2010 Season is
underway.
Lots of changes and plenty of surprises at the season opening event at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix (Chandler) AZ, May 1st & 2nd. But when you get down to cases it doesn't matter who's the favorite or who has the points lead or who's made the biggest improvement. Who's in charge? When it comes to racing on water, Mother Nature is really in charge.
ULHRA was able
to complete all but
one preliminary heat
for the Unlimited
Lights, plus the two
halves (F1 & F2) of
the Final heat so in
the absence of a
Final, points up
till that time
determined the
outcome. The last
time this happened
was at Polson MT in
July 2009 and
Kayleigh Perkins
earned that victory
by points. This
time it was rookie
driver Kevin Eacret
in the UL-11 Power
Punch Performance
Lubricants, ROXY
Radio 94.5, K&N
Filters securing
the victory with
1,025 points. It
was the third
consecutive victory
for team owner
Darren Bartels who,
after this UL-11
hull was seriously
damaged last year at
Montana, contracted
with other teams on
behalf of his
sponsors, including
the Bob Schellhase
owned supercharged
Unlimited Light that
won the Silverdale
and San Diego races
last year, driven by
Brian Perkins and N.
Mark Evans.
Second Place with 900 points at Phoenix and a career best finish was Wil Muncey in the UL-00 Trafficade-WarningPower.com. For the first time since Muncey Racing came up with their "boats for courses" team concept they were able to run their boat of choice at a specific race site. The smaller UL-00 which is the original Muncey Racing Unlimited Light hydroplane was selected for Phoenix because of the very tight (600 foot radius) turns on Firebird Lake. The "Little Boat That Could" certainly did, without missing a beat, and secured three solid second place finishes.
Third place,
also a career best
finish was Bob Smets
in the UL-20
Smetco. Smets won
two heats but had
one DNF (Did Not
Finish) for a total
of 800 points. The
veteran racer from
Oregon and his team
have their Ed
Karelsen hull and
468 cu. in engine
really performing.
When winning his
first heat on
Saturday, Smets
"flew" the 20 hull
down the front
straightaway,
carrying the right
sponson the entire
distance and racing
right along side the
concrete wall of
Firebird Lake,
generating a big
reaction from the
fans!
Smets wound up in third as a result of a faster overall elapsed time, compared to Kayleigh Perkins in the
UL-72 Foster Care-Change a Lifetime who also had two heat wins and a DNF in the preliminaries. Had the UL Final not been "blown off" by 50 mph wind gusts and a desert sand storm, Smets would have been in the F1 heat racing for first place, while Perkins would have been in the F2 heat racing for fourth place as the Firebird race course can hold only three UL's per heat.
Phoenix was the
competition debut
for the Triad Racing
Technologies Toyota
NASCAR engine, being
tested for
feasibility in
Unlimited Lights
racing by the UL-72
team. Co-Owner Joe
Frauenheim said
after the race that
the 358 cu. in V-8
built for NASCAR
Truck racing
performed
flawlessly. The one
DNF was caused by a
hull drain plug
failure causing the
boat to take on
water and making it
impossible for Ms.
Perkins to get the
boat to "plane" for
its second
preliminary heat so
she shut off the
engine. Frauenheim
later said about the
Toyota NASCAR power
plant "we are
getting better
performance every
time that we run
it. The engine
works great and as a
package is very
reliable, does not
need oil system,
carb, or electrical
add ons. - it is
ready to run and
produces a lot of
power. It also
uses significantly
less fuel" compared
to the 509 cu. in
carburetor fed V-8
the UL-72 team has
used for over a
decade.
Teams that made the extra effort to compete at Phoenix, and will do likewise in June at Chamberlain-Oacoma SD, receive 1,000 bonus points on top of the competition points earned at each event. These bonus points will make a big difference when it comes to the largest event in all of hydroplane racing. For the Unlimited Lights that is the Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair in Seattle, in front of 300,000 fans and viewed by another million fans on live television, plus a worldwide audience watching ULHRA's live webcast. No other hydroplane race comes close to the numbers generated at the Seafair event in Seattle and for the Unlimited Lights "fleet", due to the limited space in the Stan Sayers pit area, only fourteen Unlimited Lights are allowed to compete. Points earned prior to Seafair, including bonus points, determine the Top 14 qualifiers that will compete at Seattle.
A "battle of
the services" is
starting to bubble
in
ULHRA...........and
it's all good.
