One driver hails from Latvia
By Patrick Cooley, pcooley@mariettatimes.comArticle Photos
Fact Box
About Uvis Slakteris
Number: 51.
Team colors: Yellow and red.
Races out of: Bauska, Latvia.
Started racing: 1996.
Non-racing past times: Table tennis, swimming.
Every year, the Riverfront Roar brings powerboat drivers from all over North America to Marietta, but this year, some competitors came from even farther away.
This year's Roar included a driver from the Middle Eastern country of Qatar and the European nation of Latvia.
Uvis Slakteris hails from Latvia, a country in northern Europe that borders Russia near the Baltic Sea. He finished the race in 12th position.
Slakteris realized as a young boy he wanted to be a powerboat driver after watching his father take part in the sport. In 2002, he watched his father set a world record in the s-550 class.
His first race was in 1996, and he said that he was able to inherit some of the equipment his father used to use.
The thing Slakteris said he likes the most about racing is the speed.
"It's crazy speed," he said. "The G-force you feel on a turn, it's incredible. There's nothing you can do that comes close to a turn in a boat race.
"(The world championships) have always been a dream for me," he said.
Competing in the world championship has always been a dream for Slakteris, who has visited numerous countries in his racing career.
"I was at the European Cup in Finland last week," he said. "I've also been to Portugal, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, I've been to a lot of countries."
This, however, is his first visit to the United States.
"I arrived (on Friday)," he said. "Your people are very hospitable, very friendly."
Racing for the fourth time in Marietta was Canadian Mike Hooper.
"This is my favorite place to be," he said. "It's the best venue, it always has the most boats and the biggest crowds and it's the best organized.
"This town puts in more love in any heart than any other place," he said. "You can tell it's not about the dollars here."
