Relive the 1960s in ‘Dragon Days, ‘ when hydroplane racing topped Seattle’s sports scene and Miss Bardahl was the queen of the fleet. Go behind the scenes to learn what the owners, drivers, crews, boat builders, and their families risked for racing glory. The story takes you from Seattle to Detroit to Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Coeur d’Alene, the Ohio and Potomac rivers, and points between. Learn how Bardahl’s implausibly young crew infused the sport with innovations and fussy quality control that gave Bardahl its winning edge. You’ll soak in baby-boomer nostalgia recounting world events and pop culture that stirred the times. You’ll learn how Miss Bardahl later was ‘lost’ for years, found, rescued, restored, and now casts roostertails skyward in exhibition races. The Green Dragon roars again! ‘Dragon Days’ is written in an active, lively style. It’s the equivalent of a 490-page paper book with 402 photos, most in full color.
Tabella dei contenuti
Foreword
Introduction
Hydrospeak: a mechanical primer for laypersons
1. Beginnings
2. The core crew: Bardahl’s family tree
3. Building a better Bardahl
4. Racing and the new-boat blues
5. Miss Bardahl redo
6. Routine, rigor, and Thousand Island
7. Musson strikes gold
8. If you can’t win, be spectacular
9. Thriftway passes the torch (or Bardahl steals it)
10. Dollars and sense
11. It’s about corners, not chutes
12. Breaking, learning, innovating, and The Checklist
13. She has a great personality
14. Ron Musson, the person
15. New boats, new players
16. By the slimmest of margins
17. ’Never been so embarrassed’
18. Back on top
19. Harnessing nitrous
20. New and improved: the cabover cometh
21. Tricks and innovations
22. Recommissioning the Dragon
23. Three Gold Cups
24. Green roostertails
25. Tahoe Miss regains her stride
26. Exiting in a blaze of glory
27. Reflecting on excellence
28. Finishing the cabover
29. Black Sunday
30. The Checkerboard Comet
31. Lost: Miss Bardahl hydroplane
32. Finding the Dragon
33. First a facelift, then a rebirth
34. The Dragon roars again
35. Completing the puzzle, extending the legacy
36. Postscript: Long may you run
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
About the author