The 2023 version of the CDBA Summer Clash was quite an improvement over the last few seasons. Co-sponsored with the ADBA, there was also a “Northwest Blown Gas Flat Challenge” that drew a good number of NJBA race teams.
Story and Photos by Steve Montgomery / Hot Wired Images
Kyle and Cheryl Cannon, along with the entire “Cole Train” team were on hand in Bakersfield at the NJBA May Madness event promoting the CDBA Summer Clash, and it paid off with nine Blown Gas Flat entries. And there was $5K in prize money, too. So, counting all the extra groups like Super Eliminator and Pro Comp Flat, the registered entries were at a solid sixty-five, which is something that the CDBA hasn’t seen for quite some time.
Top Alcohol Hydro
A Saturday qualifying was complete Heather Ziebert held the number one spot with a 10.329 on her 10.300 index.
Dustin Harder’s second RR win of the season has him holding a decent point lead in the class.
This event lived up to the pre-race hype in many ways, as two Top Alcohol Hydro drivers were licensing there, along with three Pro Outlaws, nine Blown Gas Flats, seven Pro Comp Flats, and six Pro Eliminator teams. There were a few notables in Top Eliminator that were missing, as just eight race teams were on the premises, and I always expect that group to be the largest and most competitive. Modified Eliminator was a little light, too, with just four race teams, but there was actually an ADBA Stock Eliminator entry on the premises, which has been a rare thing lately. Five teams made up the River Racer squad, and there were four PWC’s competing, as well, while the popular Super Eliminator class was the largest group, of course, with twelve entries.
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Personal Water Craft
The PWC fi nal saw Brian Marble taking a start line advantage and holding it though the course for the PWC class win. His second win of the season has him holding a healthy lead in the points but it’s not insurmountableIn the four-boat field of PWCs, the current CDBA points leader Brian Marble must have broken a personal record during Friday’s Test-and-Tune session with eighteen passes by my count. The man knows his ride; he posted a 10.09 on his declared 10.09 index to hold the number one qualifying position on Saturday. John Tregoning at number two was close to his index as well, with a run that was just .013 off his number. Stephanie Pine in the number three spot was just .017 over her picked index and ADBA racer Tanya Scribner, at .133 over her dial-in was the number four qualifier.
John Tregoning caught up and passed Stephanie Pine to advance to the PWC final.
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Marble’s .083 light in the first round on Sunday morning was probably the major factor in his winning pass against Scribner, and Tregoning also had a better reaction time against Pine, forcing her to break out and sending Tregoning to the final against Marble. The final saw Marble taking a start line advantage and holding it through the course for his second win of the CDBA season and Tregoning took another 2nd Place trophy to stay within earshot of Marble in the points standings.
Brookhart’s first race of the season turned into a win for the “Showdown” team and Brookhart is right back in the points chase.
River Racer
Heather Ziebert took the number one qualifying spot over the five-boat field of River Racers in “Daddy’s Midlife Crisis” with a 10.329 on her 10.300 index. That gave her a bye run in the first round while ADBA racer Robert Anderson had a legal single when Kevin Kelsey did not make the call Sunday morning, and the number two qualifier, Kevin Weldon, went up against the High Desert Showdown winner Dustin Harder where Weldon was just a touch red at the start line with a .020 foul, and that was a clear trip to the final for Harder. Round two saw Harder with the bye while Ziebert and Anderson paired. Ziebert was better at the tree by a fair margin and took the win over Anderson to gain entry in the River Racer final. In that final, Harder was better at both the tree and down the track for his second win of the season and a healthy points lead just two races into the season.
In the ME final a poor reaction time by Yates had Brookhart way out front and holding that for the ME win.
Yates and the “River Rat 2” crew collecting that ME runner up trophy.Modified Eliminator
Modified Eliminator had just two rounds with four race teams involved, and the number one qualifier was Stan Kujala. He and Carolyn made the trip from Vancouver Island to compete, and that is a drive and a half. It’s always great to see them make that effort to race and to help out at the races, too. As the number one qualifier, Stan went up against number four, Brent Brookhart, who opted to move to M/E after posting a 7.45 in qualifying. A poor reaction time by Kujala didn’t help his cause, and applying the brakes had Brookhart taking the win with a nice 8.028 against Kujala’s 8.054. The other side of the ladder saw the number three qualifier, Dennis Flint, take a start line advantage, but he slowed to an 8.572-second elapsed time while number two, Peter Yates, caught him at the finish line with an 8.160 for the win. The M/E final was decided at the start line with Yates posting a .790 reaction time while Brookhart logged a .183, and Brookhart then slowed to 8.538, but he still collected the win against Yates’ quicker 8.07-second effort. The points race is going to be tight in this class this season.
