News from August, 2002! Can't wait for
San Diego? Think about Lake Lawrence Record Regatta... Paul Droullard
offers the latest on his Light!
Win A Weekend at Chip's Place!
"Spend a night at a beach house near Port Townsend. Watch whales, otters and seals out front and the Trident subs sail by while sitting in the hot tub. Kayak, row, hike, beach comb, fish, crab, sit by a beach fire or wander around scenic Port Townsend. Includes breakfast for two. Time to be mutually agreed upon." Add to that that the winning bidder is responsible for transportation to and from their place of residence and Chip's place Silent Auction bidding started at $100. Bids close at 7 pm Pacific Time on Saturday, September 14th, and the winner will be announced at SOA's Lawrence Lake Records Regatta that evening during the Benefit Raffle. If you are interested in placing a Bid, please email patrickgl@msn.com. Thanks for your Support, For Sale - The very
latest updates from the sale sheets... Benefit Raffle - Win Cool
Stuff and Support a Good Cause On July 14, Crissi Tietz, the 16 yr old daughter of outboard racer Lee Tietz was involved in a horrific car accident on the way home from a race. She suffered critical injuries and spent several weeks in the ICU. After several weeks of things being very "touch and go", she has been transported to a hospital much closer to her home near Portland OR, and is well on the way to a long and difficult recovery. Lee is a self-employed machinist and is mounting up a huge pile of medical bills from this. He has insurance for he and Crissi, however as most of us know, insurance only goes so far. A Benevolent fund has been set up on Crissi's behalf, and donations can be made to the fund. In addition, Lee and Crissi's friends with Seattle Outboard Association are doing some fun and unique fund raisers. We are selling raffle tickets for $5 apiece, all of which will be donated to the Benevolent fund. Here's some of the prizes up for grabs in the raffle: Hydro-Prop officials shirts (including Gary Garbrecht's!) DETAILS: The raffle will be held at SOA's Lawrence Lake Records Regatta Saturday night, September 14th. Tickets are $5 apiece, and it's our goal to make every prize awarded worth AT LEAST $20. If you'd like more info or are interested in purchasing a ticket or two, please email me at patrickgl@msn.com. I'll send you the details. Thanks for your Support, A few notes from
Team Freedom... This note really sums up the
spirit of running as a light.. It's fun and
it's a "racing family" kind of thing! When things go wrong... More great newspaper
coverage from the Seafair weekend! Bob Fendler:
John Lynch shares a few memories... My first connection and memory of Bob Fendler was when he was running the Lincoln Thrift 7 1/4% Special. Well, who could forget a boat name like that? Fendler's team had never won a race at the time, although the Wayfarer's Club Lady and Atlas Van Lines efforts with the ex Coral Reef U19 came close. I and a bunch of neighborhood friends were manning the parking lot at Seafair. If you remember when Seafair had a parking lot you know this is an old story. The team was having all sorts of problems that week, which was pretty much their story for the year with their first 'rear engine' race boat that was the first Unlimited designed by Jim Lucero. It was built for Fendler by Fred Wickens. Later the boat would show its potential, but this weekend it was just one engine problem after another as the team had just converted to Allison power from a failed twin automotive attempt. If it wasn't for the fact that some of us parking lot attendants were staying over night, we'd never have known. But about 2am we were awakened by the unmistakeable sound of an Allison firing up. Quickly, we hustled to the pit from our Genessee Street. trailer, just in time to see Fendler and his crew exiting the pits, before law enforcement could arrive to investigate "the noise". It was a successful "test fire". Attaway, Bob! I first met Bob Fendler at dinner in Tri Cities, following the 1975 Gold Cup. I had been there broadcasting (my very first hydroplane race-cast) with the late Bud Blair on his small Puyallup WA radio station. Bud had known Fendler for some time and the three of us had a brief chat. Bob was a bit down that evening because he knew, but for the fate of a fallen magneto wire or something similar, he'd have won the Gold Cup. His Lincoln Thrift entry, driven by Milner Irvin and built the year previously by Ron Jones, had a DNF in the third heat due to what Bob felt was something they should've been able to avoid. If that DNF had been an expected first or 2nd place finish, the Gold Cup would've been his. That's because in those days the Gold Cup was decided