Shootout cut short by winds

Winds gusting as high as 33 mph forced the cancellation of the second half of the Shootout at the 2008 Desert Storm Poker Run, presented by Lake Racer and Teague Custom Marine, Inc., on Lake Havasu Saturday. But not before a King of the Desert was crowned.

Driver Michael DeFrees coaxed his offshore powerboat to a top speed of 165 mph, the fastest speed recorded in the morning session.

That speed also gave DeFrees the top spot in his boating class. Twenty-two boats ran in 11 classes in the abbreviated shootout. Boaters started in Thompson Bay and had 1 mile – to just south of Contact Point – to reach top speed. Another mile was designated for the boats to safely power down.

Gary Smith, of Phoenix, was the only pilot to offer a significant challenge to DeFrees. Smith pushed his Skater Power Boat to 161 mph for an overall second-place showing and first in his class.

The overall third-place performance went to driver Don London who topped out at 152 mph.

Greg Belda, of Los Angeles, took part in his first Shootout Saturday and was hoping to get his 26-foot Eliminator Daytona to hit 90 mph. He came up just a bit shot – topping at 78 mph – but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the event.

“This is a great event, it’s very well organized,” Belda said.

Dozens of safety boats, headed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of the Interior, worked with helicopter pilots to ensure that recreational boaters did not cross into the marked course.

The first race in the 2008 Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Association season, the inaugural Lake Havasu Offshore Grand Prix, was scheduled to take place between the first and second sessions of the Shootout but information on the race was not available at press time.

The second race of the season in the Offshore Super Series tour is scheduled to run today, starting at noon. The starting line is in Thompson Bay and the oval course runs to Copper Canyon and back. Spectators can view the action from Rotary Beach.

You may contact the reporter at dbell@havasunews.com.

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