Thunder on the Ohio returns
to its roots with a new look, a new slate of events, and a new type of value
for these tough economic times - $15 in advance for entry to the race, the
music, the beer gardens, the barbeque competition, and, wait… yeah, we should
probably go into some detail about all of this before we get too much hype
right up at the beginning.
But first, let’s go back and revisit the place unlimited
hydroplanes have had on the Ohio River here in
the area. Owensboro
was home to the race until the late 70s, when the hydroplanes were still
thunderous, with their World War II-era aircraft engines hammering out the
horsepower. The race moved to Evansville
and over time, became the seminal
summer event there. Crowds numbering in the tens of thousands piled virtually
on top of one another to see many of the same familiar names – both of the
drivers and the boats – come with their sleek racing machines strapped at an
angle onto semi trucks. Names like Bill Muncey, Dean Chenoweth, Chip Hanauer,
the Miss Budweiser, the Atlas Van Lines boat, and one of the biggest names and
characters of them all – Bernie Little – were in the programs and the newspaper
the week of the big race.
It wasn’t what you’d exactly call a family event.
Families did indeed go, but prudes would invariably be put off by the drinking,
the lack of clothing, and the general “woo-hoo!” atmosphere. But most of us
loved it.
Time passed, and in recent years, the event, the festival
surrounding it, and the whole vibe slid away for a variety of reasons that
don’t really need to be repeated any more than they have already. Suffice it to
say, fans of unlimited hydroplane racing were saddened to see what happened to
a race they’d come to look forward to.
One of the biggest fans of the sport was such a fan that
he decided to do something about it. In fact he was such a fan that – like the
silly Hair Club For Men commercials, “I liked it so much I bought the company…”
– he became a driver of unlimiteds in the early 90s. Dr. Ken Muscatel, a
Seattle-based forensic psychologist and the only owner/driver on the unlimited
circuit, saw the loss of the Evansville
race as a blow to the entire American Boat Racing Association. So he became a
benefactor of sorts, and over the past couple of years, has reached out to as
many key people as possible in the industry to put together an event that would
be bigger, better and of greater value than any that had come before.
Fast forward to the present day, and you have the all-new
2009 Thunder on the Ohio, and the lineup of fun things to do – both for kids
and adults – offers something for just about everybody.
The big unlimited hydroplanes will be back in the water. These
sleek, mean-looking, three-and-a-half ton, thirty-foot long knives can hit 200
miles per hour and keep average lap speeds of 170. On Friday, August 21, anyone
with a admittance button can come down into the pits to meet the drivers and
the boats up close from 5 to 7 p.m. Qualifying races will begin the next day at
11 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. On Sunday the racing begins again at 10 a.m.,
continues throughout the day and wraps up with the final heat at 5 p.m.
The race in Evansville
will be the last of the season in America. After Thunder, the boats
will all be loaded onto a much larger boat which will head to the Middle
Eastern nation of Qatar
for the World Championships in November.
Boats are the centerpiece, but there is indeed something
for everyone. Like music? How about great classic rock and country? Sure you
do. That’s why event organizers have slated for Friday night the Marshall
Tucker Band, with openers the local group, Jason Clutter & the Dirty South
Band. Saturday night sees two hot country solo artists – the new-ish to the
scene Jack Ingram and the established traditional country boy, Travis Tritt.
Both shows offer general admission with that same $15 button.
How about barbeque? In one of the most awesome moves the
people behind Thunder made, the famous Rib America Festival will be along, with
nationally-ranked barbeque teams in competition for bragging rights and more.
The Rib America Festival has been a huge success in much larger cities such as St. Louis, San Antonio, Indianapolis and Des
Moines. And for barbeque-loving Owensboro and the surrounding area, this is
like sort of like the Super Bowl of barbequing – it’s that big of a deal.
As if that weren’t enough, hot rod enthusiasts can get
their fix thanks to the Evansville Road Knights. One of the most respected
automobile clubs around, the gear heads with the Knights have some seriously
impressive rides, and are proud to show them off to the rest of us.
Beer gardens will also be open Friday and Saturday nights
at the Casino Aztar Events Pavilion, so there’ll be plenty of cold ones
available for thirsty visitors.
That’s it in a very small nutshell. For more information,
rules, regulations, ticket information, maps and more, go to
thunderontheohio.net. If you find yourself in Evansville and would like to buy buttons,
many of the local banks and grocery stores are selling them. You may also get
them at the gate for $20 – still a bargain for all this incredible
entertainment.
Comments (
Thunder on the Ohio returns
to its roots with a new look, a new slate of events, and a new type of value
for these tough economic times - $15 in advance for entry to the race, the
music, the beer gardens, the barbeque competition, and, wait… yeah, we should
probably go into some detail about all of this before we get too much hype
right up at the beginning.
