I remember being a little kid and watching Ron braaksma race at red bluff.. Chowchilla.... Lake Ming.... And firebird raceway in Chandler Arizona. This guy was like a superhero to me
Are you kidding me only 20 something likes for this boat was amazing so was Ron and his crew What a show that thing put on...puddingstone......frikin. Wow.....miss you Ron..
I've seen Braaksma race at Firebird lake, and the dude has the biggest balls of any living man. The single prop fuelers were evil, wicked machines. I've watched his boat jump out of the water at a 45 degree angle facing the beach and the lunatic kept his foot in it anyway and finished the run! It was one of the most badass things I have ever witnessed, and I've seen a lot of badass shit.
that's no bs!! I am not even sure if the top alcohol boats (making as much power now as the fuel boats did then) were or are as out of control, haha. sh*t was CRAZY back in the day! still is, but I digress, lol
Twin prop Fuelers have killed quite a few, breaking a shaft, tearing an ear off, or losing a prop causes the boats to violently steer from the one still intact, it killed John Haas in a race at Chouteau Bend east of Tulsa on the Grand River, the 2 prop deals if they hold, are better, but much more complicated and the "W" drives have failed also...
wow that was totally nuts i gotta find more footy with this guy crazy fast way more power than necessary and a bomb boat straped to a bomb man wow enlightening to watch this happen psychosis never seen anything close
I'm sure I'll get a bunch of Arrows shot in my direction, but Hydros withe these kinds of Sponson design have no business in this kind of Racing, the chine and curvature inward toward the front causes the hull to steer when the sponson is deeper in the water regardless of reason the newer hulls with the sponsons placed wider and with them divorced from the hull and flatter and straighter bottoms and sides are better but still need improvement, I spent 7 years racing Hydros, I have seen a lot of runs and crashes.....these boats need Chutes on the backs of the capsules to slow them before hitting the water, to stop the violent spinning and bouncing and stop turning the drivers insides into jello, the chutes on Chute Jackets did the same for drivers, but they didn't have an 02 supply.....
Capsule safety has been kind of a joke to me. Especially in top fuel. The blast plate change isn't nearly enough. Shutes like you mention and way more cage padding should be mandatory. They've never had the r&d like TF funny car got after Medlens crash. I've teched quite a few PRO Mod boats over the years for the CDBA. I cringe just about everytime I see their padding and so called formed seat. I'd like to see a standard shape to the seat end of a capsule between all makers. So a standard seat form would fit them all. Then instead of pouring foam into a trash bag before the driver sits. Like they are now. Do layers of different density foam in the seat then carve a drivers shape into the top layers. The finished seat would more or less be a fitted cocoon from their knees to the top of the helmet.
@tomhill9445 I've been trying to get people to see the need to slow these capsules down before they hit the water as much as possible and to orient the capsules relative to the direction of travel and the simple and best way to accomplish it is with Small chute jacket sized chutes to do the same thing for the Capsules as the chute jackets did for the drivers, but I always get the same response "what if the chutes get tangled in the Engine" my replay has always been the same " why was that not a concern when the drivers had no oxygen?" Then that usually ends the conversation, I have essentially tossed in the towel on this Idea and doubt it will ever gain traction or be considered unless someone of "importance and well known" takes the reins....I'm not looking for accolades or having my name associated with it, I'm trying to save lives, which was the only reason I retired in 83' the boats were getting to fast ours ran high 170s to low 180s under the Ofixco banner and "Lark" Bill Hartman driving, I was no longer going to participate in the deaths of my friends....people like Jimmy Wright, Gordon Padgett, Thurman Riggs, and many others that year.....it was no longer fun being interviewed by police, or standing at the waters edge trying to console Sue Riggs and Debbie "Iron Mike's daughter" and then at the boat meeting on Monday getting jumped by Lloyd K. Stephen's why I didn't tear the engine down, that was the last straw for me I donated my time to run Hartmans Boat, Lloyd K. Stephen's never gave me a nickle, even at OKC when we match raced Captain Crazy " Bill Dunlap and beat him 2 times in a row, no one offered me a cent of the several thousands dollars that was bet between Lloyd and Tony Solow our other sponsor....
@@ChiefCabioch I think the Isle Of Man motorcycle race is about the closest thing to dragboats of yesteryear. It was before my time in the sport. But blown fuel in an open flatbottom is the ultimate nuts ! I'm sorry for all of your loss and heartache. But I'm glad guys aren't dying at every race anymore.
My dad was a private sponsor for Ron, can’t tell you how many memories I have of Ron. Rip
I remember being a little kid and watching Ron braaksma race at red bluff.. Chowchilla.... Lake Ming.... And firebird raceway in Chandler Arizona.