on total points, not the final heat winner. A few years later, I was in Phoenix, AZ. which was Bob's home at the time. He had left hydroplane racing with the demise of Lincoln Thrift. Being the "bargain hunter" I am, (others say, cheap!) I rented a car from a small outfit called Bargain Bug, which rented used VW bugs at the time. And whom do I see in the director's office? None other than proprietor Bob Fendler. I reintroduced myself and we talked for quite a spell, mostly on hydroplane racing. And when we departed, I wished Bob well and hoped that there might be a return to hydroplane racing for him, someday. Fast forward to the mid 90's. Bob's back in hydroplane racing and I'm working the pit area for KJR Radio in Seattle which had the Seafair radio contract at that time. Bob & I were able to talk a bit about hydroplanes, and the Indy Racing League. Bob was quite familiar with one of the IRL drivers: Billy Boat. His father Bill Boat had been Fendler's crew chief back in the Lincoln Thrift days. I remembered that because each of his turbocharged Allison engines had Bill Boat's distinctive I.D. They were "Boat Motor #1, Boat Motor #2, and so on in large block letters on the Allison valve covers. Bob & I chatted on and off the air about that, and he was particularly pleased with the progress Billy Boat had made in his Indy Racing League career. On the Unlimited Lights side of the racing ledger it's nice that a pair of Bob's former crew members, John Tietz and Tom Eckenburg, have continued racing. They salute their days with, and now the memory of Bob every day they come to race with the number most closely associated with Bob Fendler. The number of his first Unlimited and his last, #19. Watch for John & Tom, and their driver Steve Hook, in the UL19, at San Diego in September. John Lynch Congratulations to GNH
World Champion Doug Brow! Check out the UL-72
at the G I Joes Store this weekend!
Great newspaper
article from the Seafair weekend!
John Lynch looks back on
Olympia... Phil Bononcini, standing on the deck of the two time ULHRA champion UL72 Graham Trucking presents Budweiser Pocket Mechanic, while it is towed in following a DNF. We saw that at San Diego in the final heat last year, and we saw it Sunday at Olympia in the second round of preliminary heats. Great reliability and speed have been the hallmarks of this team. The 72 team has also been highly regarded for all of the help they've given to other UL teams. Now, the competition is catching up, so look for a renewed competitive vigor from the 72 squad at the season finale at San Diego, Sept. 20-22. But make no mistake, no one is more thrilled with the increased competition level in Unlimited Lights racing than the duo of Phil Bononcini & Joe Frauenheim. Two in a row for Hopp Racing. Greg Hopp picked up his second UL victory, to go along with Tastin & Racin 2001, and now's he's again one up on dad Jerry. Because the Olympia event did not include Unlimited Hydroplanes, Greg was available to alternate heats with Jerry, who drove one of the preliminaries. Their new Ed Trihey motor, completed barely in time for Seattle's Seafair event a week ago, is humming along missing nary a beat. Except that to say a supercharged engine is "humming" is a bit mild. Roar, scream, bellow, and a bunch of other synonyms would more aptly describe the cacophony of sound produced by the supercharged UL powerplant. Anytime the Hopp's, or Kelly Stocklin in the UL40 Thunder Valley Racing, or our newest "blower team", Rick & Shawn Bridgeman's UL 17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Markets would "fire up", the sound would reverberate throughout the Black Lake area, and certainly attracted attention. And the sizeable crowd in attendance really "revved up" for the supercharged sound. Now the potential exists for up to 5 blower teams in San Diego, along with our excellent cast of non-supercharged powerplants. Is this the "wave of the future"? Not necessarily. ULHRA leadership likes the combinations of engine packages available. GNH, 468 with Dominator Carburetor. 