Another year and another Top Gun trophy for Callan Marine.

By Gregg Mansfield

The duo of Dave Callan and John Cosker won for the third straight year at the Lake Rescue Shootout by running their 50-foot catamaran, Miss Longlite, with trademark consistency.

The team posted a 209-mph speed on the 1-mile straightaway, besting their 2006 record by 1 mph. Callan Marine’s mark was so dominating, its closest competitor ran 21 mph slower.

“We’d like to have beat it by more,” Callan said. “Seriously, we worked hard for a year for that 1 mph.”

Coming into the August event, Cosker made minor tweaks to the running surface as well as some aerodynamic changes to the deck. The boat’s T 55-L7 turbine engines—capable of making 6,000 horsepower—also were retuned.

Callan Marine not only got the big number, but the speeds were remarkably consistent all weekend. The slowest speed was 198 mph but the duo slowed up because of some rollers down the course.

“It’s remarkably more stable at over 200 mph than it was last year,” Callan said. “The run this year was a lot more comfortable.”

Trying to give the Callan Marine team a run for its money was local favorite Dave Scott, who opted to run three boats. Not only did it keep Scott’s crew busy, they were breaking in a new 50 Mystic built by Cosker, their main competitor at the Shootout.

The team’s best shot at capturing the Top Gun crown was a 44 MTI with a pair of blown alcohol engines that produced more than 1,800 horsepower apiece. After fixing some mechanical problems, the boat made its debut on Sunday.

And it was probably a debut that Scott and throttleman John Tomlinson would rather forget. About midway down the course, the boat hooked slightly, taking the rudder out of the water. They regained control and finished the run. Scott said the boat was running 191 mph when they had control problems.

Budweiser Select’s best speed on the weekend was 188 mph in the 44-foot MTI with turbine engines. Scott said next year they’ll likely focus on just two boats.

“If we do both, we’re going to start earlier and focus on it,” Scott said.

Some big changes are expected for the 20th annual Lake Rescue Shootout. The event will be moving elsewhere on the lake because host bar Shooters 21 is being demolished to make way for condominiums.

And one of the main organizers of the event, Jeff Dorhauer, is stepping down because of the demands as fire chief of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District. Dorhauer will still be involved with the Shootout but said it was time to let some younger volunteers run it.

“I’ll still be around next year but I’ll be able to relax and enjoy it,” Dorhauer said with a smile.