News from July, 2002! UL-15 Team offers
thanks to a longtime friend / Road home anything but easy for Jerry Hopp and
family Jerry wanted to make sure that we said thanks to Mike and Cathy Smith, high school chums from Snoqualmie Ski Club. The Smiths have opened the doors of their home for the team for years and are clearly considered a part of Jerry's family and the Unlimited Light family. Following the race weekend, reflecting on the team's engine problems, Jerry commented "No one said it would be easy. Our blower motor is pretty much history. At Tri-Cities in the final heat, the flywheel had cracked around the area where it bolts to the crank shaft. The vibration from the crack sheared off the oil pump drive gear. No oil, no bearings and no special made for a Jamie Auld hull flywheel. We are down to our last 468 GNH motor." Jerry's drive home from Tri-Cities was anything
but pleasant... "And now the rest of the
story... On the way home from Tri-Cities, Monday we came into Snohomish from
Monroe in the afternoon. As we approached the first traffic in town a guy
that was DWI in a small pickup turned right in front of us. I was at the cross
walk of the intersection, dynamited the brakes and blasted into the side of the
pickup which went spinning. Result... One totaled small pickup and the front of
the dually all banged up. It bent the front frame so our pick up is also
totaled. This all happened at less than 30 MPH. Two witnesses be hind me
confirmed that the light was still green for me when we hit. Dorothy,
Justin and myself were not injured. They hauled the other guy with his
forehead split open off on a back board refusing the breath test. The boat
and trailer seamed to be OK." Click
here for a photo of the truck. Graham Trucking and
Sicklesteel Crane present the Unlimited Lights for SEAFAIR
A propeller named Agnes? Must be another Thunder Valley story. Yep. While their on the water performance hasn't always been what they hoped, they certainly have a fun attitude to go along with their serious racing efforts. But a propeller named Agnes? Here's the story. The UL40 Thunder Valley Roostertail entry, driven by Kelly Stocklin had one of those bad news, good news weekends at Tri Cities. The bad news was their reliable supercharged "ham & egger" motor, finally failed. The good news was, the hull modifications made between Detroit and Tri Cities, worked. The UL40 showed much improved handling and speed. But that may also have contributed to problems not previously experienced. Two propellers were' cracked by the UL40, probably due to the higher speeds & stress experienced at Tri Cities. With no remaining "wheels", Sunday race day could've been a problem. But they recruited someone to retrieve a couple of propellers from their Auburn WA shop and drive 3.5 hours to the Tri Cities early Sunday morning. One of the two props was dubbed "Agnes Foss" in recognition of the famous NW family in the barge and tug business that gave all of their tugboats family names. Thunder Valley crew chief JC Courtright contended that this propeller was big enough to push a tug boat. Whether it would push a tug boat is undetermined for now. But coming out for Heat D on Sunday morning it was quickly discovered that "Agnes" was too much for the UL40. It had so much lift it pushed the sponson tips down under the water causing a huge geyser from the Columbia River. Driver Kelly Stocklin returned to the dock. They substituted the other retrieved propeller, and went out for the final....ran well....but lost power on the final lap while in fourth place. Meanwhile, the X-Man had a triumphant return "home". Vince Xaudaro, owner-driver of the UL929 and sponsored in the Tri Cities by Capstone, and Babcock Services, became the first Tri Cities born & raised driver to race at the Columbia Cup. Quite a few members of his Kennewick WA Kamiakin High School Class of 1985 were on hand to cheer Vince's efforts. He placed a solid third in the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights event, and moved into 6th place in the Texaco M&M Deli Unlimited Lights point standings. Probably makes his "commute" a bit more bearable. You see, Vince lives in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, but works at the Hanford nuclear reservation near the Tri Cities.....3.5 hours to the east. A hoped for match up of 4 supercharged Unlimited Lights failed to materialize at the Tri Cities. Maybe it'll happen in Seattle. Rick & Shawn Bridgeman's newly acquired UL17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Markets (formerly GP101) was unable to participate. It's hoped they will be ready this weekend at Seattle. And the planned return of the UL21 with Nick Badolato driving was short-lived. The 21's heretofore reliable and productive supercharged engine, failed. Lot's of rebuilding taking place at the Thunder Valley shop for the UL21 & 40 this week. The 4th supercharged entry, Jerry & Greg Hopp's UL15 Freddie's Club Casino of Renton, Happy Go Lucky, Mike's Hard Lemonade, was unable to finish the final heat after experiencing fuel system maladies. Seems that methanol and the new fuel tanks installed in the UL15 didn't care much for each other, causing debris to clog the fuel filtration system. This led to the boat shutting down in the turns momentarily, and then Jerry would get it going again and race down the straights. In spite of that problem, the Freddie's Club team was able to maintain their hold on second place in the team standings. Plus, Hopp noted that his on-board speedometer registered 145 mph in a Saturday morning test; some 12 mph faster than he recorded in the Kilo trials last fall in Lincoln City OR. And how about a