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COLUMBIA
CUP '97--UNLIMITED
LIGHTS Heat 1A Heat 1B Heat 2A Heat 2B Final Heat Content provided by the Graham Trucking website! 1997 Expectant Entries, sponsored by Graham Trucking
Unlimited lights racing sponsored by Graham Trucking. Prize money: $10,000. Tentative scheduleFriday, July 25 - Testing and qualifying on the Columbia River. Saturday, July 26 - Unlimited lights testing, qualifying and racing. Sunday, July 27 - Unlimited lights final. Tri-City course1 2/3-mile course is a shortened version of the 2 1/2-mile Budweiser Columbia Cup race course for unlimited hydroplanes. Both classes will utilize the same straight-aways. Boat equipmentThe "lights" are powered by automotive big-block, high performance marine engines, sold by Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Mercruiser, OMC and others manufacturers. The engines deliver 750 horsepower. The boats are 22 feet in length and weigh 1,800 to 2,000 pounds. They can reach speeds in excess of 165 miles per hour on the straight-aways and average more than 112 miles per hour in each five-mile heat. Within two years, the safety canopies on unlimited hydroplanes will be mandatory on the "lights", making them look much like the unlimited hydroplanes. Racing rulesFlag start. Closed-course racing. Boat teams draw to determine the order in which they will run qualifying laps. Points to be given for qualifying speed. For the final, points will be awarded for positions one through eight. Boats must finish their heats to be awarded points. Class restrictionsPower plants are limited to a maximum of 468 cubic inches. All engines must be fitted with one four-barrel carburetor. All boats must run on high octane racing gas only. (No methanol or alcohol). Unlimited light recordsStraightaway record holder 160 m.p.h. - Miss Shasta Beverages; Driver, Norm Mosier, Federal Way, WA. Competition record holder 112 m.p.h. Lap - Miss Blockbuster; Driver Tom Baker, Queenstown, MD. 1996 ULRS Driver high point standings - top fiveUL-111 Randy Haas4,613 UL-445 Dennis Macy3,996 UL-1 Mark Weber3,500 UL-38 Dave Bender3,318 UL-72 Phil Bononcini2,432 Former unlimited light driversMany former drivers of the unlimited lights are now piloting, or have piloted the turbine-powered unlimited hydroplanes:
1997 Unlimited lights race winners(through the Detroit Gold Cup, Detroit, MI) May 24-26 - Virginia is for Lover's Cup, Norfolk, VA. Postponed until July 12-13 because of weather. May 29 - June 1 - Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup, Detroit, MI.
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