Roostertail Talk

Episode 122: Brent Hall, Part 1

July 16, 2024 • David Newton • Season 6 • Episode 10

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Brent Hall joins the podcast! Listen to part 1 of 2 as Brent talks with host David Newton about his racing passion and journey to be the first black qualified H1 Unlimited hydroplane driver. Last year proved to be challenging, but even without a boat this season, Brent’s commitment to creating unforgettable fan experiences and promoting hydroplane racing remains unshaken. Don't miss out on part 2 of this fascinating conversation, streaming next week!

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Speaker 1:

Rooster Tail Talk, the podcast dedicated to everything about the sport that we all love hydroplane racing. I am your host, david newton, and it's time once again, so sit back, relax and welcome. Rooster tail talk Kyle Talk. Hello race fans, welcome back to the podcast. It's episode 122 and July 16th 2024.

Speaker 1:

For this week's episode, I had the chance to talk with Brent Hall, and Brent Hall made a big splash last year in H1 as he was a driver of the 440 and almost became a qualified driver. He was very, very close and if he would have done so, he would have been the first black or African-American driver in H1. So last year Brent brought a lot of excitement to the sport because whenever we get a new driver, that's always fun and exciting. But he also brings much more to the table and I had a lot of fun because Brent actually came over to my house and we watched the Madison Regatta, the final heat, and he shared some insight with me on what he saw on the race course and it's great to get not only fans' perspective but a driver's perspective on what's going on on the water and you're going to hear some of that. And we talked about some of the new rules in H1, what it's going to mean for him to be the first black qualified driver in H1 history. But there's also a lot of the off-season work that he's done, as this year notably, he's not on the water, the 440 is not racing, so he's going to talk more about that 440 experience from last year, the last season on the water. But he's done a lot of work going to shops and going to visit hydroplane teams, but also seeing different boats and what options are out there so he can get back out there in his own program to race in the sport once again.

Speaker 1:

So let's get into it. Let's listen to the first part of my interview with Brent Hall. Well, joining me today we have high-end driver Brent Hall. How are you doing, brent?

Speaker 2:

Hey, doing great. We watched a great final heat, didn't we?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we just finished watching the Madison Regatta. Andrew Tate won. What are your thoughts on that race? It was amazing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he looked super fast. He's going to be a tough one to beat, but boy, it was just fun to see the new starting procedure and the amount of strategy that went into that. And then also the telecast. We can talk more about that, but I think there's some good things that I saw in the telecast and some growth that we're going to see.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, some exciting things happening in the sport. That new starting procedure, drivers. Now the 80-mile-an-hour rule is out. It's gone and they changed it around, so you have to be behind the starting line at 1 minute 30. Yep, and then is it entering the left turn? Is that when the lanes are locked?

Speaker 2:

now or is?

Speaker 1:

it exiting the left turn.

Speaker 2:

I believe it's entering, but we could double-check the rules, and that's what they've been doing a lot of, which is great.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, didn't see leapfrogs.

Speaker 2:

We saw some leapfrogs in Guntersville, but some interesting strategies in Madison, yeah and that's what is interesting about the rule, because it seems like the rule is consistent but it changes based on the course.

Speaker 1:

Oh definitely.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean Madison has much longer straightaways in those tighter corners. In Guntersville there was tons of room, but man, that corner is something else. So I think the leapfrog worked in Guntersville but people tried it in Madison and it didn't. So that was an aha for a lot of the drivers, I'm sure.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean such a dramatic, probably two extremes of course, is going from Guntersville wide, wide turns, fast course to probably the narrowest turns now on the circuit in Madison, Absolutely, Since Detroit's now on the circuit and everyone looked like a hero in Guntersville Everyone was fast, but didn't quite see that in Madison.

