Roaring engines and cheering crowds made for an exciting Carlan Cup

The 2017 Whitecourt Carlan Cup Riverboat Races were held August 12 and 13 at the boat launch. The first leg started at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the racers speeding down the river approximately 48 miles to the Chevron Bridge. A few hours later, at 2 p.m., the circuit races began with boats hitting the water in small groups.

At the boat launch, a large crowd of spectators watched the action from the grandstands and along the fence line. Abbie’s Catering was on site and a beer garden was set up. The entire launch area was brimming with excitement as boats came in and out of the water after heats.

An extra special addition to the weekend came at the hands of race announcer Wayne Whatmore who has been at the post for the past five years. During breaks Wayne would ask the children to come to the announcer’s table to take part in a fun scavenger hunt.

“Getting to meet the racers and the fans is the best but I enjoy the scavenger hunts with the kids. That’s what I enjoy,” said Wayne. Over the course of the weekend, he did roughly 30 to 40 hunts where he had the children find various things. Not only did he offer the fun experience but he also brought along prizes to give out. “Water guns, pistols, soccer balls, etc. You name it, we’ve got it,” said Wayne with a big smile.

Also announcing during the two-day event was Peace River resident Terry Schields who is enjoying his second year on the mic and has been racing with his son-in-law since 2004. Both gentlemen did a fantastic job updating the spectators on laps and race information.

This year there were 22 entries with 21 boats participating. After a full weekend of fun on the river and cheers from the sidelines, here’s how it all wrapped up: The overall standings winner was Chad Burns with his boat Bad Habit. Chad’s loud turbine-powered engine also carried him to top spot in the Unlimited Class.

Miss Dee Dee, captained by Regan Redlich, won the Spec Class while Mark Rodacker with his boat named BOAT, won the A Spec Class. The CX Class was won by Trevor Provost with Still Poppin’, and Nathan McLeod won the FX Class with his boat, Surface Tension.

Congratulations to all the racers and volunteers for making the 2017 Carlan Cup a success!