OK,

Brain doing funny things this week......

As some of you already know I had been involved with whitewater river racing some years back.

I have also thought about putting together a Comp Jet, never really comitted though.....

I have questions, but first allow me to explain. When I was involved with the River Marathon Racing, it started simple enough, my buddy and I in 1989 helped a freind get his raceboat running literally the day before the race and he wanted us to be involved. The rest is history. We are still good freinds to this day.

After running in our third race together in five years, right before having my first kid, I really did think I was going to die doing this. I can't explain it any other way than I literally thought that racing was going to be our demise. Not right away, but ultimately.

Is this "normal"? Was it butterflies? Adrenalin?

looking back on it, I loved racing like Omar likes big booties (overstated?) , but I think, looking at it with some hindsight, it was going to seriously hurt one of us. Not because we were bad drivers or had bad equipment, but because of the nature of the beast.

When we raced for the first time, the sport was fairly new and the boats really not that quick (70-80 MPH). After a couple years the boats were moving at well over 100MPH and had no signs of hitting a plateau. 

Now with the technology doing summersaults and money flowing like cheap wine (though not at the moment) the boats are now going stupid fast (have witnessed a 158 MPH run in a T58 turbine powered tunnel hulled jet). Being outclassed is the understatement of the century. There is no way I could ever break back into the sport without hitting the Lottery   

Now with some possibly stupid questions.

Comp Jet is interesting to me for several reasons, first, the safety aspect of the circle racing venues are 100X more than I have ever experienced in a motorsport, does it feel safe? With the river races you could literally be an hour from an ambulance or even first aid.

The costs seem less extreme and almost all of the racers I have seen seem to do it with one or two people, is that by choice? To run a river jet takes at least four guys all busting their ass.

The travel is still the same as far as I can tell (just a different direction LOL), has anyone tried to put a multiple boat team together to share costs? They don't even have to run the same class...Comp and Nostalga? I have not seen this done.

And lastly, how big do the butterflies get? I can tell you they felt like bats when you begin a 38 mile run up a whitewater river with no other boats in sight, very surreal.

I believe my 19 would make a killer circle boat, I have a couple BBC's and a machinist who works for favors. May not get my poo together this year, but am thinking of getting something in the works this fall. I know how to keep them running and can figure out how to get them to work and turn pretty good, just sort of keep watching where the sport is going. So far seems pretty secure.

Thanks for taking the time to read the verbal diareah 

GT

JUST DO IT!!!!!

x2

ill tell you that i feel safer out there then on any weekend at the river. ask ralph....the safty crews are top notch and are on scene in seconds.

now about the team thing....we do have'team socaljetboats' even though its not talked about much anyore. it consists of myself ralph omar and nick (cj222) ...and as of riight now, not one of  us have a running race boat lol....anyways i would pitch to sponsors that they would get ad space on the 3 boats...then the ad money was split...this worked very well. sometimes it paid for everyones registration and then some cash in thier pocket.

just do it...and dont bother saying "only for one race" i think ron said that....now look at him...hes chasin points in burley...5 point from tying with 2nd place for the season. hes hooked for sure now!

If you have any doubts , just run one race in nostalgia and see how it feels! There is a 80 mph speed limit and not a lot of people , it's perfect for getting the feel of it!

Strakes on the sides???