Kmot
11-10-2003, 12:40 AM
I had a great time seeing the SAW races and especially meeting so many great people! Putting faces with the names is always a bonus.
Don Wollard was very gracious and gave me the VIP tour of their race tent and all the goodies that they had on hand. (Some not yet even publicly announced!) And the rest of Team Rum Runner, Donnie Wollard; Brian Vega; and Miha Holc were all very kind in answering my numerous questions.
Randy Naylor is an extraordinary gentleman. When the police came along and told me I had to move my truck to the main parking lot, Randy volunteered to move my truck for me so that I would not have to hobble back on my cast. Thank you again Randy, I really appreciated that!
Dennis Whitt was a kick to hang out with! He is way cool and very friendly to a newbie. Even though he was under a lot of pressure, doing a pit thrash to get a replacement boat ready he had no problems taking the time to talk and answer my questions.
Randy and Dennis were pitted next to each other. Randy and Dennis kept trading the (LSH?) record each time they ran. Yet they kept helping each other with parts; tips; etc. The FE boating fraternity is awesome!
All the people I met today and had a chance to talk with, I want to thank you for being so open and friendly and sharing your model boat knowledge with me. You made me feel very welcome! I hope I remember all the names.............
Don; Donnie; Brian; Miha; Pete; Patrick; Tim; Randy; Dennis; Joerg; and many more. Thanks a million! :D
As for the racing? WOW is all I can say! Watching video just isn't the same as seeing it in person. To watch a model boat cross an entire small lake in a few seconds is just mind boggling! And it's not easy at all to navigate this lake at speed! The lake is sort of kidney shaped and if a driver didn't have the alignment just right, they ran the risk of running into the shore! And then there are the blow overs.......... running 70-80-90+ these things catch a whisp of air and it's adios! Driving these boats at these top speeds is no easy task I realized today. Every tenth of a second seems like a Herculean feat. It was 'very' impressive!
The cultural differences I noticed between our European and our American racers was also quite interesting. Euro boats all are painted in bright, flourescent colors. Americans boats for the most part are subdued. Euro's use far more carbon graphite in their hulls and brackets then do the Americans. And the European boats had much more intricate, multiple paths of motor and speed control wiring compared to American boats which seemed simpler, more direct. Many of the Euro boats are running aerodynamic devices such as pontoon fins; and tall tailfins.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I will be back next year. :)
Don Wollard was very gracious and gave me the VIP tour of their race tent and all the goodies that they had on hand. (Some not yet even publicly announced!) And the rest of Team Rum Runner, Donnie Wollard; Brian Vega; and Miha Holc were all very kind in answering my numerous questions.
Randy Naylor is an extraordinary gentleman. When the police came along and told me I had to move my truck to the main parking lot, Randy volunteered to move my truck for me so that I would not have to hobble back on my cast. Thank you again Randy, I really appreciated that!
Dennis Whitt was a kick to hang out with! He is way cool and very friendly to a newbie. Even though he was under a lot of pressure, doing a pit thrash to get a replacement boat ready he had no problems taking the time to talk and answer my questions.
Randy and Dennis were pitted next to each other. Randy and Dennis kept trading the (LSH?) record each time they ran. Yet they kept helping each other with parts; tips; etc. The FE boating fraternity is awesome!
All the people I met today and had a chance to talk with, I want to thank you for being so open and friendly and sharing your model boat knowledge with me. You made me feel very welcome! I hope I remember all the names.............
Don; Donnie; Brian; Miha; Pete; Patrick; Tim; Randy; Dennis; Joerg; and many more. Thanks a million! :D
As for the racing? WOW is all I can say! Watching video just isn't the same as seeing it in person. To watch a model boat cross an entire small lake in a few seconds is just mind boggling! And it's not easy at all to navigate this lake at speed! The lake is sort of kidney shaped and if a driver didn't have the alignment just right, they ran the risk of running into the shore! And then there are the blow overs.......... running 70-80-90+ these things catch a whisp of air and it's adios! Driving these boats at these top speeds is no easy task I realized today. Every tenth of a second seems like a Herculean feat. It was 'very' impressive!
The cultural differences I noticed between our European and our American racers was also quite interesting. Euro boats all are painted in bright, flourescent colors. Americans boats for the most part are subdued. Euro's use far more carbon graphite in their hulls and brackets then do the Americans. And the European boats had much more intricate, multiple paths of motor and speed control wiring compared to American boats which seemed simpler, more direct. Many of the Euro boats are running aerodynamic devices such as pontoon fins; and tall tailfins.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I will be back next year. :)