klam99
The Klamath Dyno
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Highlights:
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We raised a purse of $6000.00, most of which was handed out. The only exceptions
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were the classes that didn't have a full turnout.
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Golden Bear Casino, a major sponsor, treated the drivers and navigators
to
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a great dinner and provided a really good band. The casino was hopping
that night!
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Both days started out cold and damp, typical coast weather. Sunday ended
up warm and sunny.
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I'd like to put a couple of racers under the spotlight for a moment for
shear determination and guts.
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The two that stand out are Dwayne Longfellow(244) and Bruce Mills(222).
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Now, they don't have the fastest boats or the prettiest boats or the most
dollar per foot
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boats but what they both have by the sackfull is what to me is the true
Whitewater Marathon
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Jetboat racers spirit. They will run, anywhere, any water and they will
keep on running.
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Dwayne made EVERY race this year. Bruce made EVERY race except the Clearwater.
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Dwayne and his stalwart navigator made every race with ailing motors, lost
grates, etc. etc.
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Bruce and his son raced every single race. They weren't the fastest, they
weren't the shiniest,
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but they were THERE. And they finish if it's even remotely possible. (Donnie,
don't think I've
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forgetten about you and your practically unmatched charge in Unlimited
class the last two years either.)
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.
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While wiping bugs from his face shield, Bruce did the big loop-de-loop
on a gravel bar a little
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below Huffman's cabin and got five broken ribs for it. He lay there on
the sandbar and told
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his son NOT to raise the red flag on any of the race boats but to only
raise it when the sweep
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boat came by. Steve Zimmerman and family were pulling safety boat duty
up at Denver's place
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and they ended up taking Bruce to the Glen ramp where the ambulance was
waiting. He spent
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a while in the hospital then checked himself out and headed back to the
motel where I went
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and talked to him. The guy is incredible! Here he is, flat on his back
in a motel room, groaning as
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he chews a piece of steak because the broken ends of his ribs are grating
against each other
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and his biggest concern at the moment was finding someone to drive the
boat (222)
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Ricochet Rabbit the next day.
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.
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At the same time, Dwayne had hacked 244 back together so many times there
was nothing
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left but bent and broken parts, so they tied it down on the trailer and
called it quits. I saw
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Dwayne do damn near the same thing at Boatnik. Anything required to finish
the race is the least
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those two in 244 will do.Anyway, the next morning Bruce's son ran across
Dwayne and
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Dwayne ended up driving the Rabbit sunday. No points, no extra money, just
plain old
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W.M.J. racing in the truest fashion. This was the kind of racing and racers
I signed up for.
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If I was looking for all the other BS that has become fashionable lately,
I would have
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bought a stock car, (shudder) a PWC or maybe even a BMW.
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.
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My hat (if I wore one) is off to both teams and crews from both boats.
Good Job.
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.
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I don't know for sure about the rest of C-class, but I had a heck of a
good time with the
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two at a time heads up races we tried this year. I think the other guys
liked it too, even though
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it wasn't a real whitewater race. It was definitely a hit with the
spectators. The Marysville Flash,
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Mike Messick dominated the weekend and took first with Sam Waller hot on
his tail in second.
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Two fast boats and two fast drivers! Third place was a tie between us and
Joe Ross's Ms. Gold Beach.
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.
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The Chandlers debuted the Danger Zone reincarnated as a Kwik Kraft. For
having been
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built in something like 28 hours it ran very well. I think? it's
the same motor that was in the
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black boat, but am not sure. Phil ably handled the driving with the Chandler's
son Will navigating.
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.
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Ben Rachor and Steve Larson nailed B-class, Jim Vantress was second in
the also-recently-built-in
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less-than-two weeks Kwik Kraft. What is it about those Kwik Krafts that
makes you want to just
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run out in the shop and fling one together? Is it some kind of a Lego Maniac
thing? Anyway, Ben
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and Steve were the second fastest boat overall. I think Donnie Smith
and 357 Magnum were not
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having a good weekend but he kept plugging away at it, probably not nearly
as speedily as he
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would have liked. Donnie's thing is to finish, any way he can, no matter
what. That's what the
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marathon part of the name means and that's the way the rules are set up.
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.
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