Barrett Junction CA, March 2001

PICTURES THANKS TO OFFICER SHERM. Click HERE to see his shots of other events.
THE OUTLAWS RETURN! The was the first Buttboarding event for 2001 and was sanctioned by IGSA as part of the World Cup Points Series. It was announced as a tentative event, and then cancelled. Frank Waterhouse thought it was on and so bought insurance, hay bales, and rented a transport truck. Marcus felt bad over the confusion and volunteered to help. So it was back on with less than 2 weeks notice. However, the insurance didn't name the County and so they didn't issue an official permit. Hence, it was an "Outlaw Race" much like the old days. But Frank's local connections said it would be OK and when Law Enforcement came to check it out, they went away happy.
		Eli Smouse (above) typified the Buttboard entries. Most people were there to pursue the Regional Points in Street Luge, Gravity Bikes, or Speedboarding. But racers entered Buttboarding for Fun. Cliff "Coleman Slide," Earle "The Squirrel" Ross, and a few others practiced on Saturday but didn't make the Sunday start grid. The remaining seven racers were pretty serious competition. Time prohibited 2 Qualifying runs, so Marcus directly "Pea Picked" two interesting semi final rounds. Both Rogers Brothers, and Rob Rhuman faced each other to see which two went to the finals. Dave Rogers (left) ran AWAY with the heat, distantly followed by EDI 2000 World Luge Champion, Rob Rhuman.
Darren faced Chris Chaput, Eli Smouse, and Pat Moody. Darren also ran away with his heat, with Eli Smouse trailing off the very back. The semi finalreal race was between Chris Chaput (white) and Pat Moody (red& black). Pat had a clear 2nd place, but went off course in the final turn, allowing Chris the surpize transfer slot. (Picture courtesy of Toxic Bros site) This left a final of Darren, Dave, Rob and Chris. The consolation round was between Pat Moody, John Rogers and Eli Smouse.
		5th, 6th, and 7th place ended about as predicted. Pat Moody (leading picture to left) has a tight but victorious race with John Rogers (trailing), with Eli taking 7th on a borrowed board. Thebuttboard final was determined by an excellent strategy. Chris Chaput has one of the most amazing starts in racing. However, his skills still hold him up in the first tight turn. Dave Rogers took advantage of this knowledege, taking a seemingly unusual line around Chris in the first turn. However, this put Chris right in front of Darren who had to slow and follow him through the turn before passing.
When Darren had finally passed Chris, Dave had a 20 yard lead, preventing an eventual draft and pass from Darren. For the rest of the course, Dave had a perfect run, and Darren couldn't make up any ground. Rob Rhuman sneaked past Chris in the 2nd hairpin, and added some excitement by scrubbing speed on the exit. Chris though he might have a podium shot, but Rob proved to be the "Better Roller."	Photo by Chris Chaput
		It was all DAVE ROGERS that day. Dave won Street Luge and followed up by attaining the current #1 ranking in Buttboard. Until the next event in 2001, Dave Rogers appears unbeatable when it comes to laying down on a skateboard!

Darren Lott ©2001