ALBANY, Oregon (September 5, 2009) — Being in the fire service for the last 20+ years and watching our boats all going faster and faster. I think about things like how would we would get someone out of a boat if they had a neck or back injury and not make it worse? Is there anyone that has practiced this? Our USSBA safety crew does an amazing job, but what does our local fire department know about our sport? So we started looking at how other organization perform extrications; specifically open wheel racers because the driver’s area is similar to our boats.

We then talked with Chief Smith about conducting drill at there fire station. So, on September 3, 2009 we went to the Halsey Shedd Fire District and presented what we have learned. We spent about an hour in the class room giving a PowerPoint presentation on boat safety, fuel, roll bars, lack of room, possible injuries, helmet removal and the Kendal Extrication Device (KED). Then we went out to put what we learned to use.

With Theresa Gibb tightly strapped in the #151 boat the firefighters set out to properly extricate her from the boat as if she had suffered a severe back injury. One of the first things they discovered is how small the boats are, how close the roll bar is and how different the seats are from regular car. The team worked together and successfully removed Theresa from the boat. Theresa said “I feel good knowing this Fire Department has practiced this and did such a great job on there first try.”

Next year before the Albany races we will go back and practice another drill to keep this unique and challenging extrication problem fresh in all our minds. Hopefully we will never have to use the safety crews for a serious injury but if we do rest assured they will do the best job possible in taking care of our racers.

FORT WORTH, Texas (September 3, 2009) — Don was a fierce competitor that could intimidate his toughest rivals on the water; away from the races a deeply religious and compassionate friend and family man. Don devoted his life to God, the love of his life Phyllis, his family and friends, and the sport that fulfilled his great passion for speed.

As a Lucas Oil Drag Boat competitor Don enjoyed great success, winning races and championships over the course of his amazing career. Unfortunately the sports that was so good to him eventually took something in return. At Don's last event in Fort Worth Texas, a horrific crash destroyed Don's boat and left him seriously injured. Although he had been fighting a courageous battle, the injuries he sustained were too much to overcome.

PASCO, Washington (June 2, 2009) — The USSBA has released its 2009 racing rules and by laws. The racing rules are both on the website and the forum. The by laws are only available on the USSBA's private forum that is for paid members only.

Please note that due to the late release of these documents the changes will be loosely enforced for the first race. For race #2, strict enforcement will be implemented, it is, of course, advisable to try and make any changes you can prior to the first race since the majority of the changes are safety related.

SAINT JOHN, Washington (June 5, 2009) — Webb’s Slough is a 50 acre jet sprint boat race track venue located in St. John, Washington amongst the beautiful rolling Palouse hills. The Slough boasts a natural amphitheater setting with 6 grass-covered terraces for spectator seating. Our first race event in July of 2007, excited us with larger than expected crowds. Approximately 2,800 race fans engorged the small farming town with absolute enthusiasm. The 2008 season brought over 3,000 fans to the Slough both in both June and August. Now entering the third season there are again two United States Sprint Boat Association sanctioned races scheduled for 2009. On June 20 and August 29 we expect record crowds of 4,000 to 6,000 fans at each race. Tickets are now selling for the June race. The USSBA, sprint boat racing teams and the town of St. John can’t wait for the third season.

Tickets are now available at all TicketsWest outlets, by calling 1-800-325 SEAT or online at www.ticketswest.com.

Before the race you can purchase tickets in St. John at Empire Foods and in Colfax at Ackerman Heating and Air Conditioning. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $12 for youth ages 17-6 and 5 and under are free. Purchasing your tickets in advance is highly recommended.

On Friday, June 19th, the teams will arrive in downtown St. John starting at 5PM for their safety and technical
inspections. Fans are encouraged to come out to meet the teams, see the boats up-close and enjoy downtown
St. John.

On Saturday, June 20 the gates at the Slough will open to the public at 9AM. Racing will begin at 10AM.

Parking is just $1. Dry camping is available for $10 for the weekend. No camping reservations are needed. There will
be great food vendors and a very large beer garden.

Webb’s Slough is a family friendly environment and spectators are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs or blankets. Please visit www.webbsslough.com for more information.

COLFAX, Washington (April 2, 2009) — A brand-new Shotgun Sprint hull, a completely revamped engine and a new attitude takes the newly named Bad Medicine boat directly into the 2009 season in an attempt to take the Super-Modified Championship trophy home.

Lori Ackerman is doing quite well with her knee Scott said she was, "80% healed and ready to race!"

During our telephone chat, Scott mentioned he's working with another driver on possibly creating a team and they are chasing several sponsors they hope to have signed on by the first race at their home track at Webb's Slough June 20th.

Be there. It will be exciting and the 2009 season is looking to be intensely exciting! An awesome entertainment value for your money for sure. Call the neighbors and wake the kids! The 2009 USSBA Racing Season is just around the corner!

LEWISTON, Idaho (March 20, 2009) — Affectionately known over the years as Dean "The Machine" Lautenschlager, Dean and Butch are teaming up to create a USSBA Racing Series team, that will undoubtedly be at the top of the class every weekend.

But, what class?

Dean is a longtime, world renowned champion in the A-400 class, winning multiple championships in the USSBA Racing Series.