little luck, for a change, for the CSI Motor sports team. Jody Patten's team, with Wayne Howard of Auburn WA driving here in Washington State, still had serious motor problems in the Tri Cities. They are working feverishly in a Seattle shop to get improved performance from the ex-Miss Leroi hull. Considering what Patten undertook this year; launching the first ever Kamsack Saskatchewan race AND starting a new race team, it's a credit to the group they've been able to come this far. Patten has had success as a crew chief with the UL14 last year, and Howard was the winning driver at San Diego in 2000. When things come together for this team, expect some surprises. Hopefully, in Seattle this weekend, we'll get answers to some of the "where are they" questions. We do know that Pingree Conflitti of Detroit, with local sponsorship from Western Cascade, a petroleum tank truck manufacturer in Tukwila WA, will be in Seattle. He would've been in Tri Cities trying to maintain his third place points position, but a prior commitment could not be rescheduled. Speaking of points, a successful 2nd place effort in Tri Cities has propelled the UL38 Security Race Products presents Golden Nugget Casino into third place in the points standings, and within 673 points of the second place UL15 of Jerry & Greg Hopp. Also expected this weekend is Kevin Ayelsworth and Kevin Braun's San Diego Thunderboat UL5. They didn't quite get done in time for Tri Cities but are eagerly looking to Seattle for a successful "shake down" cruise. Unfortunately, they may find that the often times rugged Seattle race course, with the full backstretch log boom keeping wakes on the race course, can be more of a "shake up" cruise. The UL5 is the former UL45 Hey Baby; a Ron Jones Sr. two wing design built by Jones & former owner Howie Labrie. Others we haven't seen this year from the NW include Joe & Jackie Turner's entry; the former UL49 Lake Pateros Motor Inn which they acquired from UL19 driver Steve Hook last winter. Also, Wilsey Hamilton's UL20 Overtime Racing entry has not made an appearance. In addition we haven't heard from Oregon's Bill Nootenboom in quite some time. Over the winter he was rebuilding another ex Howie Labrie race boat, originally built by Ron Jones Sr in the early 70's. At one time, this boat was a 7 liter record holder. Much of the work was done by Nootenboom at Jones' Fabrication Specialties shop in Tacoma WA. It was being updated to race as an Unlimited Light, but whether we'll see it this year is a big question. Since the boat left Tacoma in the early spring, there's been no further word. However, the venerable UL14 returns to the fold in Seattle. Racing as Freddie's Club TWO this weekend, the UL14 has been part of the UL fleet since the beginning in 1995, and is still owned by Jerry & Greg Hopp. Paul Becker will debut as an Unlimited Lights driver. Word is that Becker has worked with the Leland Unlimited team and has test driven the U100, but this will be his competition debut. The UL14 was campaigned last year by Doug McIntosh and Jody Patten. It was built by Jones in the early 70's as the Buccaneer for retired champion 7 liter racer John Leach of Washington State. John Lynch The UL-23 JW Myers No
Fear.com Extreme Racing Team welcome Sturgis
Leather LLC! The UL-58 Hard Hat Racing/Union Dooz set's up
shop on the web! Checking in on the UL-58 hull, it is on its way
to Seattle and spent the night last night in Sioux Falls, S. Dakota as it
travels west. KNDU NBC 25, a great
weekend of web coverage! "I think you'll be surprised at the dept of the sight, including the ability to get up-to-the-minute qualifying, heat, and race results delivered wirelessly to your PDA, Palm Pilot, or Cell Phone. Archive of past year's results, driver and boat bios, articles, photos, and schedules. This year, we added a Hydro blog for web-goers that's a collection of random thoughts, interesting tid-bits, and oddball people at the event that make it a great weekend of racing!" Well worth a look! Xaudaro Racing welcomes
the Aerostructures Corporation Contour Aerospace Division Who is Patrick Haworth? Looking ahead to
Tri-Cities and Seattle... Following the "Tastin & Racin" event at Issaquah in early June where Nick and the "Plateau Shell" finished 3rd, Badolato decided to take some time away from racing. He didn't say "retire", leaving open the possibility of returning. His fellow competitors discussed the decision at Kamsack Saskatchewan on the Hydro Thunder telecast. None of them thought Nick was out of racing for good, and all are happy he's returning. Crew Chief Jon Courtright says the "21" has had some alterations in the time since Issaquah; both to repair damage to the rear upright, and to try to improve the ride. This weekend on the Tri Cities WA course will demonstrate how well they've succeeded. Courtright also mentioned that several changes have been made to the other Thunder Valley hull: the UL40 driven by Kelly Stocklin. Their hope is to "free up" the ride a bit. Stocklin has noted on TV interviews that the hull, the former GP25 Shameless, has been riding very heavy on the sponsons. Their hope is to get more air underneath the former Grand Prix hull, which should allow it to turn better and take advantage of the substantial horsepower developed by their reliable supercharged engine. Stocklin has said this hull weighs in around 3100 pounds, which is 500 lbs over the minimum requirement for supercharged Unlimited Lights. Also, the UL supercharged engine package is designed to be about 4-500 horsepower lower than what the GP25 was originally designed. It's a work in progress, and the Thunder Valley team hope to experience improvement