Dedicated Team
 

As an Outlaw Performance team, we don't get a whole lot of attention. ESPN and OLN don't film us when we race by, the local papers and national boating magazines walk by when they're choosing boats to focus their story on, and there certainly isn't much for monetary reward if we win. BUT, we take our Magnum named "Vixen" to the venues and race hard for the thrill of the sport and because it brings our family together for a common goal. There is no "crew" other than 2 men, 2 women, and 2 small children. We do it ALL.

We recently had a wild hair...and decided to run not only the APBA Marathon race but drive home and run the SBI Fort Myers race in our hometown the following day. In a perfect world, that would have been a good plan. Unfortunately, we didn't get to race Fort Myers...but it wasn't because we didn't try!
During the Marathon race on Saturday, 2 of the 4 stainless blades on Vixen's propeller sheared off and after 6 1/2 laps of a 7 lap race, the engine seized up and Vixen had to be towed in. Once on the trailer, we had to get an official to remove the GPS box, go to the motel to load up and head back to Fort Myers because now the engine AND outdrive had to be changed BEFORE we could go out and run the race on Sunday! Nobody ever said, "we can't do this", we just loaded up and hauled a$$! The only meals we had all day came out of a bottle of gatorade! We got on the road for home at 5:00pm (WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE!). One cell phone call was made to Fort Myers and a NEW outdrive was to be delivered Sunday morning at 7:00am! A stop in Homestead at a place that sold gas and chicken was the only stop we made before pulling into Fort Myers at 8:30PM. Wouldn't you know it, it was raining...another obstacle! We broke a few speed records but by 10:30pm, the engine was out.
Our best backup engine was installed and cranked over at 1:00am. Fortunately, the neighbors in this residential neighborhood are understanding! The racing uniforms were washed, pressed, and SBI patches sewn BACK ON to be compliant with the rules.

At 8:00am the new outdrive was installed (and of course a new 4 blade prop)...but no time to test run. Mel and Dave went to physicals, inspections, and the driver's meeting only to find out that our Marathon placement had been taken away because of some question about the number size on the boat. That was disheartening BUT we can run Fort Myers and get another chance at a checkered flag!
We launched Vixen at 11:00am so we could head for the wet pits and despite all the efforts from our little team, we had no forward and no reverse. It was done. We went home.

In the big picture, APBA reversed their decision and we now have the 2nd place finish for Marathon. SBI is giving us another chance to run again in Marathon since we scratched our entry in Fort Myers. More importantly however, our "little team" pulled together and worked as a team for the greater good and I am proud of my father Mel, my husband Dave, and my mother Ellen.

So, for those of you who think that the Outlaw Performance classes are just for those "weekend warriors" who take their go-fast pleasureboats out for the races...think of us and remember that we try just as hard as the bigger teams.

Jerri
Shevixen:frog:

Jerri,

Sounds like you would be a great team for our documentary. Check out the post on Media Coverage Documentary at the Cincinnati Offshore Grand Prix June 13-15. If needed, I can also get you some free rooms at the host hotel.

www.cincinnatirace.com

Terrah Lee

Thank You for the offer Terrah Lee.

We are flattered, but we only race in Florida. The racing is something that we do as a family and while we want to remain competitive, leaving the state of Florida just isn't something that we want to do. With 2 small kids and 3 out of 4 of us maintaining professional careers in the medical field, long trips out of the state with the boat just doesn't fit into our lifestyle. Maybe someday!

We would love to be a part of your documentary but we are not participating in the Ohio racing event. If in the future you decide to cover a Florida race that we are participating in, drop me an e-mail and we'll get together and talk. [email protected]

Thank You again for your interest!

Jerri Howard
Shevixen
Vixen P5-16 :frog:

Jerri, were you staying at the Sombrero Resort in Marathon?

Cuda:

We stayed at The Ramada for the APBA race but we were at the Sombrero pool on Friday so the guys could take their swim test.

We'll be staying at the Sombrero Resort for the June 15th race. The one bedroom condos were only $85.00/night. Beats what the flea bags are charging!



:frog:

We saw two Vixen trucks at Sombrero, we stopped by to see the dunking, but I think we just missed it. I think we saw you by the pool with your husband. Did you have a red and white suit on? We were at the Tiki Bar having a beer.

WOW... not much more to say...

You think you've got problems?????

My board name is Bulldog and I really, really need that little puppy smilie (third row, last smilie on the right) but when I try to use it, it screws up.

I therefore have to use the alias BullFrog, in order to have a compatible Smilie :frog:

I don't understand what a frog has to do with a 'SheVixen', but I WILL figure it out!

Bulldog aka BullFrog:frog:

Boat #1- Kaama, 38 Larry Smith Scarab formerly owned by Betty Cook.

