Boat Racing: Schiller wins IHBA World Finals

Gardnerville resident Mike Schiller didn't make a lot of stops on the International Hot Boat Association pro-eliminator circuit this year, but he made the most of the trips he did take.

"I only went to the season-opener, Red Bluff and the finals," Schiller said. "It was a pretty light year."

At the end though, it was Schiller standing on top of the podium at the IHBA Coors Light World Finals in Phoenix.

Schiller claimed his second title at the World Finals, rising to the top of a field of 27 boats in the fastest sportsman class " generally considered to be the class that draws the highest number of entries.

The Pro Eliminator class is run on an 8-second index, meaning that boats must complete the quater-mile course as close to 8 seconds as possible without coming in under that time.

A 7.99-second run would lose to an 8.00-second run.

At the World Finals, 20 boats out of 27 qualfied between 8.00 and 8.10 seconds.

Schiller qualified first on Friday but qualified third on Saturday with an 8.007.

Because he had less support from sponsors this year, he found himself working as a literal one-man crew when he showed up in Phoenix.

"I was my own mechanic, and I was out there having to take my motor apart several times," Schiller said. "I drove up to the staging ramps by myself and just tried to find someone to back me into the water and pick me up on the other side."

Schiller enlisted the help of Dan Colgate, who won the Jet Ski championship earlier in the weekend.

"He helped me all weekend," Schiller said. "My son came down and drove the truck on Saturday and Sunday, so it worked out."

With eliminations starting on Saturday, Schiller easily took the first-round victory with a run of 8.004 seconds.

He matched up against the points champion for the year Sunday morning and took the win as his opponent had boat problems.

In the semifinals, Schiller's Centsless 302 boat went up against the Out Of Trace Hydro and Schiller won by 0.11 seconds.

Schiller went into the final against the Texas boat and took the win for his second world finals win.

Schiller, who owns Golden Nugget Automotive, said he was grateful for his remaining local sponsors " John and Sandy of Auto Parts Depot. His crew during the season was made up Renee Haskell and JJ Schiller.

The next step, Schiller said, would be to move up to the pro class.

"I'm looking to move up and buy a new boat," Schiller said. "Trying to get sponsorships at the level I'm competing in now is very tough. Local sponsors are the ones who keep you afloat.

"When you step up to the national pro level, you can go after corporate

sponsorships because you are on television. The Speed Channel is running IHBA stuff every Saturday morning for the next seven weeks. It's a different market."

As such, Schiller said he's spent time simply just trying to get his name out there so he can learn how to best promote himself and his boat.

"It's not fundraising anymore," he said. "It's literally selling advertising."

He got an unexpected boost earlier this summer when he had a chance to open his boat up for a flat out run on Irvine Lake in California. The run was videotaped and posted on YouTube.com under the heading "Blown alcohol hydro", where it's drawn more than 20,000 views since June.

He has also taken to promoting through his Web site, www.centsless302.com, and has become a popular figure on the IHBA circuit. He will be writing several guest columns for drag boat publications in the coming months.

"I want to keep going with this as long as I can," Schiller said. "I'm getting to be a better driver and I love the mechanical side of it. I just want to do everything possible to get my name out there."

For more information on Schiller's Centless 302 racing team, call 782-6596.