The NJBA 2025 Season Kickoff was cold and a little breezy as usual for the month of March in Bakersfield, California, but there was no shortage of some thrilling race action during the weekend, and there was also a good turnout of boats lining the banks of Lake Ming.
Story by Beverly Stokes and Photos by Mark McLaughlin
Race fans were able to preview a couple of exhibition runs whose drivers were preparing to compete, and it was a welcome sight to see Steve Diede, who returned to the racing scene with his new “Bad To The Bone” Top Alcohol Hydro. Steve made a shake down pass at the end of the day on Sunday as he is getting reacclimated to driving the massive machine after a decade or so out of the driver’s seat. Drew Dominique also made three exhibition passes in his “Pinball Wizard,” posting an 8.605-second run on his first attempt during time trials on Saturday and improving on each of his two runs on Sunday with elapsed times of 8.418 and 8.367-second runs, consecutively.
Top Alcohol Hydro
Jason Mullican had his hands full while trying to tame his “Hustler” Top Alcohol Hydro.
It was good to see Steve Diede back in the drag boat scene and making some test runs in his “Bad To The Bone” machine.
Jason Mullican drove his “Hustler” TAH on a single for the trophy and he had his hands full on the pass as he posted a modest 7.039-second run at just 63.18 miles per hour after lifting on the run. Hopefully, we will see Steve Diede in the lineup at the next NJBA race!
Unblown Fuel Jet
Duncan Patterson was also the lone contender in the Unblown Fuel Jet Class. He posted a 5.725-second run on his third qualifying attempt on Saturday and returned on Sunday where he logged a 5.872-second pass at 122.69 miles per hour on his trophy run.
Duncan Patterson posted a 5.872-second elapsed time at 122.692 miles per hour on his trophy run in the Unblown Fuel Jet category.
There was no shortage of some thrilling race action during the weekend at Bakersfield, California and there was also a good turnout of boats lining the banks of Lake Ming.
Blown Gas Flat
Four race teams made up the Blown Gas Flat class at the season opening March Madness event, and Nicholas Childers made a great start to the year after securing the top qualifying position in the class with a 5.914-second pass while Sean Giroux was 2nd with a closely matched 5.936, Jason Silva was 3rd with an equally impressive 5.947-second elapsed time at 141.22 miles per hour, and Jim Shelton rounded out the field In the number four position with a 6.010-second effort.
Nick Childers secured the Blown Gas Flat Top Qualifier honors with a 5.914-second elapsed time.
Jason Silva had his hands full in his Blown Gas Flat on this qualifying pass on Saturday.
Jim knew that he would have to cut a good light in order to get past Nicholas in the opening round on Sunday but he charged the clock too hard and red lit, handing the automatic win to Nick, who posted a 5.871 on his run, and on the other side of the ladder, Jason Silva was off the line first in his matchup against Sean Giroux with a .094 reaction time, but Sean was able to drive Frank Kuhs’s “Last Toy” to the round one win with the quicker 5.828-second run.
Sean Giroux (near lane) was able to drive around Jason Silva for the BGF round one win.
Nicholas Childers reset the BGF MPH record at 144.533 in dad’s, Rex Childers’ “Blacklist” machine.
The BGF final between Sean and Nicholas Childers was a great race to the finish, as Sean posted the quicker 5.793-second elapsed time over Nick’s 5.828, but Nick took the win on a hole shot by a slim .075 margin of victory!
ADVERTISEMENT - T and D MACHINE PRODUCTS
Pro Comp Flat
The dial-in Pro Comp Flat class was packed with twenty tough race teams, and the competition was fierce, as race fans were treated to some remarkably close races during eliminations on Sunday.
Cole Irick’s PCF leaves hard and runs great, but a 6.097-second elapsed time against a 6.000 dial-in was only good enough for the number twelve spot
In round two of PCF competition, Brandon Grider’s “Wild Fire” machine got loose, forcing Brandon to abort the run.
