2.5 Liter Stocks

Bowshers' Roostertails.net
team a family affair

By Konnie McCollum
Contributing Writer

(June 2006) – Each year, the Madison Regatta draws hundreds of families to the banks of the Ohio River to enjoy Fourth of July festivities and hydroplane boat racing.

But one family that has been to the Madison Regatta for nearly a decade is not merely spectators. Dennis and Sean Bowsher, a father-son team from Kankakee, Ill., will be racing their 2.5 stock class S-52 “Roostertails.net” boat July 1-2 against eight other teams at the Madison Regatta.
Dennis Bowsher, 50, said he has loved boat racing since he was 5. In his little town along the Kankakee River, there used to be an annual inboard boat race. He would sneak down to the river, get a pit pass and offer to help shine up the boats or do odd jobs for the pit crews just to be around the boats. From that point on, he was hooked on boat racing.
As he grew older, his love for boats and racing continued. Dennis, a public works employee of Kankakee for almost 31 years, raised his family in a house on the river and always had some sort of boating activities going on. He called himself “a real river rat.”
He said when his son, Sean, was young, they owned a pontoon boat and often cruised the Kankakee River.

Photo provided The Roostertails.net team consists of (from left) Dennis, Sean and Scott Bowsher.

Dennis said that when Sean was old enough, they would travel to many races and were just fascinated by the whole racing atmosphere and environment. For years they have enjoyed being just spectators. But that changed when Sean bought a 2.5 stock hydroplane and began racing. Dennis became Sean’s crew chief.
While Sean drives, Dennis makes sure that everything is in perfect running order. His jobs include hooking the boat up to the crane to move it, making sure the plugs are in, and performing some minor engine work. He said the duo has worked out a list of things they go through before race time, and so far, it is working great.
During the race, Dennis is usually on the radio giving Sean directions. “Doing what I do helps me feel like a real part of the whole scene,” he said.
“I am so proud of my son. It is really great to have such a good relationship with him. Racing has kept us together, and we’re friends.” He also said his lifelong dream is to actually drive one of the boats, but he just hasn’t worked up to that point yet.
As for Sean, 31, he said he has always been hooked on boat racing. He remembers watching the boats race as a kid, and he knew he wanted to drive one. Sean, who works as a police officer in Decatur, Ill., has been racing for three years.
He bought his boat used because it was less expensive than buying one new. This class of racing is in fact designed to help keep the costs down. He thought of the name “Roostertails” because he said, “Every boat has one sticking out the back.”
When preparing for a race, Sean said it could take between 20-30 hours of work to practice and get everything ready to go. The father-son team travel to about 10 races a year, mainly on the East Coast Inboard Racing Circuit.
Sean competes in two different classes, the S class and the Y class, using the same boat. He explained that both classes use the same size motor. So far this year, he ran second at Thunder on the Niagara River in Tonawanda, N.Y., but didn’t fare quite as well at a New Jersey competition. Dennis believes Sean will end the year with a good ranking.
While there are some cash prizes and trophies to be garnered for the type of hydroplane racing that Sean competes in, the money is nothing like that of the bigger unlimited hydroplane racing. “I do this because I simply love it,” Sean said.
In his spare time, Sean loves to work with computers. As a matter of fact, Sean designed and put together the Roostertails News website, which gives racing results for the 2.5 classes, point standings, news and information and a cache of hydroplane photography. Dennis supplies much of the photos, while Sean does all of the technical work.
Both men are looking forward to coming to Madison. Sean said, “When the entire town gets into the Regatta, it makes the experience great.”
Dennis said, “Madison feels just like home because the people there treat us like they know us.”

• For more on this team visit: www.roostertails.net.