SAINT JOHN, Washington (June 12, 2012) — As we all head to Saint John, another late spring is fighting to stay alive but it looks like we will have a sneak peek at summer on race day. The weather reports are saying 73° and mostly sunny with just an itty-bitty chance of rain.

The report from the track: “We’re ready. Bring it on!” There are many new improvements for the fans and the teams. Hundreds of pounds of new grass seed were planted this year. Truckloads of dirt were brought in for better parking in the fan and team RV areas. For the teams it means for a much less crowded pit area separating the RV’s from the pits.

There is a new viewing area in the pits for both fans and teams . So, if you’re in the pits during the race and your favorite boat goes out for a run, just hop up on the new viewing knoll (is that a grassy knoll?) and you can watch them easily and comfortably.

Another big safety improvement to the track is the installation of some softer, more forgiving car tires in front of the tractor tires in the spinout pool. Therefore if someone comes hot and heavy into the spinout pool and loses control, they have a better chance of no damage as the bounce off the car tires. Thanks to everyone at The Slough for making safety #1 at your track!

I am disappointed to report that the new SuperBoat #81 Racin’ 4 The Cure boat will not be able to make it to this race. There are some engine parts they were waiting on that did not make it in time. It also looks like Twisted Racing will be out for lack of some parts to fix their pump that was damaged at the Grant’s Pass exhibition event. The #02 boat of Paul Gahr will not appear this weekend and it looks like one of the crowd favorites, Amanda Vestal in her pink boat will also be a no show.

I am THRILLED to announce that the Fat Buddy #88 boat will now be running in the 400 class. Joining our friends from the north in the 400 class are: #16 Sling Shot, #50 Mid Life Crisis and the #9 Fat Buddy. The #13 Fay Buddy boat of Scott Saxton will be racing an entirely new hull so it will be fun to see how he does in 2012!

And speaking of the 400 class I was just informed by Kyle Patrick that his daughter will not be able to navigate this weekend due to college commitments. In what may be one of the oddest pairings in the sport, Scott Ackerman will be navigating for Kyle! It will be interesting to see how that works out. Either way the racing in the 400 class has the potential to be explosive! Hang onto your lawn chairs folks!

For the boats that still remain in the SuperMod class, you can another Fat Buddy boat #21.

Cory Johnson is returning with his SuperBoat at full song so it should be a heck of a battle for that top spot on Saturday. It’s looking like we should have five or six Superboats as we hit Webb's Slough for the first race of the 2012 USSBA Racing Series. Hope to see you there!