over the next 3 weekends in Washington State with the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights event at the Columbia Cup at Tri Cities this weekend, plus the UL event at Seafair in Seattle. Aug 2-4, and the brand new Governor's Cup in Washington's capitol of Olympia the weekend of August 10. Elsewhere on this website, a very good opportunity for someone interested in supercharged Unlimited Light power. Glen Davis & George Woods combined to build a test engine which ran impressive dyno numbers this spring. That powerplant is now available for sale. Interested?.....just click on For Sale on this site, for details. Now, it's 3 in a row upcoming for the Unlimited Lights. Indications are we should be in double figures for entries at Tri Cities and Seattle. With a week off after back to back races at Valleyfield, Quebec and Detroit, Michigan, the UL's are revved up for racing again. Check back to this site frequently this weekend for updates from Tri Cities WA. And if "Hydro Thunder" is not telecast in your area, drop us a line about your favorite local television station or local cable channel. We'll work with them to put the show on in your area. John Lynch Another day, another sponsor! UL-19 welcomes Aaron Auto Wrecking and gratefully thanks them for the support! Add another boat to the
Seafair count! The UL-14 hull will be in the Renton Days Parade and the Torch Light Parade on Saturday 7/27/02. The team will have to miss Tri-Cities to take part in the festivities. Look for it in the two parades under the "Freddie's Club" sponsorship name. Commenting on the new team, Hopp shared, "I would like to introduce a new driver; Paul Becker. He has done all the work prepping the boat and motor and yes it is yellow." The UL-14's name is still "to be
announced". The hull will run under the direction of owners Greg and Jerry Hopp
with Paul at the helm. Welcome to the sport Paul! Steve Hook shares a
sponsor update! - Steve Hook, UL-19 pilot Teams we hope to see at the Tri-City
Water Follies The Unlimited Lights are presented by Graham Trucking this year in Tri-Cities!
John Lynch catches up
with Kevin Aylesworth, John Hogan and Rick Bridgeman Kevin says their new 468 c.i. engine comes off the dyno on Tuesday. If all is well and they can get there in time, they'll race in Tri Cities. Kevin is the driver. He also says John Church, who previously drove for ex UL owner Dick Sanders of California, will be the backup driver. Kevin says they've kept the hull in the original 2 wing configuration and have received substantial assistance from designer-builder Ron Jones Sr. of Tacoma WA, and former owner Howie Labrie. Their team ultimately plans to build a supercharged motor for the 2003 season. John Hogan, owner of the UL37 "The Little Store of Friday Harbor", has confirmed the team is temporarily stored in Detroit as they prepare for the UIM World Championships for the GNH class at Hampton VA, August 16-18. Hogan, and driver Doug Brow are concentrating all of their efforts at winning the World Championship. They aren't leaving the UL class; just taking a competitive time out that they've planned all year. In fact, we expect Hogan Racing to be back, stronger than ever, in 2003. Also, Rick Bridgeman, owner of the UL17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Market (formerly GP101) hopes to debut at Tri Cities next week. They get their new Gary Pugh supercharged engine, from Performance Engine Development of Tacoma WA this weekend. If they are able to make all the installation adjustments needed, they'll be at Tri Cities. If not, they will certainly be at Seattle. The cockpit needed a 3 1/2 inch custom extension so driver Bridgeman would fit, comfortably and safely. Ron Jones Sr. and Tom Kachelmeyer of Fabrication Specialties in Tacoma WA created the extension and did the installation. At this time, it appears that a dozen or more
entries will compete in the two NW events! The Kelowna race
will have to wait until 2003 Be sure to join the series as the Lights head west in
just over a week! Beginning with the Tri-Cities Water
Follies, the Lights will go next to Tri-Cities, Washington July 27th and
28th. In the weeks that follow, the series will visit Seattle, Washington
(Aug 3, 4), Olympia, Washington (Aug 10, 11) and San Diego, California (Sept 21,
22 ). Make your plans to join us today! Trading cards... Notes from the
road... Just one of a myriad of thoughts as we fly to Seattle from Detroit. (via DALLAS??? oh well, nothing like a direct flight, and this is NOTHING like a direct flight. But the price was right) Generically referred to as "drag starts", these are often seen in 5 liter racing. But now they are creeping into the Unlimited Lights and I for one hope we can find a way to limit, if not banish them entirely. Fans jump to their feet with the "flying start" with anywhere from 5 to 8 hydroplanes at full throttle hitting the starting line and racing, roostertails sky high, into the first turn. What's caused the "drag start" to become so prevalent? The tightness of the competition is one theory, making the inside lane more critical, particularly classes such as 5 liter. That scenario is becoming more evident in the UL's this season. But a second reason was discussed and many indicated to me the "score up" buoy is the problem. Not that the buoy had anything to do with it, so let's not put the blame there. The problem would seem to be time. As in the "score up" buoy usually is in the middle of the backstretch and rules generally require each boat to pass the "score up " buoy AFTER the one minute gun. Why one minute? It doesn't take Unlimited Lights one minute to run a full lap on any of our