The Overkill throws a rooster tail in front of a cheering crowd while racing in the elimination rounds of the Unlimited Class on Saturday.
An aerial view of Webb's Slough shows the course sprint boat drivers and navigators have to complete for a time.
The Cheney-based Pour Decisions boat races through the maze of islands Saturday at Webb's Slough.
The Sequim-based Live Wire makes a sharp turn on the Webb's Slough course during racing action.
Navigator Samantha Christ of Burley, Idaho, waves the checkered flag as her husband and driver Jason Christ pilots the victorious Juggernaut.
ST. JOHN - Thirty-five sprint boats hit the water of Webb's Slough on Saturday, June 17; only three went home with checkered flags.
The high-speed sprint boats competed in three classes – modified, 400 and unlimited – for the best time and bragging rights from the first weekend of racing in Whitman County this season.
The Cheney-based Pour Decisions team wasn't among those with the checkered flag.
But Jason Perkins, 42, of Cheney and Eli Gurske, 17, of Spangle did finish third in the Modified Class.
Perkins was driver and Gurske the navigator.
Sprint boat racing pits a drive, navigator and their boat against a maze of islands and the clock, with some boats hitting turns at up to 10 times the pull of gravity.
Modified Class
The Modified Class was won by the Juggernaut team of husband-and-wife duo driver Jason Christ, 34, and navigator Samantha Christ, 32, of Burley, Idaho.
The 400 Class was dominated by Lewiston, Idaho's Preventing Insanity, driven by Leighton Lillie, 40, and navigated by Cody Holzer, 32.
And the Unlimited Class was won after a heated finale by Obsession, driven by Robert Cox, 39, of Hayden, Idaho, and navigated by Ali Krupp, 35, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Cox has been racing 14 years; Krupp navigating two.
The Modified Class featured 15 racers, but was left with only four boats after the second elimination round.
Second place went to the father-daughter team of driver Dennis Hughes, 52, and navigator Samantha Hughes, 22, both of Spokane Valley, racing the Hammertime boat. (The Hughes also raced the Overkill boat in the Unlimited Class.)
Dennis Hughes said he got his start in sprint boat racing by watching from the beer garden.
"My dad has been doing this for about 16 years," Samantha Hughes said. "I grew up in the sport, and it was just a matter of time before I jumped in the boat and joined them.
"It's fun, and we're not going to stop anytime soon."
Third place in the modified class went to Pour Decisions, driven by Jason Perkins, 42, of Cheney, and navigated by Eli Gurske, 17, of Spangle.
The 400 class sped things up, with Lillie and Holzer taking the win.
Punisher took second place with Phil Miller of Castlegar, B.C. driving and Anacortes local Amy Thomasson navigating.
Another Castlegar boat – Fat Buddy with driver Jesse Miller, 28, and navigator Kaylin Miller, 28 rounding out the Top 3.
Unlimited class
The Unlimited Class was the fastest class of the day, putting seven sprint boats against each other.
The heated finale between Overkill and Obsession brought people to their feet as Obsession was 0.9 seconds faster than Overkill to take the victory lap.
Obsession has a 13-foot Slipstream hull and a 450 small block Ford engine, and injected with pro-charged mechanical fuel.
The Hughes were second in Overkill and a Jolly Rogers boat took third.
The Jolly Rogers was driven by Nicole Brown, 31, of Post Falls, Idaho, and navigated by Tina Huff, 31, of Renton. This was their third year racing together, and they said last August, at Webb's Slough, was their best day racing.
The weekend event in St. John brought thousands to the normally quiet town for a weekend of car shows, yard sales, golf and sprint boat racing.
The events began with a golf tournament, the Show and Shine Car Show and Webb Slough's BBQ.
Attention turned to racing early Saturday morning as lines formed to enter the Webb's Slough track.
Sprint boat racing returns to Webb's Slough Saturday, Aug. 26.
Reader Comments(0)