The final saw Tillinghast complete a great day in TE, he was better on both ends of the track for the win. Top Eliminator
In Top Eliminator, the NJBA’s Scot Tillinghast posted a perfect 7.000 in qualifying to hold on to that number one spot while ADBA racer Tanya Scribner was not far behind at 7.020, and the CDBA’s own Joe Willis was close, too, at 7.031. Round one saw Tillinghast start with a legal single when ADBA racer William Fruehe did not make the, call. The number seven qualifier, Darreld Murphy, got his carbs fixed up and laid down a nice tree against number two, Scribner, and his 8.158-second elapsed time was good for the round win over Tanya’s 6.973 break-out. Murphy’s second place showing along with a 1st at the previous race have him leading the TE points.Number four, Bill McGuinn, and number five, Bill Erkelens, paired up and a red light by Erkelens decided that round in McGuinn’s favor. As far as I can tell, both number three Joe Willis and number six Matt Rogers were unable to get to the rope in time for their pairing, so that side of the ladder turned into an automatic visit to the trophy dash for Darreld Murphy, and McGuinn and Tillinghast would pair up to decide who would face Murphy in the
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Tillinghast and the “Aggravated Assault” team made the long trip to Dexter a success with this TE win. Always good to see them on site. final. Tillinghast posted .173 at the tree against McGuinn’s .239 and his 7.049-second ET was good for the win over McGuinn’s quicker 7.033. That won’t be the last time these two pair up. The final had Tillinghast taking the win, as he was better on both ends of the track against Murphy. It was a nice win for the visiting NJBA race team; they’ve enjoyed a lot of good races here at Dexter. Murphy’s 2nd Place showing will have him extending his lead in the Top Eliminator points chase.
Pro Eliminator
There were six teams involved in Pro Eliminator with Terry Bilow moving into a faster neighborhood. The number one qualifier was Steve Ziebert in “Shell Shock” with a 6.531 run Saturday. Ziebert was paired with Bilow in round one, but Bilow was unable to get off the line with a minor problem. A poor start also had the number two qualifier, Andy Erskine, losing to Chris Yates, as Erskine’s 6.523-second run was quicker than Yates’ winning 6.579. The number three qualifier, Cole Billings, paired up with Kevin Foote, and I think both men had their worst reaction times of the weekend, but Billings was slightly better, and his slower 6.578-second ET beat Foote’s 6.564-second effort to the finish line. Round two saw Ziebert with the bye run while Yates and Billings paired to see who would join him in the final. Yates pushed his machine a little too hard at the start line and his -.045 red light with a 6.516 gave the automatic win to Billings. Cole Billings took his second win of the PE season and enjoys a healthy point lead at the present. The runner up spot is quite a good outcome for Ziebert’s first full race in PE.
Chris Yates (near lane) won round one over Andy Erskine, to help his cause in PE points.The final between Ziebert and Billings had the flatbottom driver posting his best reaction time of the bracket with a .1790 compared to Ziebert’s closely matched .1840. While Ziebert posted a 6.621-second elapsed time through the course, Billings was better there, too, at 6.5580 seconds for the class win. That’s his second win of the season but there’s still a long way to go. And what a great showing by Ziebert and crew, as he was just licensed for the class at Haystack and was in full contention here at the Summer Clash with nice numbers all weekend.
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The QE final had Coffman just a little too hot at the start line and Collett collected season win number two.
Coffman’s path to the final was made easier when Austin Cole’s ride suffered some engine damage.Quick Eliminator
Quick Eliminator had four teams in the fray, but the war of words was hot and heavy between two racers in particular. The number one qualifier, Pete Collett, put three great passes together on Saturday, starting with a 5.998-second break-out, and posting a 6.012 and a 6.034 later. Number two, Coffman, was right there, as well, with a 6.015. The common denominator might be Bob Toal, as both teams use his expertise to dominate the class this weekend. There is nothing wrong with Austin Cole’s numbers either, as it looks to me like this was his best outing of the year so far. He was the number three qualifier with a 6.103 while Sean Rogers was the underdog in in his flatbottom, taking the number four spot with a 6.258-second ET - but anything can happen on race day!ADVERTISEMENT - GRP CONNECTING RODS
Collett was better on both ends of the track against Rogers, and he posted a 6.029 that sent him to the final. Coffman was motivated at the tree with a .0830 reaction time and Cole wasn’t far behind, but he suffered some major damage past half track and did not complete the pass. That sent Coffman to the final against Collett. Someone should have had a camera going on between those two side-by-side pits, and I’ll wager the yapping was nothing short of spectacular! The final had Coffman leaving the line first and posting a brilliant 6.006 BUT the telling number was his .011 red light that had Collett taking his second win of the season and dominating the point standings for now. It’s great to see a rivalry like this continue and I’m sure it will for quite some time.
