Annual event set for May 24-25 at Rogers Landing; more than 100 racers anticipated

There’s nothing like the smell of burnt two-cycle fuel on a warm summer day. It smells like … the Newberg Boat Club’s Memorial Day boat races!

The 77th installment of the annual event is set for May 24-25 at Rogers Landing County Park on the Willamette River in Newberg.

The spectacle of high-performance boats flying up and down the river has been held locally going back to the years following World War II (races have only been suspended once during that time — in 2020 during the pandemic). The first American Power Boat Association-sanctioned event race was held on Memorial Day in 1949 and was staged as a marathon starting in Independence and finishing 44 miles downriver at Newberg.

Since then, the event has been set for the two days preceding Memorial Day, been hosted by the Newberg Boat club and now features hydroplanes, runabouts, outboard performance crafts and tunnel boats.

Organizers have assembled roughly 22 classes of boats that will be on hand to race. Typically, there are more than 100 entries total in the different categories. Racers will not only vie for first-, second- or third-place awards, but some also seek points to shore up their standings in APBA national competition.

Regardless, the action is swift and exciting for those who venture down to the river that weekend.

“The slowest class is around 45 mph — it’s the 9- to 12-years-olds — and the fastest class we run now is about 80 mph,” Don Schmidt, Newberg Boat Club member and former race official, said in a previous story.

The boats ply a course about three-quarters of a mile long, with Turn 2 in front of the grandstands at the marine park.

“We have what is known as a racer’s course; it is one of the toughest courses in the states to run,” Schmidt said. “About a third of the racers that race here are national champions.”

Entrance to view the races, which begin between 10 and 11 a.m. and continue through 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday is free, and there is parking atop the hill overlooking Rogers Landing. A shuttle van is available for those not wishing to tackle the steep hill. The park will be closed to the general public beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and continuing through Sunday.

Typically, there are three flights of races each day, with a short intermission between each flight to allow volunteers a brief break. On Sunday, during the first intermission, organizers will hold a memorial ceremony and lay a wreath on the river, as well as present an inspirational reading and a witness 21-gun salute by a firing squad from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

The races are run rain or shine, although strong winds have been known to postpone racing temporarily. A food car will be on hand, as will a business serving shave ice.

For more information about the event, visit the Newberg Boat Club’s website at newbergboatclub.org.