2013 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout

This year was a special year for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout on many accounts. Not only did the Shootout celebrate its 25th anniversary, but several changes and new traditions were added. We knew leading up to the 2013 Shootout this year was going to be special - but we didn't realize just how special. Read our post then check our the rest of our 2013 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Photos.

The Shootout in the Park

In previous years the Wednesday before the races premiered many of the race teams at the Shootout on the Strip. This portion of the event was more or less a 'parade of boats' that lead to the strip on Bagnell Dam. Then all the team's rigs and boats lined up and parked their impressive machines for spectator display. This gave a chance for the fans to see the boats and rigs up close and personal and do a meet and greet with the teams.

For 2013 the event was moved to the fairgrounds in Laurie, MO and was renamed Shootout in the Park. Not only did they move the location but they also improved the event in many ways. Instead of lining all of the teams up on the road and parading in at the same time, teams were allowed to show up as needed. In previous years it was quite fun coming in as a entourage, yet it seemed a bit rushed with all the spectators waiting, eager to swarm the high-dollar equipment.

The Bio-Kleen Team made it to the fairgrounds early to get our spot and setup. Not only did we have a decent spot in the shade (which was completely unavailable on the Strip), but we had a beautiful park with grass and trees to enjoy. Teams staggered in throughout the day most arriving in the early afternoon with another wave at 5pm and 6pm. The fairgrounds seemed much more comfortable for the teams and the patrons, especially with the ability to walk the grounds with an open container of alcohol (again, unavailable on the Strip and the main reason the event was moved). The fun continued on through the evening with live music and Dale Blue closing. We think the Shootout in the Park was a huge success. The overall sentiment from the teams and the fans was very positive as well. More than likely the event will continue in the park for years to come.

Thursday morning we got the booth setup at Captain Ron's and launched the boat. This was the first time we got to see the debris still left behind in the lake after the extreme rain and flooding in recent weeks. Wow there was a lot of debris and some were logs quite large in size. After passing the Shootout course we wondered what the plans were for clearing the course prior to racing. After that and helping friends Dennis and Raquelle Hansen at Premiere Lake Properties finalize our booth spaces it was already time for the inaugural  Shootout Hall of Fame Dinner and Auction. 

The Shootout Hall of Fame was added new this year and was a perfect way to celebrate the silver anniversary of the Shootout. The dinner was held at the Cannon Smoked Salon and was sold-out at $20 per person with half going to charities. There was great food and lots of camaraderie among the legends of the shootout. Dorsey Schroeder kept the night fun MC-ing for the night. Inductees for the Shootout Hall of Fame included: four of the originators of event - local firefighters Fran Steingrubey, John Page and John Suellentrop and late boat racer Bob Morgan, three Top Gun racers - Dave Callan, Randy Scism and David Scott and also former organizer Jeff Dorhauer, event photographer George Denny and two dedicated volunteers, Ron and Margie Frazier from the Coffman Bend Fire Association.

After the Hall of Fame ceremonies were concluded the silent auction and live auction commenced. Bio-Kleen of course donated a high performance marine cleaning kit to the cause.

2013 Shootout Poker Run

We were on the water early Friday morning just after sunrise. We left the docks at Captain Ron's and headed for Backwater Jacks for breakfast and the drivers meeting. 92 boats participated in the Shootout Poker Run this year, each receiving a Bio-Kleen gift bag with a 16oz Qwik Shine and a Microfiber Towel as well as lots of other goodies from pokerrun sponsors. 

Arriving at Captain Rons for the poker run the Racer Village was very busy. We had a great day at the booth then headed out to the last stop for the poker run at Shady Gators. It was another successful poker run with no accidents and everyone driving safe avoiding all the leftover debris in the lake. 

2013 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout

In 2012 the 24th edition of the Shootout was incredible. Greg Olson claimed TOP GUN with his 33' Eliminator Daytona reaching an amazing 192 MPH. Again, that's 192 MPH in a 33 FOOT BOAT. Olson's legendary run and claiming of the TOP GUN award were made possible with several factors. First he has an incredible boat, a catamaran with twin 1,800 horsepower supercharged engines. He was also lucky that favorites to take top honors, My Way, were involved in an accident just weeks before the Shootout during the 1000 Islands Poker Run. The boat was badly damaged and had to drop out of the 2012 Shootout. This, along with the absence of several other large boats and teams, helped pave the way for Greg to mark his name in the history books.

Olson decided to hang up his helmet and didn't compete in the 2013 Shootout. Meanwhile My Way had spent roughly seven months repairing their boat, a canopied 50' Mystic catamaran powered by twin Lycoming T-55 turbine engines that produce 3,000 horsepower apiece. The T-55 turbines suffered the majority of the damage from the accident and had to be rebuilt. The exhaust system was destroyed and needed to be repaired. After the structural rebuild and reinforcement of the hull, the paint job reproduction was completed by Dean Loucks at The Art of Design, the original creator of the design and paint job.

Owner Bill Tomlinson now believed he had a better boat than before. He was as eager to return to the Shootout and confident he could beat the 209 MPH record set by Dave Callen in 2007 with his turbine-powered Mystic. 

Racing commenced on Saturday with many great runs and the staff did an excellent job clearing the course of debris. The 35' Bio-Kleen Cigarette ran 81 MPH, beating our record last year by 1 MPH. My Way gained their recognition by tying the Shootout TOP GUN record of 209. Brad Rowland claimed the Top Toon with a 114 MPH run. Dennis Parvey claimed the Top V Non-Professional with a 139 MPH run. Mike D Anniballe got Top Cat Professional with a 195 MPH run and Dan O' Keefe got Top PWC with a 95 MPH run.

At 10AM Saturday was the unveiling of the Bob Morgan Shootout Hall of Fame Memorial. This was another great addition to the 25th anniversary of the Shootout. No one deserved such an honor more than Bob Morgan. Bob has been considered family to Bio-Kleen for many years. He was a great individual with a passion for racing, boating, the Lake of the Ozarks, and the Shootout itself. Bob raced in more than 100 races in his career - 50 of those being offshore powerboat races. The unveiling included singing of America the Beautiful, a speech from his wife Sue Morgan and a plane fly over. Bio-Kleen purchased two engraved bricks for the memorial; one for the wall and one on the walkway. It was an emotional yet joyful event.

Sunday morning saw very little wind with an atypical course that was nearly flat. My Way wanted to set the record straight by getting out there early taking the second run of the day. The planets aligned and My Way made an absolute AMAZING run of 224 MPH, shattering the all time record. The 35' Bio-Kleen Cigarette gained another MPH and ran 82; though we didn't win our class for the first time as a few newcomers we added with impressive speeds.