Well with the only two races I attend a year canceled, Redbluff and Chowdrama, looks like were finally going to make the pull to Dexter. I hear its an awesome place to run...

That's a beautiful place to race!!!! Wish I could afford the tow up there to do it again. Had A LOT of fun heading to the rope!!! Reminds me of when my oldman use to drive to the rope at Blue Water.. Anyways, hope you make it up there Jeff!!

well, since you're old and retired, you could take a couple weeks to haul the donkey up there and back... ...

Jeff Dexter is probably some of the best water to race on the planet.A great bunch of people there too, they put on a first class event. Will try to get down to that race to spectate. With Chow gone looks like we will park it for the remainder of 09 do some R&D work and see if anymore westcoast races surface next year.

Just retired from the Sheriff's Department Bob. I still work part time driving limos, now thats a fun job... Cant wait to make the haul to Dexter. Just remember Bob without ramp clutter like myself there cant be world champions like yourself at these events... LOL

Thanks brother Vince... Johnny tell chuck I said to put a couple fake sponsons on the boat and run pro-mod at Dexter... If not tell him I have an extra crew shirt he can wear and be a part of my team that weekend (yelling and all) LOL

Posted By Jeff Andrade on 20 May 2009 12:13 AM
Just retired from the Sheriff's Department Bob. I still work part time driving limos, now thats a fun job... Cant wait to make the haul to Dexter. Just remember Bob without ramp clutter like myself there cant be world champions like yourself at these events... LOL

Trick Pony in a tux, driving a limmo? I'm trying to get a visual here, but the last time I saw him he was shirtless with a Bud in each hand running around hugging everybody, telling them how much he loved them. LMAO

jeff, does this mean you have to get stuff like.... haircuts, and... shave every day..

i always like being at dexter... it's the tow i'm not terribly fond of...

you could always go for it jeff - there's only 4 races left...

Jeff, i've been kickin around the idea of going to Dexter myself? might be fun, but i'ts a 11hr tow for me

hmmmm...

With the way things are going I may have enough in the budget to go to Dexter myself this year or even Texas!!!

Thats some funny stuff Scotty its nice to be remembered... Rick try to come to Dexter you can sleep on sight in your hauler with plenty of pit space. Yea Bob still shaving...LOL Duane hope you make it so you can post the race.

Posted By Duane Sims on 20 May 2009 08:01 PM
hmmmm...

With the way things are going I may have enough in the budget to go to Dexter myself this year or even Texas!!!

lowell is a neat little place to go, lots of nice scenery on that trip, but the roads... just take it nice and easy.
and, at dexter, you get to listen to bergeron read announcer cards backwards and upside down...

Jeff, Dexter is a real nice place to run. Great poeple up there, wish we could make it. We are just laying low and trying to recoop a little cash that we spent last year.

See ya soon and good luck
Ralph

Well I can tell you we'd all be glad to see a lot of racers come up to Dexter. It's a 5 hour drive for me (south)but it's now my home site as a photographer and you won't find a better batch of people anywhere. It's a great site too.

steve, you braggin or complainin??
19 hours for me, with a short detour.. no complaints (other than the roads), nothing like a nice long roadtrip...

Right on Ralph, I cant imagine how much money you must have spent last year running the whole circut with the crazy gas prices. I wanted to go to Marblefalls, but when I did the math I knew it wouldnt work. 3200 miles at 4.50 a gallon no thanks. At least you won a championship something you will rember the rest of your life.

Bob why dont you buy Stan's enclosed trailer he's practically giving it away...

Posted By Jeff Andrade on 28 May 2009 12:00 AM
Right on Ralph, I cant imagine how much money you must have spent last year running the whole circut with the crazy gas prices. I wanted to go to Marblefalls, but when I did the math I knew it wouldnt work. 3200 miles at 4.50 a gallon no thanks. At least you won a championship something you will rember the rest of your life.

Bob why dont you buy Stan's enclosed trailer he's practically giving it away...

I still have my road trailer, so we put the boat back on it to go to MF. That enclosed kills the mileage. One good thing about driving to MF is now Phoenix is an easy drive now.