Number two qualifier Ken MacKillican (far lane) took this round one win over #3 Tim Tregoning when the “Good Times” driver red lit.
Chris Irick enjoyed a 5.229 top qualifying pass in Pro Outlaw and a trouble free weekend on the water in “Final Outlaw”.Pro Outlaw
There were just three teams in Pro Outlaw and Chris Irick in “Final Outlaw” was on a rail on Friday and Saturday, taking the number one qualifying spot with 5.229 on that 5.20 index.
The “Final Outlaw” team was right on the number all weekend, a great win for the ADBA team.Both Ken MacKillican and Tim Tregoning struggled to get passes in, and MacKillican posted 5.343 in “More Wasted Money” on Saturday afternoon to become the number two qualifier while clutch problems had the “Good Times” team scrambling for the weekend. The first round of eliminations saw what looked like a good battle between Tregoning and MacKillican but a red light by Tregoning had already decided that pass in MacKillican’s favor. The final was all Irick, as a .1820 tree and 5.231 was good for the win. MacKillican did get off the start line, but bad things happened soon after. Hopefully, both CDBA teams will get things working reliably for the next events.
It’s kind of a tradition for the flat drivers to put a little air show on for the crowd on the way down to the holding rope.
Father and son Matt and Sean Rogers were paired in round one, the son went on to win the pass.
ADBA racer Tanya Scribner took the gold in this year’s Pro Comp Flat class. The Rogers family has enjoyed some success here at Dexter with the PCF class, last year’s winner was Matt Rogers, this time Sean was runner up.
The father /son duo of Matt and Sean Rogers were the next pair up, and Sean was better at both ends of the track to advance to the next round. Scot Tillinghast took a start line advantage over Cole Billings, and the yellow boat ended up breaking out with a 6.317 on his 6.50 index. Tanya Scribner ended up with a legal single when Joe Willis did not make his call, which was odd for that crew. Round two saw Rogers put together a stellar run against Wurster, with a .075 light and 6.291-second ET on a 6.250 index which didn’t leave much room for Wurster.ADVERTISEMENT - STAR CARDS
Even though he was only .093 off his index on the pass, Wurster’s slower reaction time made the difference. Tillinghast went just -.002 red against Scribner, which is so close to a perfect light, but that’s the risk you take. That set the Pro Comp Flat final between Scribner and Rogers. That final saw Rogers going red this time, just -.014 red, and that decided the class for Scribner. There were several close races in this group, and it would be cool to see the class grow in the future.
Super Eliminator was packed with twelve boats on the rope.
Super Eliminator
Super Eliminator started with twelve entries, but the class was pared down to eleven on Sunday morning with Kevin Kelsey bowing out. Round one saw Bill Erkelens in the T/E outboard taking a win over Tanya Scribner in the PWC. ADBA racer David Short takes the win in Super E.
Kevin Weldon took a red-light loss against ADBA racer David Short.Andy Erskine eliminated the other PWC from the group, taking a close win over Brian Marble. Terry Bilow took a red-light loss against Dennis Flint, and Kevin Weldon did the same against ADBA racer David Short. Both Rick Coffman and Dustin Harder red lit in their pairing, but Coffman moved on to round two as the lesser offender, as Harder red lit by .003 more than Coffman.
Erkelens had four winning passes on his way to a Super E win.
Round one came to an end with Stan Kujala’s solo pass. Kujala’s Super Eliminator aspirations came to an end against Erskine in round two, as a .071 reaction time by the hydro driver, along with a 6.548 on his 6.50 index was tough to beat. David Short fouled at the start line against Erkelens, and Flint had the solo pass to move on to round three. Erskine got the last bye of the day and advanced to the final, while Flint and Erkelens paired to see who would join him there. Flint had trouble getting off the line cleanly and Erkelens took full advantage of that for the round win. In the final, Erkelens took a start line advantage through the course for the win. If my math is correct, Erskine and Erkelens should be tied for the points lead in this group going into the third race of the season.
