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INSANITY (Ken Arnott)
For me personally, this boat (although it was in its former ‘INSANE’ livery at the time) is one of the major reasons I now suffer from what others may call an obsession with Blown Alcohol Displacement ‘BAD’ Boat racing. A few decades ago, as an 8 or 9 year old, watching Frank Lenzi’s INSANE boats at the old Jane Eliza site at Renmark left an un-erasable impression in my young brain and I have been a Blown Boat junkie ever since. For that I say thank you!
After the Sprint Auto Parts Dorwin Gold Cup meeting in April, Ken Arnott announced that 'INSANITY' had run her last race and would be retired from competition. However out of respect for his home club and no doubt partly in honour of this great racing machine, Ken has decided that the Showdown is reason enough to dust the old girl off for one last hurrah! So, like something out of the latest 'Rocky' movie, this old warhorse returns to the 'ring' for one last crack at the big time and the ‘young guns’ that now dominate the water that she once owned.
In recent years, the team (or the 'Mob' as they are affectionately known) have put more and more horsepower into the engine in an effort to keep pace with their younger, stronger opposition and it was probably against their better judgement given the age of the hull. However, true to the legend that this boat has become in Adelaide, the boat has handled everything that they could throw at her and together with past regular steerer - Neil Laundy (a Legend in his own right in Adelaide) they continually finished big races in higher placing’s than a lot of people probably expected.....Ken, Neil and 'The Mob' included.
For the Showdown, Ken will be doing the driving and he has already admitted that they will not be pushing the old girl as hard as they did at the Dorwin having recently 'taken out' some of that extra horsepower they have added over the years. Nevertheless, I would expect that pride alone will see Ken and INSANITY push as hard as they dare in an effort to give their Adelaide 'faithful' something to cheer about and I hope that all BAD Boat fans at the Showdown do just that.....give this team a huge cheer every time they hit the water and an especially loud and long cheer when they return to the ramp for the last time on Sunday. To finish, I can't think of any better stage than the Showdown...in Adelaide... for INSANITY to finally bid farewell! I especially look forward to Ken and INSANITY’S ‘HOT LAP’ on Sunday morning where they will again have the Adelaide course, the scene of many of her victories, all to themselves.
Who knows; this could be a fairytale in the making! Sure your head says NO and the team are talking down their chances, but your heart hopes that on Sunday afternoon, August 16th, there is 'something special' left in the tank of this Adelaide Speed Boat Club 'Legend'. Maybe not a win, but a finals appearance would be a fitting finale’ to a wonderful piece of Adelaide and Australian BAD Boat racing history.
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B.A.D Boat SHOWDOWN details
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