He also made multiple appearances several seasons in New Zealand and Australia, where the sport of Jet Sprint racing began. Several drivers from the USSBA have gone down under to race. Few have won races there. Dean is one of those few.

Dean last appeared in the USSBA Racing Series in 2005, when he raced for Mike and Melissa Blimka in the Super Boat class. He finished that year second to 2005 Super Boat Champion, Tom Nelson. He was within hundredths of a second of Tom in the last round of the finals at the National Finals that year. That was a great thing to watch.

The Group A-400 class has been the most competitive class in the sport for a couple of years now. Will Dean want to "mix it up" and be the spoiler for Kyle, Doug and Jack, Paul and Gary?

Or, will Dean head directly to Methonal country.

Either way, the 2009 season is shaping up to be the best ever in the history of the USSBA.

You can stay tuned by visiting the USSBA website for the latest and greatest news and updates. The USSBA TV Channel runs 24/7 with taped races shown all week and special events on Saturdays.

The USSBA will broadcast all its races live on Ustream in 2009.

PHOENIX, Arizona (March 13, 2009) — By special invitation from the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Association (ULHRA) the United States Sprint Boat Association (USSBA) will be making a several special appearances over the long weekend racing event at Firebird Raceway.

Technically in Chandler, Arizona, Firebird Raceway is hosting a three-day racing event featuring everything from Monster Trucks, to drag boats, K boats and of course, the Hydros. The USSBA Sprint Boats will appear as an exhibition event(s) along with the other boating events.

This is the result of years of efforts to get our boats in front of these fans. Ron Fisher setup the USSBA for a couple of years at the Tastin' and Racin' event in Seattle, setting the seed that would soon grow. The ULHRA loves our sport and many of the teams follow our events.

Through the efforts of the entire Wicked Racing Team, the USSBA BOD and Officers, this huge opportunity to present our sport as never seen before is now a reality.

Many thousands of fans will be at this event over the three day period.

Representing our sport will be:

Wicked Racing: Dan Morrison/Cara McGuire

Wicked Racing: Doug Hendrickson/Hanna Macke

TNT Racing: Tim Cummings/Mike Fuller

TNT Racing: Dylan Brown/Terry Cummings

TNT Racing: Paul Gahr Jr./Mark Gold

Psycho Racing: Kyle Patrick/Theresa Gibb

Psycho Racing: Pat Hampl/Talitha Edwards

Two Pump Chump: Scott Ackerman/Lori Ackerman

Turn-N-Burn: Todd Gary/Randy Myra

Also note that this will be the first time these boats have been in front of each other with their new modifications and upgrades.

While we will not have any photo or video personnel at this event, we will make every effort to secure photos and video. Look for news on this soon.

ALBANY, Oregon (March 11, 2009) — A V-10 engine will make its debut run in the USSBA this year. Pat Hampl, of the Psycho Racing Team will move up to the Superboat class in 2009 and run a first time 10-cylinder engine in the history of our sport!

While that 10-cylinder horsepower is impressive, the weight of the engine could be an issue. The Dodge Viper is impressive on the asphalt. Can it be as impressive in the water?

At 600+ horsepower and 560 ft lbs of torque off the shelf, it's an impressive package. Add a race engine engineer to tweak things a bit and who knows what will happen!

Venom 911, will make its debut in a test session soon. You will read it here first. Stay tuned!

ST. HELENS, Oregon (March 9, 2009) — Paul White, USSBA's famed videographer, placed the USSBA on the Live Internet-Video map this past weekend when we secured the #1 prime spot on the Ustream.TV website.

Paul is in the process of updating his equipment to make live broadcasting of the USSBA's races possible via the Internet. Over the past few months I have been working with Paul to increase the USSBA's presence on the Internet and on Ustream.TV.

It all paid off this past weekend (Sunday, March 8th) when we owned the morning spot. Over and above the extremely popular live broadcast church services!

We also smoked past the ultra-popular Chihuahua Page and by 9am we had well over 3,500 hits!!!

You'll now notice a live screen to the left that we run on the USSBA website. Every time you logon to the site, it's logged as another viewer on Ustream.

Congratulations to Paul, Bonnie and staff for a job well done!

TACOMA, Washington (January 18, 2009) — Through months of negotiations and planning, Dan Morrison's work paid off. The #10 and #01 Lucas Oil, Bell Helmet, K&N Wicked Racing boats were displayed before an estimated 6,500 Monster Truck fans.

The boats were located right at the front doors so the stream of fans was continuous for the 3.5 hour Pit Party that they hold so fans can walk the stadium floor seeing their favorite trucks and drivers up close.

There were videos playing and between Dan, Doug and Hannah, over 700 autographed photos were passed out to the kids and adults! At times the fans were so thick you could hardly see the boats.

We also noticed there were many people that came by more than once. There was one little boy who could not get enough of watching the video (see photo) and dragged his father back at least six times! Dad just gave up and let him watch the video. Paul White also had a handful of DVDs for those fans who could not get enough!

Tim, Paul Gahr, Don, Dillon, Mike, Kelli, myself, Paul White, Mary and others chatted with the fans answering tech questions and handing out 2009 schedules while autographs were being signed. Everyone we talked to was enthralled. Many had heard of our type of racing, and were happy to find out we race in everyone's backyard in the Northwest!