509, and supercharged 468. The delicate balancing act to be played out is to maintain competitive integrity for all motor combinations. There are those who've said they'd enter UL competition if they could do this or that with their motors. Custom combinations not available to other teams is something the UL's want to avoid. Allowing teams to "do their own thing" has led to the demise of other supercharged classes in APBA when "cubic dollars" was the deciding factor, and competition on the water gave way to endless "parades". For the ULHRA to continue to grow, which it is; competitive integrity and opportunity must be maintained. And what of that growth? Well, 14 race teams scored points in 2002. So far in 2002 19 teams have attended races and 16 have scored points. That number 16 could reach 17 or 18 in San Diego. Plus, currently there are 6 new hulls under construction that we know about. If they all debut in 2003, and most if not all will do just that, these are for teams not currently racing in the UL series. If they all join, and the existing UL teams remain, places like Seattle's Seafair event will have to ponder "where to park them all". But, that's a nice problem to have. Anybody remember J.W. Myers? He and the Extreme Racing UL23 team had a very forgettable eastern swing scoring no points in Kamsack or Valleyfield, and limited success in Detroit. Then in Tri Cities, more of the same...no points. But turn it around they did, as "J-Dub" took 4th in Seattle and second in Olympia. While the points battle for first is all but wrapped up for the UL72, and second place is strongly held by the UL15, with the UL38 still within long range striking distance in 3rd, the 4th position is up for grabs among Kelly Stocklin and the UL40, Pingree Conflitti and the UL58, Steve Hook and the UL19, Vince Xaudaro and the UL929, and Myers in the UL23. The spread from 4th place Stocklin to 8th place Xaudaro is only 708 points. Stocklin's advantage over 5th place Conflitti is a mere 48 points In Unllimited Lights competition we still use the traditional hydoplane scoring system of 400 pts (1st) 300 pts (2nd) 225 pts (3rd) 169 pts (4th) 127 pts (5th) 95 pts (6th) and 71 pts (7th). Lots can happen next month at San Diego. It's certainly a race worth putting on your calendar for attendance, if possible. First, late September in San Diego is always (except when it isn't, of course) excellent weather, and so is the racing. If you like powerboat racing, you get a weekend full at San Diego. Thunderboats Unlimited is presenting the San Diego Thunderboat Regatta (formerly Bayfair) and featuring Unlimited Hydroplanes, Unlimited Lights, F1 Prop-Tour, Stock Hydros, Drag Boats and Super Stock runabouts, according to their message center. The event benefits Children's Hospital in San Diego. With all of those classes in competition, if there's one race you don't particularly care for...no problem. There's another race in a few minutes. Plenty of RV spaces on both sides of the bay. Elsewhere on this site you can "link" to the San Diego Thunderboats website for more information on their outstanding event. San Diego also presents a different kind of racing. It's not just the salt water, either, although that and the dense sea level air combine for the fastest race course the UL's see all year. Most race sites have the start-finish line either at the center point of the straightaway, or closer to turn 2 than turn 1, meaning acceleration off the corner is critical. In San Diego, the start-finish line is the same for the UL's and Unlimiteds, but in order to fit the course into Mission Bay along with the Unlimiteds, the start-finish line is a scant few yards from the entrance pin for the UL's turn 1. For that matter, it's a long straightaway run for the Unlimiteds from turn 2 to the finish, so top end speed can make a difference at the finish for both series. Returning to Olympia, briefly, kudos to the organizer's selection for P.A. announcer. Ron Jones Sr. handled the mic. Renowned for his hydroplane building talents, he's announced races previously over the years. In fact he did some radio play by play of hydroplane racing more years ago than he'd probably want me to note. His vast knowledge of the sport was welcomed by the Olympia audience who learned a great deal about hydroplanes in general, along with specifics on the classes racing there including 2.5 stock hydroplane, 2.5 modified, 5 liter, and the Unlimited Lights. Of course Jones is best known for the successful racing boats he's built over the past 40 plus years, including the two time Unlimited Lights champion UL 72 Budweiser Pocket Mechanic, 3rd place in the standings UL38 Security Race Products/Golden Nugget Casino of Dave Bender, and the runner-up at Detroit, UL10 of Charley & Milt Wiggens (ex Wildfire). He's currently building a new UL for 5 liter racers Gary & Barbara Michael, who were very instrumental, along with Rick & Shawn Bridgeman of the UL17, in putting the Olympia race together. That hull will be completed in October, giving the Michaels several months to prepare for their UL debut in June of 2003. Now, after three intense weeks of racing in Washington State, the Unlimited Lights, and their "Voice" are taking some time off to prepare for the "curtain closer" for 2002. See you in San Diego! John Lynch Patricia Darling
reflects on Tri-Cities and Seattle Patricia M. Darling, Commissioner Miss the Seattle