Speaker 2:

No, and you know I think that's the thing Like the South's fastest water. You hear them talk about that. It's true, and you know being out there in the 440 last year and getting a chance to see what that course is all about. Man, those corners are a dream, you know. You just put it through and just kind of watch, watch it go around. But you know the the 440 had some of its fastest laps there and that's where Dustin hit a 150. I think I hit a 148. So we know that water is fast, but boy Madison is definitely a challenging course for sure.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, those are impressive speeds with that little hull.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and you know I think that was fun for me. I wasn't sure where my skills would stack up and you know Dustin had two, three years in that boat and got to learn and that was my first year, but we sure tried. We had some gearbox challenges that made it, so we're not able to get that boat out this year. But hats off to that team. You know Kelly and everyone at Bucket List Racing man, they did an amazing job just trying to get that boat together. And, man, they did an amazing job just trying to get that boat together. And you have to understand that gearbox is custom because we were using a T53 turbine compared to the T55, which everyone else is using, and there's a couple of standard gearboxes that go with the T55 that we couldn't just drop into the 440. So you know we gave it a valiant try and now we're just looking to see what's next.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, I've heard teams before sharing gearboxes, but can't share.

Speaker 2:

I would have trust me. We would have asked hey, can I borrow that just for the weekend?

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

We would have asked, and there was, truly there was a lot of people that just wanted to help, and even some offers hey, do you need to get a lap in? It's not about that, really. For me, it's more about that, really. For me, it's more about I want to do it with either that team or that boat and then, if not that, then we figure out, well, what's next, and maybe get into a T-55 and see what that looks like.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, definitely. Well, I want to talk more about the 440. Sure, but we just watched that final heat.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So is there any other takeaways you have from that final?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean there was a lot, boy. We've got some really competitive boats and I think that's outstanding, and I think we all want to see the boat count continue to grow, and you and I both know there's some really nice boats out there that just need a little bit of TLC and some funding to get out. And so that's obviously what's on my mind, and love seeing the competitive heats. It's interesting. There was a video posted by Jared Meyer and it was talking about, I want to say it was probably back in the seventies and they were interviewing drivers and racers and Billy Schumacher was one of them and they were just talking about some of the other boats that were out there.

Speaker 2:

You know, today we've got all of the best boats, and that was five we saw today and we know there's a sixth that will be there and a couple more, a seventh and eighth. But you know you almost need your up and coming teams too, and so love to see us continue to grow that way as well. You know you won't, maybe, out of the gate, be that team that's, you know, winning every trophy. But just thinking where Miss Madison was compared to where they are today, it's amazing. Miss Madison used to be the team that you know was the underdog and everyone would cheer for them. And now, man, they're extremely dominant, number one, number two all the time, and it takes getting a chance to get your feet wet and then working over the years and all the work that Charlie Groom and that team did to build something great. You have to do that.

Speaker 1:

Oh, definitely that is an interesting thing to think about with the sport. I hear a lot of people say quality in the sport. Yeah, it's not about quantity right now, and that was something that the sport had for so many years. Quantity you'd be at seafair and there'd be 20 boats trying to get in the pits, but if you look around, most of them were were built in the backyard and there were people getting experience yeah those teams aren't around no, no it's all fast boats, it's all top quality, um, but we, but we do need those teams that to to get new drivers, new crewmen, new everything, to get some experience and build programs that's right.

Speaker 2:

That's right. Yeah, it's exciting, um to know that there's boats out there, and boy we, we looked at a lot of them over the off season yeah, let's talk about that.

Speaker 1:

yeah, yeah, sure, yeah, you were saying you, you went around, you've been looking at boats. Yeah, we've been looking at boats. You've been tired of staring at boats because you looked at so many boats Actually, never tired of staring at boats Never tired of staring, but I just want one that's in the water with my name on it again.

Speaker 2:

So that was really the focus and, yeah, obviously still very close with the bucket list racing team. You know, with the bucket list racing team we would love to have figured out the right way to bring in a second boat. That didn't happen, but there definitely are boats out there. Two years ago I went and looked at a whole bunch of boats in Detroit and that was amazing and Bartish, if you're listening, buddy, we need a couple of those boats out. We'd love to see it. And I was teasing him when I went out there I said "'Dude had all five of the boats that were in that heat so we would rattle them off the 13, the 57, the 2, the 7, and the 10. They were all in that same heat and I was just blown away to see all those boats and see all those boats in his shop. So there's some boats out there for sure.