Boat #2 - Mini Me, 17 ft Bayliner runabout really owned by my wife (Hi nice lady) and soon to be APBA and SBI champion if I swap power from boat #1.

PS I stopped at that gas and chicken place in Homestead. The nighmares still occur, but I'll be OK an another five years or so.

They fixed the puppy smilie!!!!!!!!!!!!
All is good!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess I will still use Bullfrog occasionally, for covert operations requiring an alias.

Oh yeah- Good luck with your race team! and sorry to hear about breaking so much stuff at one time.

Bulldog aka Ronnie :doggy:

Hey Cuda:

Our guys were the last ones to do the swim test. In fact, they assisted the APBA officials in hauling the dunker tester back to the truck. There wasn't anyone sitting at the tiki bar when we got there and we were all wearing black and white attire.

We did hang around long enough to get a pizza. George from Deranged was there with his crew at the same time.

We'll have to hook up for a hello at one of the upcoming Florida venues.

Shevixen :frog:

Bulldog:

Regarding my choice of using the :frog: , there doesn't seem to be a fox in the selection. You do know that a vixen is a fox, right? Aside from that, I work in the veterinary field and I have a special interest in reptilian medicine. There isn't a monitor or python to choose from either, so I choose to use the :frog:

Shevixen

Thank You Troutly...

Yes, we do have a blast racing. The guys race the boat and we video the race and take pictures of everything. The kids are responsible for running around in Vixen attire looking cute!

Shevixen

Persistence always pays off in the long run. Way to go!!!

I have raced with these guys since 2000.
Nothing they do surprises me.
I am a Vixen Fan and now that I don't race against them I root for them

;) You are troopers! Good luck in future races! ;)

so jerri,

with all that money you spent why don't you run factory class. much cheaper, you get attention, you win money, get bigger sponsors ( especially if you showed them the dedication you have ) very few people do what you did. just a thought. keep pluggin. your lookin good.

Treadwell

p.s. i have never blown a factory motor yet. since 98

Vixen- Veterinarian? You should have your own smilie- an Angel!

Did you fix the Puppy smilie???? if so thanks

Bulldog aka Ronnie :doggy:

(formerly aka BullFrog:frog: )

PS if you ever need help on electrical issues, just ask.

We got there just as they were dragging the dunker into the parking lot. Good luck with the rest of the season!

Boy, this post got alot more attention than I expected! Thanks for the all the PMs and suggestions!

GLH, Kitten, Cuda...thanks and we'll hook up for a hello in person one of these days!

ScottB...yours was the first team that we met at our first race. We always look forward to seeing you. :) I have some good video of you in Marathon. I'll see if I can talk Mag27 into making you a copy!

TreadwellMotorSports, I can only assume that Eric wrote that post. We met in St. Cloud 3 years ago but I haven't seen you in a while. Hope you are well! Factory may be in the cards down the road, but for now Mel enjoys the thrill of racing in his favorite Magnum with the engines that he has built. He and Dave rebuilt Vixen from the stringers up and it is very satisfying for them to race what they alone have worked so hard to put together. I think you'll understand better by seeing the start to finish pictures, so here is a link to our restoration page:

http://www.teamvixenracing.com/vixens_restoration.htm

This page takes just a little bit to download.

Team Vixen Racing is a family. We're not looking for sponsors. What we do, we do because we LOVE boat racing.

Thanks!

Jerri Howard
Shevixen

Wow! I just looked at your website and what a project that was! I can see taking pride in racing a boat you basically built yourself. I'm in the middle of a project similar to that one, but not quite as drastic.

I have a question, what kind of paint did they use on the hull? Did they paint it themselves?

Hey Cuda:

I'm gonna let Mel (Mag27) answer that one. I'll send him a PM and have him contact you. To answer your question though, yes he painted it himself.

Jerri

Jerri hopefully things go better this time around.Moma Vixen said something about huge motors and a really fast boat in Ft. Myers while we were visiting with them ask her about her plan.We are going to stop in to see you guys in Marathon we will be in Key west that weekend. Tell everyone hello and we will see you in Marathon . Pete from The Boss

OH HEY YOU PETE!

I have been thinking about you and missed seeing you at the awards in Fort Myers. Obviously Dave and I didn't have any reason to go! I am so glad that we'll be able to get together in Marathon... Is the whole crew coming or just you and your wife? I hope you guys are well! Thanks for helping out with that other matter too! Its always nice to have friends in your corner!

The VIXEN MAMA is anxious to see the boat run with this new motor configuration and I am looking forward to video taping a good race!

See you soon! The condo at Sombrero has a full kitchen so I'll bring the Pina Colada fixins!:crazy:

SheVixen:frog:

Best of luck, we love racing with you guys!