final? Not anymore... UL-58 Signs
WestCoast Olympia Hotel as Co-Title Sponsor for Black Lake Regatta This Weekend! The UL-58 team received some great news this morning when the WestCoast Olympia Hotel agreed to co-title sponsor the team for the race on Black Lake. The agreement was arranged by Stephen Lamson of Continental Productions, who also represents Leland Unlimited, Inc., one of the top unlimited hydroplane programs in the world. Laurie Hogan, Sales Manager for the hotel, was excited about their establishments participation. WestCoast Hotel Kennewick has also been an exclusive sponsor of Leland Unlimited, Inc. for the Tri-Cities Columbia Cup, for several years, a race that Leland’s team won in 2001, 1997, and in 1996, racing as the PICO American Dream. “The WestCoast Olympia Hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Washington’s state capitol. We are on the Puget Sound and near the beautiful Cascade Mountain range, outdoor recreation is plentiful, including hiking, kayaking, sailing, and skiing. Olympia offers historical sites as well as diverse shopping, plus educational and cultural opportunities. WestCoast Olympia Hotel is the perfect location for your next getaway and we are all excited about our association with the UL-58 racing team!” Said Laurie Hogan, Sales Mgr., for the hotel. On Aug. 23-25 the hotel will also be presenting the “Bands on the Lake” festival. You may contact the hotel for additional information. Conflitti’s team has become a new addition to the unlimited lights this season and is expected to challenge for the title in Black Lake. In Valley Field, Quebec, Canada, the team won the race and in his rookie appearance in Kamsac, Canada on Lake Madge, Conflitti took home 3rd place honors. The boat is one of the fastest and most durable unlimited lights on the 2002 tour. “We are certainly grateful to WestCoast Olympia for their support and their generous hospitality. We know what a fine reputation this establishment has, so we are honored to represent them. I am sure they will enjoy the association and the festive atmosphere that accompanies these unlimited light hydroplanes.” Said driver Pingree
Conflitti. John Lynch looks back on Seattle and ahead to
Olympia... Hard to believe after watching his very successful limited inboard career in the Pacific NW, but last Sundays' win at the Graham Trucking/Sicklesteele Crane Unlimited Lights event at Seafair in Seattle was "Grandpa" Jerry Hopp's first ever championship in UL or Unlimited competition. And he debuted in the Unlimited ranks back in 1981! Just goes to show that those who knew, knew Jerry could flat-out drive a hydroplane. It's just that he's never had a flat-out hydroplane to race until the past two seasons in UL competition. The skill he's always had was displayed in the second preliminary heat of UL racing at the Regates De Valleyfield in Canada on 4th of July weekend.. Taking the lead at the start, and driving the UL15 Happy Go Lucky, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Freddie's Club Casino of Renton entry, Jerry worked the tight Valleyfield course masterfully and maintained the lead over Phil Bononcini in the UL72 Budweiser Pocket Mechanic. Unfortunately, victory in that preliminary heat eluded Hopp as his non supercharged powerplant succumbed to a broken oil pump belt, just over a mile from the finish line, and finishing Hopp Racing for the weekend. Fast forward to Seattle, a month later. Following a disappointing performance in Detroit, and the loss of their original supercharged engine at the Tri Cities, Jerry and crew had a weeklong "thrash" to get ready for Seattle. Engine builder Ed Trihey put a new "bullet" together in rapid fashion. But by the time they arrived in the Seattle pit area, the Friday test session for UL's was ending. A visibly weary and sleepy Jerry Hopp kept moving, getting things ready for the Saturday early morning test session. By the time Hopp hit the water, Dave Bender in the UL38 Security Race Products Presents Golden Nugget Casino, and Canadian Patrick Haworth in the UL72 Graham Trucking Presents Budweiser-Pocket Mechanic, had both surpassed 112 mph in qualifying. But Jerry found the new engine to his and his Jamie Auld hull's liking and turned in the third fastest qualifying lap at better than 110mph. After that, he earned a couple of preliminary heat victories and then was ready to see what the final heat would bring. It wasn't the final heat that "brung it"....it was Hopp. A dandy three boat battle ensued with Hopp in Lane 2, Bender in 1, and Bononcini in 3. It was Phil's only heat race of the weekend. Whether that made a difference, whom can tell? Still, for 2 laps they were 3 abreast around the mile & 