Oroville Mercury-Register

June 18, 2007
Section: Local

'Political Fray on the Bay' highlights power boat racing this weekend

Patrick Bulmer / SPECIAL TO THE MERCURY-REGISTER

This last Saturday saw a record number of local spectators at the South Thermalito Forebay in Oroville for the American Power Boat Association Western Divisional Outboard Hydroplane Championships. One reason for the increased interest was the highly publicized showdown match between local politicians Oroville Mayor Steve Jernigan, Oroville City Councilman Mike Howard, Butte County District One Supervisor Bill Connelly and Oroville Chamber of Commerce President Marc Miller.

As promised, the first race heat started at Noon, drawing excitement and cheers from people watching from the nearby shoreline that almost drowned out the deafening blast of the signal air horn and the thundering start of the engines. In standard hydroplane race format, the drivers are first given the green flag three minutes before the official start, at which point they start up and launch their hydroplane from the shore. The drivers then proceed from the launch area to the racecourse, bringing their boats up to speed and getting a feel for the course. Soon after, the white flag goes up, signaling one minute to the official start. As the giant clock at the judging stand begins to count off the final minute, the drivers "mill around" the course, trying to time the perfect moment to cross the start line-any boat across the line before the official start is disqualified.

All four of the Oroville politicos made a "good start," crossing the start line just as the official clock swept past the zero mark. Supervisor Bill Connelly held a consistent lead in the #10 boat throughout the first heat, with Mayor Steve Jernigan closely behind in the #3 boat. Mike Howard in the #2 boat and Marc Miller in the #5 boat ran neck-and-neck for most of the four-lap race. Connelly blasted across the finish line in 3 minutes, 59.32 seconds, averaging 45.128 mph. Steve Jernigan came in second at 4:15.51, Marc Miller came in third at 4:28.45, and Mike Howard clocked in at 4:31.08.

The drivers returned to the pit for refueling and a brief round of mid-race coaching from Kenn Christie, the co-chairman of the NorCal 400 new driver program. Soon the drivers were off, taking the course again for their second race heat. Connelly held the lead for most of the race and was thought to be the frontrunner for the first prize position. But in the middle of the last lap, Connelly's boat ran out of fuel, taking him out of the race. The rest of the drivers continued to cross the finish line, with Miller coming in first at 4:16.45, Howard coming in second at 4:49.45, and Jernigan coming in third at 5:08.59.

Christie had a number of positive comments for the racers. "The all did extremely well for their first time, Connelly especially. It's a shame that his boat ran out of gas because he should have had enough fuel to go for three warm-up laps and four race laps and still have about a quarter tank left. But that's how it goes with these things. There's always a risk that something can go wrong with the equipment during the race."

Christie also noted that Connelly had actually set an unofficial speed record for the NorCal 400 race class. "Due to a minor technicality, we can't count his speed in the official records. But his time on that first heat was exceptionally fast."

Northern California Outboard Association and the East Bay Boat Club, the local chapters of the APBA Region 11 that coordinated the race, are looking forward to returning to Oroville. "We've never seen such great participation from the community on these boat races, and we've been coming here for almost 40 years since the Forebay was first built", said Christie. "We're looking forward to bigger and better next year."

The NorCal 400 "Rent-a-Race-Ride" program is open to potential new drivers. For $100, new drivers are provided with a boat, fuel, insurance, safety gear and expert instruction, along with a practice run and two race heats. The 400cc boats reach nearly 55 mph and are a great way for potential new racers to get their feet wet in the exciting hydroplane racing arena. For more information on the NorCal 400 "Rent-a-Race-Ride" program and upcoming boat races in the Oroville area, visit www.orovilleboatraces.com.

© 2007, Oroville Mercury-Register. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc.