April, 2000 UL-4 McCormick Racing team update (with
photos)! I've included some recent pics of us wrapping up the R&D stage of our work...
Jack Hinton UL-72 Test Session
Photos! These photos were submitted by Alan Lagervall. We offer our thanks to Allen for these outstanding shots of the UL-72 Pocket Mechanic. They were taken during the team's 4/27/00 test session. What to read more about testing? Click here for an initial update on the test. Additional photos and Phil Bononcini's thoughts on the test session can be found in the UL-72 website. Just check the UL-72 information page and photo page for all the details. Looking for a few photos from the U-1 side of the test session?
Additional photos by Alan Lagervall and Dale Rhynas focusing on the Budweiser
test session have been loaded to the Hydrofest
fan site. UL-136 Sanders Racing announces
their crew chief! The big news out of the UL-136
Sanders Racing camp is the naming of Shirley Sanders as the team's new crew
chief. Shirley earns the distinction of being the first woman to serve as
crew chief for a Unlimited Light team. We welcome her to her new role
within Sanders Racing and look forward to seeing Dick Sanders and the entire
Valley Center, CA based UL-136 team at this year's races. The transcript series is
complete!
UL-72 Pocket Mechanic Test Session Early word on the UL-72 Pocket Mechanic test session... Unlimited Lights Racing Series Commissioner, Patricia Darling, was also in attendance for the test session. She was in the chase boat with Marie Frauenheim and Jan Bononcini enjoying a front row seat for all the action. As we reported yesterday on Hydrofest,
the test session's two-team mix should come as no surprise. Mike Campbell
and Dale VanWerington, both from the Budweiser crew, have been helping out on
the recent repairs on the UL-72 which was damaged in competition last season.
Phil Bononcini remarked during his recent WORX
interview, "I just can't believe the things they are doing with that
boat." More on the test session soon... Canada 1 Shifts Focus Toward Racing in
2001 Mike did have some very good news to share with his update. He let us know that he "just signed a title sponsor for the entire 2001 season." It looks as if the UL-5 McLellan Racing team will be well financed and ready to run next year. No word on who the team's new benefactor is, but we wish Mike the best on his partnership with the new sponsor. Mike's plans for the fall and winter will focus on boat displays and marketing the team in preparation for 2001. A new website is planned as well. For more on this story, be sure to check MMS
News where you will find a full release that's right "from the desk of
Mike McLellan." Just look under the title banner of "UL-5 Canada
1 Update." For more information on the team you can also visit their internet
hompage. UL-72 Pocket Mechanic set to test! The UL-72 Pocket Mechanic
site will have all the details from the session soon. Transcripts continue... So far this week we've loaded the interviews with Bob
Larimore and Rick Bridgeman. Join us
tomorrow night as UL-10 driver Charley Wiggins closes out the show! UL-49 adds a sponsor for Lake Havasu! This will be Steve's first race in the Unlimited Lights as he enters his "rookie" season. He has also obtained "Positive Sign Company" of Lake Chelan, WA as an associate sponsor for the 2000 racing season. The UL-49 is also expected to be at Renton, WA May 13-14 to race in the GNH Division at the Western Divisionals. For more information on the UL-49 Hook Racing Team, be sure to visit their internet
homepage. Fred Farley offers up a new story
on Charley Wiggins' racing history. Charley
will be piloting both the U-6 Miss Madison
and the UL-10 Earl's Performance Products during the
upcoming season. We've begun loading transcripts from last week's
webcast... Charley Wiggins joins the U-6 Miss
Madison team!| For all the details on
today's announcement, visit the U-6 Miss
Madison website. Updates on several teams... First up, Rick Bridgeman and the UL-17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Market testing session from last weekend. It appears that winds kept everybody off the water on Saturday, but Sunday yielded better results. Doug reports that eighteen drivers passed their capsule training and three boats went out on Sunday. Among those that went out were Rick Bridgeman (UL-17), Vince Xaudaro (5 Litre) and Wally Johnston from Helena, MT (5 Litre). All ran well. Rick and Doug now consider the UL-17 ready to race at the upcoming Western Divisionals. Doug also let us know that the UL-15 Hopp Racing Team hull is at the Jones (Sr) shop finishing installation of the new canard. Steve Hook's UL-49 Hook Racing Team is being readied for painting. Dick Sanders UL-136 Sanders Racing Team is being updated at the Jones (Sr) shop. Thunder Valley Racing (UL-21) is being finished in the Auburn, WA shop. Both Dick Sanders and Steve Hook will be at Havasu. Rick Bridgeman is hoping to attend as well. Our thanks are offered to Doug for
the great update! We offer our welcome... It's good to have each of you with us for the coming season! Photos...
