The quiet is
about to end.
It's been a
challenging
season so far
for ULHRA, Inc.
Quick: Who's
leading the
points race?
That's the
challenging
part. Due to
circumstances
beyond anyone's
control, the
first race of
the year was not
completed and
the second not
even contested.
Therefore, with
only one race
nearly completed
at the
end of April,
there's been no
change. Rookie
Kevin Eacret in
the UL-11 Power
Punch Racing
Team-ROXY Radio
94.5-K&N
Engineering is
atop the
standings,
followed by Wil
Muncey in the
UL-00
Trafficade-Warning
Power.com, and
Bob Smets in the
UL-20
Smetco.com.
Actually, Smets
is tied for
third with
Kayleigh Perkins
in the UL-72
Foster Care
after the season
opener that
seemed a long
time
ago...because it
was.
Well, that ends
in July and for
three weeks
Unlimited Lights
racing will
again be front &
center. The
annual race in
Tri Cities WA on
the Columbia
River (July
23-25) will be
followed by the
huge Seafair
Torchlight
Parade on
Saturday night,
July 31 in
downtown
Seattle. Ten UL
teams will
participate in
the parade
beginning with a
day long display
at Seattle
Center, site of
the 1962 World's
Fair which you
may recall was
titled "Century
21". In fact in
boat racing in
1961 and 62 the
Miss
Thriftway
hydroplane
driven by Bill
Muncey (father
of Wil) was
renamed Miss
Century 21
in honor of that
event.
Forty-eight
years later,
that site will
be where ten of
the fastest
Unlimited Light
hydroplanes will
be on display.
That night
around a quarter
of a million
people will line
the streets of
downtown Seattle
for the annual
parade that is
televised around
the state.
In
recent years,
the Torchlight
Parade hasn't
received large
participation
from the racing
community,
simply due to
scheduling. In
years past the
hydroplanes were
a major feature,
and a major
coordination
challenge. "Back
in the day" the
Torchlight
Parade was
conducted on
Friday night of
Seattle race
weekend so the
hydroplanes,
after finishing
Friday testing,
were pulled out
of the pits and
with a police
escort hustled
to the front of
the parade line.
Nowadays the
parade is held
on Saturday
night the
weekend prior to
the Seattle
race, when the
racing teams are
typically in Tri
Cities. However,
this year the
Tri Cities and
Seattle races
have a weekend
in between so
look for a very
colorful and
entertaining
fleet of
Unlimited Lights
in the July 31
edition of the
Torchlight
Parade.
Then, August 6 -
8 will see the
UL's descend
upon Lake
Washington when
Power Punch
presents the
Unlimited Lights
at Seafair’s
Graham Trucking
Cup. This is the
most prestigious
trophy in the UL
season at the
world's largest
racing event for
hydroplanes.
Live television
garners a
million plus
viewers, and
about 300,000
fans on site
take in the
action all
weekend long.
Remember that
ULHRA Video and
this website
will have live
coverage of
every Unlimited
Lights racing
event.
It
was very
unfortunate that
the great folks
in
Chamberlain-Oacoma
South Dakota
were forced by
Mother Nature to
cancel this
year's Pepsi
Racing Power Cup
Challenge.
In only two
years, that race
has become a
beacon that
other new race
sites want to
follow in
recognition of
their
preparedness and
forward
thinking.
Floodwaters from
the Missouri
River forced the
cancellation,
and as of this
writing, we're
being told it
may be a few
more weeks
before all
activities can
be resumed in
that area. We
certainly wish
the best for the
fine citizens of
that portion of
South Dakota,
where Interstate
90 crosses the
Missouri River
at Lake Francis
Case.
One
race, and even
the event at
Phoenix was
affected by
weather as a
sandstorm
canceled the
last preliminary
heat and both
Final Heats,
doesn't tell the
story of the
ULHRA season,
except so far
that's all of
the season. The
next races will
demonstrate
whether the 11
team can
continue to lead
the pack,
whether the 00
team in their
campaign of
small and big
hulls will prove
successful, and
whether a NASCAR
engine can
really be
competitive in
this series in
the UL-72,
competing with
358 cubic inches
compared with
the 509 big
block V-8's and
the 468 cu in.
supercharged
engines.
Speaking
of "blowers":
Yes, they remain
in the Unlimited
Lights. The
UL-11 is
supercharged. In
addition, the
original "blower
boat" of the
ULHRA, which was
the UL-21 of
Thunder Valley
Racing in 2001 &
2002, is
returning to the
supercharged
category.