Shaun Forrest secured the top qualifying spot with a 6.501-second qualifying time against his 6.500 dial-in, where he also recorded a stellar .0018-second reaction time. Mike Ryckebosch also had his “White Moves” machine dialed in with a 6.037-second pass against his 6.030 index for the number two spot, and each of the next ten racers qualified within one one-hundredth of their dial-ins. In order from number three through number twelve were Tom Lagomarsino (6.460/6.450), Craig Lucas (6.084/6.070), Tony Rossi (6.084/6.070), Alan Asbe (6.171/6.150), Gary Riggins (5.879/5.850), Brandon Grider (6.118/6.050), Kelly Black (6.587/6.500), Shawn Thurston (6.390/6.300), Mike Torgerson (5.943/5.850), and Cole Irick (6.097/6.000). Sean Rogers, Ben Wurster, and Tom Fulkerson were just 1/10th off of their picked indexes to secure the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth spots, respectively, while Scot Tillinghast, JoJo Masek and David Poffenbarger took the number sixteen, seventeen and eighteen positions, and Paul Bauer and Steve Paladini rounded out the field in the nineteenth and twentieth spots, as they were unable to make a qualifying pass on Saturday.
In the round-one matchup between Pro Comp Flat racers Alan Asbe (near lane) and Tom Fulkerson, Alan was better at both ends of the track, taking the win with a .092 reaction time and a 6.202-second run against his 6.130 dial-in.
Steve was unable to make the call for round one on Sunday, also, so Shaun Forrest advanced on a single, Mike Ryckebosch defeated Paul Bauer when Paul was a bit tardy off the line, and Tom Lagomarsino advanced on a single when Steve Paladini was unable to make the call for the run. JoJo Masek picked up a -.101 red light, advancing Craig Lucas automatically, and likewise, Tony Rossi advanced by default when Scot Tillinghast posted a too-quick 6.399-second run against his 6.400 dial-in. Alan Asbe was quicker at both ends of the track, defeating Tom Fulkerson with a .092 reaction time and a 6.202-second elapsed time against his 6.130 dial-in, and the round one matchup between Gary Riggins and Ben Wurster was a great race to the finish, as Ben ran closer to his index with a stellar 6.283-second ET against his 6.250 dial-in, but Gary was able to fend him off on a hole shot, taking the win by a slim .079 margin of victory.
The PCF round one matchup between Shawn Thurston and Mike Torgerson was a great race to the finish, with Shawn taking the win by a slim .041 margin.
In round two of PCF eliminations between Gary Riggins and Craig Lucas (near lane), Gary ran closer to his dial-in, but Craig took the win on a hole shot.
The same thing happened in the matchup between Brandon Grider and Sean Rogers, as Sean posted a near-perfect 6.570-second elapsed time against his 6.500-second dial-in but lost the race to Brandon on a hole shot. Kelly Black advanced on a single when Cole Irick was unable to make the call for the opening round, and last, but certainly not least, the round one race between Shawn Thurston and Mike Torgerson was another great race to the finish, as Shawn used a stellar 6.370-second elapsed time against his 6.300 dial-in to drive past Mike Torgerson and take the win by a .041 margin! Shawn lost his round two matchup against Shaun Forrest on a -.164 red light, however, as did Kelly Black, who red lit against Mike Ryckebosch. Tom Lagomarsino advanced over Brandon Grider when Brandon’s “Wild Fire” machine mishandled just off the starting line, ejecting Brandon from the boat. Brandon was checked out by the paramedics on site and returned to his pit, but the next day he was treated at a local Urgent Care facility and we certainly wish him a speedy recovery. In the matchup between Craig Lucas and Gary Riggins both men ran within one one-hundredth of their respective dial-ins, but Craig had the quicker reaction to take the win on a hole shot, and Tony Rossi clicked off a near perfect .007 reaction time and posted an equally impressive 6.470-second elapsed time against his 6.460 dial-in to advance over Alan Asbe.
In the PCF semifinals, Shaun Forrest (near lane) took the win on a hole shot over Tom Lagomarsino.
