Upland’s Carter Read Sets Speed Record in Springnationals of Drag Boat Racing

Carter Read of Upland, driving the New York Seltzer boat, set an International Hot Boat Assn. speed record Sunday at the group’s Springnationals at Puddingstone Lake.

Read’s mark of 155.70 m.p.h. was set in the blown supercharged (alcohol flat-bottom) class. He combined his speed with an elapsed time of 7.201 seconds for the quarter-mile.

In the top fuel hydro class, Tom Black of La Habra downed defending TFH champion Ron Braaksma with an elapsed time in the quarter-mile of 5.325 seconds. Braaksma had a faster speed of 209.79 m.p.h., but was not as quick with an elapsed time of 5.479 seconds. Black’s speed was 205.01 m.p.h.

In the blown hydro alcohol shoot-out, Steve Varner of Riverside beat Gary Kincaid of LaVerne. Varner was clocked in 5.914 seconds with a speed of 172.74 m.p.h. to Kincaid’s 6.298 seconds and speed of 174.41 m.p.h.