Sprint boat racers book big finish at Webb’s Slough

Scott and Lori Ackerman of Colfax make their last run in the qualification round. They qualified second in the super modified class.

US Sprint boat racers and an estimated 3000 fans returned to Webb’s Slough Saturday for their second stop in St. John for the 2009 season. The full day of action saw close competition and just one serious spill from the racers who will be headed back to Albany, Ore., in two weeks for another round Saturday and the national finals on the second day, Sept. 13.

Scott and Lori Ackerman of Colfax qualified second with 60 points in the super modified class. Their new boat, Bad Medicine, clocked solid times in the four qualification runs, and they advanced to the final four in the super modifieds which started the day with 14 boats.

Cory Johnson and Gary McNeil of Maple Ridge, B.C. booked the most consistent show of the day with a top mark in the super modified qualifying and then topped times in the elimination round.

Johnson and McNeil went into the final elimination round against Dillon Brown-Cummings and Teri Cummings and won the event with a 49.368 just .189 seconds ahead of the Sequim entry.

Dan Morrison and Cara McGuire, defending champs in the division, and the Ackermans were stopped at the final four level.

Eight of the 14 in the class qualified for the finals.

The Slough Crew hits the water to roll over the boat of Dennis Hughes and Gabe Parkins after their crash in the last qualification round.

Jack Bright of Ontario, Ore., gives a wave after breaking the 49-second mark in the last qualification run. His navigator is Jack Bright, Jr.

Ackerman said he was pleased with the progress Bad Medicine made on the slough course.

“Actually it’s the best we’ve had the new hull running this year. It’s performing the way we thought is should,” Ackerman said.

Best times for the day were turned in by the A-400 class which can run engines up to 420 cubic inches, or 52 over the max for the supers.

Jack Bright in his Rock Crusher from Ontario, Ore., topped the qualifications for the class with the fastest qualifying time of the day, a 48.78. The Oregonian, who teams with Jack Bright, Jr., as navigator, put the Rock Crusher on an island in the first elimination round to strike out.

Dan Hendrickson of Pasco and Hannah Macke of Lewiston took the A-400 class. After the Brights cooked the lowest qualification time, Hendrickson and Macke went out in their Wicked entry and put it up on land in front of the terraces at the Slough.

They came back in the first round of the elims and cooked a 48.635 to beat the Brights’ top qualification time and posted the quickest run of the day. They also ran their next two elim rounds at under 49 seconds to take the class.

Kyle Patrick of Albany and Theresa Gibb of Salem, who qualified third in the A-400s, finished second in the class elims.

Pat Hampl of Lebanon, Ore., and Talitha Edwards of Albany topped the superboat class, with their Venom entry which is powered by a 505 CI Dodge engine. Just two boats were the class.

Worst crash of the day came when Dennis Hughes and Gabe Parkins put their 69 Overkill boat upside down in the water. Hughes surfaced after the boat stopped, but Parkins attempted to get out under the roll bar and was stuck under the surface. The Slough rescue crew was able to roll the boat over just in time.

Racers and fans gave top marks to the Slough Crew, the Webbs and the whole St. John team for their performance in hosting the second round

Ackerman said St. John has applied to host the races June 19 and Aug. 28 in 2010.