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PAT BERTRAM Pat started out in 1956 with George Henley who was the driver of Pay N Pak for many years. They went to high school together and started racing soon after high school. At first Pat started off building his own boat. Pat said "My first boat, actually was my friend George Henley's boat. We carried the first boat which was a 1956 down the street of Eatonville because we didn't have a trailer. George was on the front, I was on the back. That is how we started." The boat weighed about 300 pounds and was called the Renegade. Pat added, "We got a little old motor out of an old Ford car, hopped it up a little bit, and thats what we had." Pat has driven 2.5 Stocks, 2.5 Modified, 5 Litres, 7 Litres, and just about everything at some point in time. Pat likes to stay out of the lime light when racing. Pat said "Like I tell my kids, if your good you don't have to tell anybody, if your not, it doesn't make any difference." He likes to just go out and race. When asked about his strengths as a driver Pat said "I have had really good luck with my starts, physically I am in really good shape, that is probably an attribute. I also do all my engine work, and that is strength too in racing." About being on the coarse racing at high speeds Pat said "We ran an old conventional boat called the Heidelberg and it was running 150 m.p.h. Our boat now will run probably about 125 on a good day. It is just a sport and if it is done right it is safer than getting to the race as far as I am concerned. You are taking more of a risk getting behind the wheel of your car or truck going down the freeway than you are racing a boat." Pat does not bend the rules to the extreme to win and doesn't take any chances doing anything he's not supposed to do. Pat says, "I just race, you can win more that way than any other way I think. Basically you are racing against the clock. Getting a good start, that is the key. The prime thing there is in boat racing is to get a good start. You have to keep your wits about you, and you can't get too excited. The start I would say in any boat racing is going to be probably the most important thing. Plus you have to have good equipment." Pat adds, "I would like to set a record which I never have done, I have done everything else. I have won everything but I have never set a record, so I would like to do that some time. It may happen, it might not, I'll see."
Racing with Pat Bertram
INSIDE LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENING WITH PAT BERTRAM
Racing with Pat
Racing 2004 with Pat and his crew..........
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