Drag Boat Updates 2007
December 30th, 2007
Hi All
It’s John from Little Johns Motorsports.
It is needless to say, that there is no racing news right now.
We have some routine maintenance to do, and a backup motor to build, as we can
afford. But all and all, we are ready to go.
What I would like to do in this note, is say a special thank you to our
sponsors for 2007.
Anne’s Signs and Lewis Boats
If you have seen our trailer and boat, the professionalism, and detail speaks
for itself.
Anne can handle your lettering needs, no matter what the size.
St. Charles Boat and Motor
The people there have helped us in so many ways; it is tuff to name them all
Ward Tools
Trailer parts, bolts, tie downs, etc. They have, or can find, anything you
might need.
Riverbills.com
There is not much I can say, but Thank You my friend.
Chiropractic Center of St. Peters.
John Spraul has worked hard in the pits, and in the office, to keep us in
shape.
Stefaninas Pizzeria and Restaurants 636 272 3499
Again, a lot of help in many ways
The Law Firm of Thompson & Young 314 436 9603
These people set up my corporations to keep our team legal
They are also THE BEST DWI defenders in St. Charles Co. and St. Louis Co. you
can find. (Handy piece of information there)
Darryll Weil
Darryll makes us so very proud of our website.
C & C Electric of Augusta Ga.
A special thanks to Alex.
His company was a local sponsor in Augusta.
He then flew to Phoenix to help crew for us at the world finals.
I probably need to give a special thanks to the people at Orchard Farm School
Dist.
Ashly, and Jordan were given time in a couple situations, to get away and go
race.
Also, Ashly’s sports coaches were a great help in getting muscles toned in the
areas she needed to do her job right, and in a safe manner.
Last, but not least
I would like to welcome our newest sponsor
J.B. Fence LLC of Fenton Mo. 314 330 5811
In the 2008 season, you will see a lot of Joe Boyer
Their work is second to none.
In closing, I think you can see, by reading this, that we have no big money
sponsors.
BUT, We so appreciate the help of the people named above.
We are #3 nationwide in our first season, and very proud of it.
If you, or your company might have a way of helping our team, no matter how
small.
Please look at our website, and let us know.
The Family and Team of Little Johns Motorsports
www.LITTLEJOHNSINC.com
December 6th, 2007
Hi All Its Little John I apologize for taking so long to report in after the world finals, but I have been pretty busy licking my wounds. The down side to this report is, that after spending an incredible amount of money on a new and bulletproof engine, we ran .003 (that is three thousands of a second) too fast in the first round of eliminations, and our race was over. Let me explain what I feel are some of the reasons. First, we are dealing with more power than we ever dreamed of. Second, on our day of testing, it was windy and rainy, Ashly made every pass that she could, to get the engine broke in. On the second pass, she had to back out to maintain control in the wind, (she nearly took out a track marker) once under control, she was right back in the throttle again. That showed me more common sense, and skill, than a few heroes who thought they could make it, AND LOST THEIR BOATS Third, in QUALIFING A perfect pass, in our class, is a 10.000 We ran a 10.008. and were third place (there were two 10.001s) There were also 30 boats in our class. With a pack that tight, we had to push the limit. In that tune up, I thought we had a little forgiveness, but the engine just keeps getting stronger. SOMETIMES YOU THE WINDSHIELD SOMETIMES YOU THE BUG Although, we are disappointed about the finals, Little Johns Motorsports did not do badly. We are High Point Champion in KDBA We are #3 in SLDBA We are #3 in IHBA For the 2007 season, with the setbacks that we had, we had a great season in our first year. Now, I would like to share in how the trip went. Keith, Teri, and Casey Ruf took one rig, and I took the other. We left on Sat, allowing plenty of easy traveling, with Teri on board, and still be in Phoenix by Wed. My Terrie, Ashly, Jordan, and Dona Spain flew out on Wed. night to meet us at the track. With work, and school, that was the only option. Their plane tickets were one way, so they could come home in the rigs, on Thanksgiving week. We left the track on Monday morning for two days of camping in Salt River Canyon, buried deep in the mountains of Arizona. NO TV, NO PHONE SERVICE, NOTHING BUT BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY On Tues., we made Thanksgiving Dinner. Deep Fried turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, the whole deal. All this was done right at the waters edge of The Salt River. Please keep in mind, that Teri Ruf now has about 90% of her eyesight back There are many pictures, but to see what she saw, and to be with her whole family IT WAS A GOOD THANKSGIVING When we left the canyon, it was 82 degrees; we woke up the next morning in 4 inches of snow. The trip home was slippery, but safe. The Team and Family of Little Johns Motorsports
click here for a picture of Ashley competing at Phoenix
November 10th, 2007
Little John's Motorsports Drag Boat Team is headed to the 25th Annual Coors Light IHBA World Finals at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix Arizona November 15th thru 18th, 2007. Check back here for updates to see how Ashly and Kwitchabitchin are doing. They are currently in 2nd Place in IHBA Division 3 and 7th Place in IHBA Division 2 Mod Eliminator class.
