125cc: Other Crazy Stuff
The new Matthew Arlt carbon/epoxy 125cc runabout, in testing at Menomonie, Wisconsin. Davey Jones driving.
After a lifetime of kart, car, and finally outboard powerboat racing, owner/driver David Tenney failed his most recent on-land driving test. You don't want to know.
Along about 2008, Willie also started attending APBA (American Power Boat Association) races with owner/driver David Tenney. Here, in Devil's Lake, Oregon, David comes out of the starting blocks on the way to a world record 'kilo' (kilometre) run of 76.076 MPH. They don't let Willie drive, that's him in the porkpie hat.
In addition to 'time trials' on kilometre courses, the boats are also run on what we call 'dirt track ovals', a 3/4 mile per lap, 3 mile race against other boats. Here is David Tenney's Krier shaped, Jimmy Shane built custom carbon fibre and epoxy runabout. This runabout was driven in a 4 lap/3 mile heat in spring of 2010 by Jay Anderson to a new World record of 56+ MPH. In October 2010, driver Davey Jones (that's really his name) drove it to the World Championship for 125cc runabouts in Lake Alfred, Florida.
All of this did not come easily for owner David Tenney. During the 2nd heat of the National Championships, the boat rolled in the first turn, and was, in turn, run over by the boat right behind it. Not pretty...the boat was unable to run in any more races for that event. Three boats were holed/capsized in that first turn. One of them will go into the wood stove, but all drivers came out without a nick.
Top photo, left to right: Mike Schmidt, driver Davey Jones, and owner David Tenney. Mike and Davey are both aeronautical engineers/machinists working for Pratt & Whitney during their day jobs. The talent runs deep.
Bottom photo: Davey on the podium, World Champion in 125cc Runabout.
Mike, Davey, and David, to pull this off, completely rebuilt the 125cc powerhead overnight, between heats #1 and #2. Davey is an old hand: if one looks closely, you can see the battle scars on his legs.
David Tenney and Davey Jones had another good year in 2011. In the US Title Series, David won the High Point Championship in 125cc Hydroplane, and Davey won the High Point in 125cc Runabout.
The handoff: shown here are David Tenney (left), and Giuseppi Rossi. Rossi has built most of the 125cc motors for both the runabouts and the hydroplanes. Shown here is Giuseppe's ride for the 2010 World 175cc Championships in Lake Alfred, Florida. The hull is built by Kala in Estonia, of carbon fibre and epoxy. David Tenney brought this boat home from the event. The hull proved it's worth during many choppy 2011 races. Other boats were unable to handle the rough conditions at Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Pryor, Oklahoma: this hull was phenomenal in those conditions, and ran away from the field. Rex Hall (note trailer graphics in background) is the U. S. distributor for Rossi. Oh yes...that really is gold metal flake. We call it the 'Bass Pro Shops' hull.
Left to right, Willie Crear, Bob Wartinger, David Tenney. Taken at the 2008 Devil's Lake Kilo time trials. Relative neophyte David now has two world speed records under his belt. Bob Wartinger...has 124. Bob is the fastest person on the planet with an unlimited outboard powered watercraft (also arguably the craziest person on the planet); his kilometre record run of 176.556 miles per hour was set in November of 1989 at Parker Dam, Arizona.
Every time Davey Jones goes airborne in the current runabout, the color drains out of David Tenney's face. Here is an aggressive solution to that problem, a new runabout, also carbon fibre and epoxy, as shown under construction in January and February of 2012. The builder is Matthew Arlt, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The knotty pine shown in the third photo is not deck planking, it is wallboard used as a male form for the deck layup, and has been removed in favor of the final deck planking, 4th photo.
Matt's DBA is 'Arltralite', and here is his contact information: arltralite@live.ca
The knotty pine shown in the third photo is not deck planking, it is wallboard used as a male form for the deck layup, and has been removed in favor of the final deck planking, 4th photo.
Matt's DBA is 'Arltralite', and here is his contact information: arltralite@live.ca
Much like race cars, drivers wear woven Kevlar 'cut suits' to slow down the ravages of propellers when things go wrong. Here David Tenney puts his on, during testing in Florida in the winter of 2009. On the left, Carl Staron, a Florida 'gator and one-off from Lake Apthorpe, Florida.