courses. In Valleyfield, their short and tight 1 mile course did not have a 1 minute "score up". One day it was 30 seconds and another day it was 45 seconds. But even that would've been too much time at Detroit where the "score up" buoy was nearly at the entrance pin of turn two on the one mile Detroit River UL course. So let's cut the "score up" time, maybe all the way down to 30 seconds, and bring back the "flying start". Or, let's give each UL driver a fishing pole or downrigger which they can use as they "troll" toward the starting line. The above was perfectly highlighted in the Automotive Gold Cup on Saturday, and the UL final on Sunday. In the Gold Cup, driver Phil Bononcini in the UL72 Budweiser Pocket Mechanic tried to time his start, but with 8 boats in the Gold Cup and most of them "putt putting" up to the line, there was no lane available, and he wound up back in the pack. So, in the UL final, Bononcini, in classic "if you can't beat-em, join-em" style, trolled with the pack, grabbed the inside lane, and won. It was an exciting finish, where Cal Phipps nearly overcame a full roostertail gap and lost in the UL10 Post Bar by about 3 boat lengths. But the start was another story. Speaking of other stories, how about that UL 10 Wiggins Racing team. 2 years after a disastrous flip, the UL 10, the first of the Ron Jones Sr. Unlimited Lights (and predecessor to the UL72) showed it hadn't lost a thing. It may even be better. And as we said last week in discussing the rumored return of this hull with Cal Phipps at the wheel, Phipps showed to be a quick study. In the post race TV interview, Phipps said spotter and co-owner Charlie Wiggins said on the radio that he was only a roostertail behind Bononcini the last lap and "go get him". It was only the third time Phipps had been in the boat, but "go get him" he did, getting side by side with the 2 time defending UL champion in the final turn. It appeared a bit "hairy" from the shoreline, because as Phipps was reaching Bononcini, both drivers were coming up on two lapped boats. But they made it through and made a very memorable finish for the Detroit race fans. Our hope is, we don't have to wait another two years for the Wiggins team to return. Business responsibilities are substantial for the Wiggins family in their home of Gadsden AL. But if a way can be found to get them out west for the remaining events, those events will be even more lively. I'm not certain, but Detroit's UL finish may have been the first time these two Jones' creations finished one-two. What say you, UL Historian Fred Farley? As well as those two hulls performed, it's amazing that more of these Ron Jones Sr. UL's aren't under construction. Oh but there is one. And it's for Gary & Barbara Michael of Gig Harbor WA, destined to debut in 2003. Barbara has been racing 5 liters for the past few years, and.....now wait a minute, what did I say about fishing poles? Speaking of new construction, we're all awaiting the arrival of Ray West's re-entry into hydroplane racing. A former 6 liter competitor (pre-National Mod class) this craft assembled by Dale Van Wierengen from components built by Ron Jones Jr. should be interesting. It's possible it could arrive in time for Tri Cities, or Seattle. Plus, Jones, known as J.R. built components for a couple more UL's, for Paul Droullard and Gordy Gilmer. It appears both will be debuting next season. New ideas, new craft, and new excitement. It's what keeps the Unlimited Lights a growing entity in hydroplane racing. Also expected to debut in Washington is the new UL17, the former GP101 Staudacher hull, now owned by Rick and Shawn Bridgeman. Their new Miss Ted's Red Apple Market spent several weeks at Ron Jones Sr's shop in Tacoma WA getting a cockpit extension so driver Bridgeman would fit. Also, according to Doug MacIntosh on the UL15 Hopp Racing Team website, Wilsey Hamilton of the Seattle area is expected to race the final 3 events in his UL20 Overtime entry. This boat is similar to the UL929 of Vince Xaudaro, as both were built by former designer-builder Ed Karelson in Seattle. Some people ask why are the UL engine rules so restrictive. The claim is, it's not "racing" when it's restricted. Excuse me, racing means competition. I spent years in drum corps and marching band and "I love a parade". But not in hydroplane racing. And the ULHRA doesn't feature parades. Most heats are highly contested. That's a credit to the leadership of the organization that has brought in supercharged engines, kept smaller GNH engines competitive, and created 4 motor packages to choose; any of which can be a winner. Those that want to "do their own thing" with the idea of just breaking records and burying the competition, are welcome to do so........someplace else. You can't do "whatever you want" in NASCAR, or in CART, or in IRL. That's the same story in ULHRA, and that's one reason it is the fastest growing series in hydroplane racing. Each race more competitors are finding that yes they do have a chance to succeed. Pingree Conflitti won, in only his second race ever, in a boat he bought used. Cal Phipps nearly won in his first ever UL event. Randy Haas, Jerry & Greg Hopp, and Dave Bender have all won in the past 2 seasons. Steve Hook almost beat Phil Bononcini in Canada, in Phil's old boat. If you want to RACE, consider the ULHRA series. We had 13 entries at Detroit. It was the largest fleet yet this year. New to the group Jerry Bell (UL444 Comcast) and UL102 (Scott McGregor 93.1 DRQ) had their problems. Neither were able to make a start. Hopefully the discouragement of Detroit won't be the end, but just the beginning of better days ahead for both in the UL series. Our