Speaker 1:

How many does he have now in that shop?

Speaker 2:

Gosh. Well, I named those five and I think all those could be run.

Speaker 1:

I think all those could be run.

Speaker 2:

I think all those could be run, but I think there's others. And then he also has some real cool vintage stuff too, Like he has the Pay Impact Turbine in a different form, but it's the basic hull of the Pay Impact Turbine Definitely has some round nose hulls and I know his thought was to build like a museum over there too, like we have here.

Speaker 1:

I think he also has the U-95. Yep, the Circus, circus, cunard, yes, but I think he also has more current unlimited. Doesn't he have the Weber U-22?

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, the Webster's. Yeah, the Webster boats out there, yeah, so that's the other one.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so he has at least six boats. Six, yeah, so he could have bumped it up to 11 boats at Madison if he wanted to. Yeah, yeah, and there's a lot to it.

Speaker 2:

And I think that's what I'm learning. You know just how much goes into running a race team. So when I spent time in Kelly's team more in the day-to-day and getting the 440 ready, but then also the year before that being a part of marketing and sponsorship for Strong Racing there's a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of effort that volunteers and paid employees do to make that happen. So it takes a lot of money, yeah.

Speaker 1:

But you mentioned you went to Detroit. Yeah, looked at boats. Yeah, unfortunately, and the deal wasn't made. Yeah, what other options were out there for you? You've been looking at it. I know you've been busy last year or two.

Speaker 2:

And a lot of it. You know we've been working on trying to find the right sponsorship partner for us and you know I've done fairly well with sponsorship and had a great time with Boitano Homes. He just had his 70th birthday. We went to that. So, you know, consider any sponsor, one of my family members and you know this past year we were really looking for that, you know, high level sponsor to bring a full size team together and work with people like Steve Lamson man. He's amazing, the guy brought in Apollo, brought in Mercury Coffee, has brought in Beacon Pico well before that. So he is amazing at finding those sponsors and helping us get those. And we just didn't get quite the right packets together.

Speaker 2:

I know, from a sponsor's perspective one, you want to be associated with someone who's going to represent their brand well, no issues there. But you also want someone that's going to be super competitive out of the gate too. And uh, you know there's a lot, whether you're the driver, whether you're the team that gets you to that level. You know for someone to say, hey, I've got $40 million, I'm going to win, uh, everything. It just doesn't happen that way. Right, it doesn't. You got to have the know-how, you've got to have the right people. You've got to build the right team around you. Even though maybe it's not this year, we'll get there.

Speaker 1:

I imagine that's really hard to get a sponsorship when you don't have a boat yet either. It's hard to get a boat when you don't have a sponsorship.

Speaker 2:

That's a little bit like Don King trying to get hey, I've got Foreman and Ali and now I have $5 million, which he didn't really have and trying to put that together. Obviously not quite like Don King, because not the most honest man in the world, but it's more just. Yeah, you have to kind of pull it together and have people believe. And you know, I think there's a lot to believe in what I have done out on the race course and what I have done with the fans. I think that speaks for itself. Especially, you know, we make magic moments for fans when they come in.

Speaker 2:

And it could have been really easy to get down when my 440 was unable to run. But I was like, are you kidding, I've got a chance to be out here and speak to people able to run. But I was like, are you kidding, I've got a chance to be out here and speak to people. I remember I was on the radio station for Mercer Island High School and they interviewed me. I was part of the telecast for Seafair and added my input there, and then every other minute I was putting kids in the boat where I could, you know, obviously following the rules. But yeah, you, just you want to make magic moments for people wherever you can and in racing there is some dead time and where you can help. You know that's something I'm always going to do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a high need for drivers now. Sure, and I recall seeing a lot of social media posts when you were racing with 440. Yeah, and when you were not on the water, you were by the boat, but you were talking to fans.

Speaker 2:

That's right.

