Debris was the only winner Saturday on the Ohio River. Not a single lap was completed for the Owensboro HydroFair, and after constant delays, the full slate of races for the day was canceled around 3 p.m. The event is supposed to resume Sunday at 10 a.m.
Saturday’s qualifying races were supposed to start at 10 a.m., but there was too much driftwood for any chance of that happening.
The 1.25-mile course was finally approved for racing just before 2 p.m. and it was announced boats were about to hit the water.
A buoy in the final turn then came loose, causing another delay.
During that time, drivers determined that while the course was cleared for racing, too much debris had collected in the area from the pits to the starting line.
More debris kept drifting downstream, and boats went back on the trailers.
“We can’t control the water, however, they had been working really well trying to keep this water in a good level,” Mayor Pro Tem Larry Maglinger said.
Then a small storm cell popped up, which would have led to an even longer wait.
Officials finally called off the Saturday races around 3 p.m.
Maglinger said that the setup team will start early Sunday morning to get the course set up and then start at 10 a.m. According to Maglinger, Race Director Randy Lientz said that all classes should get a chance to race.
All of qualifying and the championship races are now supposed to take place Sunday.
