2013 Long Beach Sprint Nationals presented by ARP & HOTBOAT.COM

[HB Vic]

For those of you who made the event, pretty awesome weekend I think you would all agree. If you were able to attend the pre-party at Panama Joe's Friday night, what a blast. Drink specials and hors d'oeuvres was a nice treat. K-034 lighting their boat off parked right in front of PJ's was pretty cool. Not so sure one of the neighbors felt the same way, but you can't make everyone happy LOL. This race itself pretty much went off like clockwork. Even having the boats head out to the track within seconds of the ending of the National Anthem was pretty cool. The timing was impeccable.

Other than a few short delays due to incidents, I didn't see one hiccup really. Ross & Company did an amazing job of putting this event on and making sure the smallest of details was carried out like a Military drill. Hats off to you guys, your staff, volunteers, racers, and even the fans for pretty much cooperating with the rules (like staying out of the water during the race lol). You all did an amazing job!!

There were a few rolls this weekend. The most serious, as far as I could tell, was K-034. Chris was pretty shaken and will probably be pretty bruised up and sore today, but other than seeing his pride and joy upside down in the salt water, I think he and Candice and their crew will all be fine and will be back racing asap. Get well quick buddy.

If you've never been to this event, you really owe it to yourself to go next year. As far as being a spectator, it really doesn't get any better than this. You can watch the race from either side of the track. Our preference was the rock side. Seems like the drivers favored that side too. If you take small children, do them a favor and take hearing protection. Bikes are definitely the preferred method of transportation. And sunscreen is a must. Even though it was overcast for much of the morning, I got totally fried.

The size of this venue really can be deceiving. Both sides of Marine Stadium was packed on Saturday. The crowd seemed a little lighter on Sunday, but again, it is deceiving because of the size of the area. I won't even take a guess on how many people attended, maybe Ross can chime in and let us know for sure. All I can say is there was a shitload of people there.

We ended up staying in our moho on the rock side of the Stadium. It took a little getting used to and a little logistical planning as our booth was on the opposite side of the stadium. But by Saturday afternoon we had it all figured out and staged bikes and cars accordingly. Security was in force throughout the weekend making sure none of the spectators got too close to the action. I saw no point in being so close you could high five the racers, but I guess some people just can't get close enough to the action lol. Other than that, it was pretty laid back.

Excellent weekend of racing, talking to old friends, making new ones, and what a great atmosphere to just hang out and watch some of the best boat racing you can possibly see probably anywhere in the world.

We're already making plans for next year!! See you at the races.

HB