Tony went on to face Mike Ryckebosch in round three where both men broke out and Mike advanced with the lesser of the two infractions while Shaun Forrest advanced on a bye and Tom Lagomarsino advanced on a single when Craig Lucas’s “Little Blue” machine was unable to fire on the starting line. Tom went up against Shaun Forrest in the semifinals where he posted the better run of 6.549-seconds against his 6.400 dial-in, but Shaun clicked off a near perfect .004 reaction time and posted 6.709 against a 6.500 index to take the win on a hole shot, and Mike Ryckebosch got the bye.
Mike Ryckebosch (far lane) took the pro comp flat win when Shaun Forrest picked up a -.045 red light.
Mike Ryckebosch and his “Wake Up Call” team celebrated the Pro Comp Flat victory over twenty tough race teams.
So, the final was set between the number one and two qualifiers, Shaun Forrest and Mike Ryckebosch, where Shaun posted a run of 6.546-second run against his 6.500 dial-in but he picked up a -.045 red light, and Mike secured a well-earned Pro Comp Flat victory with a 6.062-second elapsed time against his 5.920 index.
ADVERTISEMENT - ALKYDIGGER
Pro Comp Hydro
Pro Comp Hydro featured five race teams and Kurt Powers led the field with a stellar 5.323-second qualifying run, and Joe Mierkey posted a 6.005-second run to take the number two spot.
Kurt Powers drove his “Killin Time” Pro Comp Hydro to the top of the qualifying ladder after logging a 5.323-second elapsed time against his 5.300 dial-in.
Kristopher Cranford was third with a 6.053, and Rick Box and Ted Pippin rounded out the field in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. As top qualifier, Kurt Powers got the round one bye on Sunday where he logged a nullified breakout of 5.240-seconds against his 5.300 dial-in while Joe Mierkey advanced automatically when Ted Pippin picked up a -.838 red light and likewise, Kristopher Cranford red lit, advancing Rick Box to the semifinals automatically. Rick had the misfortune of going up against Kurt Powers in that round, however, and Kurt took the win easily with a 5.562-second elapsed time against his picked index of 5.300 seconds.
Ted Pippin (near lane) was half a boat length ahead of Joe Mierkey off the starting line in round one of Pro Comp Hydro but that was only because of a -.838 red light.
Joe Mierkey kicked off the 2025 race season in great fashion as he took to the Winner’s Circle for his Pro Comp Hydro victory.
Joe Mierkey had the bye in the semis where he posted a 6.082-second elapsed time against his 6.000 dial in with a -.062 nullified red light and went on to face Kurt in the final. In their final round matchup, both men had closely matched reaction times but Joe was better at both ends of the track, taking the Pro Comp Hydro victory with a 6.095-second elapsed time at 138.40 miles per hour, as Kurt slowed to a 5.536-second run against his 5.300-second dial-in for the runner up honors.
ADVERTISEMENT - JESEL VALVETRAIN INNOVATION
Unlimited Outlaw
Glenn Hutchison led the five-boat field of Unlimited Outlaw race teams after logging a stunning 3.562-second run on the 660-ft racecourse in Jim Robertson’s “Deadman’s Hand” machine.
Glenn Hutchison logged a stellar 3.694-second elapsed time on a solo run in the Unlimited Outlaw final.
Bryan Glidewell posted a 3.888 for the number two spot, Duncan Patterson was third with a 3.988-second effort, and Greg Walsh and Steve Cranford rounded out the field in the number four and five spots, respectively. Glenn got the bye in the opening round of competition on Sunday
Glen Hutchison (near lane) took the win easily over Duncan Patterson in the Unlimited Outlaw semifinals as Duncan struggled on the starting line.
Steve Cranford was forced to abort the run on this qualifying pass on Saturday when the “Quick Decision” machine mishandled.
where he logged a stout .010 reaction time and a 3.719-second elapsed time while Bryan Glidewell was equally impressive on the starting line with a .071 reaction time and 3.873-second elapsed time to defeat Steve Cranford handily, and Duncan Patterson was able to drive around Greg Walsh for his round one win. Duncan faced Glenn Hutchison in the semifinals and Glenn won easily with a .398 r/t and 3.719-second ET over Duncan’s 3.947-second effort.
Glenn Hutchison and owner, Jim Robertson, were surrounded by friends and “Deadman’s Hand” teammates in celebration of the Unlimited Outlaw victory.
