Cole Billings first fell in love with jet boats around the age of 12, and after racing them for over a decade, he has experienced championship success.
Billings, a Battle Ground resident, has claimed top honors in Phoenix, Arizona, the last three years. In his first year, Billings took home a second-place finish, and in the last two years he has claimed a world championship.
His first experience with a jet boat is a memory he will never forget.
“A long time ago on Thanksgiving Day, I’ll never forget, Mom got pretty mad. My dad ended up trading a ’71 Monte Carlo for a ‘71 Hallett Jet Boat,” Billings recalled. “We brought it home and had a flat tire, and we were late for dinner, she was not happy about that. I was probably about 11 or 12 about that time. My dad and I worked on it and rebuilt the whole boat and I always knew from that point I was going to be in the boat.”
He added, he didn’t realize at the time he would love boats so much, but he has enjoyed every moment of it.
Billings now belongs to the Columbia Drag Boat Association, which hosts three races every July through September at Dexter Reservoir, east of Eugene, Oregon. The club also hosts a race in June at the Haystack Reservoir near Madras, Oregon.
Each aquatic drag race is 1,000 feet in length, and racers must complete that distance in a certain amount of time, Billings explained.
In Billings’ racing class, the pro-eliminator, where he has to travel 1,000 feet in 6.5 seconds, or as close to that time as possible.
“So, I have to run as close to 6.5 seconds as I can without going too fast,” Billings said. “If I run a 6.4999, I break out and I lose to the other opponent unless he breaks out worse.”
He explained, in that scenario, his opponent would have to post a faster time, such as 6.4 seconds, for him to advance to the next round.
Because the goal is to race to an exact time, a lot of work takes place behind the scenes. Billings said that after each race he goes back to the pit spot and reviews data with the crew members to see “how it felt, how it all ran and whatnot.”
He also utilizes a weather station at his pit spot to monitor altitude, humidity and water grains to help tune his 1,200 horsepower motor.
Billings’ 1992 Canyon Runner Bottom boat holds a 1,200 horsepower, 555-cubic-inch engine that is fueled by alcohol. He said he once got up to 139 mph in a race with that engine but finished well under the 6.5 second mark.
Despite all of his success, Billings said he most enjoys the camaraderie of the sport and watching others succeed.
“We’re just a big family. We hang out. Everybody helps out. You know, if somebody breaks something and somebody else has a part, whether or not they’re in the same class, or not, the majority of us, we try to help out and get that person back out on the water and racing again,” Billings said.
To learn more about the Columbia Drag Boat Association, visit cdbaracing.com, or go to the Columbia Drag Boat Association page on Facebook.
