Page 26 - March 2019 IWMA News Interactive

Katelyn Shaw Gliding Across the Water
Katelyn Shaw from Landing, NJ was born into Hydroplane racing in 1987. Her dad had been racing since the 70’s and was very accomplished. Kate- lyn went to her first boat race when she was 6 months old. She loved working on the boats and being a pit kid. When she became old enough to write her numbers, she began officiating and be- came a chief official when she was 15.
“When I was 16 I received a lifetime achievement award for scoring. I enjoyed the officiating aspect of rac- ing, but when I was 24 I was given an opportunity to drive a Sportsman En- try flatbottom race boat. I took the boat out testing for my first time and fell in love! Shortly after, I received my own hull and began racing on the east coast circuit of the American Power Boat As- sociation. 2014 was my first season and I really wanted to be in the running for the Rookie of the Year award.”
Katelyn’s brothers are both ac- complished racers, winning numerous titles and being inducted into the Hall of Champions (similar to the baseball hall of fame), but this was an award that neither of them had won. That season, she was also asked to drive a 1.5 litre stock (T) hydroplane for Ed Thompson and Thompson Brothers Racing. That gave her the opportunity to race against her brothers each weekend! With her finishes in the SE class and T boat, she was awarded the East coast Rookie of the Year award. Since then, she has con- tinued to drive flatbottoms, some hydro- planes, and even got the opportunity to ride in a skiff. This past season, she and Mike Buturla finished 2nd in the nation in the Jersey Speed Skiff class and she finished 4th in the SE class.
Aside from driving, she became an instructor for the APBA Inboard Driving School’s Ride of a Lifetime. This allows anyone to sign up to drive a 5 litre hydroplane which can reach speeds of 130 mph! It is very similar
to a NASCAR driving experience and she has loved meeting new people and helping them to transition as they buy their own boats and become part of the racing family.
“I have also been very involved at the regional and national level. I have run a few races in Region 3 (NJ, PA, DE, NY and Canada) and represent our region on the national level as a Inboard Racing Commissioner. In 2017, I was awarded the Man of the Year award, which is a lifetime achievement award given to a person who goes above and beyond to help racing in our region.”
Katelyn has 2 memorable mo- ments so far in her career. “The first one is my first weekend overall win. I am one of very few female drivers to ever race in the flatbottom classes and I won my first heats and earned enough points to place 1st for the weekend. We were in Stuart, FL which closes down a causeway for spectators so when the announcer announced that I won, ev- eryone on the causeway started cheering and rushed to the edge to see me get out of the boat!
The 2nd occurred just this sea- son when I won my first heat at my hometown race in lake Hopatcong, NJ.
My grandma has a lake front house and she is my biggest fan. Unfortunately, my grandma suffers from severe dementia and is unable to attend our races. Win- ning at my hometown race and knowing that she was watching was an awesome moment in my racing career.”
Katelyn’s dad inspired her to start racing, but never pushed when she wasn’t interested in driving and wanted to officiate. Since she has decided to start racing, he has been her biggest sup- porter and drives all over the country so that she and her brothers can race.
Katelyn’s dad is her crew chief and helps whenever he can. Her broth- ers, Richard and John, and sister-in-law Lauren, also assist when they are not busy with their boats. Usually the day of the race, her dad is an official and her brothers are busy with their boats so it is her competitors that help her at the races and in between heats.
Her best finish in national high points was 2nd in the SE, SA and JSS class. She also finished 2nd at the East- ern Divisionals this year and 3rd at the Summer Nationals for the 2018 season. Overall, she has won 2 weekends of rac- ing and has won several heats of racing.
Katelyn races all over the east
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