The actual broadcast ran a little over an hour the evening of 4/13/00 and was sent out via radio in the Madison area and throughout the world via the internet.
Hawaii race described as "difficult to pull off this
year"... You can read the full 4/12/00 UHRA press release for all the details on what this change means for the 2000 race...
The U.S. Navy has announced that, consistent with recent budget cuts and personnel reductions, it must withdraw as sponsor of the JN Chevrolet Hydrofest at Pearl Harbor, HI, scheduled for August 25-27, 2000. Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association officials and the U.S Navy are engaged in continuing discussions exploring alternate promotional possibilities. UHRA Commissioner Ken Muscatel expressed the UHRA's appreciation to the U.S. Navy for their support over the years, but noted that any transition would be difficult at this late date. "Unlimited Hydroplane racing and the U.S. Navy have enjoyed
a unique partnership for the last decade in Hawaii," said Muscatel.
"It may be difficult to pull off the race this year, but we're hopeful to
continue our relationship in 2001." UL-17 Ted's Red Apple Markets to test
this weekend! A few familiar faces... Phil also sent us a photo of Doug Brow just before he went under the water...
UL-72 Pocket Mechanic site updated and
relaunched! Seafair Events Earn "KEPA"
Awards Seafair's proudest moment came at the announcement of the Golden Ticket Award, presented by Ticketmaster. Seafair's 50th Anniversary Celebration won this special award given to an event organizer who makes an outstanding contribution and demonstrates great insight, fortitude, and vision toward keeping Seattle a vibrant entertainment marketplace. Seafair's "50th" featured a return of the Green Lake Aqua Follies, a Vintage Hydro Heat, a Miss Seafair Coronation that brought back 50 years of royalty, including 36 former Miss Seafairs and the first Queen of the Seas from 1950. In accepting the award, Seafair President Beth Wojick said
"receiving the Golden Ticket Award is a real tribute to the many volunteers
and sponsors who worked so hard to bring back 50 years of memories and
tradition." Drivers set for the WORX/ULRS show next
week!
The entire show will be broadcast over the internet through the
WORX Radio website (http://www.worxradio.com/).
The show will start at 7:00 PM EST and last one hour. Join us as it should
be an exciting night! The former Alamo hull arrives at
its new home! I'm sure we'll hear much more about the new UL-110 hull as we
move into the 2000 season. UL-9 Doullard Motorsports shifts their focus to the 2001
season... Paul updated us by e-mail last week indicating, "It is difficult for me to announce that we will not launch our new boat in Tri-Cities as we had planned but I feel that we have passed the point where we would be able to complete the boat correctly by that date." On the positive side, the UL-9 team hopes to test in San Diego and plans to join the ULRS fleet in 2001 visiting nine sites during the season. You can read the full story on the UL-9
Droullard Motorsports website. Madison Regatta, Inc. secures
grant to promote this year's event! Unlimited Lights left off this year's
Evansville program. "Vernon Stevens, President of the Evansville Thunder Festival, has announced today that the Unlimited Lights will not be included in this year's program. The City Engineers and Mr. Mike Duckworth, Operations Supervisor for City Works, have condemned the area of the Pits normally occupied by the Lights. Mr. Stevens and I have worked together over the past 3 weeks to try and come up with an alternate plan/site but to no avail. Therefore I declare this to be a situation of force majeur. As with any large river, nature can be destructive, and the mighty Ohio is no different. The City of Evansville will begin repairing unsafe areas and building on their waterfront just as soon as the Festival ends and it will be completed in time for next year's races. Mr. Stevens would like the Unlimited Light Racing Series to know that Evansville is diminished by the absence of this fleet this year and they do look forward to having the Lights again in 2001. The Unlimiteds will be there and an Air Show has been planned.
I am saddened by this state of affairs, as we had a possible twelve to fourteen
boats for this race. Four to six Grand Prixs had planned to come." ULRS respectfully mourns the passing of Don
Cuskelly. Mr. Cuskelly was 44 years old and is survived by his wife Cheryl, his mother and three brothers. Sent to us as an informational release by Brian Reynolds Click here for updates from March, 2000.
Questions, comments? E-mail the
site's webmaster. |
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Did you miss it? Don't worry, we'll have
full transcripts from each interview up in a couple days.
Phil Bononcini
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