Articles by Tommy Gun Images
When Patrick and Shelly Koch of Dallas, Texas set out to replace their previous boat they had some specific goals in mind. The new float would be a larger V-bottom, with enough weight and power to run rock solid at high speeds. Add to that a large mid-cabin and enough stereo to keep the party...
Words and Photos by Tom Leigh (Tommy Gun Images)
In the world of performance boating, new designs often come as an adaptation to and extension of new propulsion technology. The resurgence of outboard engine technology from companies like Mercury Racing and their 400R and now 450R four-stroke...
Over the years Lake Havasu City has been host to many a manufacturers regatta. From the early days the regatta has been an institution for both owners and fans of the many builders that have come and gone in the west coast boating scene. In their hay day regattas pulled in huge numbers of both...
The performance-boating industry generally consists of companies founded on a distinct passion for going fast on the water. Regardless of the size of the company, nearly all players in todays performance segment can trace their roots back to a simple love for the water and of course, the...
Four years ago Mercury Racing reinvented the performance outboard market with the release of their six cylinder supercharged 2.6L Verado 400R four stroke outboard engine. The performance outboard market had previously and popularly been utterly dominated by high output, and often high...
Desert Storm 2019 saw great weather, big boats, bigger parties and a chance to hang with all our boating friends after a long winter. Once again RDP had the entire week covered from top to bottom with a huge media team shooting everything as it unfolded. Add to that the biggest street party...
This years Desert Storm Street party was another hot one, but we don't just mean the weather! This year saw fans by the thousands and more boats than you could count. RDP was on hand with Boom Bandits once again to lay claim to the best party on the street and the RDP inmates showed up in...
RDP member KAP brought his new Twister to the Desert Storm Street Party complete with fresh Mercury Racing 300R power. A one of one boat this boat should be good for high one teens to 120 mph in this pleasure configuration! Come check it out today!
What is shaping up to be an amazing year for Desert Storm kicked off at Horizon Motorsports. Check it out here!
The annual Schiada Regatta also commonly known as the Notta Regatta is and has always been an event far removed from the regular cookie cutter regatta mold. There is no registration table, or registration party, or registration of any kind for that matter. There also is no host hotel, no poker...
In the boating world ten years is a lot of time. In ten years the industry can rise and fall, manufactures can come and go, friends can be made and lost, and events can be created and fade away. When an event in this industry can celebrate a decade of existence something is being done right...
The performance boating community is a mixed bag of personalities, boats, and waterways. Each geographical region of boating holds its legends and lore and boaters from each proudly carry their flag high and tout their home water as the best in the country. Those of us on the west coast are...
2017 marked the 9th running of the annual Lake Powell Challenge through the scenic sand stone canyons of Lake Powell. While the name may imply a competition of some sort, the real challenge of this great event is not to out run your fellow Poker Runners but rather to raise more money for...
The 2017 Desert Storm Poker Run brought with it huge crowds, great weather, not so great weather, amazing new boats, some old favorites, a few challenges, and of course parties that will go down in history! From the first lunch run to last call at the after party, this year's Desert Storm...
The 2017 Desert Storm Street Party opened up today to sweltering temps and eager boating fans and RDP was there to bring swag, a cold beverage or two, and a party that had the whole street captivated till they the powers that be shut it down. In true RDP style the whole street next to Bad Dogs...
The Wednesday of Desert Storm is always the low key opening for Desert Storm. Consider it a "soft opening" of sorts. Folks are rolling into town and getting setup, others are enjoying some boating, and promoters, participants and sponsors are gearing up for tomorrow's Street Party. While all...
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Check out Aerial Peeks Latest Video of a DCB M35!
Each year there are events on my calendar that are classified as "Must Attend". They are the events that define my year and my business. These include such events as Desert Storm, the Mint 400, and the Parker Enduro among others. One event that has proven worthy of the list is the annual DCB...
Over the years the boating community has seen many a regatta from many a manufacturer. Some of those regattas have fallen victim to an ever changing market and gone the way of the Dodo while some have stayed the course and become tradition for both the manufacturers and the loyal owners of that...
It was a great boating weekend on Havasu. With regattas for both Hallett and Ultra boats going on RDP was on scene all weekend getting photos and video to capture the events. The photos will be up soon, but in the mean time here is a little recap video that our friends over at Havasu Media...
Bill Gibbons is, by any estimation, a conoisseur of Sanger Boats. As an owner of a Sanger hydro jet, a blown Sanger flat bottom, and a blown Sanger Super Jet, all of which are immaculate and beautiful examples, it only made sense for Gibbons to continue the trend when looking for a new project...
With great weather for the most part and a huge turnout of amazing boats and boat enthusiasts, Desert Storm 2016 was a perfect subject for great pictures. From the Krusin for Kids event to the Street Party and from the Poker Run to the After Party RDP was on hand to capture the weekend in...
Desert storm 2016 will surely go down as one of the best Desert Storms of all time. From the street party to the after party, Desert Storm delivered on every level, so it was no surprise that the shootout continued the trend even after the official Storm had concluded. The shootout offers poker...
