with an engine produced in 1954 fight their way through the first turn.
The club always does a great job and every Saturday in past years was concluded with a cruise around some of the 1000 islands and a pizza party, which was always a nice way to unwind after a long day at the races. This year there will be a live band in the pits after racing ends but I’m sure a band racers led by racing legend Scott Reed will make their way to Foxy‘s. Troy Gladkowski who was rumored to have retired under the Obama administration, chooses Crystal Lake to be his one race of the year, always a treat to see him in the pits. Again the ride up 81 is great for people who enjoy seeing leaves change color but what really matters is the racing is great and so are the people.
South Shore Outboard is busy during the Fall hosting another race in Kingston, New Hampshire. Now this is a cool race, head on a actual pond behind a church. The town dates back to 1694 and many of the original buildings are still around. The town loves boat racers and we love the town. Can’t say enough good things about this race and Steve Noury who puts the race on. If you are planning a trip to the Northeast, look no further. Usually a potluck in the pits Saturday night and a bonfire across the pond to follow.
Millville and Wilson are also great fall races, both unique in their own ways and great races for those chasing points, sometimes offering three over two in most classes. while all of these races have their own following, I think Tabor City is known as the best race of the fall. While offering three over two in classes with 6 or more boats, we’ve seen drivers like Brandon Boyd register every class, all three days to make sure he locked up high points and awards. It’s impressive the amount of boats who travel a far distance for this race but the race isn’t the draw. It’s the special events that keep people coming back for more. It was announced this year would see the return of the AXR Drag Queen powderpuff race. An event sure to raise a good amount of money this year, rumor is Joel Kiddy has already been dress shopping. Tabor City is a great race to close out the season on and welcome the new.
While traveling to these races is always an adventure, my favorite part about the fall is not knowing if there will be snow on the ground when you wake up in Maine, be sure to count on frost. Waking up in the middle of the night, to try and crank the heat in the van because it feels like it could be snowing inside. Putting in soaking wet Kevlar when your class is first up Sunday morning and you were last up Saturday. Thanks to the Miller family we were all using their space heater at Millville. Another fun part of the Fall season is that you never really can predict who will show up at any given race, last year we saw the Pavlick army show up at Millville, Wilson and Tabor City. People do crazy things for points. There’s a lot about racing in the Fall to look forward to and I hope everyone has a safe and successful end of the season.
-JW
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