Article from the Lewiston Morning Tribune:Some of Idaho's best rivers will be home to the World Jet Boat River Marathon Championships next spring.
Kim Friend, one of the organizers of the annual Riggins Jet Boat Races, confirmed Thursday the 2012 championships would be
April 12 to 21 on the St. Joe River near St. Maries, the Snake and Clearwater rivers near Lewiston and the Salmon River near Riggins. Racers, which could include more than 50 teams, will cover about 500 cumulative miles on the four rivers. Friend said the arrival of the teams that include a driver, navigator and several support people, will be an economic boost to the area.
"They are spending about $1,000 a day per team," she said. "They love, love, love coming to these small towns. They really love the hospitality and that everybody is so excited about them being there."
Lewiston-Clarkston Valley residents will get a taste of what the championships will be like when a race, expected to attract many of the same teams, is conducted on the Snake River between Lewiston and Cache Creek Aug. 27 and 28. The upcoming "Thunder on the Snake" jet boat races will be at a time when river traffic, including pleasure boaters, anglers, swimmers and rafters is high. Friend said the world championships will be at a much quieter time of year.
"Our world is banking on our recreation and our fishermen, so we picked a time of year when we would not be interfering with that kind of stuff."
She said the race is also timed to occur before the typical spring runoff when flows can be unpredictable. The course has yet to be set, but she said the series is expected to culminate with two days of racing on the rapid-filled stretch of the Salmon River near Riggins.
"They will need to study and prerun and make sure they are comfortable with the route they need to take."
Two-time world champion Dale Whiteside of Red Deer, Alberta, will be competing in both the August races and the world championships. He said the idea is simple: The team with the best cumulative time on all four rivers will be crowned champion. The fastest boat in the class wins the class, and the fastest overall is world champion." He said some boats could reach 140 mph during the races, and most will rarely drop below 70 mph.
The world championships alternate between Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S.
Rick Gage of Lewiston was crowned champion in 1992. One leg of the championships was conducted on the Salmon River at Riggins in 1988.
