LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- It’s the Silver Anniversary, 25 years of thrills. What was once the not-so-humble brainchild of local thrill seekers battling for bragging rights has evolved into an epic extravaganza under a cascade of international acclaim. The weeklong Lake of the Ozarks Shootout attracts the fiercest competitors in the U.S.A. and a three-mile flotilla of fans craving horsepower to the extreme.
“More million dollar hardware comes to town for the Shootout than any other place I have seen,” international powerboat racer Randy Scism testifies. Â
The event is hailed as the largest unsanctioned boat race in the United States, drawing top racers from all over the nation and Canada.
“Nothing compares to the LOZ Shootout. There are other events across the country that try to do the same type of speed run, but there is only one Lake of the Ozarks Shootout,” said European and U.S.A. World Champion Powerboat Racer Mike Fiore.
Before the Shootout’s advent, local boaters gathered in places like “Six-Mile Cove.” They would boast about speed, each confident his boat was the fastest. Drag boats and jet boats, flat bottom, inboard and V-drives—boat enthusiasts of all kinds tied up their boats and floated. The jawing would inevitably escalate into a race. A couple of boats would pair up to prove who really was the fastest. Surrounded by a cheering crowd, racers roared across the water.
But, the local guys wanted an organized race.
In 1989, The Shootout was born at Shooters 21.
Originally named The Lake Rescue Shootout, its organizers were Carmen Netoli, Fran Steingrubey, John Page, Kevin Hurtuibise, and volunteers. The classes opened to competitors of all kinds, a tradition kept alive to this day. Amateurs challenged professionals. Anyone could—and still can—vie to be immortalized as, “The Fastest Boat on Lake of the Ozarks.” Â
In the beginning the event lasted two days: Saturday for testing, Sunday for speed. Racers would run to the end of the course, turn around, and come back, with both runs timed. Only a few boats would top 100 mph. Since then, the race has become a two-day, one-mile, one-way, straight-course Shootout.
In 1995, under the leadership of Osage Beach Fire Protection District Fire Chief Jeff Dorhauer, the fire department officially took over the Shootout and the race was renamed the Governor’s Cup. In 1996, the Gravois and Mid-County Fire Districts joined Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach, and Lake Ozark Fire Districts in the volunteer effort. The event name was officially changed to The Lake Fire Rescue Shootout in 1997. Over the years, more fire departments, charities and deserving organizations came aboard as beneficiaries of Shootout funds.
“Every year on Sunday night we would be so exhausted we swore we would never do it again, but we always did,” Chief Dorhauer said. “I enjoyed the challenge... The hardest thing was having to walk away. Shooters 21 closed and it was demolished to build a subdivision. We had to find a new place for the race and I couldn’t be in charge anymore.” The Osage Beach Fire District’s emergency calls were skyrocketing: “I just couldn’t do both,” Dorhauer said.
In 2008, the Shootout took its final name as Ron Duggan took the helm. Dubbed the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, it was moved to Captain Ron’s Bar and Grill at the 34MM on the west side of the Lake. Since then, the event has grown to include 10 days of activities showcasing the entire Lake area with a poker run, street party, mini remote-controlled Shootout, golf tournament, PWC Dam Run, Stereo Shootout, auction, treasure hunt and volleyball tournament.
As the Shootout grew, so did the caliber of the boats in the race. Eventually, racers were soaring over 200 mph. Official speeds at the Captain Ron’s course have hit 208 mph. Dave Callan still holds the all-time speed record of 209 mph from the Shooters 21 course.
Success has been greatly attributed to a former local marina owner and world champion powerboat racer: the late Bob Morgan.
He raced in every Shootout, except one. Morgan’s relationship with powerboat racers posthumously stretches the globe. It is only fitting the race’s Silver Anniversary unveils the “Bob Morgan Memorial Hall of Fame,” complete with a statue of the Shootout Ambassador.
“Bob Morgan helped make the Shootout what it is today,” said Shootout Organizer Ron Duggan. “He is deeply missed by all of the Shootout family.”
Hall of Fame inductees include 24 years of Top Guns, Shootout class winners, and dignitaries. “The Hall of Fame is a tribute to those who put this in motion a long time ago and to those who continue to contribute to the Shootout’s success,” Duggan said.
Chief Dorhauer marvels at the growth of the event. “We just wanted to race. We never dreamed it would become what it is today,” he proudly marvels.
Duggan attributes the Shootout’s success and longevity to the race’s safety record, a credit to those who handle the race course, the fire district, Water Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, patrol boats, dive teams and helicopter pilots.
Powerboat racer Steve Tripp won the 2012 Shootout Top Gun in the MC1P1 class. “I have raced a lot of courses and the Shootout has a much better layout as far as the course, the docks and being able see the boats,” he said. “The course safety and crowd control is better than any place else we have been. There is nothing better than the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.”
Amidst the changes throughout the years, the Shootout stays true to its roots: funding local charities and fire districts.
“If it weren’t for the Shootout, our dive team would not be able to function,” said Mid County Dive Team Captain Jim Wilson. The cost of racing is significant, and there is no purse for the victor, other than the internationally coveted Top Gun bragging rights.
“The Shootout is all about raising money for water rescue equipment and for people who are less fortunate. That is what keeps the racers coming back year after year,” Duggan said.
In 2012, the Shootout donated $100,000 to selected charities and organizations, the most significant contribution in event history. In the five years since it has been relocated to Captain Ron’s on the west side of the Lake, the Shootout organization has donated more than $322,000 to Lake area charities.
In a gesture worthy of the Shootout’s epic scale, two anonymous men in 2012 paid $10,750 during the Charity Run to grab a ride in Randy Scism’s MTI. They roared at 138 mph down the racecourse. The most a Charity Run raised before that day was $1,200. “Those two guys really know what it’s all about. It’s going to some really great causes that help thousands of people; they understand this and they opened their hearts and their checkbooks and they made a really special donation,” Duggan said.
A record number of more than 100,000 fans witnessed the 2011 and 2012 Shootouts. Volunteer records were broke in 2012 as 569 volunteers donated 6,400 hours. Â
In 2011, for the first time in three years, a new champion was crowned. Canadian Bill Tomlinson and Ken Kehoe hit 208 mph in the turbine-powered “My Way.” The Mystic ran eight times, tying Dave Scott’s course record of 208 mph on three different runs.
In 2012, Greg Olson won Top Gun with his 192 mph run in “Fatal Attraction,” an Eliminator Daytona with twin 1,800 horsepower engines. “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Olson said to a cheering crowd, as he received the Top Gun trophy. World Champion Power Boat Racer Randy Scism said of Olson’s victory, “I love that the Shootout is a race anyone can enter, even non-professionals. I was glad to see Olson win last year. He is just an average Joe, who didn’t spend millions of dollars on his boat. I think the Shootout is spectacular in every way.” Â
There is a special camaraderie amongst Shootout racers. They clear calendars and drive the many miles to the races every year to enjoy the company of fans and racers in the relaxed Lake of the Ozarks atmosphere -- sharing a common bond.
Power Boating Canada writer Bob Brown experienced the Shootout for the first time in 2012 and may have scribed it best.
“If you are a high-performance boating enthusiast you might just think you have found the pearly gates to heaven. It’s a multi-million dollar chain of performance engulfed by a buzz of excitement.”
