2007 Red Dot U-17

  Boat Statistics

The model:  Construction was started in mid-June after Tony went to Tastin’ N Racin’ at Issaquah on LakeSammamish to gather measurements off the real boat. While measuring, some of the crew stopped what they were doing and began to wonder what Tony was doing. So he went over to those crew members to explain himself. When finished, one of the crew said, “We thought you were the official that measured the boats. We thought we were doing something wrong.” Two weeks before Seafair, construction picked back up on the hull. In a ditch effort to get the boat done before Seafair Saturday, Tony kicked it into high gear and got to the point of doing body work before he ran out of time….Much like the real boat, only they got it done.  Since then, he slowed down and paid more attention to detail to get it done right. After all, the real crew gets to see it and examine it. Along with owner Nate Brown.  Also like the real boat, it first saw action on Lake Washington. Only a few miles from Stan Sayers pits at the end of the lake at CoulonPark.

 Tony took the model out to the Our Gang Racing shop and impressed the crew of the real boat with the 1/10 scale version of their boat.  

Tony poses with U-17 owner and builder Nate Brown

The real boat:  The U-17 was built in a 6 month period in 2007 by Our Gang Racing. Getting completed in time to show up at the Tri Cities pits, but not race ready. Its first time in the water was at Seattle the following weekend for the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair. It was reported that owner/driver at the time Nate Brown saw 186mph in the straight away. The team would only race at Seattle in 2007. 2008 was a productive year. Testing at Lake Sammamish during the annual Tastin’ N Racin’ event held in early June. It’s first racing action was scene on the “western swing” of the ABRA circuit in Tri Cities. This time driving the boat was Nate Brown’s nephew, Kip Brown. In a testing run, the boat got light and way up in the air and almost went over. But managed to settle down. Problems faced the team during heat racing action. And Kip never got to show what he had. In Seattle for the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair the following weekend of the Tri Cities, all was well. Kip Brown qualified 9^th with a speed of 144.224 mph. Kip managed to make his way into the consolation heat. And was also the only one that got away from the dock. Putting him into the final heat in his second time in competition. During the Seafair final, he started as the trailer, and finished fourth overall. For 2009, the team plans to run the full race schedule. But don’t have a national sponsor yet.