Bryan Glidewell qualified in the number two spot and was scheduled to face the number one qualifier, Glenn Hutchison, in the final, but he was unable to make the call for the run.
Bryan Glidewell got the bye in the semifinals and was scheduled to face Glenn Hutchison in the final, but he was unable to make the call for the run, and Glenn and team owner, Jim Robertson, secured the Unlimited Outlaw victory with 3.649-second elapsed time on their winning run.
ADVERTISEMENT - BILL MILLER ENGINEERING
Pro Outlaw
The 5.2-second Pro Outlaw class featured a five-boat field as well, and Vic Esposito took the top spot on the ladder with a 5.208-second qualifying ET while Chris Irick secured the number two spot with a 5.223, Jack Wright was third with a 5.284, and Danny Stone was third with a closely matched 5.308-second effort.
In the Pro Outlaw final between the number one and number two qualifiers, Vic Esposito (near lane) and Chris Irick, both men red lit and Chris emerged the victor thanks to his lesser -.108 infraction.
In round one of Pro Outlaw eliminations, Jack Wright (far lane) picked up a narrow -.002 red light and then ran a too-quick 5.185-second elapsed time against the 5.200 class index to automatically advance Danny Stone.
Matt Hudson, driving the Jim Robertson-owned legendary “Fair Warning” machine, was unable to make a qualifying run on Saturday and was forced to the bottom of the ladder. Vic got the bye in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday where he posted a 5.279-second elapsed time at 171.78 miles per hour while Chris Irick logged a stout 5.228-second run to advance on a single when Matt Hudson was unable to make the call. Next, in the round one matchup between Jack Wright and Danny Stone, Jack crossed the finish line first, but his run was nullified on a narrow -.002 red light, advancing Danny automatically with a stellar .016 reaction time and 5.228-second elapsed time.
Vic Esposito posted a stout 5.208-second elapsed time to take the Pro Outlaw top qualifying position.
Chris Irick and owner, Joe Irick, celebrated the Pro Outlaw victory with their “Final Outlaw” team.
Danny faced Vic Esposito in the semifinals while Chris advanced on a bye, which he opted not to run. In the semifinal matchup between Vic and Danny, Vic advanced on a single when Danny was unable to make the call, and in the final between Vic and Chris Irick, both men ran nearly identical elapsed times but both men also redlit, and Chris secured the Pro Outlaw victory with the lesser -.108 red light and the slightly slower 5.284 over Vic’s 5.221-second ET and -.141 red light.
ADVERTISEMENT - GRP CONNECTING RODS
Quick Eliminator
The 6.00-second Quick Eliminator class was packed with twelve tough race teams, and Kristopher Cranford led the field at the close of qualifying after logging a remarkable 6.0004-second elapsed time in Steve and Beverly Cranford’s “Altered States” machine. Joe Mierkey posted a 6.042-second elapsed time in Ray Brignolic’s “Without A Trace” machine to take the number two position, and Mike Ryckebosch and Ken Petrovich also posted elapsed times in the 6.0-second range to take the number three and four spots, respectively.
Kristopher Cranford posted a stellar 6.0004-second elapsed time to lead the twelve-boat field of QE race teams at the close of qualifying on Saturday.
Steve Penberthy, Paul Bauer and Alan Asbe posted elapsed times in the 6.1-second range to secure the fifth, sixth and seventh spots while David Poffenbarger was eighth with a 6.215-second run, Shaun Forrest was ninth with a 6.519, Mike Schiller was tenth with a 6.836, and Gary Riggins and Mike Torgerson rounded out the field in the number eleven and twelve positions, as they were unable to slow their machines to the 6.0-second range during the qualifying session on Saturday. The competition was fierce in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday. The first pairing between number one, Kristopher Cranford and number twelve, Mike Torgerson saw both men posting nearly identical reaction times and elapsed times, but Kristopher was slightly quicker at both ends of the track with a .151/rt and a near perfect 6.005-second ET to fend off the .175/6.122-second effort by Mike and take the win by a slim .064 margin of victory.
