Leaving foes in the wake

CELINA - Scott Anderson got his first taste of hydroplane racing watching the Governor's Cup Regatta on Grand Lake.

Never did it occur to him that he would one day be part of a national championship team.

The Celina resident was a driver for Team Newman's "Sum Toy IV" National Modified Hyrdoplane owned by Tom Newman from East Liberty, which is east of Bellefontaine.

"It's always neat to be able to perform at this level," said Anderson. "In a couple of months, I'm going to be 60 years old. It's a pretty cool deal."

Anderson, a fan of motorsports, got his entry into the hyrdoplane racing while volunteering for the Governor's Cup Regatta starting in 1995.

"I was always out with the racers and watching the racers," Anderson said."It was something different from your normal motorsports and very exciting. I thought it would be cool to be able to drive one but never thought it would happen.

"I started working (at the Regatta) in the tow boats (which pulled boats that had mechanical failure back to shore). For me, at that time, it was the second-best seat in the house, with the best seat in the boat."

The chance to drive a boat came when Regatta board member and Celina City Councilman Myron Buxton purchased a boat

"He bought a (2.5-liter stock) and we campaigned with that for a few years," said Anderson. "I knew Tony Black, who drove for Tom Newman, in passing. In 2014 he built a new boat. By talking to Tony, I knew he would be at Rocky Fork in southern Ohio to get some laps. I went down to watch anyway, and I hung around the team. Through the winter, Tom asked if I would travel with him the next year, and I jumped at the chance. Both Tony and Tom have won championships, and it was a great team. It would help me learn some things that I could do with Myron's boat, but I could see other race sites and see how they compare with Celina's."

Anderson worked on the boats during the 2015 season and had a few chances to drive an older boat. Newman sold the older boat in 2016 with Anderson getting a chance to drive through 2016 and 2017.

Driving the National Modified boat, which can reach speeds of 150 mph, was a world of difference from the smaller boat he had driven for Buxton.

"The sound of the V-8 motor is different from the other classes," Anderson said. "Just the speed is pretty exciting. … To be honest, going from Myron's 2.5 stock, which goes 75-80 miles per hour, going up to 150 is pretty intimidating. I'm still getting used to it."

This past season, Newman began rotating Anderson and Black in the driver's seat,

"Typically, I go to the qualifier to get us to the final and Tony will drive the final," Anderson said. "I've driven in a few finals. Tom decides (the lineup). Sometimes I'll drive the qualifier for testing if we have a new (propeller) or something we've reworked and I'll give my feedback to Tony. We can take a chip out of the boat and it will tell the details (of how the boat is running)."

Whoever was driving the combination clicked. "Sum Toy IV" finished the season with 968 points, more than 400 points ahead of the runner-up.

"I don't think we finished lower than second in any of the races we attended," Anderson. "At the last race at Hampton, Virginia, at the Summer Nationals, we won everything there. That helped us with the points for the national championships.

"The competition is so good. There's so many good boats and drivers out there. The cool part about (hyrdoplane racing) is teams have helped us, and we've helped other teams. When I raced with Myron, other teams would bring parts that would help run better. To share info and parts, I don't think that happens in other sports. It's really unique."

Anderson is definitely ready for another season of racing to get underway.

"Our first race is in March down in Lakeland, Florida. It's going to be a long winter for me because I can't wait to get back at it," Anderson said. "I learn more and more. Tom raced for years and Tony has been driving for 30 years. They're used to it. They've won multiple championships. This is my first one."