Wicked Racing Finalizes a Stellar Season With two Championship Wins In Port Angeles, Washington
- 11 Nov 2011
Although the extreme sport is fairly new to the United States, jet sprint boat racing has been popular in New Zealand and Australia for in the neighborhood of thirty years. Although to date, the sport is limited to the northwestern section of the United States, According to Dan Morrison, it is increasingly growing in popularity, and interest is being shown as far away as Florida. This particular type of racing is definitely extreme and a sport that is exciting for the participants as well as the fans. The drivers and navigators are faced with the challenge of traveling through a maze of islands and hairpin turns at high rates of speed. In fact, the boats turn as many as eight "G's" while taking corners. To experience success on a consistent basis, the driver and navigator must work together like a well-oiled machine. When asked the navigator's job, Morrison explained, "We don't know the rotation through the maze of islands, until the night before the race. The navigator and driver both memorize the rotation, which usually consists of anywhere from twenty-four to thirty-seven corners. There's a lot to remember and you have to go through the maze of islands in the correct pattern. Of course it's all timed and you've got to get through it as fast as you can. The main duties of the navigator are to memorize that course and with their left hand be pointing the direction we're suppose to be going next. They're reassuring the driver they have the rotation memorized right. They're very important, because everything happens real quick," he continued. "Typically, we travel about a mile in one minute or less. My boat goes from zero to one-hundred in three seconds. It's extremely quick.. quicker than most cars." The Wicked Racing team experienced their share of success throughout the first three years of their existence, and this season has been no different. In fact, the team recently pulled into the newly constructed, Extreme Sports Park, in Port Angeles, Washington, to compete in the 2011 USSBA Championship. The Hendrickson/Macke team entered the event as the 2010 champions and at the days end, managed to walk away with yet another championship under their belt in the A-400 class. With a total of 3,544 points compiled throughout the season, Hendrickson and Macke entered the race in their Bry Craft hull powered with a 400 cubic inch engine capable of putting out an excess of 700 horsepower. When the competition was over they won the 2011 points race by 38 points. Although they had experienced a stellar season and had the championship in the bag long before the season finale at Port Angeles, Morrison and McGuire had no intentions of coasting. From the seats of their 12'2" Mackcraft hull, powered by a 480 cubic inch engine, they dominated the race in the Super Boat class. Although any driver would have been elated to be deemed the overall champion in their class at the Extreme Spots park, the victory was even sweeter for Morrison, as he is part-owner of the venue and literally put many hours of labor in the construction of the facility. According to Morrison, along with set-up and horsepower, consistency and the ability to drive smooth is an essential element to success in the sport. "It's hard to do, because you're transitioning so fast and so many times," explained Morrison. "It's hard to be on your perfect mark all the time. These boats are extremely quick around the corner and timing is everything." The Wicked Racing Team is also acutely aware of the importance of proper maintenance. That said, they depend on K&N products to keep the internal components of their engines well-lubed and dust-free. "Both of our boats run K&N oil filters," explained Morrison. "I've got breather filters on mine and Doug runs a K&N air filter. We use K&N products on our tow vehicles and have noticed a mileage and performance increase. We swear by them. We religiously use K&N products. They're fantastic." "Jet Sprint Boat racing is very fast and up and coming," continued Dan, "and the media is starting to chase this sport. People need to be aware that this is the quickest and probably the most extreme motorsport that they have ever seen. Once you watch it live, you're hooked for life. Nothing compares to what we're doing. People aren't use to seeing the speed and agility that these boats have. They're way beyond what a car does. It's the quickest motorsport on the planet; the quickest turning, and the quickest to accelerate." Those interested in learning more about Jet Sprint Boat Racing, can go to www.ussbaracing.com Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
