This race is a 300 mile endurance race around Lake Havasu in Arizona. The first person or team to successfully complete thirty ten miles laps around the course wins.
The start to the race is pretty fun to watch. All of the racers have their boats lined up in the water with their engines off. They have their partner or a friend hold the boat steady and in place. Then when the gun is fired the racers (who have been lined up across from their boats 20 ft in away on the beach) run and jump on their boats, start the engine, and take off.
Most of the boats can only make it around the course 5 or 6 times before the need to refuel. This is where is starts to feel like a Nascar event. When it is time to refuel you have your "pit crew" pull you out of the water using a side by side vehicle. They want to make sure that no gasoline gets in the the lake so the fueling of the boats is pretty regulated. This year Kevin and Justin had some guys that work for Side by Side Magazine come out and man their pit crew, along with Dave, PWI's sales associate and Justin's dad. It worked out great. The guys from Side by Side were excited to do a cross promotion with their magazine and everyone worked really well together to make the pit stops as quick as possible.
The weather was pretty windy in the morning and the water was pretty choppy which was not at all what they were expecting. I guess the way the race is.....it is either the first boat to make thirty laps or whoever is in the lead after 6 hours. This year was the first year it took the whole 6 hours.
Kevin and Justin haven't had the best record when it comes to races. Something either happens with the boat or their GPS breaks and they drive miles out of their way. This year everything went smoothly and I am happy to report that out of the 58 or 59 boats entered into the race Kevin and Justin came in 13th overall. They also came in 3rd out of their class. I'm so excited for them and I think they did a great job!
Here are some pictures I took at the race:
Here is Kevin talking with his pit crew before the race started
Kevin waiting for the racers to line up to start the race
Kevin waiting for the gun to go off to begin the race
And they are off
The first pit stop
Kevin gives Justin advice about the water conditions
Justin gets a nap in before his next time out
This is not the most flattering picture, but I had to include one of us together (I told you it was windy)
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