Jet Boat Racing in Riggins Idaho. Every third weekend in April race boats hit the Salmon River. This event has been going on now for over 25 years. This was the first race of the 2009 jet boat racing season. Racers traveled as far away as Canada, Oregon, Washington, and California. The town of Riggins Idaho hosted a number of events that weekend. The had the annual BBQ, Toughman competition where anyone could get into the ring, put on a pair of boxing gloves and see who was the last person standing. The boats are made entirely out of aluminum. The engines range in horsepower from 360 horsepower to a whopping 600-800 horsepower. There speeds range from mid 80’s to over 100+ mph. The safety features on these boats include 5 point racing harnesses, rollbars that are made out of chromoly steel, Some boats even use halon extinguishers, The drivers arrive on Friday to preview the rivers and look for the fattest race lines possible. They are not allowed to do this in their race boats though. The racers must use a personal boat or get a preview boat to run the course. Drivers must also try to remember where those fastest race lines were come Saturday. When the races get under way these jet boat racers must run a total of six legs. Three of those legs are downstream and three are upstream. The racers do not race each other rather they are racing a clock to see who can get the best time possible. The boats are started in one-minute intervals, with the fastest boats leaving the starting line first. Each driver that completes a full leg down river or upriver receives leg money on top of the overall prize money for place first, second, third, and so on. It’s quit a weekend to experience watching the race boats tear through the Salmon River canyon, The food, and the overall weekend events.

A video for your enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJKa5fxele4