2021 NAMBA Nats Race Program

Now being in that club racing rhythm, I noticed something at a hobby store I never would have given a second thought to. It was a built Dumas Hot Sprint 3.5 with a K&B that looked just like these big boats we were running. I told Jimmy about it and he let me know that he had some RC Tunnel Boats in his attic. It was the next thing he did that makes all the difference. He asked me if I wanted him to pull them down and we could clean them up and give them a try. Heck yeah, I did! He told me about NAMBA and organized races. We got to shopping at Hobby Shack, joined NAMBA to have our insurance cards and went running these awesome little boats in the Santa Ana River. I was hooked. We took a trip to San Diego to see an organized race, meet people, and see if what we were running would be competitive. Watching these races at a time when there were outboard-only weekends in District 19 I was hooked yet again. Even better, District 19 offered A and B Rookie class making for a perfect way to get introduced into heat racing. In 1999 I started NAMBA heat racing running B Rookie when having separate inboard and outboard weekends as well as the Rookie classes allowing you to run a mono or tunnel meant many more race opportunities in one year than normal to work on racing skills. I was now well beyond hooked. One boat became two, two became four, and…many of you know and have experienced for yourselves what happens from there. Through circumstances of change I’ve had the chance to live and race in four different NAMBA Districts meeting many new people with common interests and experiencing racing in different parts of the country. My own experience getting introduced into the hobby thanks to Jimmy and those boats in the attic had a huge influence on how I personally approach my participation in NAMBA. When I was hooked, I wanted others to be hooked. I bought a few boats so my daughters could run. I had an extra boat, and a few workmates and friends gave it a try. I wanted people to know what my hobby was and offer to get their hands on the radio themselves. Being able to activate somebody’s interest when they see what you do by taking the next step and inviting them out to watch or, better yet, if they are In April 1993 life was settling into some form of normal after a few years of significant change. I was married in February of 1990 and six months later had an injury that completely changed the trajectory of my life and reset the pursuit of both my passion and my career. In 1992 my first daughter was born, and we moved from the city to the mountains of Southern California where I went to High School and lived from time to time in the late 80’s to have a slower pace for our family just to find that my daughter’s inner ear issues caused problems when driving up and down the mountain. Yet another change. We had finally settled into a home and my twin brother moved in with us. Life was about work, college, study, family, and sleep but not much more than that and certainly nothing extracurricular that allowed for a break away from the normal routine. It was not long after that a random meeting again altered the course of my life. My brother David at the time had a co-worker, Stan, who one raced full-sized outboard tunnel boats and had bought a boat looking to get back into racing starting with the 1993 Parker Enduro in Parker Arizona. To do this he needed a little help with the pit stops and would not mind if somebody could also tow the boat to and from the race. My brother asked if I could help, and I jumped in. I hung out and learned a few things about what I needed or may need to do pitting the boat for the race. This was my first time seeing a boat race in person and the vibe was awesome. The boat was fast in the hands of the co-driver but there were concerns about it begin faster than Stan may be ready for. Well, the flag fell for the semi-Les Mans start off the beach and Stan, driving the first stint, was late to fire off. Now underway the boats all went off in the distance and out of sight. We were last off the beach. The leaders came back in sight coming around the gradual dogleg before the downriver turn to finish the lap and Stan’s was in the top 10, aired out, and ready to make another pass when he had the most spectacular tunnel boat blow-over I have ever seen with the boat coming down, tumbling, blowing apart, and the capsule floating nose up. Rescue pulled Stan from the boat and littered him to the boat ramp where he was still unconscious as they put him in the ambulance. Some pieces of the boat were collected but the larger part was tied to the far shoreline to be retrieved and brought to the boat ramp after the race. It was on that day, that boat ramp, I met who is now my very good friend, teammate, tunnel boat builder, multi record holder, and prior driver of that same boat, Jimmy Johnson. The course of my life would change from that moment. As a group we fetched the boat out of the water, strapped what we could to the trailer, and I drove the boat home with bits of wood flying off it. Stan was okay. Had his bell rung good, but okay. Undeterred, Stan wanted to continue forward and bought a boat that we then painted to make ready for racing. His return to racing would take a pause, though, as he and Dave were put on a long assignment overseas. Stan wanted his boat on the water running in Southern California club races and asked Jimmy if he would drive. Jimmy agreed and I helped transport the boat to and from the races, launched and picked it up for the heats, and gave Jimmy a helping hand where I could. How I Started Boating - By Chris Witrig Chris and daughter Megan 2021 NAMBA Nationals Page 50