new friends from Canada, Jody Patton and Mike McLellan also tried gamely in the UL25 Tom's Oyster Bar entry, but insufficient engine performance kept them from making a start. Finally as a last resort, they scrapped their existing trio of 2 barrel carburetors in favor of one 4 barrel unit. Unfortunately they ran out of time, despite great assistance from several sources, including Randy Haas and the UL110. Haas shipped in a replacement intake manifold from their Toledo shop which arrived on Sunday morning. Many teams contributed parts & pieces and assistance, but it just wasn't to be. Hopefully, they'll find better days ahead, out west. But all was not lost. We discovered that Tom's Oyster Bar serves a very tasty bowl of Clam Chowder. Haas Racing. For a team without a sponsor, after several years with the Comp Air organization, they've shown the only thing they've lost is the sponsorship money. And if they can land another, that will be one fortunate advertiser. Randy and his hull, built by Canadian Jamie Auld and a "sister ship" to the UL15 of Jerry & Greg Hopp, again proved to be a formidable combination. Third overall, Haas took first in the Automotive Gold Cup as The Beach Grille and first in the Race for Taste. This team is ready to win again. For that matter they had Valleyfield won till engine problems stopped Randy a quarter mile from the checkered flag. Hopefully, sponsorship will be secured so they can make the west coast swing. The Race for Taste is an excellent concept of an event, inside an event. Several Detroit area dining and entertainment facilities sponsor UL entries for this event. They were all together in Heat 1B as the Race for Taste. Phil Bononcini moved his in-cockpit "Thunder Cam" to the UL40 for the Race for Taste and hopefully there is some nice action footage. Kudos to the Thunderfest group and Jim Garza for a second successful Race for Taste, and the participation of those fine facilities. In addition to The Beach Grille and Tom's Oyster Bar, they included the Village Idiot Pub (which won last year with the UL38) Sinbad's, The Emerald Ballroom, The Post Bar, and the famed Roostertail Restaurant and Night Club, which of course is how Detroit's Roostertail turn came to be known. It's also where George Carlin, in his short brown hair & clean shaven days, (yep, a LONG time ago) recorded his famous "Many Faces" album in the late 60's, featuring classic characters like, Al Sleet the hippie dippie weatherman, Biff Burns in the Sportlight Spotlight, and the notorious WWWWWW IIIIII NNNNNN OOOOOOO Wonderful WINO Radio. The foregoing, of course, has nothing to do with Unlimited Lights racing, but it's amazing what trivia remains on the brain from reading liner notes decades ago. Anybody remember what a record album, or LP is? And as the 8 boat field races through the Belle Isle turn on lap one of the Unlimited Light final, your leader is, VINCE XAUDARO???!!!. Yep, for just a moment the battered UL929, and the black & blue X-Man lead the field. He didn't hold the lead, nor did he expect to. But Xaudaro showed he can make a start, and also showed that the engine woes of earlier this season seem to be in the past. Vince said, this was the roughest racing condition he's ever encountered. In fact, his fiberglass cockpit seat broke. Fortunately, repair efforts succeeded. The Detroit River wasn't nastier than normal. In fact, weather wise it appeared to be relatively calm. But the narrowness of the channel, and the current of the river keeps rollers and "holes": caused by the props, & skid fins, in the racing lanes, and by the end of a 5 lap heat it's "hang on time" for all concerned....even the winner. There were some encouraging signs for a couple of teams that caught the blahs in Canada. UL19 Spirit of Coeur D' Alene and driver Steve Hook got back in competition, finally tracing their engine woes to a bum spark plug wire. Unfortunately while leading in heat 2A in a spirited duel with Pingree Conflitti in the UL58, Hook's ride "dropped a cylinder". Hook was able to finish, and shut down the motor immediately after crossing the finish line. But the motor was finished for the weekend, and so was the UL19. J.W. Myers in the UL23 No Fear.Com Emerald Ballroom also ran some quick speeds with his newly arrived engine, driven across country from Seattle and reaching the pit area Friday morning. Some seam separation on the left sponson allowed water to seep into the hull and slow down Myers. The problem was corrected and the hull held up fine on Sunday. Unfortunately, the new engine ran into a problem, causing the UL23 to withdraw before the final, as did the UL19. Rear wings missing: The rough Valleyfield course caused Vince Xaudaro's UL929 to lose the left upright. At Detroit, the right side gave way, so the X-Man went wingless in the final. Unfortunately for Vince, and for Kelly Stocklin in the UL40 The Roostertail, another wing was lost. In the first turn of the Automotive Gold Cup on Saturday, Xaudaro was called for encroachment on Stocklin, and the resultant collision with the UL929's roostertail caused the right side wing of the UL40 to disembark, never to return. Even Dave Bender in the UL38 Village Idiot Pub joined the "wing and a prayer" chorus, losing his left upright. Who'd think that at the halfway point of the season, two Rookie of the Year candidates would be battling for 3rd place in team points. Detroiter Pingree Conflitti and Issaquah WA's Kelly Stocklin are a mere 40 points apart. The ever confident Conflitti races hard. He could have a larger advantage over Stocklin but failed to finish one heat when his prop shaft broke, causing the loss of his lone propeller. However, in