West Coast Outboard Racing

Woodland WA Special Event: West Coast Outboard Racing has obtained its first racing sanction at Woodland Planters Days Festival this year as a "Special Event" on Sunday, June 22nd. We plan to set up the pits and race course markers on Saturday, June 21st in the afternoon at 4:00 pm. Planters Days is touted as Washington's oldest community festival, and it will feature a boat race this year instead of the usual water ski show. Racers and the club will be insured through AOF's insurance provider, much like the AOF Nationals were insured at Moses Lake in 2006.
 
We will be running a "modified Le Mans start" boat racing event with five (5) hydro classes -- Novice H, CSH, CH-Lights (OSY), CMH, and Open Class Pro/Mod Hydro. It will be a unique event to have some fun together with a little different venue and featuring the most popular outboard racing classes in the region. The course is small, so we may not be able to run the faster Open Class (Pro/Mod laydowns) at top speeds. It will be interesting for the 250 ccH Pro boats to try a UIM-style LeMans start before the UIM World's Cup in Florida later this year. We will draw numbers for specified starting point locations along the beach.
 
The WIR group is more than welcome to attend this special event with us to "Race Against Drugs" and show off our hydro racing stuff. The City is excited about featuring this type of mini-Seafair special event. I displayed my CSH equipment and racing trailer there at last year's Car Show on Saturday. There will be nice medalions awarded for 1st through 3rd place finishers. We are planning two heats per class for our first trial event there. I will send out a race sanction brochure with more specific racer information in April.
 
Horseshoe Lake is located right next to the I-5 Freeway, between Longview and Vancouver, WA. This will be a trial event with the City of Woodland to see if they want us back at the Festival in future years. It should be fun because there will be lots of family-oriented activities and good food to be enjoyed within a very short walking distance from the race pits. The beach area and boat ramp are very nice, and there are bleachers in the park for spectators. A Woodland Fire and Rescue EMT with medical equipment will be on duty during all setup and race activities (the Woodand Fire Station faces the race course site.) I am still working on the setup details with the Woodland Public Works Department (the city agency that manages the lake resources and park).