2/3's Ted Jones Memorial Race Course. Lap 3 on the front stretch made the difference at Hopp moved out to a half roostertail length lead by the exit pin of turn one. From there he controlled the course, and ultimately ran a "pick" coming down for the checkered flag. Tooling around behind the field was UL rookie Paul Becker in Hopp's backup boat, the aged Jones' hull that was built in the early 70's and campaigned by Jerry & Greg Hopp in Unlimited Light competition until last season. Becker was running the inside lane and Hopp went by in lane two. That forced Bender, at the time in second place, to swing wide around Becker, and Bononcini was able to nip the UL38 at the flag for 2nd place. But it didn't end there. Because Becker in the UL14 had one lap to go, both the checkered & white flags were displayed. Thinking the white flag may have been for him, Bononcini kept racing only to flip in turn two on what was his "cool down" lap. Damage wasn't severe from an appearance standpoint. But after being upside down in the water, there's certainly a tidy repair bill for the Fraunheim-Bononcini team. Expect them back on the water this weekend. Speaking of tidy repair bills, luck wasn't with the UL58 or UL929 teams at Seattle. Pingree Conflitti's Western Cascade Tank & Truck welcomes Union Dooz entry broke a prop blade. Fortunately the blade didn't go through the bottom of the boat. However the shaft was "corkscrewed" and the strut was cracked. But what a racing community! It's final testing day for the Unlimiteds. Yet Jeff & Mike Campbell and others from the Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser team lent their support. The cracked strut was welded. Efforts to locate a suitable replacement shaft were unsuccessful on race day, but the help is there to make sure the UL rookie from Detroit will be able to resume racing this weekend at the inaugural Governor's Cup on Black Lake at the Washington State Capitol of Olympia. Meanwhile Vince Xaudaro had similar bad luck with the UL929 Contour Aerospace entry. In his first heat of competition, the prop shaft broke, costing Vince propeller that went to the bottom of Lake Washington. Those propellers can run anywhere from a thousand dollars to nearly 10 thousand dollars, so it was an expensive component failure. But, you can be sure that the "X-Man" crew chief Eric Burke, crew member Nancy Penneke and the rest of the 929 team will be back at it in Olympia. Two others on their crew, Phyllis & Ken Pasquinucci will be doing double duty. Their 2.5 stock hydro will also be racing at Olympia. Normally Ken is the pilot but is sitting out this weekend, and Wayne Howard jr. of Auburn will also pull double duty; driving Phyllis & Ken's 2.5 stock hydro, and the UL25 Webster Springs Construction entry of Kamsack Saskatchewan's Jody Patten. By the way, congrats to Jody & Wayne. They're making headway and were able to finish two heats at Seafair. Also on the "upward-curve" are the UL19 Spirit of Coeur D' Alene Aaron's Auto Wrecking entry with Steve Hook driving, and J.W. Myers' Pacific Crest Brewing Company No Fear.Com UL23. Hook had his best runs since the season opener at Issaquah in early June, while Myers had his best race day in more than 2 years, taking 4th overall and jumping several spots in the points race. It was great to welcome a couple of new teams, with familiar UL hulls. Joe & Jackie Bush Turner arrived with the sharply painted purple & white UL18 Graham Trucking Windermere Real Estate entry. This is the former UL49 that Steve Hook owned & campaigned in 2000 & 2001. Both Turners are experienced limited racers and Joe will be behind the wheel. While they were unsuccessful in finishing a heat, they learned a lot on race day and expect to make progress this weekend. And the UL5 San Diego Thunderboats entry arrived. A bright orange hue and new vertical stabilizers just slightly masked the reality that this 2 wing hydroplane is the ex Howie Labrie UL, that was desgned by and components manufactured by Ron Jones Sr. Ron still believes greatly in the 2 wing concept and has consulted with the new team, and owners Kevin Ayelsworth & Kevin Braun. It was a great effort on their part to get to Seattle, as they didn't have the opportunity to test. However, several trips on the water led to improvements and their learning curve should make another leap forward this weekend. What about points? Well, fortunately for Bononcini, his accident occurred after the checkered flag and the damage appears to be repairable for this weekend. The UL72 maintains a 2436 point lead going into the Olympia race, over 2nd place Jerry Hopp with the UL15. But then it gets interesting. Dave Bender, after a very successful weekend (except for that 3rd place