the extremely cooperative family of Unlimited Lights teams, Conflitti borrowed a shaft from one team, got assistance in fitting it to his hull, borrowed a propeller from the UL25 Tom's Oyster Bar team, and went on to take 4th place in Detroit. Stocklin, meanwhile, benefited from two teams withdrawing, in order to reach the final as the trailing boat and wound up 6th for the event. Bringing a larger skid fin from their Auburn WA shop helped the handling a bit. Other changes will be tried in Tri Cities and Seattle to help the UL40 effectively use more of their now reliable supercharged power. At the top of the chart, the UL72 Budweiser Pocket Mechanic has taken a commanding lead in the owners points race, leading the Freddie's Club, Happy Go Lucky, Mike's Hard Lemonade UL15 by over 1500 points. Two weeks of tough engine luck has knocked the Hopp Racing Team from the top rung. But with a little "home cookin" and some Ed Trihey engine magic, look for a strong rebound in Tri Cities and Seattle. At this point of the season, a final heat I'd like to see in the State of Washington. UL72 / UL15 / UL38 / UL10 / UL110. When these five are "on" that would be one hot final. Traditionally the Lights have raced exclusively on Saturday in the Emerald City. A Sunday final heat would be televised live on KIRO TV which uniquely in the world of hydroplane racing televises live coverage of the Seafair event from 11am till 5pm. This is a television tradition that dates back to the first years of hydroplane racing on Lake Washington in the early 50's. ABC College Football icon Keith Jackson had this duty in Seattle, prior to joining the network in the 60's. In today's TV landscape, you can be sure that it's a profitable arrangement for KIRO, or else it wouldn't be done. Too bad this hasn't caught on in other hydroplane markets. This year, our "Hydro Thunder" broadcasts of the Unlimited Lights is providing a nice "lead in" throughout the month of July, in both Seattle and Tri Cities, televised on KIRO and on KNDU in Tri Cities and KNDO in Yakima. These 30 minute shows are available to air on stations around the country. Just drop a line here, or contact your local station if you'd like to see these shows in your area. See you in Tri Cities and Seattle. John Lynch New
sponsors and display date set for Xaudaro Racing Saturday night, July 20th, the UL-929 Hull will be on display at the Rattlesnake Mountain Brewing Company form 6pm-8pm as well as the owner/driver and Tri City native, Vince Xaudaro who will be on hand to answer questions. Rattlesnake MBC is located at the West entrance to Columbia Park, 2696 N. Columbia Center Boulevard, Richland, WA. Just before
Detroit... "Date: 7/8/2002 8:54:15 PM Pacific Daylight Time Patti, We certainly missed you at the Valleyfield event. I would like to take a moment to thank some of your UL teams for helping our GNH team get ready for our final on Sunday. We broke the airtrap and threw off a large piece of aluminum and it hit the prop and rudder. It also left a bunch of work to be done in a very short period of time to get us ready for the final, which was in about an hour or so. Many members of your UL teams came over and loaned out some tools, some materials, some knowledge and elbow grease. I was amazed how many people jumped up to help me and my team get ready for a final that really had nothing to do with their class. Even Phil Bonancini came over and looked at the boat. Wow, how about that?(Ha Ha). What a great group of people you work with and I am looking forward to joining in on some of your fun in the next few seasons. Hopefully I can get with a team and participate at all of your UL events. I cannot say enough about your UL group. You must be proud. Thanks, Notes from the road
... Now, as we ponder all that's occurred while readying for the red-eye to Detroit (had to finish the telecast for Kamsack in Seattle after Valleyfield this morning and then fly to Detroit tonight.....who did this schedule??!!! oh yeah, I did. hmmm) it's a certainty that luck plays a part in Unlimited Light Hydroplane racing. And it played a major role for that unlikely trio of Ping, X-man & Kelly. Nope, not some new band or PR company; they're first, second, and third place at Regates Molson Ex de Valleyfield. Of course, when there's good luck for some in racing, there is corresponding bad luck for others. And in that camp we find, surprisingly, series points leaders Phil Bononcini and Jerry Hopp. Each race course the Unlimited Lights compete is different and they have their own peculiarities. The shortest, at 1 mile, is Valleyfield. It's also the tightest. For those of you familiar with NASCAR racing, the Valleyfield course would be the hydroplane equivalent of Martinsville VA....generally defined as two drag strips connected by hairpins. For any of the UL's, it is virtually impossible to successfully run in lane one. The radius is too tight and scrubs off too much speed. So you'll generally see the inside boat try to run in lane 3 or 4. This was best illustrated on Saturday afternoon in Heat E. Jerry Hopp in the UL15 Happy Go Lucky, Mike's Hard Lemonade took the inside position. He got a small jump on Phil Bononcini in the UL72 Budweiser Pocket Mechanic, and took the offensive. It was one of the most aggressive drives shown by the senior Hopp in quite some time. He held off Bononcini for the balance of 4 laps. Unfortunately, it was a 5 lap heat, and midway through turn 2, Hopp's engine gave up. Later it was discovered the culprit was a broken 20 dollar oil pump drive belt. Had it happened anywhere else, Hopp probably could've saved the motor. He related that it's impossible to check the gauges in the middle of a racing turn. There is an indicator light for when oil pressure drops too low. But this time, the oil indicator light, failed. By the time Hopp was able to check gauges at the head of the straightaway, it was too late. The motor was gone, and the weekend lost, and so was their UL series points lead. Next week, its back to the supercharger engine as Happy Go Lucky tries to tame Detroit. With Bononcini assured of taking over the points lead, the next step was the race victory. But there the fates played a tough hand. First of all, UL leadership, including President Joe Frauenheim, who is also the co-owner of the Budweiser Pocket Mechanic, agreed that the best show finale for the Valleyfield regatta was a 9 boat final. 