Former US Navy flier
and current airline
pilot Paul Becker is
driving the UL-14 GO
NAVY - Miss Critical
Logic. His crew at
Phoenix was
augmented by local
area NAVY recruiting
staff. Becker
brings the NAVY to
ULHRA two years
after former Sgt.
First Class "Smokin
Joe" Souza, driver
of the UL-9, brought
in the US ARMY. The
two teams are
expected to square
off at
Chamberlain-Oacoma
SD. The 9 team, in
the middle of an
engine transition to
supercharged
horsepower wasn't
able to complete the
project in time to
enter the Phoenix
race. Souza knows
as a result of
missing the race at
Firebird, the team
must be at
Chamberlain to have
a chance to be part
of the big Seafair
celebration; not
just the race but
also the televised
Torchlight Parade on
Saturday night, July
31st, the weekend
prior to the race.
Souza intends to
qualify in the Top
10 to be included in
the parade and be
joined by a number
of soldiers. Becker
is already in
excellent position
to have the UL-14 GO
NAVY in the parade
in downtown Seattle
with about 300,000
parade enthusiasts
on hand. As
veterans of the two
services, both
Becker and Souza are
honored promoters
and supporters of
the US NAVY and US
ARMY.
Sad news to report. A long time hydroplane race team owner has passed away. Armand Yapachino was known by just about everybody in Pacific Northwest hydroplane circles, and well respected. The 85 year old campaigned for decades a series of hydroplanes named "Joya Mia", primarily in the 280/5 liter classes. Two drivers who later found success in the Unlimited ranks, the late Terry Troxell and Jeff Bernard were among the many drivers who drove for Mr. Yapachino. In fact, Bernard was a winning driver in ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS Series driving the Joya Mia before moving on to the turbines.
ULHRA is welcoming
two new Series
Partners to this
racing series.
Brand new to the
Unlimited Lights
program is Alpen
Optics. Company
President Tim
Gardner was on hand
at the Phoenix
race. Alpen Optics
offers their
outstanding line of
binoculars, the
official binoculars
of ULHRA, Inc. for
sale at each race
site. Gardner
explained to me how
Alpen Optics has
been driven by
"Customer Service"
since the company's
founding in 1996.
All products carry a
Lifetime Guarantee
and most are
waterproof which is
perfect for fans of
ULHRA racing. As
Gardner explained
"binoculars should
last a lifetime, so
we warrant them for
life", yet Alpen
Optics binoculars
and scopes tend to
cost less than their
competition. The
company has also
been honored by the
annual Outdoor Life
Magazine "Gear Test"
more than any
competing product
line. Check them out
at your local Alpen
Optics dealer or log
on to
www.alpenoptics.com.
The other new
Series Partner is
Power Punch
Performance
Lubricants and Oil
Supplements,
headquartered in
Bremerton WA and
rapidly expanding
across the USA.
Power Punch and its
General Manager
Peter Morey have
been part of ULHRA
for several years
and this year have
expanded their
involvement. They
will present the
Graham Trucking Cup
in Seattle, August
6th - 8th.
Certainly ULHRA
teams have learned
the value and cost
savings of using
Power Punch in their
racing engines as
well as their team
haulers and personal
vehicles. Industry
and Agriculture
continue to expand
their use of the
various Power Punch
products, including
oil supplements,
gear oils, greases,
automatic
transmission and
power steering
treatments among
others. Details and
locations where
Power Punch can be
purchased are
available at
www.powerpunch.biz.
By the way, it is my understanding that the traditional first win "dunking" of driver Kevin Eacret was not done at Firebird Lake. Two reasons can be attributed. One, by the time the race was called due to high winds the conditions were too volatile for any kind of celebration as the teams were simply trying to keep everything from blowing away, and packing up for their return home. The other reason is simple. If you've ever contacted the water of Firebird Lake, it's not something you want to be doused. To race on the lake is one thing. To go swimming............ah that's another story. Maybe the team will take care of that at the annual River City Racin' Pepsi Racing Power Cup Challenge, the next stop on the ULHRA 2010 season, June 19th and 20th in Chamberlain-Oacoma SD. That's where Interstate 90 crosses the Missouri River at Lake Francis Case.
Since I moved to Omaha NE in 2009 I've learned that mid westerners have no qualms at all about driving major distances for entertainment. From Omaha to Chamberlain it's about 5 1/2 hours, or as Special Agent DiNozzo would say on NCIS, "three hours if Gibbs drives!". People from many states will make the drive to the home of "Great Faces, Great Places..........and as we now say Great Races, South Dakota!. There's room for you. Why not try it?!
