88 Degree Men Makes a Splash
After nearly four months of nonstop work to build the new 88 Degree Men hydroplane, the boat made its debut Sunday morning at the Madison Regatta. Driver J Michael Kelly turned a couple laps on the Ohio River posting a 127.48-mph run on one of them.
Because the boat reached the qualifying speed, Kelly will now join Heat 2B with Steve David, JW Myers and Scott Liddycoat. Kelly was excited to get in the tour’s newest boat after owner Jane Schumacher christened the boat with a bottle of champaign.
“It felt great after watching Friday and Saturday from the shoreline,” Kelly said. “Getting out there today, all the nerves went away. I was really impressed with how the boat handled out of the box.” Like any new boat, the team has some minor problems to correct. Several gallons of water got into cockpit through the floor escape hatch and the canopy hatch needs tightening, Kelly said. “We knew there would be some issues but the issues are minor,” he said.
88 Degree Men Makes a Splash
After nearly four months of nonstop work to build the new 88 Degree Men hydroplane, the boat made its debut Sunday morning at the Madison Regatta. Driver J Michael Kelly turned a couple laps on the Ohio River posting a 127.48-mph run on one of them.
Because the boat reached the qualifying speed, Kelly will now join Heat 2B with Steve David, JW Myers and Scott Liddycoat. Kelly was excited to get in the tour’s newest boat after owner Jane Schumacher christened the boat with a bottle of champaign.
“It felt great after watching Friday and Saturday from the shoreline,” Kelly said. “Getting out there today, all the nerves went away. I was really impressed with how the boat handled out of the box.” Like any new boat, the team has some minor problems to correct. Several gallons of water got into cockpit through the floor escape hatch and the canopy hatch needs tightening, Kelly said. “We knew there would be some issues but the issues are minor,” he said.