October 13th, 2007
click here to see picture of the blown engine
September 4th, 2007
The Family And Team Of Little Johns Motorsports
August 29th, 2007
The Family And Team Of Little Johns Motorsports
August 19th, 2007
August 13th, 2007
August 5th, 2007
Its Sunday night, and we just got home.
Ashly Ruf, of Little Johns Motorsports, Took First Place this weekend at
Ky. Lake.
We were in third place in
KDBA standings, We should now be High Points Champion for 2007
It has been a hard weekend, but I am so proud of my family and team.
Everyone gave 200%
We all have to work this week, but we will be in Evansville Ill. next
weekend Aug, 11th and 12th
It is about an hour and a half from Woodland, where we live.
This race is for points in
SLDBA, Currently, we are in 4th,
Lets try to get some people out to cheer us on, and watch the show.
Maybe we can keep this roll going, and change that to #1
The Family And Team Of Little Johns Motorsports
July 23rd, 2007
August, Georgia
Ashly qualified 2nd in Kwitchabitchin and then went on to take 2nd Place in the finals at the Southern Nationals in Augusta, Georgia. We are now headed to Gadsden, Alabama for the NDBA Division 4 and IHBA Nationals / Division 1. Congratulations to Ashly and wish us luck in Gagdsen!
The team and family of Little Johns Motorsports
July 17th, 2007
click here to see a picture of the new motorhome
Our new rig is loaded and
ready to go.
We are leaving on Wed. for Augusta Ga.
We race there on Fri. ,Sat., and Sun.
We are then going to Charleston SC. for a couple of days on the ocean,
and then have to be in Gadsten Alabama the following Thurs., for racing
Fri. Sat. and Sun
We will be out about 10 days on this trip.
Ashly, and the boat are the best they can be.
Right now, we are #2 in the nation in
IHBA
div.2
and div. 3
On this trip, it will be myself, Terrie, Ashly, and Jordan, OUR PLATE WILL
BE FULL.
We are planning for Keith and Teri to hook up with us in Gadsten, but 10
days our for Teri is a little too
long at this point.
Teri is doing great, and better every day. But let's not push it.
Please get the word out, the support from home really helps
The team and family of Little Johns Motorsports
June 3rd, 2007
Kentucky Lake Race
May 7th, 2007
I know it has been a while since you have heard from us, but until now, we
have been unsure of a lot of directions.
There were about three days, in our team and family, of unknowing whether
Teri was dead or alive.
After the heart wrenching devastation, of other people so very close to
us, we are calling Teri Ruf’s brain aneurysm a nasty INCONVENIENCE.
WE WILL RACE.
ASHY RUF WILL DRIVE KWITCHABITCHIN.
TERI RUF WILL BE THERE TO CHEER ASHLY ON.
In three months time, Teri has done remarkable, she still has her work cut
out for her, for total recovery, but we all know that if anyone can, it
will be Teri.
It is completely overwhelming, to me, to be able to make that statement.
Now let’s get down to business.
Our season will start with a television interview with Ashly, at Little
Johns, on May 12th, by St. Louis Motor Sports Review.
On May 19th and 20th, will be racing on Lake Wappapello in Poplar
Bluff Mo.
On May 26th, we will have
Little Johns Hog Roast
On June 2nd and 3rd, we will race on Ky. Lake
On June 9th and 10th, will be racing in Creve Coeur Mo.
