Boat Racing "Under The Lights"

**Danny McManus** · 09-11-2004, 07:40 PM

Have any of you attended or participated in any night-time
boat racing events? Noah Legear and I have been kickin'
around the idea.... I think it would be cool, and look cool too.
Not just cool from an appearance standpoint, but temperatures
would be lower for the crews, fans, and drivers as well...
Any input is greatly appreciated

THANKS !!!

**Danny McManus** · 09-11-2004, 07:46 PM

...My thought is to build some 12'X8' rafts on 55 gal. drums,
to float a bunch of those self contained road construction
lights. The ones that can illuminate the D.O.T. jobsites so they
look like your drivin' into Las-Vegas on the horizon....

**Mark75H** · 09-11-2004, 08:08 PM

I think it would be very cool, but where could such an event be held? We have enough trouble finding sites where we can run during the day, much less at night.

**Danny McManus** · 09-11-2004, 08:59 PM

I was thinking we could organize a night race at some of our existing race sites. I heard of night races years ago at the
Dayton, Ohio "Hydrobowl" but haven't seen any pics or details.
Noah has a spot in mind near Panama-City, Fla. and I've discussed this topic with key people here in central Fla. too.
I've talked to several drivers that have raced in the 24 hour race in Reoun, France, and they said it was a " unique experience"

I'm just looking for thoughts from fellow racers and enthusiasts...

Thanks for your reply.Hope to meet you someday.

**Ron Hill** · 09-12-2004, 10:44 AM

I first saw NIGHT BOAT RACING in 1955. We raced on TV for 26 Sundays, but there was a show called "CITY at NIGHT", everything was live on TV in those days. So they brought in those search lights and lit the Long Beach Marine Stadium... We didn't have a real race, my dad wouldn't let me drive at night, but the show was HUGE... A draw back then and now, once you got outside the lighted area, you can't see "SQUAT"......

Greg Foster (Sherman-Williams Star) and I have discussed using the lights that they use (temporary) on the freeways at night for construction. Foster's company is CRANE RENTAL and they do a lot of night work, as to not cause MAJOR FREEWAY tie up....

Greg's light guy, basically offered the lights for free, said it would be cool to race at night. Bottom Line: I wanted to race at Elsinore, and was working with a freind who owned a 65 foot (Atually, don't know how big...big enough for weddings and all) party boat on Lake Elsinore....but their "Partership" failed.

I had thought that the boat could have the lights for the back straightaway.....
We seemed to have many reason NOT to do it....Like who will patrol? Are we really prepared from a driver safety point of view?? Who will race??? Will the Flat Bottom guys come?? What about the Cracker Boxes??? (Two guys in the boat to worry about)...Would the city go for noise at night? Should we run some drags? Should we try for a three/four race summer series?? Should we race during the day and have a PROFESSIONAL SHOW for night??
Who would control a crowd??? (Would we lose our butts ($$$$), because we would not be racing APBA for points....)

This August's Long Beach race, in my opinion, was a huge success...

First time we've had a PA in 25 years.. (City didn't allow one)...good showing of boats...Great showing a "SHOW BOATS" and a pretty good crowd...

Ross "THE BOSS" has been doing 90 per cent of the race promotion in CALIFORNIA and I, for one, don't want to over work him and have been doing my small part to support him. You can't have races with out racer support...

(Hey BK, e-mail me please!!! RONHILL@SPEAKEASY.NET, or would someone e-mail me BK's e-Mail...)...

**Jeff_G** · 09-13-2004, 08:14 AM

Didn't the stock guys run a night race a few years ago in Wisconsin?

**Ron Hill** · 09-13-2004, 09:07 AM

But yes they ran under the lights, but didn't actually "RACE"...They discovered, as I recall, that the bouys needed to have a light..

**spn#43** · 09-13-2004, 09:14 AM

Originally posted by Danny McManus
Have any of you attended or participated in any night-time
boat racing events? Noah Legear and I have been kickin'
around the idea.... I think it would be cool, and look cool too.
Not just cool from an appearance standpoint, but temperatures
would be lower for the crews, fans, and drivers as well...
Any input is greatly appreciated

THANKS !!!

Sign me up.

**mbd29** · 09-13-2004, 07:15 PM

Danny, as tenacious as you are you would be the one to pull it off. It would be an uphill battle though. In Rouen the boats had lights and were a bit different in construction, compenstating for the rough water. As said before sites may be a problem. Dayton, if it hasn't changed lately may work. The site in Creve Coure were the St. Louis Race is now being held may also work.

Insurance may be another issue that you may have to deal with. The rates may be pretty high due to the fact that it hasn't been done for awhile.

Hope you can make it work.

**Ron Hill** · 09-13-2004, 10:52 PM

I told Timmy Seebold, five years ago, that racing in St Louis, during the day, in the summer, was DUMB.... Too hot and if the weather was good, boating people would be using their own boat!!!!

I'd almost agrue that insurance should be cheaper. For one reason, the races wouldn't last as long (At least, I wouldn't think they would)...

A second reason, less boats or no boats would be on the lake but race boats......

Seems we'd need a BRIGHT LIGHT on the driver's helmet, especially on a capsuled boat....Well, they raced cars at Richmond, and now of them had head lights...

Is Noah Legear (Eagle One)...in the line of fire of this new hurricane???

**Danny McManus** · 09-13-2004, 11:15 PM

Mike, I looked up "tenacious"...yeah thats me. When I was a kid
my nickname was the "pest of the lake"...
Ron, I hope Noah is spared from this latest storm, but it may
be close. My thoughts on the lighting is to bathe the entire racecourse and hot pit area with light. Also require a small halogen strobe-light on top of the capsule, imediatley aft of
the cockpit opening. Rescue divers will be provided with dive lights
and drivers will be given reflective tape to add to their helmets
and attach to their harness, just above the release latch...
I plan to research this idea with lighting from a local DOT contractor who can loan me some lights, and will experiment with
irredescent paint on the course markers...please keep your
fingers crossed for this as I have cooperative contact at a historically significant racing facility on the east coast of fla..

thanks for the replies, keep 'em comming..

**Danny McManus** · 09-14-2004, 07:44 PM

it is a company called musco, and I've talked with them
on some preliminary details, it can get expensive real quick.
The infield renovations will include some permanent lighting
around the lake...but not enough to completely meet our
needs for a night-time boat race event, but I'm workin' on it

**Sunburnt** · 09-16-2004, 11:51 AM

Hi Guy's,

I don't know if this helps or not but, a couple of years ago The IHBA Coors Lite Drag boat tour ran one their finals under the lights at Firebird lake in Phoenix. (they run the opening and final races of the year here.)

Its a fairly Fan friendly venue with bleachers along the 1/4 mile course. I think they rented every portable light tower in the valley to lite up the course.

To the best of my knowledge they only did this one time. I am not sure if they considered it a success or not or, if the drivers didn't like it? Especially the safety crews.? If I remember correctly they did have a Top Fueler take the plunge, But I am not positive, I've been to several events now.

Perhaps you could contact someone in that organization or at Firebird about their experiences..

It sure was fun to watch as a spectator..

Jeff

**Danny McManus** · 09-16-2004, 09:26 PM

I will contact the folks at Firebird,thanks for the reminder as I remember hearing about that night race. Please tell me, what were some of your favorite observations while watching boats
race under the lights....did they leave "rainbows" in their
roostertail ???