Sprint boats aim to top June

Sprint boat racers will try to follow up on an action-packed race from June as they return to cap the United States Sprint Boat Racing Association’s regular season Saturday at Webb’s Slough in St. John.

The June race featured a number of crowd-dazzling crashes, with boats jumping the banks of the channeled track and one boat even dancing on its nose for a few seconds.

Colfax racer Scott Ackerman and navigator Mike Hall will return to Webb’s Slough after missing out on a few earlier races elsewhere on the circuit this summer.

“We were just trying to save up all our good karma for our return to the Slough,” Ackerman said.

Ackerman, Hall and the Two Pump Chump finished fourth in the Super Mod class at the Slough in June.

The Jolly Rogers boat driven by Eric Werner of Wrangel, Alaska, and navigated by Jana Horton of Des Moines, Wash., claimed the top spot in the Super Modified class in the first show at the Slough. Werner and Horton are in second place on the USSBA season, 44 points behind the No. 69 boat Overkill driven by Dennis Hughes of Spokane and Matia Haskey of Aberdeen.

In the A-400 class, driver Doug Hendrickson of Pasco and navigator Nicole Heaton of Boise squeaked out a title in the first run at St. John. They are second place on the season, a mere 14 points behind the No. 151 Psycho Racing boat of Kyle and Alex Patrick of Albany, Ore.

Webb’s Slough master Cory Johnson of Maple Ridge, B.C., who has posted a number of wins on the St. John course, took the title in the Super Boat class with his trusty navigator, Gary McNeal.

Johnson and McNeal sit in first place in the Super Boat class season standings.

The sprint boat season will conclude with the national finals Sept. 8 at the Field of Dreams track in Port Angeles.

Weekend events kick off with the Friday night Show and Shine along Front Street. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday with qualifying runs beginning at 10 a.m.

The Slough crew is looking to set an attendance record with a goal of 7,000 through the gates this weekend.