Chico Enterprise-Record

June 7, 2009
Section: Local

Forebay abuzz with boat races

STACEY KENNELLY - Staff Writer

OROVILLE -- It was a quiet Saturday in Oroville, unless you headed west on Grand Avenue. Travel to the South Thermalito Forebay recreation area, and as you grow nearer, the buzzing in the air turns from faint to ear-piercing, where about 50 drivers and 300 spectators attended day one of the Region 11 Modified Outboard Hydroplane Divisional Championships.

The American Power Boat Association's two-day event, presented by the Northern California Outboard Association and the Easy Bay Boat Clubs of California, has increased its spectatorship by more than 200 percent in the last three years, said Christine Mac Shane, an associate of the event's promotional team.

Saturday's and today's Western divisionals will ultimately qualify racers for the nationals in Zanesville, Ohio next month.

The power-boat racing community in the West has remained moderately small, and the tight-knit dynamics of drivers and supporters was apparent from the event's set-up. Campers, RVs and folding chairs were organized in a camp-like setting, and drivers, crew and family members crowded onto the narrow pier at the forebay to spend the weekend. The forebay is known to racers and spectators as some of the "fastest water in the world," Mac Shane said. The choppiness of the water, combined with the angle of the breeze and shape of the bay, makes it ideal for racing boats.

The sport's events are often organized as family gatherings, and Region 11 of the association — which stems throughout Northern California and Nevada — is growing. The association has sanctioned boat races for the last 105 years, and drivers have raced in the forebay for more than 40 years, but there is little awareness surrounding the sport's increasing popularity on the West Coast, said Region 11 Race Coordinator Kenn Christie.

However, the buzz of boat racing will likely increase in 2010, when the national championships are scheduled to take place in Oroville. Usually, nationals take place on the East Coast, where the sport has been booming for decades. The association and its related entities expect almost 10,000 to visit the forebay during the national championships next year — a drastic hike from the standard 800 who are expected to visit the forebay for the divisionals by the end of the weekend, Mac Shane said.

Races were scheduled throughout Saturday and today, 9 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m., and the modified outboard boats were lumped into four categories for racing purposes, said Rick Widoe, a crew member for Magic Power Racing.

The term "outboard" refers to boats that have an engine attached off the back. The term "modified" describes how boats have been altered by their owners, but there are strict rules — only engines and exhaust may be altered, and no alternative fuels are allowed. Also, three of the categories — stock outboard, modified outboard and outboard performance — have weight restrictions.

Drivers range in age, and the hobby often crosses over to multiple generations in families. Dave Wilson, a Paradise resident who has lived in the area for 29 years, participates in the sport with his three grandsons. Wilson started out on smaller boats and retired more than 30 years ago, before picking the sport back up in 2005.

Last year, Wilson was named the Outboard Performance Craft high-point national champion in the Sport C class — which includes outboard performance crafts — as well as overall champion for the southwestern division. Among other awards, Wilson received Rookie of the Year for Region 11 in 2005.

He travels regularly to Washington, Oregon, Illinois and the national championships each year. Organizing the 2010 nationals in Oroville is especially exciting for him, he said.
"It's very special because we haven't had one here in 15 years; we always have to go to the East Coast," Wilson said.

The versatility of the sport can be seen through the age range of its drivers, the oldest who is 80, and the youngest who is just 10 years old. The youngest category, known as the "jays," was expected to have up to four participants over the weekend, but only one, 10-year-old Nikki Rucki of Martinez, was able to make it.

Nikki has been racing for one year, and while she has done two trial runs so far, her weekend at the forebay was the first time she drove her boat by herself — a small boat that proudly broadcasts her name along its side. The freckled blonde described her passion for the sport, which was introduced to her by her father, who races a "Crackerbox" boat — a vintage hot rod known for its speed.

Races are scheduled throughout the day today, and the event is free to the public. Visit www.orovilleboatraces.com for more information.

 

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