Jeff Ayler (WORX 96.7 FM) and
Rick Bridgeman (UL-17 Ted's Red Apple Markets)
speaking on the evening of 4/13/00.

JA:  We're presenting our Unlimited Light Racing Series show tonight and joining us on the phone from out in Washington State is Rick Bridgeman driver of the UL-17.  Rick, good evening.

RB:  Good evening.

JA:  Glad to have you on the show.  I've heard you drive the Ted's Red Apple Markets.  You're a driver on the weekend, but you get to do a little butchering as a meat cutter during the week in your full time employ.

RB:  Yea, that's what pays the bills.

JA:  So that pay's the bills and gives you the opportunity to get out on the water.  Rick driving the UL-17 of course sponsored by Ted's Red Apple Markets.  When did you first get started in boat racing?

RB:  I started driving a hydroplane in 1990.  We won a lot of local races here in the area.  I watched them for years and thought boy that looks fun so I decided to give them a try.

JA:  That was your first time in it.  When was your first time in the ULRS series?

RB:  I entered the ULRS series in 1996.

JA:  In this particular hull you are driving right now I believe it's a fairly recent new model.

RB:  This one was updated in 1993 by Ron Jones Sr.  It's actually a John Staudacher hull by design.  Ron updated it in 1993.

JA:  Staudacher was famous for building those wood boats.  Jones redesigned it.  How tough was that going from one designer building it then another designer refurbishing it.

RB:  It was pretty tough.  You would probably have to ask Ron Jones Sr. that.  He worked on it for a lot of hours.  He did a good job and he's got it handling really well.

JA:  Rick, a big part of this series... You've not made it to the east coast yet in the Unlimited Lights.  We need to see you in Madison this year.  What's your thoughts on that?  Will you be in Madison this year?

RB:  Probably not.  Our sponsor is a west coast sponsor, regional if you will.  It's just an expensive sport.  We have to kind of stay out where the sponsor wants us to be.

JA:  You mention that dollar figure Rick.  How much does it cost you to campaign a UL on the water?

RB:  Well, for the whole season, it's about seventy thousand dollars.  That's if you don't really break any parts.  

JA:  Rick where's the major expense at in the hydroplane?  Where do the most dollars actually go?

RB:  On my team it's engines.  We put an awful lot of money toward our engine program.  There's no guarantees.  You could pop one of those things every time you go out.  It's kind of a gamble.

JA:  What kind of power plant do you run in your UL?

RB:  Art Davidson prepares our race motors; Davidson racing engines.  He's very good.  We don't pop too many, we couldn't afford to.  He's very good at what he does.  He gets a lot of horsepower out of these things.

JA:  We mentioned that earlier tonight we've had Bob Larimore, Phil Bononcini, JW Myers and Randy Haas.  Of course Rick this series is the sister series of the Unlimiteds which is predominantly dominated by turbine power with the exception of Ed Cooper's Allison powered racers.  There are some different sources to go to to power these crafts.

RB:  Yeah, I think the turbine for the Unlimiteds has certainly proven to be the best.  As far as automotive for the Unlimiteds, I can't see it really happening.  The boats are just too heavy.  You'd have to lighten them up quite a bit.

JA:  Of course the season starts off May 19th through the 21st in Lake Havasu, Arizona at the Mohave Unlimited Hydrofest.  Then June 3rd through 4th the lights will have their own race at Issaquah, Washington during the Tastin' n' Racin' event.  I see here that your are from Olympia just south of Seattle.  How close is that to Issaquah?

RB:  Oh heck, that's just about a 40 minute drive.  It's really close.

JA:  So you will be there at that event.  What are your plans for Havasu?

RB:  Well we want to go to Havasu.  Unfortunately my daughter is a fast pitch pitcher for her high school and if they are in the district play-offs then we're going to have to go watch that.  It happens to be the same weekend as Lake Havasu.

JA:  Well my hydroplane partner Tim Torrance has been through that.  His daughter Kristen was a great high school fast pitch pitcher here in Madison.  Good luck to your daughter in the tournament.  Family comes first before boat racing.

RB:  Softball is a lot of fun to watch.  It's probably right up there with boat racing.

JA:  Rick growing up out there in Washington State, of course, lots of races out there on the Columbia River in Tri-Cities and of course on Lake Washington in Seattle.  Who's your favorite Unlimited pilot of all time?

RB:  Well that's a tough question.  I'd probably go with Chip Hanauer.  That guy has won in just about every boat he's ever driven.  Also, probably Mark Evans.  Mr. Personality!  That guy, he is just always moving, always happy.

JA:  Rick also, too, going into the year 2000, the internet is the mainstay here in the world.  Doug McIntosh does a great job with your internet site.  I know Doug's tuned in tonight out there in Seattle.

RB:  Oh he does.  He keeps everybody informed and that's the key.  I mean he's updating that thing all the time.  Like you said, it's the wave of the future.  Everybody wants to read up on this stuff that's where to go.

JA:  Well Rick, we are out of time and Charley Wiggins is on the phone line.  We appreciate the call in from Olympia, Washington.  Good luck to you and the UL-17 this year on the ULRS racing series.

RB:  Thank you very much.  It was my pleasure.

JA:  That's Rick Bridgeman.  He's been with us out of Olympia, Washington and of course he's the driver of the UL-17 Ted's Red Apple Markets.  We'll take a break and when we return we'll talk with the hot shoe from Gadsden, Alabama on WORX.