Speaker 1:

That's so needed.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I really had some extra support and that's part of going to be our package as we move forward. I work for Primera Blue Cross and they brought in a full production team to capture the behind the scenes and put together a recap video of my racing and I do think that kind of helps broaden the reach of our sport. And having those kind of communication and creating videos like that or public speaking like I did with the Blitter Ride and the Cancer Ride, those are all the off-season duties that, as a driver, you want to do as well. I just think about how much we want to blend the sport and cross-market it. I went to a Seattle Storm game. I got to see Kaitlin Clark play.

Speaker 1:

I was like wow that was amazing.

Speaker 2:

But one of the things that the Storm was doing was they had invited players from the Mariners, they had invited some Seahawks and there should have been a driver in there too. So next time, invite one of us too we know we'd love to be a part of it or we invite the storm. You know, I think those kind of partnerships just help build this amazing area that we call Seattle and our sports teams, and I really feel like hydroplane racing and seafarer is a big part of that.

Speaker 1:

Oh, no doubt. Yeah, it's some cross promotions, it's a part of sports. Um yeah, if you go to Mariners game sometimes you'll see the Seahawks player throughout the first pitch, storm player first throughout the first pitch. There's a lot of a lot of that going around, and that's right. We could use a lot of that in hydroplane racing.

Speaker 2:

We can. But also, too, when you look at the WNBA and how they're taking off and a lot of it, there's social media too. I mean the players today really understand social media and they leverage it. Their fans connect with them and feel extremely close to them and think about it. I mean I've joked about this before but what if Bill Muncy had a Facebook page? I mean, how before? But what if bill muncie had a facebook page? I mean, how cool would that have been to be able to talk with one of the best marketers in the world of the sport, uh, and be able to get, gain his insight or give him that kind of a platform.

Speaker 2:

well, we've got the platform oh yeah now it's just how do we use it right, exactly.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's part of it's a small drop in the bucket. That's part of the reason why I started this podcast yeah, to get more stories out there to the fans, because with a short season in the summertime, a lot of fans really want to hear more of the sport. I want to get those stories out to the fans that they can't always hear.

Speaker 2:

I'll just tell you I'm a big fan of this show. I listen to the different podcasts and you don't know how much I've learned just about different people and strategy, so please keep that up. Telling our stories is extremely important and I don't know if you hear it enough, but thank you.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, I appreciate that. Yeah, it's all for the fans. I want to help support where I can, so thank you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and also thank you for the tour. So I am a hydroplane geek at heart and David has a lot of models of some of my favorite boats and it was just really cool to see you know kind of the history of him and his dad and the boat racing that they had done and get to see that here. So again, thank you for welcoming me into your home and just letting me kind of see part of history.

Speaker 1:

Hopefully another race can come over and watch another Final Heat with me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I appreciate that. I have a few models out there over the years. One or two, Not too many right, yeah, yeah, well, awesome, going back to your details, for your trying to get back out there. Were there any other possibilities that you had? There are, I know you've got some you're not going to talk about. Yeah, there are.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there's a few that may be a little bit closer, and I'm one of those people don't ever want to jinx it. You want to make sure that we get it all nailed down and then when something officially is announced, then beautiful and boy. Steve Lamson and I we talk almost every other day about different sponsors, and you know he's always looking for someone new, and that's one thing I think you know. Whoever that sponsor is that ends up choosing me man, I will work so hard for them and in many ways I've done public speaking engagements. For Talking Rain. This year we did that during Black History Month as a part of their DEI promotion, and I just, you know I always look for opportunities to talk to people, and my son, actually, he has come with me a couple times too. We have spoken at different youth events and want him to, you know, learn how important it is to be out there in the community as well, and he's not a bad little racer either, so that's pretty cool yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's fun that you share that passion with your son. Yeah, and you can do that with him. But it's such a high need for any driver in the sport. As you think about other sports and the players, athletes, drivers, it seems like they all give back to the communities that they live in and other communities, but also their culture as well. That's right and it's a huge part of it's a need for the sport that we have.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'm a student. I watch other sports, other drivers, awards, speeches, you name it. I am always watching and looking and then definitely a student of our sport too and like what's going on. And you know I still race in, uh, the tunnel hall class. So even though I'm not getting out in the uh the h1 this year, you know definitely still trying to keep my feet wet there. Obviously any inboard racing that I can do, I try and fit that in as well. But yeah it's. You know a lot of these top drivers are getting race time every weekend and you know, I know I'm not the fourth generation racer and that's okay, but you know, definitely learn and grow big on data.

