by Harris Dirnbegrer

The Lake of the Ozarks Shootout is the world’s largest unsanctioned boat race. Drawing high speed boaters from all over the world, Lake of the Ozarks is filled to the gills with watercraft. During the event there are more than two miles of connected boats as they line up to spectate the incredible quarter mile drag strip.

HARRIS’S EXPERIENCE

In short, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout event was a giant party on the water. There was never a dull moment the entire time we were there. Whether it be boaters showing off their magnificent watercraft, dancers shaking it on the beach, or racers ripping down the stretch, the event was packed with action. After seeing the amount of boats spread out across the lake it was hard to imagine that they all had a docking place.

The night before the Shootout they held a large street fair. Racers lined the sides of the main strip and showed off their boats. It put everything into perspective when we were able to stand up to the 30-40 foot speed boats. Seeing that, and trailers with boats and Lamborghini’s onboard made for a wild sight.

LAKE OF THE OZARK LAKE RACE MEET AND GREET STREET PARTY

The next day was the main event. The action continued on as we entered the marina. Fancy boats of all sizes and types filled the slips. From 40 foot racers to multi-story yachts and even a jet powered boat it seemed like we were getting a taste of it all.

Harris Dirnberger interviewing Taylor Scicm with MTI

While wandering around the docks we ran into Taylor, a first time racer for Marine Technology INC (MTI), whose father happened to be the first Top Gun winner 30 years ago. We caught her as she was prepping her 34 footage six passenger boat that was equipped with two 400hp Mercury outboard engines. She hoped she would hit a top speed of 110mph during the race. Though she did say that “it’s only 3/4th of a mile so you can’t get that full run and get up to really high speed,” we were eager to see her break three digits. You can watch her Shootout Run below.

After speaking with Taylor we set out to find a way out onto the water. Because we didn’t come to the event with a boat, we had to get creative. Luckily, we ended up talking with some reps at Boat Planet who let us come aboard their ship and join the action!

Their generosity brightened our entire experience. Being able to go out on the water let us take everything in as if we were part of the local crowd. We weaved through the endless lines of tied up boats and joined in on the fun. Trick planes flew over the boaters, and racers sped past. All in all it was a wonderful time.

Here are some scary crashes