In round two of QE competition, Gary Riggins (near lane) and Steve Penberthy both red lit, and Gary advanced with the lesser -.006 foul.
In the final round of Quick Eliminator, Kristopher Cranford (near lane) posted a heartbreaking 5.999-second elapsed time against the 6.000 index, handing the PO victory to Ken Petrovich.
Then, in the next pairing between number two, Joe Mierkey and number eleven, Gary Riggins, Gary was off the line first with a .060 reaction time and he logged a 6.065-second elapsed time to defeat Joe’s .075/6.086-second effort by another slim margin of .035 seconds! In the round one matchup between Mike Ryckebosch and Mike Schiller, both men broke out and Mike Schiller advanced with the lesser break out of 5.987-seconds compared to the nearly identical 5.986-second breakout by Mike Ryckebosch! Ken Petrovich posted a 6.022-second ET on a single when Shaun Forrest was unable to make the call for the run, and likewise, Steve Penberthy advanced on a single with a 6.047-second elapsed time when David Poffenbarger was a no-show. And last, but certainly not least, the matchup between Paul Bauer and Alan Asbe was unbelievably tight, as Alan was off the line first with a .124 reaction time compared to Paul’s .200, and despite Paul’s quicker 6.191-second effort, Alan was able to fend him off with a 6.262-second elapsed time to take the win by just twelve inches! Alan went on to face Kristopher Cranford in round two, but he lost on a -.103 red light, advancing Kristopher automatically while Gary Riggins and Steve Penberthy both redlit in their round two matchup and Gary advanced with the lesser -.006 foul despite also running a too-quick 5.970-second ET. And in the matchup between Mike Schiller and Ken Petrovich, Ken was quicker at both ends of the track, taking the win with a .101 reaction time and 6.083-second elapsed time that forced Mike to break out at the top end of the track.
Ken Petrovich and his “Orion” teammates celebrated the Quick Eliminator victory at the NJBA season opener.
Kristopher Cranford celebrated a Runner-up finish with owners, Steve, and Beverly Cranford, and their “Altered States” teammates.
Ken went on to face Gary Riggins in the semifinals where he advanced automatically with a stellar .063-second reaction time and 6.053-second elapsed time when Gary broke out and redlit on his run. Kristopher Cranford got the bye in the semifinals where he also posted a stellar .043 reaction time and 6.09-second elapsed time on his way to the final against Ken Petrovich. In their final round matchup, Ken paired a .069 reaction time with a 6.018-second elapsed time, forcing Kristopher to break out while trying to catch Ken at the top end of the track.
ADVERTISEMENT - IMCO MARINE
Pro Eliminator
It was good to see some more race teams competing in the Pro Eliminator class at the NJBA season opener. Tony Rossi led the four-boat field at the close of qualifying after logging a stout 6.507-second run while Sean Rogers took the number two position with a 6.584, Tom Louviere was third with a 6.642, and JoJo Masek was fourth with a 6.727-second effort.
Tony Rossi (near lane) got to the finish line first in his matchup against JoJo Masek in the opening round of Pro Eliminator competition, but he forfeited the round when he posted a too-quick 6.473-second elapsed time against the 6.500 PE index.
Sean Rogers posted a 6.561-second elapsed time at 115.061 miles per hour on his winning run in the Pro Eliminator class.
JoJo faced Tony Rossi in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday where Tony was off the line first with a stout .076 reaction time, but he failed to lift at the top end of the track and broke out, handing the win to JoJo, who posted a 6.561-second ET on her run.
Sean Rogers and his “High Wire” teammates celebrated the PE victory at the NJBA season opener.
JoJo Masek celebrated the Pro Eliminator Runner Up honors with her “Child Abuse” teammates and owners, Joe and Lori Masek.
On the other side of the ladder, Sean Rogers advanced to the final automatically when Tom picked up a -.105 red light. In the final between JoJo Masek and Sean Rogers, Sean was quicker at both ends of the track, taking the Pro Eliminator victory with a 6.561-second elapsed time and JoJo took the runner up honors with a 6.678-second effort.
ADVERTISEMENT - STAR CARDS
Top Eliminator
Marc Lane celebrated his first victory in Top Eliminator.