Bob, I'm not sure sometimes! It is the closest drag boat racing to me though and I get treated very well, both by the organization and the racers. That's a lot of driving for you though, I guess about the same as the Oregon drivers going to Phoenix.

jeff, an enclosed trailer would be really nice if i didn't have to tow the thing so many miles. i get over 15 running 75 from here to marble falls or arkansas. i don't think i could come close to that with a box. going up and down some of the hills in oregon would also suck some juice. talkin to a friend on sunday about sitc, he said if he ever was to do that, the boat would be on the road trailer instead of in a box for that same reason.

ralph, dunno what i'd do with it. would be nice, but i do try to keep costs down so i can keep doin this.

Get a duramax!!! We pull are 48 footer loaded and I get 14-15 going 75!!! I will never own a gas truck again!!!! Bob you need to go the back way to dexter and you dont have to pull the hill on I5., It is all flat the way we go.

Looks like we may have some new people coming to the track. I hope so i think you all will really enjoy it up here and the racing is second to none.

You should know ahead of time that Oregon state parks require any campers staying at the race site Dexter "you need to be a CDBA member to camp there" Now as explained to me earlier today if you have a tent that is $20.00 tent pass for the weekend and any one sleeping in the tent that is not a CDBA member they need to pay a $15.00 weekend membership fee this also goes for motor homes and campers.

If you have any questions on this feel free to contact any of the board members from the CDBA website.

cdbaracing.com

I hope to see some new racers there this year.

Troy

Lester, heading north on 5 past Redding what way do we go to avoid the big hill pull...

lester, i have an 05 duramax. my neighbor has an '03, and when he hooks up his 28' with his d/gasser inside, he tells me his mileage drops from 16 to 11.

at hotshot's suggestion, last year when we left lowell, we went the back way (i think it was the back way?). coming out of there past the covered bridge, we turned left instead of right. i guess you could say it's flat after getting to the top of the first mountain - pretty much all 2 lane highway. very scenic mountain country past some river streams, lakes, a small towns...

Bob,

That "back way" is the same way Lester is referring to... I too believe that is a much easier pull than staying on I5 all the way through Oregon.

All,

We also have a race coming up in June 13-14 for you that want to come up here and race. Since there was no Red-Bluff & Chowchilla come on up and join us for the JUNE race. This will give some of you guys coming up to the July race some tuning info.

Hope to see some of you up here.


Troy

Posted By Jeff Andrade on 02 Jun 2009 11:16 PM
Lester, heading north on 5 past Redding what way do we go to avoid the big hill pull...

Jeff, You get off I5 in Weed and I think it is 97 that takes you through Klameth Falls. Definetly an easier route. We took 5 there last year and then took the 97 back and for sure it is better. And like Bob said pretty country.

If you are headed up there, GOOD LUCK, you will not regret it. Take along a little more fuel than you are used to taking, you will tend to burn more driving to the rope. (Unless you dont want to show off a little)

Ralph

I definitely recommend showing off a little on the way down to the rope. Nothing like a good air show to get the crowd buzzing. And it makes the photographer happy too, which makes for good press.

I apoligize for our little Canadian buddy looking for money shots on the water but we kinda like his hoser way of doing things....Ay Snark. Jeff it was good to talk to you again and I hope I got all of your questions answered, if not you know how to get me. Wow the mighty Duanester gracing us with his presence I would be humbled.....LOL. Seriously I've been to many venues in our sport and of course I may be parcial to Dexter but it is indeed one of the most beautiful sites for a race there is. Cold water temps and plenty of good air will greet all those that attend this site and the hospitality is second to none. We at CDBA pride ourselves in trying to keep a racer friendly event and an enjoyable experience for all. For those of you that have raced here thank you for your patronage and we hope to see you back and for those that plan on making the trip this year come enjoy the Great Northwest and some good ol Western hospitaity. If you have questions I can be reached at 541-912-5121. Sparky

Bob I don't know how you could complain about our roads, I don't need a border sign to know when I'm in Cal. the road lets me know......LOL.

