Drag Boat Racing turns 50 and
No One Celebrates
By Rick Cline
November 1956, just over 50
years ago, the first drag boat race was held. A small family-oriented club
named the "Kern County Boat and Ski Club" founded and staged the first
quarter mile boat race event on a small body of water at Hart Park, located
on the out-skirts of Bakersfield, California. Since that historic event, the
sport has undergone many changes and massive improvements. However it is sad
to note no one has bothered to celebrate the Golden or 50th Anniversary of
this exciting sport. The birthday has now come and gone without as much as a
passing note published. In fact here is the first known notice to appear. Many fine and top-notch drivers have since come and
gone. In addition, several drag boat racing associations have also
disappeared. While this great sport makes efforts to improve and market
itself to possible sponsors, they have themselves ignored their own kind, in
effect shooting the toes off their own feet allowing this momentous occasion
to pass them by. As a former photographer and historian of drag boat racing,
I feel this loss and major disappointment. I've been pro drag boat racing
since I entered the sport in 1981. I have lost many good friends in this
thrilling sport, while countless more have simply given up and walked away.
Drag Boat Racing's IHBA
turns 25, again No Celebration
If the 50th Anniversary of
drag boat is ignored, why would the IHBA (International Hot Boat
Association) want to celebrate their 25th Anniversary? The IHBA was founded
by Charlie Allen in 1982. A former funny car driver and now the owner of
Firebird Raceway Park in Arizona, Allen has since (twice) sold the IHBA. The
association's first drag boat race was held on Puddingstone Lake, in San
Dimes, California in October of that year. As a result, 2007 marks the 25th
Anniversary of the IHBA. Again, I am puzzled why this once great racing
organization would choose to ignore their own 25th Anniversary. For those
who might question the same and even ask me why I post this information
here, allow me to say I have long since informed the IHBA of these two
special anniversary's yet nothing was done. I might ask you the reader, if
any other professional racing or sporting event has ever ignored their own
silver or golden anniversary? They all know media is the key to marketing, advertising and
success, therefore these racing associations capitalize on such opportunities—sadly
all but the sport of Drag Boat Racing. I sincerely hope this sport will do
something to improve there own status restore the sport to its former level.