Marc Lane topped off the NJBA Season Opener with the ceremonial dunking after his Top Eliminator victory.
The three-boat field of Top Eliminator race teams included Greg Bowman, Marc Lane, and Beverly Barter, and as Top Qualifier, Greg got the bye in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday where he logged a nullified breakout ET of 6.927-seconds against the 7.000-second TE index while Beverly Barter faced Marc Lane.
Greg Bowman took the top qualifying spot in the TE class after posting a 7.097-second elapsed time during time trials.
In the Top Eliminator final between Greg Bowman (far lane) and Marc Lane, Greg stumbled on the starting line and broke out while trying to catch Marc at the top end of the track.
Although Beverly got the starting line advantage with a stout .099 reaction time, Marc was able to drive around for the win with a 7.061-second ET. In the final between Marc and Greg Bowman,
Marc Lane celebrated his first victory in Top Eliminator.
Greg Bowman and his “Captain Chaos” team celebrated the Runner-Up honors in the Top Eliminator class.
Marc paired a .084 reaction time with a 7.189-second elapsed time to take the win, as Greg Bowman broke out while trying to catch Marc at the top end of the track.
ADVERTISEMENT - SCOTT OWENS RACING
ADVERTISEMENT - BULLET CAMS
Modified Eliminator
The 8.00-second Modified Eliminator class featured three race teams, and Stephen McNeil posted an 8.152-second elapsed time to take the number one qualifying position while Ricky Sneed posted a nearly-identical 8.163-second ET for the number two spot.
In the ME round one matchup between Ricky Sneed and Charles Calva, both men had closely matched reaction times, but Ricky’s near-perfect 8.005-second elapsed time settled the race at the top end of the track.
Ricky Sneed celebrated the ME victory with his “Sunday Shooter” team.
Charles Calva posted an 8.426-second run to take the number three spot, and went up against Ricky in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday, and Ricky was quicker at both ends of the track, taking the win with a .221 reaction time and a near perfect 8.005-second elapsed time. In the final between Ricky and Stehen McNeil, Ricky took the win easily with an 8.280-second elapsed time, as Stephen struggled to get off the starting line and lost, despite running the quicker 8.237-second ET.
Super Eliminator
Normally, the Super Eliminator class is packed with a large number of race teams, but this weekend only five teams registered to compete. Ricky Sneed drew the bye in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday where he posted an 8.117-second elapsed time against his 8.000 dial-in, along with an impressive .067 reaction time while testing the clock.
In the Super E final, Greg Bowman posted a stellar 6.891-second elapsed time against his 6.870 dial-in, but he struggled on the starting line and had to settle for the runner up honors.
Ricky Sneed (near lane) faced Marc Lane in round two of Super Eliminator where Ricky advanced automatically as Marc ran a too-quick 7.111-second elapsed time against his 7.140 dial-in.
Ken Petrovich went up against Gary Bowman where Ken charged the clock too hard and picked up a -.029 red light, advancing Gary automatically, and the round one matchup between Steve Penberthy and Marc Lane was a great race to the finish, as Steve was off the line first, with a .060 reaction time, but Marc was able to drive around Steve to take the win.
Ricky Sneed and his “Sunday Shooter” teammates kicked off the 2025 season in great fashion with wins in the Super Eliminator and Modified Eliminator classes.
Greg Bowman and his “Captain Chaos” team celebrated the Runner-Up honors in Super Eliminator.
Marc went on to face Ricky Sneed in round two, but his boat may have started in gear, as he logged a -.632 red light, automatically advancing Ricky to the final against Greg Bowman, who had gotten the bye in the round. In the final between Greg and Ricky Sneed, Greg ran closer to his picked index of 6.870-seconds with a stout 6.891-second elapsed time, but he stumbled on the starting line and Ricky took the Super Eliminator victory on a hole shot with a .061 reaction time and an equally impressive 8.068-second elapsed time against his 7.980-second dial-in.
ADVERTISEMENT - 2-CYCLE MICHAEL'S CUSTOM DESIGNS, MAGIC MIKE'S MARINE & MACHINE