Speaker 2:

So I think that's one of the things that people don't get to see is how much data is involved with boat racing. I mean there's we call it race pack and you and that tells you your speed, tells you the temperature of the gearbox, you name it. I mean there's a lot of different metrics there or where your front wing is at, and those are things that help someone who maybe hasn't had as much seat time just learn and grow. Yeah, yep, and I really look into that, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so much to look into, um every aspect of the of the sport. Well, looking forward to seeing you in a hydroplane sometime soon.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was a joke that we're gonna see you in a couple weeks and in in a seat right well, hey, you know, stranger things have happened, but at this point in time, yeah, you and I might be sitting on the shore, but that's okay. And again, I think one of the things that I realize is just what an opportunity it is to be in one of the seven or eight seats in the world, and I've said that before, and even though maybe I'm out of that seat this year, just having had the opportunity, some people might think, oh, why'd you even do that? Well, you know, actually, I probably wouldn't be talking to you today if I hadn't, you know, if I hadn't have taken a chance and if Kelly hadn't have taken a chance on me. Maybe it didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted, but the amount of press and the amount of just my story being shared has really gotten out there and is at least getting people to think about me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, let's talk more about that. The 440 experience.

Speaker 2:

Yeah sure, the 440 experience. I like it, I like it.

Speaker 1:

So how did that come about, the 440?

Speaker 2:

experience, yeah, yeah. So I talked to Kelly a couple years before and he was like hey, it's just not ready, it's not.

Speaker 2:

And you know I knew he had, the team had had challenges with the gearbox before and they really wanted to focus on the 40. Dustin was just moving over into the 40. So definitely that's where the focus needed to be. And but there was still this opportunity where, you know, he, he and I talked again and actually even back up a little bit and just say who brought it up in the first place? And actually, tom, the uh, the crew chief of Graham Trucking. Oh yeah, tommy Anderson.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he right yeah he and I were just chatting and he said, man, brent, you just need to get your name on a boat, go out and get some laps. And you know, hey, if it, hey, if it's the 440, just go do that. And I was like, ah, yeah, you know, and I knew Kelly was worried about it before, but you know, tom had kind of given me that nudge and I was like, all right, well, let me, let me call. And so I called and we met uh at a Mexican restaurant, kelly, taylor and myself and uh talked about you know, hey, we could do this. Here's what it would look like.

Speaker 2:

And obviously first priority is the number one vote, which I totally understood. But you know, we like what you've done, we'd love to give you a chance. And you know, let's see what we can do. And that's really how it started. And then, boy, the team just welcomed me with open arms, like I, that is still family to this day, and, you know, sharing in their special sandwiches for everyone. I mean, it's just, you know, just the, the way the team comes together. And you know, I never knew orange was going to be one of my favorite colors, but yeah, hey, now it is, because just what it means being a part of that team.

Speaker 1:

yeah, well, that's. That's a very special team, it seems. The Stockland seemed very inviting and it's more of more than friendship it is. It's a very, very much of a closeness and almost a family feel.

Speaker 2:

It really is. I mean, they took us out for the holiday boat tour on Lake Union in our boat and you know, had the heater out there, gloves gloved up was really cool. And then Dustin has been quite the teammate. Just hey, you know, whatever you want to learn, no animosity. Just you know, get in here, sand on some stuff, do what you can do, and uh, you don't always experience that, so just really appreciated the open door.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, well, I was very excited when you're announced to drive, you bring something to say well, table that the sport very much lacks, right? Sure, so there's not really any diversity in the sport, and I just a lot of things with the sport of hydrogen racing because I have such a passion for that and a passion for teaching. I usually kind of analyze both of them together. Sure, it just makes me think of, in my classroom, a very diverse group of students that I teach. Yeah, Not really one group that stands out above another, but when I think about the different cultures and races in my classroom, a lot of the students don't really see themselves represented in the classroom. Yeah, I call it what it is.

