Fall is quickly arriving and along with it, my favorite time of year for boating in the Southwest! Claudia and I have been enjoying our summer boating on Lake Mead and Lake Pleasant with trips with family and friends.

We have some super events coming up in the next couple of months. Starting with the DCB Regatta Sept. 27 and 28; we’ll be out to help sponsor the event and party with all our friends.

Lucas Oil Thunder

The next event is the Lucas Oil Thunder on the Lake Drag Boat Racing, Oct. 11 and 12. This will be the first time for this event in Havasu with a great location in front of Rotary Beach. Don’t miss it. Of course, at the end of October is our fifth annual Monster Bash Poker Run Nov .1 and 2.

I hope you've had a chance to see some of the great coverage this year’s Desert Storm has received in several magazines: Perfromance Boats and SpeedontheWater, as well as Poker Runs America [and Western Outdoor Times/Arizona Boating & Watersports]. Click on them for downloads!

You may have also seen the many YouTube videos and some wonderful galleries of photos by Jay Nichols of Naples Images and our own photographers Bill Griffin and Todd Taylor where I’ve posted at LakeRacerllc.com

Desert Storm 2014

Desert Storm planning for 2014 is well under way; we are planning some changes, such as a shortened poker run on Friday, with a lakeside concert and huge raft-up party that afternoon. We’re also doing away with the Poker Run Village and going back indoors with our awards banquet. Let me know what your thoughts are on 2014 and any suggestions you have.

Get Ready For Monster Bash!

We’ve been in Havasu recently, working on the upcoming Monster Bash event. It will have the favorite lunch run to Havasu Springs on Friday and the Poker Run on Saturday. Once again, the event is brought to you by Teague Custom Marine as our title sponsor! Please thank all of our sponsors, as the event couldn’t happen without them.

For the last two years, we have held an open house at West Coast Drives on the Thursday before the event. That has been a favorite meet and great spot as people roll into town.

This year we planned to have it at AJ Barrett’s new facility Barrett Custom Marine next to West Marine on Industrial. Due to Halloween’s falling on Thursday this year, many of you may plan on not arriving until Friday and we should forgo this open house this year. If you would, please RSVP and let us know which way to go.

Monster Grows

The Monster Bash Poker Run has grown into a great event and a major fun time for the last four years and I hope everyone will come back this year. If you want to come out, please register in advance to help me control the costs and ensure our ability to do it again!

(We are not including the Monster Bash Shootout again this year; it was fun, but too much work for the turnout. Don't forget to reserve your rooms at the Nautical Resort.)

The Saturday Costume Party is a blast and everyone dresses up, so get your thinking cap on; we want some great costumes! To all our Monster Bash sponsors, thank you so much for supporting our event.

Shootout Highlights

We want to extend our hearty congratulations to our DS alumni, Gary Smith and Vern Gilbert for a great run in the old Predator. With some modificatons to the hull and Vern’s Carson Brumett-built motors, she pulled 176 mph in the mile. Congrats also to Buck Stracener and John Caparell for wowing the crowd at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in August. They again ran up some very impressive speeds.

Desert Storm Tees

By the way, we had so many Desert Storm T-shirts left over I'm offering a $5.00 off special if you buy more than one shirt; that's two DS shirts for $30. Or mix em up! I also included the women’s shirts in the special if you missed getting some!

Just visit the LakeRacer Online Store and use the coupon code News913 for the discount.

For more information on any of the above, visit http://www.lakeracerllc.com or call (602) 578-5975 or e-mail jimn@lakeracerllc.com.