An addition to Troy H."s post if you are an IHBA member your membership covers you for camping on site and you don't have to join CDBA for the July race just pay camping fees. Sparky

I have to agree with Sparky, Dexter is as good a race track as you will race. The water is great, Pits, spectators, orginazation, outstanding rescue, it is as good as it gets for a racer. The first race I ever drove was Dexter in 1979. I borrowed a flatbottom from Earl Whiting, my dad had an old tunnel ram chevy and off to the races we went, back then there was a full circle boat program along with the drags. I have raced at lots of tracks over the years and would put Dexter and Columbia Dragboat up there with the best of them.
Rob Steele

Posted By Sparky Rose on 08 Jun 2009 04:27 PM
Bob I don't know how you could complain about our roads, I don't need a border sign to know when I'm in Cal. the road lets me know......LOL.

not complainin sparky, just sayin... lots of up, down, and around, at 55 only. reminds me of 30 years living in crescent city/eureka... for so-cal'rs/arizona'ns, it's not what they're used to. not entirely sold on the "back way" yet, as that part of my trip up is usually late at night, and there's a lot of 2 lane.
ca highway road conditions aren't much to write home about either, other than i5 is basically straight.
i'm just comparin to my other long drives to mf and hot springs ark. on 10, other than traffic through phoenix and el-paso, it's basically on cruise and autopilot at 75. on 40, traffic through albuquerque and ok city are the only slowdowns, but the road's not as smooth...

like i said before, very scenic trip. if people just take their time, no problem. i'm not terribly fond of up/down/55, but that's not a showstopper, and being there is great. i'd encourage anybody to go, but i'd also say, be prepared for the drive because it's probably different from what they're used to. thassall

OK Rob you sold me...

I am looking into getting to Dexter but where is it... LOL

Do I fly into Portland and drive down... I am looking at the airlines now and can't find anything closer!

Hey Sparky it would be great to get up there I have wanted to for years.

duane, you'd fly into eugene, should be less than 1/2 hour away from lowell. mapquest lowell, or., and you'll see where you're going...

Duane, fly in to Eugene it's only about 20 miles from the track and the closest big airport to Dexter. Bob wasn't pickin on you I know what you mean about the up and down but then again that's what makes Oregon Oregon. When we head to the down South races that 13k of trailer behind me makes the truck complain until I get out of Oregon. Would love to see all of you up here for the July race and Duane I'll have a cold one waitin for you in July. Sparky

Duane,

You fly into Eugene.
From there, it's maybe a 20 minute drive to the lake. Most people stay at hotels/motels in Springfield.

Mike

Duane fly into Eugene.......LOL Spark

Thats where were staying in Sprinfield about 20 min from the airport and track. Thanks for all your help Sparky I booked our rooms after I got off the phone with you. Motel 6 seems to be the most reasonable much cheeper than out our way.

I will try to start a purse going for the 9:00 second class T/E. I was thinking about a 25.00 buy in. If we have 20 boats that could be 300.00 to the winner and 200.00 for runner-up...

so, are there any race reports from this past weekend???

Just got things unloaded from the lake and before I collapse thought I better get a little info out to you guys on the weekends event. The boat count was low (good old economy) and over the winter the main cable that ties the reciever to the computer got legs and was MIA so the course was down early. Andy Haavisto worked some Mcgyver action with some spare cables and we got things up and running. Even with the first race glitches there was some great action the entire weekend and after the intial problems were solved things went pretty smooth. The weather wasn't the best and Friday's course setup was slowed as a thunder storm rolled through (just don't understand why these guys wouldn't go out on the lake in a metal boat and place a dozen lighting rods for the sensors in place, KIDs these days.....LOL) but all in all just a few sprinkles on Saturday with almost no wind.
On Saturday Dave Storrier in the Blown Broke TAH made a great pass at 5.90 204 and from first asessments tthe throttle hung open out the back door. There are some conflicting stories as to what happened but about 350 yards past the traps the boat took some hops and barrel rolled. The capsule ejected and Dave was consesiuos and alert at the dock. He was taken to the hospital and diagnoised with 4 fractured vertabre in his neck. I'm happy to report that he had surgery Sunday morning where they placed a carbon fiber cage and titanium plates and screws in his neck and all went well. There is no paralizese (spelling?) and he should be headed home Thursday if there are no complicatios.
Dave being Dave he was already talking about another hull he could throw his motor in for the next Dexter race...Silly Canadian. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery and with all the gliches gone it looks like July should be one hell of a race. The results should be on our website soon cdbaracing.com and I hope to see all of you at Dexter next month. It's off to bed for me. Sparky