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
Lots of changes and plenty of surprises at the season opening event at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix (Chandler) AZ, May 1st & 2nd. But when you get down to cases it doesn't matter who's the favorite or who has the points lead or who's made the biggest improvement. Who's in charge? When it comes to racing on water, Mother Nature is really in charge.
ULHRA was able
to complete all but
one preliminary heat
for the Unlimited
Lights, plus the two
halves (F1 & F2) of
the Final heat so in
the absence of a
Final, points up
till that time
determined the
outcome. The last
time this happened
was at Polson MT in
July 2009 and
Kayleigh Perkins
earned that victory
by points. This
time it was rookie
driver Kevin Eacret
in the UL-11 Power
Punch Performance
Lubricants, ROXY
Radio 94.5, K&N
Filters securing
the victory with
1,025 points. It
was the third
consecutive victory
for team owner
Darren Bartels who,
after this UL-11
hull was seriously
damaged last year at
Montana, contracted
with other teams on
behalf of his
sponsors, including
the Bob Schellhase
owned supercharged
Unlimited Light that
won the Silverdale
and San Diego races
last year, driven by
Brian Perkins and N.
Mark Evans. Second Place with 900 points at Phoenix and a career best finish was Wil Muncey in the UL-00 Trafficade-WarningPower.com. For the first time since Muncey Racing came up with their "boats for courses" team concept they were able to run their boat of choice at a specific race site. The smaller UL-00 which is the original Muncey Racing Unlimited Light hydroplane was selected for Phoenix because of the very tight (600 foot radius) turns on Firebird Lake. The "Little Boat That Could" certainly did, without missing a beat, and secured three solid second place finishes.
Third place,
also a career best
finish was Bob Smets
in the UL-20
Smetco. Smets won
two heats but had
one DNF (Did Not
Finish) for a total
of 800 points. The
veteran racer from
Oregon and his team
have their Ed
Karelsen hull and
468 cu. in engine
really performing.
When winning his
first heat on
Saturday, Smets
"flew" the 20 hull
down the front
straightaway,
carrying the right
sponson the entire
distance and racing
right along side the
concrete wall of
Firebird Lake,
generating a big
reaction from the
fans!Smets wound up in third as a result of a faster overall elapsed time, compared to Kayleigh Perkins in the
UL-72 Foster Care-Change a Lifetime who also had two heat wins and a DNF in the preliminaries. Had the UL Final not been "blown off" by 50 mph wind gusts and a desert sand storm, Smets would have been in the F1 heat racing for first place, while Perkins would have been in the F2 heat racing for fourth place as the Firebird race course can hold only three UL's per heat.
Phoenix was the
competition debut
for the Triad Racing
Technologies Toyota
NASCAR engine, being
tested for
feasibility in
Unlimited Lights
racing by the UL-72
team. Co-Owner Joe
Frauenheim said
after the race that
the 358 cu. in V-8
built for NASCAR
Truck racing
performed
flawlessly. The one
DNF was caused by a
hull drain plug
failure causing the
boat to take on
water and making it
impossible for Ms.
Perkins to get the
boat to "plane" for
its second
preliminary heat so
she shut off the
engine. Frauenheim
later said about the
Toyota NASCAR power
plant "we are
getting better
performance every
time that we run
it. The engine
works great and as a
package is very
reliable, does not
need oil system,
carb, or electrical
add ons. - it is
ready to run and
produces a lot of
power. It also
uses significantly
less fuel" compared
to the 509 cu. in
carburetor fed V-8
the UL-72 team has
used for over a
decade. Teams that made the extra effort to compete at Phoenix, and will do likewise in June at Chamberlain-Oacoma SD, receive 1,000 bonus points on top of the competition points earned at each event. These bonus points will make a big difference when it comes to the largest event in all of hydroplane racing. For the Unlimited Lights that is the Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair in Seattle, in front of 300,000 fans and viewed by another million fans on live television, plus a worldwide audience watching ULHRA's live webcast. No other hydroplane race comes close to the numbers generated at the Seafair event in Seattle and for the Unlimited Lights "fleet", due to the limited space in the Stan Sayers pit area, only fourteen Unlimited Lights are allowed to compete. Points earned prior to Seafair, including bonus points, determine the Top 14 qualifiers that will compete at Seattle.
A "battle of
the services" is
starting to bubble
in
ULHRA...........and
it's all good.