Another Desert Storm Street Fair is in the books and in this year's case it was one for the record books! RDP pulled out all the stops this year with a great display, the biggest supply of merchandise ever, and an amazing stage with DJ entertainment and bands playing all day for the RDP...
Krusin for Kids is an event held every year and hosted by Teague Custom Marine. If you have never been to K4K it is a charity event who's focus it is to raise awareness and build community outreach for two organizations, New Horizons and Milemarkers Therapy.
New Horizons is a non-profit...
Former World Champion turned promoter, Chris Fischetti is bringing his unique Jet Ski race format to Rotary Park beach this Saturday, April 23rd, for the Aqua Moto GP. The focus of Fischetti's race is combining a beach party with some great competition all with the goal of bringing the sport...
This weekend offered a little change of pace to the usual boating, floating, and hanging I usually find myself partaking in. A month or so I was approached by former World Champion Jet Ski racer, Chris "The Fish" Fischetti about shooting some pics of an event he was putting on. Having always...
Last weekend had the RDP inmates spread all over the map as several events were all happening on the same date. As for me (PinkTaco), I had just gotten back from a week in Costa Rica and was looking forward to just sitting at the lake doing nothing when I got a call asking if I was going to be...
"My center is giving way, my right is pushed back, and my left is wavering. The situation is excellent. I shall attack!" Marshal Ferdinand Foch
"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." Napoleon Hill
At the onset of battle, the...
With my photography I've been blessed with opportunities to participate in some truly great motorsports events. From the Baja 1000 in Mexico to small local car shows in Hometown America, I've had the chance to photograph a wide range of high-horsepower, awe inspiring machines. From 36...
We are now more than a week removed from what has become the unofficial kick-off of boating season on the west coast and I have had some time to decompress and reflect on the events of the 2014 Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu, AZ. This year brought with it a slew of changes that some...
For boating enthusiasts and message board aficionados, winter typically represents the dark doldrums of the calendar year. The weather is cold, the boat is winterized and doing time in a solitary confinement-like storage facility, and the message boards have become the barren island of The Lord...
It's just passed 4am on November 16th in Baja California. Our team, bedded down around a small crackling campfire, recharges it's weary batteries as the grim news comes in over the radio... Race number 842 is at zero miles per hour just shy of race mile 600. No radio contact from the race...
Typically when I write about my experience at a given event or trip of mine I try to give everyone who wasn't able to attend a front row seat to the festivities by telling a little story and adding some of my pictures to reinforce the words. This past week a friend of mine made a post about my...
To finish first, you must first finish - This is the advice I used to get every weekend before I rolled up to the start gate of the local motocross track for my first moto of the day. For most racers, if they think back, they can usually trace the path that led them into their chosen form of...
As kids we learn at an early age that humans have a built in desire to compete with one another. We raced our Schwinn Orange Krates, challenged each other to see who could eat a slice of pizza in the least bites, got to the bottom of who could spit water the farthest, and later in life may have...
Fall brings with it thoughts of colorful turning of the leaves on the trees outside; cool, crisp morning air; smooth, glassy, water on the river; and every chick on Facebook talking about Pumpkin Spice Latte and yoga pants. Of course, in addition to the usual musings of this time of harvest...
As a frequent visitor to the lakes and waterways along the Colorado River it's nearly impossible to go to the water without hearing the adrenaline spiking sound of a high-horsepower big block as it thunders along the surface of my favorite stomping grounds. For all intents and purposes, Lake...
For the majority of the boating community, seeing Labor Day come and go marks the end of summer and boating season. September means winterizing the boat, uncovering the sand and dirt toys and prepping for the cooler weather of the upcoming desert season. For the grass-roots performance boating...
A couple weeks ago I dug up the old Desert Storm file and talked a bit about the Street Fair and the activities surrounding it. This time around I'd like to select some photos of the Poker Run and Shootout and let the pictures do the talking. Desert Storm is a high octane weekend of fun...
With all of the boating I've been doing, both on Havasu and the Parker Strip my life has started to resemble that Groundhog Day movie with Bill Murray. The difference, in my case, though is that instead of a huge marmot predisposed to seeing his shadow, and a sleepy Pennsylvania town in a...
I never thought too much about becoming a Havasu local until this past week. I mean I had pictured it before I came to stay with Dave and Stacy and the kids, but I just kind of figured that living in Havasu would be all pasties and Pauly Shore. While Pauly Shore and all the excitement of MTV's...
I was sitting in River Dave's garage the other day trying to figure out how I wanted to write the Park Moabi article and my mind was wandering so, I started going through the pictures on my laptop. Now, bear in mind, this typically means imminent doom for my productivity. I'm what you might...
When you spend a lot of time on a certain area of the Colorado River it's easy to lose sight of the fact that there are literally dozens of spots along the River that have their own following of faithful boaters who enjoy that particular brand of aquatic fun. As for myself, I spend a lot of my...
Starting this week out I didn't know what to expect from a week of working with the crew at River Dave's Place. Obviously I had met all the players at this point and was well acquainted with the goings on of RDP when everyone is in party mode, but I was having a hard time wrapping my mind...