"Smokin Joe"
Souza, Driver
and Team Manager
for the UL-9
US ARMY,
(which is the
former UL-21) is
leading a
talented group
of volunteers in
the conversion
from naturally
aspirated to
"blower". Souza
is also getting
expert help from
around ULHRA
with the likes
of Kelly
Stocklin, Chuck
Dow, Ryan
Butler, and
others,
including
suppliers like
Dyers Blowers
and Hillborn
Injection. Like
any major
project there
are peaks and
valleys, often
both in the same
day, but the
team is
committed
to be ready for
competition in
the Pacific NW.
Souza and Paul
Becker with his
UL-14 GO NAVY -
Critical Logic
have, according
to "Smokin Joe",
"moved the
Army-Navy game
to the State of
Washington".
Both are strong
supporters of
the respective
military
branches for
which they
served, Becker
as a Navy flyer,
and Souza as an
Army Sgt. First
Class.
Another
returning story
is the vaunted
"All-Black-All-the-Time"
UL-929 of Vince
"X-Man" Xaudaro,
sponsored by
Hyundai dealers
in Western
Washington. That
boat's
three-year
repair and
upgrade effort
concludes this
summer when it
gets back on the
water. When the
boat was heavily
damaged at
Silverdale WA in
2007 Xaudaro was
leading the
national points
race. With all
that Xaudaro and
Crew Chief Tim
Van Hollebeke
(Crew Chief of
the Year in
2009) have
learned since
that August day
in 2007, don't
be surprised if
the new &
improved 929
picks up where
it left off as a
serious
Unlimited Lights
contender.
Last
year Kayleigh
Perkins won the
first five races
of the season on
her way to her
second national
championship.
This year it
might not be the
same. The team
is certainly
first class and
Ms. Perkin's won
two heats at
Phoenix but had
a rare DNS (did
not start) at
Phoenix and
wound up fourth
in that
shortened event.
This season,
based on
performances at
San Diego last
year and Phoenix
this year, there
are plenty of
capable
challengers. Two
years ago,
Becker won at
Seattle and was
leading the
points race when
his boat flipped
(and yes, that
was at
Silverdale).
Last year the
team spent the
season rounding
back into shape.
Now they appear
back to their
2008 level and
Becker is one of
the best
starters in UL
racing, along
with Souza who
won the start at
Seattle last
year despite an
ill performing
engine, and
Xaudaro who's
always been
among the best
at the line.
Then there's Wil
Muncey and the
improved
performance
of the 00 racing
entry plus
Muncey's
demonstrated
skills at the
starting line.
Moreover, don't
ignore limited
hydroplane
veteran Bob
Smets. He has
the UL-20
running the best
it ever has, and
that goes back
to the early
days of UL
racing. The boat
is smaller than
some but now is
showing its true
capabilities, as
is driver Smets.
In
addition, there
always seems to
be a "surprise"
in Unlimited
Lights racing -
some team that
steps up its
performance. One
team that may
fit that mold is
the UL-3 of
David & Chris
Grant, the boat
that finished
heat after heat
last year and
took third place
in the points on
the strength of
reliability.
This year the
goal is to
simply go
faster. We'll
soon find out
how the Grant
Family Racing
Team's efforts
have improved
their level of
performance
along with other
UL teams that
may be holding
back a surprise
or two. Because
of the size of
the Pacific NW
race courses,
Unlimited Lights
can start up to
eight boats in a
heat. That makes
for an exciting
B-Main, as the
top four teams
from the
preliminary
heats will
advance to the
Final, while
eight boats will
battle in the
B-Main for the
other four Final
Heat berths.
One rule change
this year that
really had no
impact at
Phoenix due to
the tight race
course will
certainly have a
bearing in the
upcoming events.
Supercharged
teams must start
outside of
naturally
aspirated teams.
Yes, that rule
has been in
place for some
time. An
amendment to
that rule
required the
"blower boats"
to stay in their
lane for one
complete lap
before they
could move to
the inside. Now
that amendment
has been
rescinded. So
the supercharged
teams will
continue to
start on the
outside but at
the exit pin
(buoy) of Turn
#1 if they have
an overlap on
the boat to
their inside
(one roostertail
length
constitutes an
overlap) they
can move to the
inside. As Arte
Johnson used to
sign-off on
"Laugh In", it
should be
"verrrrryyyyyy
innnnnteresting".
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA
Racing