Former US Navy flier
and current airline
pilot Paul Becker is
driving the UL-14 GO
NAVY - Miss Critical
Logic. His crew at
Phoenix was
augmented by local
area NAVY recruiting
staff. Becker
brings the NAVY to
ULHRA two years
after former Sgt.
First Class "Smokin
Joe" Souza, driver
of the UL-9, brought
in the US ARMY. The
two teams are
expected to square
off at
Chamberlain-Oacoma
SD. The 9 team, in
the middle of an
engine transition to
supercharged
horsepower wasn't
able to complete the
project in time to
enter the Phoenix
race. Souza knows
as a result of
missing the race at
Firebird, the team
must be at
Chamberlain to have
a chance to be part
of the big Seafair
celebration; not
just the race but
also the televised
Torchlight Parade on
Saturday night, July
31st, the weekend
prior to the race.
Souza intends to
qualify in the Top
10 to be included in
the parade and be
joined by a number
of soldiers. Becker
is already in
excellent position
to have the UL-14 GO
NAVY in the parade
in downtown Seattle
with about 300,000
parade enthusiasts
on hand. As
veterans of the two
services, both
Becker and Souza are
honored promoters
and supporters of
the US NAVY and US
ARMY. Sad news to report. A long time hydroplane race team owner has passed away. Armand Yapachino was known by just about everybody in Pacific Northwest hydroplane circles, and well respected. The 85 year old campaigned for decades a series of hydroplanes named "Joya Mia", primarily in the 280/5 liter classes. Two drivers who later found success in the Unlimited ranks, the late Terry Troxell and Jeff Bernard were among the many drivers who drove for Mr. Yapachino. In fact, Bernard was a winning driver in ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS Series driving the Joya Mia before moving on to the turbines.
ULHRA is welcoming
two new Series
Partners to this
racing series.
Brand new to the
Unlimited Lights
program is Alpen
Optics. Company
President Tim
Gardner was on hand
at the Phoenix
race. Alpen Optics
offers their
outstanding line of
binoculars, the
official binoculars
of ULHRA, Inc. for
sale at each race
site. Gardner
explained to me how
Alpen Optics has
been driven by
"Customer Service"
since the company's
founding in 1996.
All products carry a
Lifetime Guarantee
and most are
waterproof which is
perfect for fans of
ULHRA racing. As
Gardner explained
"binoculars should
last a lifetime, so
we warrant them for
life", yet Alpen
Optics binoculars
and scopes tend to
cost less than their
competition. The
company has also
been honored by the
annual Outdoor Life
Magazine "Gear Test"
more than any
competing product
line. Check them out
at your local Alpen
Optics dealer or log
on to
www.alpenoptics.com. The other new
Series Partner is
Power Punch
Performance
Lubricants and Oil
Supplements,
headquartered in
Bremerton WA and
rapidly expanding
across the USA.
Power Punch and its
General Manager
Peter Morey have
been part of ULHRA
for several years
and this year have
expanded their
involvement. They
will present the
Graham Trucking Cup
in Seattle, August
6th - 8th.
Certainly ULHRA
teams have learned
the value and cost
savings of using
Power Punch in their
racing engines as
well as their team
haulers and personal
vehicles. Industry
and Agriculture
continue to expand
their use of the
various Power Punch
products, including
oil supplements,
gear oils, greases,
automatic
transmission and
power steering
treatments among
others. Details and
locations where
Power Punch can be
purchased are
available at
www.powerpunch.biz.By the way, it is my understanding that the traditional first win "dunking" of driver Kevin Eacret was not done at Firebird Lake. Two reasons can be attributed. One, by the time the race was called due to high winds the conditions were too volatile for any kind of celebration as the teams were simply trying to keep everything from blowing away, and packing up for their return home. The other reason is simple. If you've ever contacted the water of Firebird Lake, it's not something you want to be doused. To race on the lake is one thing. To go swimming............ah that's another story. Maybe the team will take care of that at the annual River City Racin' Pepsi Racing Power Cup Challenge, the next stop on the ULHRA 2010 season, June 19th and 20th in Chamberlain-Oacoma SD. That's where Interstate 90 crosses the Missouri River at Lake Francis Case.
Since I moved to Omaha NE in 2009 I've learned that mid westerners have no qualms at all about driving major distances for entertainment. From Omaha to Chamberlain it's about 5 1/2 hours, or as Special Agent DiNozzo would say on NCIS, "three hours if Gibbs drives!". People from many states will make the drive to the home of "Great Faces, Great Places..........and as we now say Great Races, South Dakota!. There's room for you. Why not try it?!
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
