Jeff Ayler (WORX 96.7 FM) and JW Myers (UL-23 Team Pegasus)
speaking on the evening of 4/13/00.

JA:  Joining us on the phone right now is JW Myers.  JW good evening!

JW:  Hey, how you doing?

JA:  Oh, doing great tonight here in Southeast Indiana.  JW, I've never had a chance to meet you.  I will when the lights come to Madison.  Where do you hail from?

JW:  I live in San Diego.  I grew up in Seattle.  In fact I'm in Seattle right now working on some Unlimited boats.

JA:  Before we talk about the lights, can you fill us in on some news on the U-boats you're working on?

JW:  Well I'm working with Ken Muscatel's boat.  The U-25.  Just trying to get things ready for the first race in Lake Havasu then we'll kind of go from there.

JA:  Of course, Ken Muscatel's team will wear the U-25 this year.  Crew chiefing that craft is Roger Newton.  JW when you see Roger, tell him Jeff Ayler says "hi".

JW:  I'll do that.  He's just in the shop right here.  We do have a big announcement coming up next week so hopefully everybody will tune into that.

JA:  We'll be anxious to hear that announcement next week and make certain you let WORX know first.

JW:  We will.

JA:  JW you mentioned you're originally from Seattle living now in San Diego.  You had a chance to drive Bob Larimore's UL-23 Team Pegasus last season.  Larimore always has a hot sled.  That's a good one.

JW:  Yeah, it was fun.  I had never driven a UL boat before.  For some reason he let me take it for a ride and fortunately he was impressed enough to invite me over to Hawaii for the race.  Things went pretty smoothly up until the final heat.  We're all ready to go for next season.

JA:  Of course growing up in Seattle, hydro fever's been in your blood all your life.  When was the first shot you had a chance to sit in a hydroplane and drive it on the water?

JW:  Well it was before I was even old enough to run J Stock.  I drove one all by myself when I was about eight.  I was going for a rides with my dad when I was probably 4, maybe 5 years old.

JA:  JW this unlimited lights racing series -- which is the sister series of the unlimited hydroplanes -- it's in its fifth year now.  I think the series is growing at a rapid rate.  Where do you see the future of this class going?

JW:  Actually the future looks really good!  I hope I never get out of the unlimited light series just because there's a lot of boats and a lot of competition.  What I've seen in just the short amount of time I've been involved in it, you think there's a really good future in it.  It generates a lot of publicity.  People are interested and they like the noise.  We kind of lost that with the turbine powered unlimiteds.  It looks pretty promising.

JA:  Of course Larimore has that Pontiac in there.  They work well when they are singing good.

JW:  I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, but it sure did the trick for us.

JA:  JW you've been in Seattle working on Ken Muscatel's U-25.  I take it you are a boat constructor sometimes.  What's the difference in building an unlimited compared to an unlimited light.

JW:  An unlimited is just a lot bigger.  No matter what you're building, it's still a race boat.  You've just got to take into consideration the speed and the weight of what it really is and just go from there.

JA:  As you mentioned you got a chance to drive Bob Larimore's UL-23 at the end of last season.  Are you the primary driver for this year?

JW:  Yes, that is true.

JA:  What are some of the goals you have as you begin your first full season with the ULRS?  Bob Larimore is a good guy to drive for...

JW:  He's produced some pretty good drivers with the Weber brothers, three of the Weber brothers!  Some other guys that I haven't personally met besides Terry Troxell.  I'm just pumped up for next year.  I hope to stand on the podium a few times.  Maybe even pick up the big hardware sometimes.  I just want to get my feet wet.  I don't want to create any problems.  The guys I've been racing with, especially Randy, have been real supportive.  He's been telling me things I should look out for, things I should do and more importantly things I should not do.  I've had some great races already.  While we were in Hawaii we had a lot of fun.  I got to race against Doug Brow who's also a co-worker on Muscatel's race team.  It makes for a pretty fun rivalry.  

JA:  As you mentioned growing up in Seattle, I asked Phil Bononcini earlier who his favorite unlimited driver was.  He said it was Chip Hanauer.  Who's your all time favorite?

JW:  Well, I can't go far from Phil.  Chip's been a big role model for me growing up because he started in the same Seattle Outboard Association I did.  I got a chance to work with him one year when I worked with the Budweiser team.  I got to know him pretty well and, fortunately, we became reasonably good friends.  He's been very supportive as well.  Definitely Chip Hanauer without any question.

JA:  And I think too, JW, when the lights race on Lake Washington in Seattle, August 4th through the 6th, it will have to be a dream come true for you to race hydroplanes on this course.

JW:  Oh yes.  Definitely!  The ultimate dream for me so far that I haven't quite reached yet is to race against Chip Hanauer.  I don't want to get out of a light boat, but if I can double dip and find the right guy that will let me go for a ride in an unlimited.  Man I can't wait for the day when I go into the first turn and check Chip Hanauer in the turn.

JA:  We appreciate the call and good luck in Bob Larimore's UL-23 next season.  Tell Ken Muscatel and Roger Newton to give us a shout next week on that big announcement.

JW:  We'll do that.