Speaker 1:

There's a lot of white teachers at my school and we don't seem to bring in many other cultures into the profession, for whatever reason that may be. But students might go three years through middle school and not see themselves represented in their teacher, whether that's female or male or black, hispanic, whatever culture that is. And I just feel like you bring something to the table here female or male or black, hispanic, whatever culture that is and I just feel like you bring something to the table here. You're almost the first qualified driver as a black person. Yes, it didn't quite happen, but you're going to get there, you're going to have that happen and I just feel like that would open up so many doors for the sport. I just imagine, if I was a different culture, a different race, that if I'm not seeing myself in the sport, maybe I'm not drawn to it as much. Sure, and we've had some female drivers, you know, come out before Brenda Jones back in the early 80s she raced Kaylee Perkins, I was there.

Speaker 1:

I know there were some others that tried to make it happen but for whatever reason it didn't happen. But that tried to make it happen, but for whatever reason didn't happen, sure, but I just see such a big impact on the sport. What does this all mean to you, in your mind?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and first just thank you for even thinking about it. It may not always cross people's minds and that's okay, but just know there are kids out there looking and seeing hey, is there anyone out there that looks like me in a boat? And it happened for me when I was probably 35, 36, and I saw Harold Mills in unlimited light and I had no idea there was an African-American or black driver in the sport at all. And then Skip Young said hey, how would you like to meet Harold Mills? I was at a RC demo at Taste. And then skip, uh skip young said hey, how would you like to meet harold mills?

Speaker 1:

I was at a rc demo at taste and erase.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, hey, man, you don't have to ask me twice, let's go. And so I followed him. Uh, I followed him to go meet harold. And you know, harold was smart because he gets a lot of people's I want to drive. He's like, okay, well, let's see what you're really made of. And so I said, hey, I'd love to do anything, crew, for you. Wipe down the boat, I don't care, just give me a chance and I'll prove it to you.

Speaker 2:

And he kind of looked me up and down, but I kept calling. I kept calling. I was like, hey, I really want to support you. And he realized that and saw the, the, the capability in me and gave me a chance. Um, but that year he was the first person to be on the podium at seafair in an unlimited light, and I was honored to be a part of history there. And I still have the picture to this day. And, um, you know, so that means a lot, and for me to see him out there meant well, maybe, maybe I could do it too. But it didn't come across that way the very first time.

Speaker 2:

It was more I just want to figure out how to help him, and I knew I was good at marketing and sponsorship so maybe what I could do is be his marketing guy, um, you know, find a sponsor for him to get into an unlimited. But he retired that next year. So I was like, oh no, well, maybe I just need to do a fundraiser for kids. I think we raised like four grand for uh, friends of the children and I got out in a boat and harold was on the radio yeah, that was.

Speaker 1:

It was a fun experience. I was much younger then, but I remember my dad was crew chief of the silverlar casino and he had some laps in there, that's right. Unfortunately he didn't get to fully qualify as a driver. Ken had a pretty nasty accident in tri-cities that's right um, he got quite a few laps in. I I'm trying to remember. Did he get to run one one of the heats?

Speaker 2:

he did.

Speaker 1:

No, that was just maybe it's just morning, qual or?

Speaker 2:

testing.

Speaker 1:

He got to do the testing and I remember him going out there and he was running some laps with other boats out there. It wasn't just qualifying.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, some of us have been morning testing yeah, it was testing and you know we've kind of talked through this too, because you always want to understand like, hey, if he, if he's already done it, man thumbs up because I'd love to be the second behind him, um, but what we've always talked about is, hey, he took it 90 of the way. You know he was a national champion in two and a half mod. He's been, you know, a decorated driver and unlimited lights, and you know I'm building my, my reputation too, but you know, he really paved the way and if I get to do it then I get to just take it over the finish line. But he did a lot the a lot of the hard work getting us there and then what I hope that does is it opens up eyes for other kids, or maybe even my son someday if he wants to race.