(Click here for the complete 2007
schedule)
I know the Con Trios Champagne Brunch is on Sunday, but you can see us on
Sat.
After our INCONVENIENCE, our budget is on the thin side, but we will GET
‘ER DONE
If anyone would like to help in any way, or simply follow what we are
doing, please email us at
littlejohnsinc@aol.com
LJ
click here to see a picture of Ashly and her engine
February 1, 2007 I have had a couple of people express concern about Ashly, at her age, driving the race boat this season. If I can, I would like to explain the safety procedures, and what we do to insure that she is safe when driving the boat. SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY!!! Race officials inspect the boat at every race, we inspect it after every pass. We race under very strict rules on the water, in a very controlled environment. Examples are: No engines running on the track except the racers. Absolutely quiet water All gear worn by driver is totally fire proof (pants, shoes, gloves, jacket,) NASCAR type helmet restraints are mandatory (five point restraint) NASCAR type helmet is required Life jacket, including parachute, inspected every pass Double safety shut down on every system on the boat. (electric and fuel.) Fire suppression system on boat, and tow vehicle. In the unlikely event, that something would go wrong, the race assn. has procedures to ensure the safest situation possible. Examples are: Personal water craft tow vehicles! Emergency response and recovery boats! Professional divers in recovery boats, always in full gear! A race will NEVER take place without EMT staff on site! In most cases a Medivac is on site! AGAIN SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY I would like to share a few things that Ashly has done mentally, and physically, to get to where she is, after deciding she wanted to race. Examples are: No alcohol or drugs, or she is out (in today’s world, a good incentive) A complete physical mandatory A very extensive involvement in her school sports activities, to stay fit. Also, Ashly has maintained a 4.0 grade average since the first grade. Ashly has been working with us for two years now, to learn, and know the equipment. We raced her in the 2006 season in the personal water craft class, to get her familiar with the time clocks, and the holding ropes. Ashly was high points runner up in her class in IHBA, for the 2006 season. Some of you on the river may have heard us working with Ashly at 6.00 am on many mornings, when the water was quiet.
We all worked very hard on communication, launching, and knowing what to do when the unexpected happened. We would put surprises in, to let her experience different situations. I could go on and on, but Ashly is dedicated to doing this right, and we are dedicated to keeping her safe. Having the nerve to do what she does, is only a small part of the picture. Common sense, and the knowledge of her equipment, will make her a safe winner. We are all very proud of our equipment, and very proud to have Ashly as our driver. We enjoy showing our equipment and explaining it, to anyone. We are always interested in comments, or concerns, and do welcome them. Thank You, Little John Ashly Ruf The Entire team and Family of Little Johns Motorsports
Monday. January 21st, 2007
Ashly Ruf received her award at the St. Louis Drag Boat Assn. dinner
for runner up in her class in IHBA
(International Hot
Boat Assn.)
Since we returned from Phoenix, We have taken time from our schedule of
work and school
to put a new coat of paint on the boat, freshen the engine, and a lot of
polishing.
There is a reason for this.
Some people here know that we had Ashly try for her racing license in
Phoenix.
She passed with flying colors, 1100 HP, going from 0 mph to 100 mph in 3.5
seconds
She is the youngest licensed female race boat driver in the nation
ASHLY RUF will drive my boat, KWITCHABITCHIN for the 2007 season.
Click on the picture below to see some pictures of Ashly receiving her award
 |
|
Ashly's Full Track License Pass run in Kwitchabitchin |
Saturday afternoon, we had a very proud moment in my shop.
The president of International Hot Boat Assn., who was in St. Louis for
the awards banquet,
personally came out to my shop to meet every one, check out our equipment,
and congratulate
Ashly and our team, for what we have done.
Moments like that are few and far between. We are all overwhelmed.
Things are happening very fast for us right now.
Assembling sponsorship, getting rigs ready, planning the race schedule,
etc.
We ran 25.000 miles last year, in 14 events
With appropriate sponsorship, we plan a schedule, at least that
aggressive.
Please check out our sponsors page on my website at
Little John's Motorsports Sponsors
Little John
Little Johns Motorsports LLC