I've got pictures from the Can-Am Challenge up at http://picasaweb.google.com/snark219 if you'd like to see some of the action at Dexter.

July 10th Test 'N' Tune Entry Fee $100 - CDBA Membership Required
CDBA Membership Fees:
Weekend Racer $55 - Annual Racer $275
Announcement from our Commodore Sparky Rose:
"With the economic climate being what it is CDBA in an attempt to help all the racers joining us for the July race we have lowered the price of the test and tune from $150 to $100. We wish we could do more but this will pay the bills for the extra day on the water. The weekend racers membership has been raised to $55 which is 1/5 of the $275 total membership. The original $15 weekend membership fee was 1/5 of the $75 that was our membership fee. This does not pertain to the weekend membership for those camping on site at Dexter that are not paid members which is still $15 plus camping fees. We at CDBA hope this helps those wishing to take advantage of the test and tune. A reminder to all of the IHBA members that their membership is honored with us and covers them for the weekend. See you at Dexter."

Nice gester but just raises guys like me coming fron Cali, weekend membership fee 40.00 and I wasn't running test and tune because I couldnt afford it.

Thanks Lee for posting the note. Ok so between calls and emails I have recieved it looks like the July race is going to be one heck of a show. CDBA is putting its nose to the grindstone to prep for showing all of you a great time up here in Oregon on some of the best water there is. There will be fuel available on site so you can save some weight on your tow. Pits will open at 8am on Thursday. Sparky

PS. Duane I hope you are still planing on joining us up here, I'll have a cold one waiting.

Sparky, I was really trying to make it work however sorry to say my day job is in the way. We have been working on a Pro E migration to Wildfire 4.0 with an upgrade to new servers, this started back in May and was suppose to be already finished.

However we got a big job with Lexmark and the pushed it back since this update will be a huge learning curve for our old Hughes engineers. You know hughinords don’t like change.

Anyhoo I tried to get them to wait until July 27th to start since I leave Tuesday night the 14th for my annual trip back east so they give me not much of a window.

Sorry for rambling but in short I have a lot to do with very little widow to do it in and you don’t make major change prior to vacation…
I must say with that and after today’s day at work... I am working on my resume it time to move on with my IT career!!! Anyone hiring!!!

Only require match pay and benefits and allowed all the time to go boat racing, will travel and able to work remotely!!!

Ok Duane I'll let you slide this time, trying to get things together so I can get updates to the site and keep all informed. Jeff sorry about the increase of fees, hope it doesn't change your plans. The weather forecast is for upper 70's to low 80's for the weekend which should make for good air and keep us all from getting baked. Sparky

No problem Sparky its a good change... Since I'm your honored guest you can let me run T&T for free...LOL Cant wait were rolling out Thursday am which should put us at the track around 6:00 pm...

Good luck Jeff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See ya up there Jeff. Joy and I will be up on Friday or Saturday with 2 grandkids in tow. Looking forward to being a spectator.

Thank you Eddie, I'm happy to hear your boat is running so well. Just do me a favor and get a new photo. I know were getting older but were not changing that quickly...

Paul, you, Joy and the kids are welcome in my pit if you need a place to relax or anything else... I know your coming to spectate but I'll be a big shot with my own private IHBA rescue guy. And if your like me you function better impaired...

Holy cow, Jeff. I don't think you know what your getting into. Let's just say that Joy coined the famous and many times repeated phrase "Paul, your drunk, you stink, and your pissin people off" in a situation very similar to this. LMAO