With less than three weeks until the 2012 Desert Storm Poker Run extravaganza kicks off, Jim Nichols and the Lake Racer LLC crew are finalizing the tedious fine points that encompass the event in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The legendary Street Party (on Thursday, April 26) is nearly filled to capacity with vendors, sponsors, industry leaders and poker run participants sure to bring another year of eye-popping displays spanning more than a mile along the city’s McCulloch Blvd. With the poker run under control, Nichols is excited to report permits have been successfully obtained, securing the newly designed shootout course located off of the Site 6 launch ramp.

Nichols and his team have worked diligently to acquire rights to this portion of the lake that is sheltered from both boat wakes and crosswinds, which have plagued the former course located on Thompson Bay.

A list of well over 100 poker run participants is growing by the day with teams traveling from across the country. Favorites include, but are not limited to, Mike Bobbit with his 40-foot Skater Risky Business, Bruce Bullock with his 36-foot Skater Best of Times, Mike and Cristi DeFrees with their 42-foot MTI Team CRC, Chip Romer and his high-powered 38-foot Skater and, of course, Gary Smith with his 44-foot Skater SS Predator, which is always a crowd pleaser.

There also will be some fresh faces and new boats, including Ken Armstrong in his 48-foot MTI Phantom, Ron Harrison with his Cigarette 46 Rough Rider and Jim Lee in the freshly updated 46-foot Skater Freedom 1 USA to name a few. It’s obvious with just a glimpse of the hardware coming, the 2012 Desert Storm Poker Run and shootout is sure to provide edge-of-your-seat excitement and a bevy of endless stimulus.

Whether you come to the Colorado River lake to be a participant or a spectator, be prepared for another exceptional, over-the-top event that will have people talking for the rest of the season.

Source: www.speedonthewater.com; Tank Sears; April 6, 2012.