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Spring Valley’s Joseph Perez repeats at DePue Boat Races · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Spring Valley's Joseph Perez repeats at Depou Boat Races. Written
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  Speaker 1: by Kevin Schlum, this article is being read by an
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  Speaker 1: automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Before Friday, Joseph
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  Speaker 1: Perez hadn't raced a boat all summer. I don't have
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  Speaker 1: time for that anymore, said Perez, a Spring Valley resident
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  Speaker 1: who will be a senior at Hall in the fall.
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  Speaker 1: I have golf all year round. Despite focusing more on
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  Speaker 1: his golf game than his racing, Perez didn't have any
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  Speaker 1: trouble flying around the course. At Lake Depew, Perez swept
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  Speaker 1: all three heats to repeat as champion in the one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and twenty five cc runabout at the Lake Depew
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  Speaker 1: Pro National Championship Boat Races. It feels great, Perez said,
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  Speaker 1: I never went back to back in anything, and it
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  Speaker 1: feels amazing. The title is perez third in the last
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  Speaker 1: four years. He won his first in twenty twenty three
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  Speaker 1: and placed second in twenty four or before winning the
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  Speaker 1: last two summers, it doesn't feel real to me, honestly,
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  Speaker 1: Perez said, I didn't actually place at all until I
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  Speaker 1: won in twenty twenty three because I was just never
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  Speaker 1: that good. It feels great. Perez had near perfect starts
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  Speaker 1: in the first and third heats, immediately flying in front
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  Speaker 1: of the back for a commanding lead. Just taking my time,
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  Speaker 1: Perez said about the key to strong starts, don't rush anything,
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  Speaker 1: just know your strategy and stay wide. Perez was third
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  Speaker 1: out of the gates in the second heat, but Brad
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  Speaker 1: Brinkman was disqualified for crossing the starting line early, and
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  Speaker 1: Perez eventually overtook John Venant to win the heat. I
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  Speaker 1: just focused on one driver at a time, Perez said,
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  Speaker 1: I didn't know Brady jumped the gun there, so I
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  Speaker 1: was just trying to catch up to John. We not
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  Speaker 1: finished second and Brinkman took third. Depu's Morgan Bosnik was fifth.
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  Speaker 1: Perez was one of eight drivers to win titles over
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  Speaker 1: nine classes on Friday. The races continue so Saturday and Sunday.
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  Speaker 1: Austin Vanover edged Kevin Ellison to win the Sea Racing
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  Speaker 1: Hydro title. Vanover is no stranger to winning titles at DEPEW,
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  Speaker 1: but he took the last two years off after the
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  Speaker 1: birth of his twins. It feels good, Vanover said, it's
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  Speaker 1: special today. It's my twin second birthday, so to win
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  Speaker 1: a national championship on their birthday is extra special. Vanover
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  Speaker 1: won the first heat, then was in a neck and
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  Speaker 1: neck battle with Ellison in the second heat. That was fun.
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  Speaker 1: Vanover said, I've never actually raced with Kevin Ellison before,
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  Speaker 1: so there was a lot of trust factors going into
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  Speaker 1: the first turn and leaving him just enough room to
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  Speaker 1: fit his boat in, and I just hoped he wasn't
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  Speaker 1: going to run into me. The pair was side by
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  Speaker 1: side in the final curve before the finish line. Ellison
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  Speaker 1: had the inside position, but Vanover came on the outside
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  Speaker 1: to earn the heat win. I think it worked out
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  Speaker 1: perfect for us to battle like that because I think
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  Speaker 1: I had a little bit of top end on him,
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  Speaker 1: so that helped. Vanover said he was getting through the
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  Speaker 1: bottom corner better than me. It's a little bit rougher
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  Speaker 1: down there, and he was more willing to drive in
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  Speaker 1: there harder than I was. After winning the first heat,
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  Speaker 1: after we came through, I had enough room on him
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  Speaker 1: that when we got to turn two, I was able
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  Speaker 1: to pinch down on him a little bit harder and
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  Speaker 1: kill a little bit more of his momentum, which helps
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  Speaker 1: spring me to more of a lead at the finish.
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  Speaker 1: After winning the first two heats, Venover had enough of
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  Speaker 1: a cushion that he just had to finish the final
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  Speaker 1: heat to win. He finished second to cap off his title,
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  Speaker 1: with Ellison second and Doug Martin third. Martin won the
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  Speaker 1: first class of the day, CE Service Runabout by winning
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  Speaker 1: the first two heats and taking second in the third.
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  Speaker 1: Raymond Bradford was the only driver to finish all three
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  Speaker 1: heats of five hundred Hydro, placing second, first, and third
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  Speaker 1: to win the title. Theodore Hearn won the J Hydro
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  Speaker 1: and JAY Runabout, which are both classes for drivers ages
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  Speaker 1: nine to sixteen, with both being new to Depew this year.
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  Speaker 1: Nicole dunloy up Truly won the first two heats and
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  Speaker 1: took second in the third to claim the championship. In
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  Speaker 1: OI four hundred Hydro, the final two classes of the
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  Speaker 1: day both had leaders taken out by red flags in
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  Speaker 1: the final heat. In one hundred and seventy five Hydro,
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  Speaker 1: Mackenzie Helston won the first two heats, holding off Tyler
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  Speaker 1: Keller in a tight second heat. As drivers were on
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  Speaker 1: the course preparing for the third heat, Helston's boat stalled
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  Speaker 1: near the starting line, causing a red flag. Which made
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  Speaker 1: her ineligible for the restart. Keller finished the third heat
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  Speaker 1: in second place to take the win ahead of Daniel Corpi.
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  Speaker 1: Helston placed third, Oglesby's Camden Vasquez finished fifth. Hennepin's Marshall
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  Speaker 1: Walk made a strong move around the final turn to
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  Speaker 1: hold off Jackson Hall to win the first heat of
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  Speaker 1: five hundred Runabout, then placed second in the second heat
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  Speaker 1: to put him atop the standings entering the last race
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  Speaker 1: of the day. On the first turn of the final heat,
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  Speaker 1: Walk's boat flipped. He hit the water multiple times in
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  Speaker 1: frustration before getting to the rescue boat. With walkout. Andy
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  Speaker 1: Kurtz won the final heat and Luke Bosker took second,
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  Speaker 1: giving Boscar the title, with Kurts in second and Walk third.