Co-sponsored with the ADBA, there was also a “Northwest Blown Gas Flat Challenge” that drew a good number of NJBA race teams.
Another prime pairing in round two had Cannon up against Westerfield but some trouble at the start line had Cannon running through unopposed for the win. A bye run for Cannon in round 3 had him going to the final.
The Blown Gas Flat final was a thing of beauty and finally this photographer was on the right side of the track. Rhead went on to post 5.771 for the win. Rhead and “The Butcher” crew collected the BGF loot and other prizes.
Northwest Blown Gas Flat Challenge
The Northwest Blown Gas Flat Challenge brought nine race teams to the friendly confines of Dexter Reservoir, and what an impressive group it was, with premium quality all around. The opportunity to witness some real heads-up racing doesn’t come around much anymore and it should not be missed. The top qualifying time was posted by Kelly Rhead in “The Butcher”, owned by Steve Penberthy with a 5.937-second run at 137 miles per hour, and not far behind in the number two spot was Kyle Cannon in “Cole Train”, who ran a 5.982. The number three qualifier was Jason Silva in the “NVS” BGF at 6.082-seconds.
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ADVERTISEMENT - BULLET CAMSRound one had Rhead with the bye and he left no doubt about why he was number one with a stout 5.856 run. The number two qualifier, Cannon, posted a 5.950 with a .037 light to end Ben Wurster’s race day in this group. To Wurster’s credit, he was battling it out in this class with a distinct horsepower disadvantage, and we are glad that he made the trip to race here at Dexter.
Number 8 qualifier Jim Shelton found his mojo Sunday morning, taking out number 3 qualifier Jason Silva with a 5.959 and a .009 light. That tree was good for a “Best Reaction Time” trophy as well.The number eight qualifier, Jim Shelton, posted his best run of the weekend to take out number three, Silva, and his 5.959 with a .009 light came at a good time. Shane Westerfield and Jeff Martin, both running under the Westerfield Motorsports banner, had legal singles when Cole Irick and Tony Scarlata were unable to make the call for the opening round on Sunday morning. It’s a shame to see teams make the trek to Dexter and not be able to compete on Sunday, but it’s all part of racing. Round two had Rhead going up against Martin in a premier match up, as Martin won at the last NJBA event in “Pooch”, but Penberthy’s driver has been burning down the track this weekend.
Cannon posted a 6.100-second ET to take the runner up spot.Martin’s reaction time was slightly better than Rhead’s at .179 compared to .214, but Rhead’s number down track was the best of the weekend at 5.656 to Martin’s 5.966, and that moved Rhead to the semis. The other side of the ladder saw Cannon Marine going up against Westerfield Motorsports, Kyle against Shane, but trouble at the start line for Westerfield meant Cannon moved on and the next round was a bye run and a free pass to the finals for the “Cole Train” driver. Shelton had a bye run this round and moved into the semis automatically. Round three saw Rhead paired with Shelton to see who would go to the final. Shelton started his run with a nice .028 reaction time, but he slowed further down the track, and Rhead’s 5.781-second run sent him to the final. The BGF final was the last pass of the event, complete with all the money on the line and bragging rights too - great stuff.
ADVERTISEMENT - 2-CYCLE MICHAEL'S CUSTOM DESIGNS, MAGIC MIKE'S MARINE & MACHINERhead was better off the line, with a .103 reaction time compared to Cannon’s .150, but he was not unreachable. The 5.771-second elapsed time that Rhead posted was tough, though, and Cannon posted a 6.100-second ET to take the runner up spot. Rhead was really running hard on another level all weekend, and we offer our congratulations to Rhead and team on a strong win.
A small panorama of the nine blown gas flat entries late Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Kyle and Cheryl Cannon for rounding everyone up.
What a spectacle it was by all the Blown Gas Flat entrants! They made the effort to get to Dexter and give us all a great competitive show. Thanks to Kyle and Cheryl Cannon and all those sponsors that made it possible; we hope to be able to do it again next year.
A pair of Top Alcohol Hydro hopefuls were on site to make license passes with James Collett in an unnamed ride and Jeff Berr in “Stealth 2.0”, and it is fair to say that both teams learned a lot over the weekend.
The “Outstanding Race Team” award went to Joe Willis and the “Head Hunter” team, recognized for all the work they do to make these races happen, and Blown Gas Flat driver Jim Shelton had the best reaction time on Sunday at .009, and that was good for more hardware as well.
Jeff Berr was on site doing licensing for TAH. That process will continue at future events.
James Collett in an unnamed ride