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Richard’s Corner |
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Crackerbox Club Meeting |
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Dr Tom Scherer and Greg Falconer invited me to visit their boat-racing club meeting and to see how they operate. The Crackerbox Club has members throughout the United States, but is predominately a West Coast racing club. Their inboard, two-man racing boats slip and slide and reach dizzying speeds. At the meeting, Falconer played a tape of his boat, The Cracker Jack. The boat made a sharp turn and then rolled over and over in a frightening manner, but the two-man crew escaped injury and the boat will be back in competition soon. The Crackerbox Club is one of the more active boat racing clubs affiliated with the SCSC (Southern California Speedboat Club). The SCSC Commodore, Ross Wallach, was invited to the club to explain what each of the club affiliates needed to do to prepare for the upcoming Nationals at Marine Stadium, in Long Beach, California. The various boat racing clubs are highly independent and each member has his/her say in how things will be managed. Falconer brought the meeting to order and Ed Solis praised the way last year’s Marine Stadium was promoted and operated, but cautioned that tow money was more important than prize money. Several members raised questions about the amount of money that each club has to raise in order to reach the goals set by the promoter. The Crackerbox Club’s share is $10,000. “One of the Jet Ski guys sold $23,000 worth of ads for the program and his club received half of that back as a bonus incentive,” said Jerry Ross. Tom Scherer asked how they could do the same thing. Jerry added, “the programs are $6.50 each and last year $32,000 was raised in ads, and our club got a part of that.” |
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Scott Schatz asked about the National programs, but Jerry told the group, “the promoter is relying on the local clubs to get out and find advertisers for the program.” Several raised the question that it seems like the burden falls on local clubs. Jerry responded by telling the group that the promoter keeps the race close by, especially the National events, and isn’t that better than traveling long distances to go racing. Some said that reserves should be used up first but Jerry told the group that “if you want quality races at Long Beach then we’ll have to give him our support as the promoter is the one taking all the financial risks.” As the video showed the Cracker Jack doing continuous roll-overs, the work of these volunteer organizations went on. Serious debate on hard questions showed the 20 club members how difficult it is to keep organized boat racing alive in the region. Tom Scherer asked what the cut off date was for getting ads for the program. Jerry opined that it should be at least five weeks before the event in order to give the advertisers time to get the programs out to their suppliers and customers. A boat race is a balanced affair with the needs of the boat owners and racers only one factor. Spectators, sponsors, promoters, club representatives and the race volunteers are all involved in the problem. At that moment the Ross Wallach, the race promoter, walked into the room. |
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Wallach is an imposing man in spirit. Five foot nine, strong and stocky, with a confidence born of experience. He has had successful meets and heartaches and yet he keeps on going. Many detractors have stood in his way until they were asked to come up with their money, time and labor, only to melt away as the morning fog before the burning sun. It is hard not to like Wallach with his booming voice and calm reassurance that there is nothing too difficult to overcome. He took over the SCSC when it was dwindling in prestige and purpose and slowly began to reinvigorate the old and loved institution. Before it was the SCSC it was the Los Angeles Speedboat Club and its origins go back into the 1930’s. Boat racing in the ‘30’s, ‘40’s, ‘50’s and ‘60’s was a beauty to behold. There were sites everywhere in California and they attracted the best powerboat racers the country had to offer. The Salton Sea Enduro, Lake Ming, Ski Land, Santa Catalina Ski run, Parker Enduro and many others brought out huge crowds and fast boats. Part of the decline was due to changing tastes as stock car and drag racing grew by leaps and bounds, strangling the other motorsports. Another reason was development of property around the racing courses, which were opposed to the noise and crowds. It was also expensive and many racers opted to trailer their boats. It was also dangerous and so many people were killed in boat racing that boat owners and drivers decided to leave the sport. Lawsuits were filed that ended many organizations. Those that stayed with boat racing found it difficult to attract younger people and the average age of the members began to rise and the overall numbers fall. Nothing stays the same forever and the only certainty is what worked in the past will not always succeed in the future. |
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Not everyone likes Wallach. He has had to work fast and furiously to overcome the problems in the sport and he can appear to be all business. But he is all passion and heart when one takes the time to talk to him and see what his vision for boat racing in Southern California is all about. It is at that time when he begins to speak that he takes over an audience and begins to cast his spell. “We’ll have the GN and Flatbottom Nationals at Long Beach this year,” he said, “and it will cost us $60,000. I’ve bid $40,000 and I need each club to raise $10,000 toward that goal. I haven’t sat still and we are looking for an event sponsor,” Wallach stated. “The bigger the clubs get the better the show. I went to bat for Lake Ming when the Kern County Board of Supervisors wanted to close the course. We’ve all made mistakes in the past and I apologize for those,” said Wallach. “The SCSC trailer was just broken into and we lost a lot of valuable equipment. The rescue boat was damaged and is being repaired. We have a big need for river patrol boats and close course boats and volunteers,” added Wallach. “We always can use more volunteers on the river and at meets. I will return everyone’s message and give them an answer to their questions,” he said. “Our insurance agents are constantly on our necks about safety. I now have a Breathalyzer machine and will use it at any time to make sure that drivers are sober after their wild parties. We cannot afford to have anyone drive drunk or get into a serious accident,” said Wallach. |
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I spoke to Wallach after the meeting and he outlined the goals and aspiration of the SCSC. He is committed to reviving boat racing in the region and he is unabashedly proud of his group’s achievements. “Yes, they get on my case but I’m not going to let them stop me from what needs to be done,” he said. The old guard’s turn to run things has ended and the new Commodore is in place. Also at the meeting were brothers, Tom and Bob Patterson. Bob Patterson was honored at the Boat Racers Reunion for his contributions to boat racing. Besides his racing skills, Bob is a boat builder of renown. His brother Tom is also a boat builder and racer. They are still active in racing and are sought out by many for their knowledge and advice. The meeting ended and Ed Solis started up the barbecue and cooked some very delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. Others on hand were Chuck and Jeannie Doidge, Kendall Crabtree, Commodore of the Crackerbox Club, Tom Sampson, Mark Conavey, Jeff Hansen, Dave Laws, Dan Coloman, Garland Privett and Bret Beard. As the club meeting was about to end, Gary Sornborger and Steve Tustison arrived. Sornborger is an official and Tustison is a repeat National Crackerbox Champion. You could see by how the other members reacted that Tustison is a special racer and gentleman. He is also very knowledgeable about boats, engines and racing techniques. Tustison is easy to talk to and has a certain charisma, which combined with his winning skills in the Crackerbox Division makes him one of boat racing’s rising stars. The group talked about traveling to Morgan City, Louisiana for a National points race, but the distance and costs were too much to gain any interest. This reinforced the need to support the Long Beach race, which was right in their own backyard. |
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For more info see www.crackerboxracing.com |
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“Crackerbox” boat racing is exiting and fun to watch. As an example, here are some pictures of Greg Falconer’s “Cracker Jack”. |
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