he 22nd edition of the annual IHBA Augusta, Georgia, Southern Nationals, drag boat extravaganza had perfect weather for the first time in five years and as a result the over 22,000 fans who attended were treated to one of the quickest and fastest races in the history of drag boat racing.
The event saw more than 100 entries, among them the Speed Sport Special Top Fuel Hydro of St. Louis, MO-based Lou Osmon. Osmon’s team won this event last year but in the process lost their boat when driver John Haas barrel-rolled the Hydro at over 250 mph.
The 2006 IHBA Champion and current points leader is on his way to getting Osman’s team yet another title again as Haas defeated Jarret Silvey driving Dennis Gibson’s TFH. In the final round Haas drove the Amos Satterlee-tuned boat to 4.943 at 237.52 mph which easily covered Silvey’s 5.453/167.44 mph. Haas earlier set Low ET of the meet with a 4.85 blast and Ron McClellan ripped of a speed of 247 for Top Speed of the meet.
Words by Tim Marshall
Photos by Tim Marshall, Jon LeMoine and Ken Schultz
7/26/07
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Kent Price of Gardener, Kansas, swept the Top Alcohol Hydro class, Kent's Black Draggin’ made a stellar 5.46/221 lap for his best and won easily in the final round over Kebin Kinsley (who also drives a TAFC) when Kinsley turned on the red light in the final.
In the dragboat racing’s equivalent to drag racing Fuel Altered class, blown Alky Flat Steve Westerfield in the All Lit Up TAF won the class and made it look easy in the final round. Matched up against fellow Californian Don Ermshar driving the Mako Force flat broke a drive line component on the starting line. Westerfield traversed the liquid 1320 on a single at 7.144, clicked early and ran just 145.60 mph.
In the Seven-second indexed, Pro Mod boat division Brutus Utter (yes, that is his real name!) piloting Joe Coleman's Ford-powered Pro Mod ran right on the 7.00 index all weekend but in the final round his Go Fast and Big Dick's Lounge-backed machine ran a 7.114/164.24 mph lap that covered Joe Links' Young Guns, Baltimore, MD, entry’s 7.484, 150.32-mph effort for the win.
In IHBA's Sportsman category's the racing was nothing less than top notch, but one competitor really caught our eye going through the huge pit area of the Savannah River, that being young Ashly Ruf in the “Kwitcha Bitchen” boat out of Little John's Performance in St Charles, MO. DRO found that Ashly is the youngest competition licensed driver on the Drag Boat circuit at just 16 years old. She proudly showed off her brand new license, then helped prep the boat with owner “Little John,” then drove the boat to another fine 10-second pass at over 100 mph like it was nothing! After making at least five passes in the test and tune session she was ready. How ready? She was runner up Indiana's Ron Morton in Modified Eliminator. She caught a red light start at (0.021) then ran quicker than Ron in the final too. Is there a faster ride in her near future? Who knows but this young lady will be ready for it.