Speaker 2:

But it is nice to see someone out there that looks like you in a boat but at the same time, you know that's not the only story here. You know, obviously my job is to be a good driver and not to screw up and and to be a good marketer and be someone who's a great ambassador for the sport and that, you know, hopefully, is colorless. I just want to make sure that when people meet me, they're like, wow, that's someone I want to get to know, or that's someone I look up to, or wow, he really made me feel great. And now, because I met Brent, now I'm really excited about the racing, racing hydroplanes or being a fan of hydroplanes or just following the sport, so I hope that's what I bring. Yep, it would be amazing to to hit that, and you know, I think boat racing has been around for I know it's 120 plus years, and to be the first, that would be an absolute honor.

Speaker 1:

But there's a lot more I want to do as well, and that would be one of the things I'd be extremely proud of, though, yeah, yeah Well, seeing all the social media posts and seeing you at Seafair and other races, you have that part on the beach down which gets you back in the boat and you can take care of the rest, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I think that's what people need to understand. Like, yeah, it's yeah a. I'll give myself an a minus on that. I I do understand how to connect with people, it's what I do for work and, uh, that's important. But just know you don't just jump into one of those boats and become like a top driver. There's so much that goes into that and reflexes and skill and muscle memory that I'm having to learn and so every time I go out there, I'm risking my life because we're going extremely fast. But at the same time, man, I've always had great coaches or always had good people around me. You have a radio person in your ear, that kind of helps. But as the driver, it's your job to make sure that you don't screw up. And I heard that from chip hannah or it was at the museum. They had a. It was like a hydro 101, and that was the first thing he said was hey, my job as a driver is not to screw up, and that really stuck with me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah yeah, yeah, it's a. It's a steep learning curve. You make a, a small mistake that can cost, uh, thousands and thousands of dollars.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, absolutely, and I think that's one of the things about today too, that we're all so happy. All the boats are intact, a lot of great racing, a lot of hard racing, some close calls, but everyone gets to go home and work on just making it that much better for Tri-Cities in Seattle and and then the gold cup in san diego yeah, it's the first time.

Speaker 1:

Well, I I don't remember the last year, it was that, at least from what we saw, unless there was something that catastrophic we didn't see. But uh, we have six boats that are healthy coming west.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, cities, so yeah yeah, and I think madison did an amazing job. I know that's a tough race course just to police from debris and things like that. I know they moved the course to make that turn one a little bit smoother and it seemed like that worked too. I really thought it was a great event. I was listening to it in the car, listening. I was only listening, and then I think Brad Lewis yelled. He said Corey hooked and I was like, oh man, I almost turned my car Cause I'm I, I I care about the sport and the people in the sport and man, you just don't want to see anything go wrong. So glad everyone made it through the weekend.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's, that's um kind of a notorious place. That can happen, but it looks like Madison pulled off a great race and he really did a lot to keep it safe for the drivers. Well, listeners, that's all the time we have for this week. I hope you enjoyed part one of my talk with Brent Hall. It's great talking with Brent. Really enjoyed having him over at the house and hanging out with him for the afternoon and love just talking with someone who is so passionate about the sport. You can really hear that in his answers and his talks. He's super passionate about hydroplane racing and excited for him to be back on the water once again.

Speaker 1:

Well, don't forget, next week we have part two. It'll begin streaming 5 am Pacific Standard Coast time on July 23rd. Listeners, don't forget we're on social media. You can see us on Facebook, Instagram. You can check us out on our website, roosterteltalkcom. We've got a lot of fun stuff coming up this next month or two. We're going to have the Columbia Cup. We've got Seafair on the horizon, Lots of racing on the water, Beautiful weather outside. So I guess there's nothing else to say but hope to see you at the races.