6 hydros on the front line with 3 trailers racing before more than 100 thousand enthusiastic race fans. But that meant, starting was more critical because that many hydroplanes with their deep rudders and skid fins would turn the St. Françoise Bay race course into "surf city". So, get the lead at the start was the assignment, which Bononcini did. Unfortunately he was less than 1 second too early at the start, but early nonetheless. He and Dave Bender in the revitalized UL38 Security Race Products presents Miss Silver Dollar Casino, crossed the starting line together, both earning one minute penalties. Still, they staged a classic UL duel, swapping the lead as many as 4 times per lap. Bononcini gaining in the turns, with Bender overcoming the gap in the chutes, and crossing the line virtually dead even. The fans were on their feet, not knowing that the race for the lead was in fact a race for 4th place. 5 boats crossed the starting line nearly together. In addition to Bender & Bononcini, 3 starters were right on time. The UL37 "Little Store of Friday Harbor" with Doug Brow, the UL110 Has Racing entry of Randy Has, and the UL40 Texaco M&M Deli of Kelly Stocklin. Here again, bad luck befell two of those 3. Brow's boat, strong all weekend, let him down when electrical problems stopped the craft midway through turn #1 and Brow was unable to restart. But the cruelest fate of all went to Randy Haas. This was their first race of the season and they showed the strength that earned them victory at San Diego last year. But heading into the final turn on the final lap, with victory in their grasp, motor failure ended what would've been a spectacular season debut for the Haas family. But as stated earlier, bad luck for some means good luck for others. Kelly Stocklin overcame handling difficulties with the UL 40 and motored to a 3rd place finish; his best yet as a rookie UL driver. Stocklin knows the Texaco M&M Deli entry is a handful. It's supercharged engine develops excellent chute speed. But at 3100 lbs, it gives away at least 500 lbs to the other entries. Prior to the final, Stocklin was asked his goal in the 9 boat finale. His one word response, "survive", summed it up well. Survive? They prospered with the 3rd place finish using the motor Stocklin refers to as his "ham & egger". It's the second Thunder Valley Racing Team supercharged motor and was created from "old parts" that Stocklin culled from his own stock. They've kept tuning on that "ham & egger" all season and it's developed good power and improved reliability. Next up, however, #1 is put in. The motor developed for the currently inactive UL21 entry will be installed in the UL40 to see what it and Kelly can do on the bigger Detroit river course. All this space and hardly a mention of the winner. That's a great story all its own, for the winner was none other than Detroiter Pingree Conflitti. A more unexpected win hasn't been seen in UL competition for some time. Not that Conflitti's Hard Hat Racing, Union Dooz entry wasn't capable. It's just that the ex Funny Car drag racer had so little seat time after debuting at Kamsack two weeks ago that no one, least of all himself, gave him a chance at winning. But with starting line penalties to Bononcini and Bender and the unfortunate engine demise for Haas, Conflitti was first to take the checkered flag. And just think, if it wasn't for Vern Luchsinger of Edgerton WI, who "came to their rescue" when their tow rig failed in Wisconsin, "Ping" wouldn't have been in position to win. Luchsinger towed their team to Kamsack, where Conflitti got enough seat time in that race so he could race for the win at Valleyfield. Without Vern, the Union Dooz team would've been at the back of the pack in Quebec. But it didn't end there. Now that he won, what'll he do next? He didn't say he was going to Disneyland. In fact, he didn't even know the way to the victory stand At Valleyfield winners traditionally take their boats to the starting line. They go to the dock alongside the starting tower, exit their boat and are interviewed and presented to the crowd. Only problem was, Conflitti didn't know this. Finally they got the word to him via radio. But his approach to the dock was off line and he nearly slammed into the concrete "sea wall". Fortunately that didn't happen. After exiting the cockpit, Conflitti was "dunked" into the St. Françoise Bay waters, prior to the post race interview. A happier racer one could not find. He even thanked UL 17 team owner Rick Bridgeman. The UL58 is the former UL17 that Conflitti acquired this spring, and so far Conflitti and the Union Dooz entry are proving to be quite a duo. It's nice when hard work is rewarded. It didn't look that way all weekend for the UL929 Xaudaro Racing Team and driver Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro. Hull problems kept cropping up, first with damage to sponsons, and later a prop shaft malady. But Xaudaro, his crew chief