For nearly three decades DePue, Ill., has been home to the APBA PRO National Race.
This year, however, due to a low water level in Lake DePue, DePue was in jeopardy of losing the race that all of the residents of the tight-knit community have come to love.
“We’re a small town with just over 1,800 people. We have had these races here with the Men’s Club for 28 straight years. Before that we had national races that were put on by our Lake Preservation Association,” DePue Mayor Eric Bryant said.
“Racing started here in the early 1900’s and it’s kind of in our blood. We were going to lose this race; we just didn’t have enough water.”
Lake DePue is no stranger to low water levels. In the early 1970’s DePue was faced with a similar situation and cancel races. Insurance regulations require a minimum depth of five feet of water, to help aid a racer escape their boat in case they blow over.
Not willing to have the PRO Nationals take place at another race site, Bryant had a “hair-brained idea” to build a dam and raise the water level.
“We didn’t have enough water and there was no way we were going to have these races unless we built a dam and pumped water,” Bryant said. “(I knew) we could save these races if we got permission to build a dam, and within three days that happened.”
Lake DePue needed to be raised two feet in a matter of 10 to 12 days. Built at the point where the Illinois River empties into the 600-acre lake, the 115-foot sandbag dam pumped around 60,000 gallons per minute.
When all was said and done, Bryant and his team of numerous volunteers were able to raise the water level by 28 inches and the tradition at Lake DePue did live on.
“Once we determined the water level was too low, the Men’s Club went to work with their state representatives to get the EPA and DNR permits required to dam the lake,” race director Todd Brinkman said. “I don’t know how they did it, but it was a massive community effort to get that many people, to do that amount of work and pump that amount of water, in that short amount of time, it’s amazing.
“I was worried up until the moment I got here. They were running the pumps 24-hours a day, and the people manning it; they got to be worn out. It was quite an effort.”
Hundreds of volunteers rallied together to fill and place tons and tons of sand bags. Because of their herculean effort, racing on Lake DePue took place from Thursday, July 26 to Sunday July 29 crowning 19 unofficial national champions.
175 UIM World Championships:
1. Rene Vehnche-GER
2. Amy Nydahl-USA
3. Attila Hencz-Hungary
OSY 400:
1. John Peeters
2. Jerzee Holman
3. RC Howe
K Pro Hydro National Championship:
1. Will Augustine
2. Colin Rucker
3. Peter Crowley
C Racing Runabout National Championship:
1. JJ Walls, Jr.
2. Jack Campbell
3. Dwight Malhiot
C Racing Hydro National Championship:
1. George Thornhill
2. JJ Walls, Jr.
3. Justin Gibson
C Service Runabout National Championship:
1. JJ Walls, Jr.
2. Jack Campbell
3. George Thornhill
C Service Hydro National Championship:
1. JJ Walls, Jr.
2. Jim Nilsen
3. Justin Gibson
700 Hydro National Championship:
1. Amy Nydahl
2. Sean McKean
3. Ike Yoder
500 Runabout National Championship:
1. Tim Small
2. Brian Payne
3. RC Howe
500 Hydro National Championship:
1. Doug Hall
2. David Hooten
3. Ike Yoder
350 Runabout National Championship:
1. Tim Small
2. Rich Krier
3. Jay Anderson
350 Hydro National Championship:
1. Zach Malhoit
2. David Mitchell
3. Dan Kirts
250 Runabout National Championship:
1. Buddy Tennell
2. Rich Krier
3. JP Jedwabny
250 Hydro National Championship:
1. Chris Hellsten
2. Ben Thompson
3. JP Jedwabny
175 Runabout National Championship:
1. Dominic DiFebo
2. Buddy Tennell
3. Pete Voss
175 Hydro National Championship:
1. Jon Wienandt
2. Marshall Eldredge
3. John Maddrell
125 Runabout National Championship:
1. Paulie Bosnich III
2. David Jones
3. Andrew Thirlby
125 Hydro National Championship:
1. Kristi Ellison
2. Dominic DiFebo
3. Brian Palmquist
1100 Runabout National Championship:
1. Mike Thirlby & Julia Baker
2. RC Howe & Travis Ellison
3. Dwight Malhoit & Lorraine McKean
1100 Hydro National Championship:
1. Amy Nydahl
2. Doug Hall
3. Tim Borway