This guy was like a superhero to me
Are you kidding me only 20 something likes for this boat was amazing so was Ron and his crew
What a show that thing put on...puddingstone......frikin. Wow.....miss you Ron..
I first caught Madness in Red Bluff in '89. BEAST!
I've seen Braaksma race at Firebird lake, and the dude has the biggest balls of any living man. The single prop fuelers were evil, wicked machines. I've watched his boat jump out of the water at a 45 degree angle facing the beach and the lunatic kept his foot in it anyway and finished the run! It was one of the most badass things I have ever witnessed, and I've seen a lot of badass shit.
that's no bs!! I am not even sure if the top alcohol boats (making as much power now as the fuel boats did then) were or are as out of control, haha. sh*t was CRAZY back in the day! still is, but I digress, lol
Twin prop Fuelers have killed quite a few, breaking a shaft, tearing an ear off, or losing a prop causes the boats to violently steer from the one still intact, it killed John Haas in a race at Chouteau Bend east of Tulsa on the Grand River, the 2 prop deals if they hold, are better, but much more complicated and the "W" drives have failed also...
I wish there was more ESPN Drag Boat footage out there. Man, that channel was great.
wow that was totally nuts i gotta find more footy with this guy crazy fast way more power than necessary and a bomb boat straped to a bomb man wow enlightening to watch this happen psychosis never seen anything close
I'm sure I'll get a bunch of Arrows shot in my direction, but Hydros withe these kinds of Sponson design have no business in this kind of Racing, the chine and curvature inward toward the front causes the hull to steer when the sponson is deeper in the water regardless of reason the newer hulls with the sponsons placed wider and with them divorced from the hull and flatter and straighter bottoms and sides are better but still need improvement, I spent 7 years racing Hydros, I have seen a lot of runs and crashes.....these boats need Chutes on the backs of the capsules to slow them before hitting the water, to stop the violent spinning and bouncing and stop turning the drivers insides into jello, the chutes on Chute Jackets did the same for drivers, but they didn't have an 02 supply.....
Capsule safety has been kind of a joke to me. Especially in top fuel. The blast plate change isn't nearly enough. Shutes like you mention and way more cage padding should be mandatory. They've never had the r&d like TF funny car got after Medlens crash. I've teched quite a few PRO Mod boats over the years for the CDBA. I cringe just about everytime I see their padding and so called formed seat. I'd like to see a standard shape to the seat end of a capsule between all makers. So a standard seat form would fit them all. Then instead of pouring foam into a trash bag before the driver sits. Like they are now. Do layers of different density foam in the seat then carve a drivers shape into the top layers. The finished seat would more or less be a fitted cocoon from their knees to the top of the helmet.
@tomhill9445 I've been trying to get people to see the need to slow these capsules down before they hit the water as much as possible and to orient the capsules relative to the direction of travel and the simple and best way to accomplish it is with Small chute jacket sized chutes to do the same thing for the Capsules as the chute jackets did for the drivers, but I always get the same response "what if the chutes get tangled in the Engine" my replay has always been the same " why was that not a concern when the drivers had no oxygen?" Then that usually ends the conversation, I have essentially tossed in the towel on this Idea and doubt it will ever gain traction or be considered unless someone of "importance and well known" takes the reins....I'm not looking for accolades or having my name associated with it, I'm trying to save lives, which was the only reason I retired in 83' the boats were getting to fast ours ran high 170s to low 180s under the Ofixco banner and "Lark" Bill Hartman driving, I was no longer going to participate in the deaths of my friends....people like Jimmy Wright, Gordon Padgett, Thurman Riggs, and many others that year.....it was no longer fun being interviewed by police, or standing at the waters edge trying to console Sue Riggs and Debbie "Iron Mike's daughter" and then at the boat meeting on Monday getting jumped by Lloyd K. Stephen's why I didn't tear the engine down, that was the last straw for me I donated my time to run Hartmans Boat, Lloyd K. Stephen's never gave me a nickle, even at OKC when we match raced Captain Crazy " Bill Dunlap and beat him 2 times in a row, no one offered me a cent of the several thousands dollars that was bet between Lloyd and Tony Solow our other sponsor....
@@ChiefCabioch I think the Isle Of Man motorcycle race is about the closest thing to dragboats of yesteryear. It was before my time in the sport. But blown fuel in an open flatbottom is the ultimate nuts ! I'm sorry for all of your loss and heartache. But I'm glad guys aren't dying at every race anymore.
Hahaha. "No harm no foul."
Dude you guys just said he got burned. I think harmed and fouled definitely