Hey Chris:

I still say bat wings taste like chicken but we love racing with you too.:D
You guys were really there for us when the guys had their mishap in Sarasota a couple of years ago. I'll never forget how you helped us get the boat ready for travel when the guys were in the hospital and gave me a hug when I needed it most. We learned the meaning of the Outlaw classes that year... That was our rookie year and we didn'nt know very many people but everyone came out and offered help and hugs when we needed it most! I hope we never have to...but if you ever need help, we'll be there!
OUTLAWS RULE! (You guys are still Outlaws even though you're One Design now)

Shevixen

Jerri it's just us coming down we'll see you guys there.Pina Coladas sounds good just don't hurt me :D Pete

I got the aspirin...you bring the alka-seltzer:cool:

Jerri

Mike:

The Factory -vs- Outlaw thing is not my decision to make. Mel is the captain of this team and he is also the one who makes the decisions about those matters. I can say only this...we take each year as it comes. I don't know what his intentions are or where this may lead to in the future. Each year is a gift because things happen that can change even the best made plans (you know that as well as anyone!). Another boat may appear that he loves even more than Vixen and boom, we may be in Factory. Or, he may decide that Outlaw Class fills his need for speed. Whatever his decision, we respect it and support him 110%

He knows what the options are and what the benefits are to running in the Factory classes. Its been put on the table for discussion many times but the fact remains that our lifestyles don't allow for us to invest that much time in racing. If and when that changes, things might be different. For now though, we're enjoying the class you wrote the rules for and gaining knowledge and experience in the process!

Regarding our dietary requirements...you forgot to put that in the rulebook. Seriously though, we usually try to do better than Hess Mart chicken, but when the clock is ticking, you do whatever it takes to get the job done! Also, Dave is usually pretty good about carrying Power Bars in the boat.

Thanks Mike!

Its good to see you guys back racing APBA. hopefully we will see at savannah, it will be a awesome weekend.

Pete B
Team Fisher
F2-22 Donzi

Man...I gotta tell ya..Now I feel guilty that we didnt try to get our drive fixed to do Ft. Myers. Unfortunately, We realized it could have been fixed rather quickly.

Way to go ...good luck with the rest of the season.

Pete B...thanks and yes, we're glad to be back with APBA too. I missed you in Marathon but it seems that we only see eachother on the fly during the actual race when we both have cameras glued to our faces! I was going to make a comment about your avatar~but I think I'll leave that one alone!

Bruce, that Marathon weekend was full of hard knocks wasn't it! How is your knee doing? With you limping around, we weren't sure at first if you broke down or pulled out from the pounding on your knee. Later we saw that you had broken down and I was glad you were OK! I hope you're doing better! As for your outdrive, I'm glad the problem was something simple. You may have missed Fort Myers but with the small turn out, you didn't miss much. We're gonna try Marathon again next month. That prop eating fish better be finding another chew toy this time!

Dave and I enjoyed meeting you and we look forward to racing with you guys again. Your boat looked great out there!

Shevixen :frog:

Good luck in Marathon...watch out for sandbars.. they sneak up on ya pretty fast...

thanks for the well wishes. I told Mel that
i would somehow get the trophy to you guys. We have two Jersey races coming up, then we head to Savannah. I guess the next time we will see you guys may be Tampa in October.
Anyway good luck ..

see ya soon:D

Hey Bruce...you guys be careful in those Jersey races!

I'm as certain as I can be TODAY that we will not be participating in the Savannah race. However, there has been some discussion about Sarasota. You guys going? I guess APBA is having that event in September. If we don't run Sarasota, we won't have another race again until Tampa, and we'll see you then.

Thanks for the tip about the sandbars! :eek: They can be as devastating as the prop eating fish!!!

Take care you!

Jerri

When is Sarasota??? Is it a national or divisional?

Sounds good but when????

The Vixen team compliments the Performance Class theory. They can build their own engines , race at any weight they care to and the competition in P4 / P5 is growing. Wasn't there 11 boats in Marathon / P4? My hat is off to yall! BH

Hey Jerri, was glad to finally meet Pop....He's a piece of work!!!!! Good luck the rest of the season,say Hi to Dave......Augie

Thanks for the confirmation about Sarasota Mike!

You guys gonna be Florida bound again in September, Bruce???
We love seeing you Jersey Boyz!!!

Brian, that was probably the most complimentary thing I've ever seen you post. Thank You for the good word!

Augie, I haven't had the pleasure of making your acquaintance yet but I'm told I should have a big salami for ya :D

Shevixen

the reason I asked was because we have a race up here in NY the same weekend. And if Sarasota was a national race, i would have to make a decision

Well, I guess I can't blame you for wanting to race New York. It must be something to race around The Statue of Liberty and look out along the skyline. Have someone take a few pictures for me. The closest I've been to The Statue of Liberty was circling in an airplane while waiting for clearance to land in Newark, and it was pretty impressive!

Shevixen