Eric Burke, and assistant Linda Pennecke, with help from the Budweiser Pocket Mechanic Team, the UL19 Spirit of Coeur D' Alene team, and J.W. Myers with the No Fear.com team, Vince was able to start the final heat. Not only start, Xaudaro was able to run competitively, staying within a roostertail of Conflitti, and rode that to his first ever UL second place finish. Even bad luck can have its good moments. The ever upbeat J.W. Myers is a case in point. He scored no points on the weekend after losing his last engine in Friday testing. Why so upbeat? Myers has a brand new motor enroute to Detroit after running the first 3 events with the engines that came from UL23 owner Bob Larrimore, whom Myers leased the racing team from this year.. Myers and the old combination have had their difficulties. He believes the new motor will be a better match for his driving and the hull. If so, watch out for the UL23 in Detroit. And while you're at it, watch also for the defending champion of Detroit, Dave Bender in the Miss Silver Dollar Casino. Dave drove an awesome race against Phil Bononcini to a very close second place finish, except for the starting line penalty which relegated him to 5th. But that performance showed that both Dave and the Bud Gilbert powered UL38 is ready and able to defend their triple Detroit titles. Last year, the Automotive Gold Cup, the Restaurant Challenge and the UL event in Detroit were all won by Bender. Hard luck befell two others, but still a ray of sunshine was seen, even amongst the heavy smoke in Quebec from the more than 40 forest & range fires north of Valleyfield. Steve Hook in the UL19 Spirit of Coeur D' Alene just needs to be in the water less. The packed racing card at Valleyfield required the UL's to get in the water well in advance of their heat. Unfortunately the UL19 tends to take on water....in this case about 5 gallons too much, and try as he might, driver Hook could not get the 19 on plane. He wound up watching the final from the infield. Here's a candidate for a Thompson's Water Seal sponsorship! And then, there's the saga of the UL25 Country Service team from Kamsack, headed by Jody Patten and driven by fellow Canadian Mike McClellan. Similar problems befell this duo, but still they were able to press on to their first ever team heat finish. The ever optimistic McClellan, in true Spin Doctor form, noted his team garnered their first ever top 10 finish! Looking ahead we may have more season debuts this weekend in Detroit. Most notably it appears that the Charley & Milt Wiggens Alabama based UL10 may return to racing at Detroit after being out of action for most of 2 seasons. No driver has been named, although one name that's been "bandied about" is that of Michigan's Cal Phipps. Based on Phipps' performance in the GNH "Deel Me In" at Valleyfield, he and the ex Wildfire, built by Ron Jones Sr. could be a potent combination. Elsewhere on this website you'll see that as many as 15 entries have indicated they'll be in Detroit. If so, it'll be the largest field in the history of the ULHRA, and should prove to be most exciting. Oh, one more thing. Last time I mentioned that the Thunder Valley Team (UL21 & UL40) is always good for a story. Well here's their version of how to pass the time driving from Saskatchewan to Quebec. Their two vehicles had radios, so they kept their own "quiz show" going with questions on the origin of common phrases. Those would include where did the phrase "under the weather", come from, and "between the devil and the deep blue sea" and many more. But here's one for them. As Barry Mann once sang (yes, Mann, not Manilow this time) "Who put the bop in the bop shu bop shu bop". Who knows, with those guys the answer may appear here, next week. Now, time for that red-eye to Detroit. John Lynch Teams expected to attend the CHRYSLER-JEEP
SUPERSTORES GOLD CUP RACES DETROIT
Click here for updates from June, 2002.
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At
the end of the Tri-Cities race, we had a few minutes to talk to Jerry Hopp about
his race weekend. Clearly a bit disappointed, Jerry remained positive as
he looked toward the remaining races of the 2002 season. For those of you
who do not already know, Jerry has an amazing race history. He has been
behind the wheel of unlimited hulls since 1981 (last driving the U-6 Miss
Madison in the 2000 Gold Cup and the U-20 Golden Nugget Casino in 2001).
He has been driving his unlimited light boats since the mid-90's.
We
invite you to visit the KNDU NBC 25 website, 
Out
of nowhere, Patrick Haworth has emerged as a force to watch in the Unlimited
Lights. Being a new name in the Lights, many fans have sent in e-mail to
the site asking "who is Patrick Haworth"? The young man, still
in his early-thirties, already has an impressive racing history. Patrick
took his first ride in an Unlimited Light during the 2002 Valleyfield
race. During that race he put in three test laps in the UL-72 and
completed sixteen racing laps in the UL-72 and the UL-110. Prior to that
time, he competed in the 5 liters and the 2.5 liters. In 2001, Haworth was
the North American Champion, finished second in US High Points and second in
Worlds. He won 10 of the 12 races he competed in during the season!
He has raced in the 5 Liters from '96 through the current season. In 1996
and 1997 he won all the races! Haworth raced in the 2.5 liters from '93
through '95. Leaving his mark in that class as well, he only lost three
races in three years. Impressive! Patrick and representatives of the
Valleyfield race have expressed an interest in fielding their own team in
2003. Certainly a driver and a team to watch in the months and years
ahead.