final) is 731 points back in 3rd with opportunities to close the gap ahead in Olympia and San Diego. Then, while the spread looks lengthy, there is a very real potential for a major shake-up from 4th through 9th. Kelly Stocklin and the Thunder Valley Seafair Pirates UL40 had a very disappointing weekend, with not much to show except blown head gaskets. You should expect a turnaround for this team in Olympia. Less than 100 points back is the rejuvenated Steve Hook and the UL19, followed closely by Pingree Conflitti. Those 3 are separated by less than one heat victory, with Vince Xaudaro less than 600 points back of Stocklin, and the suddenly competitive J.W. Myers UL23 less than 900 behind. Each of these teams has plenty to race for with the remaining events on the schedule. Now, it's on to Olympia and hopefully a chance to watch another new UL entry. Rick & Shawn Bridgeman have been two of several people instrumental in bringing the UL's to Black Lake; all the while preparing their new UL17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Market entry. The former owners of the UL58, the Bridgeman's acquired the ex GP101 Staudacher hull from Canadian Daniel Mercier. A couple of "gremlins" kept them from entering the Seattle event, but you can expect them to be rarin' to go for their home town event. Congratulations to Hopp Racing: Not only was it Jerry Hopp's first win, it's the first UL victory for a supercharged engine in the 13 races since "blowers" were allowed in to Unlimited Light racing. See you in Olympia, where it's not just the racing......"it's the water". John Lynch The
latest on the Columbus Park Speedfest Directions: From Olympia on I-5 exit at Exit #104 (Hwy 101), take 2nd exit, West Olympia, Capital Mall Exit, stay left go under freeway follow Black Lake Blvd about 4 miles to Columbus Park on left. Hotel Accommodations available at WestCoast Olympia 360-943-4000 for $69.00 per night be sure to mention the race to get the discounted rate. Camping is available at Columbus Park 360-786-9460 for $16.00 per night. We hope to see lots of
racing fans there! A few thoughts on Seattle
from ULHRA President Joe Frauenheim Unlimited Lights TV Network
update! August 18th 10 AM
| September 22nd 2:30 PM | September 28th
11 AM | Other Dates To Be Announced Patricia Darling
reports from the pits of Seattle Bo and I had the good fortune to speak with Admiral and Mrs. Vernon Clark this evening. He spoke at the Officer's Reception, hosted by the Navy League and the Seafair Board of Directors. Admiral Clark is Chief of Navy Operations, and highest ranking Navy Officer (other than Chief of Staff). He is stationed at the Pentagon. We were proud to represent the Unlimited Lights. Patricia Darling - ULHRA Commissioner An update from the road on
the UL-58 The boat is on it's way. It spent the night in Souix Falls, South Dakota last night, and is in Missoula, Montana tonight. One of our crew (Verne) will arrive Thursday morning from Baltimore. The rest of us (Ping, Dawn, Rick, Kathy) will be there Thursday evening. We are looking forward to being there, and seeing everyone again. I'm becoming attached to our UL friends, and can't wait to get there. We finished 2nd place in the final at our GNH race this last weekend, at Pontiac Quake on the Lake, in Waterford Michigan. The boat's running well. We had another 2nd place heat, which was almost a first, another two feet would have done it, and a 3rd place as well. After only one heat, a 3rd place heat at that, some grumblings from others in our class who thought maybe we weren't GNH legal, caused the race committee to make the decision to have the motor inspected, which although inconvenient to the crew, proved we are in fact GHN legal as well. It's a good motor and a great boat, and Ping's doing very well driving it. Quake on the Lake was a great race to watch Union Dooz fly. Dawn - Hard Hat Racing / Union Dooz UL58 Great Tri-City Herald
Story! Click here for updates from July, 2002.
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site's webmaster. |
When
SOA asked a few friends if they could help out with Raffle Prizes for a fund
raiser to help Crissi and Lee, one of the very first people to step forward was
our friend and member Chip Hanauer. Chip has graciously agreed to host a
"bed-and breakfast-style" stay at "Racers Rest Resort, Ale House
and Spa". also known as Chip's Beach House near Port Townsend. One night
and two days for two, including breakfast cooked by one of the greatest boat
racers of all time. Chip describes the weekend thusly:
Alan Lagervall
shares a new look at the UL-72 Budweiser/Pocket
Mechanic flip in Seattle. Check out his "When things go
wrong..." gallery at 
Joe
Frauenheim reflects on Olympia...
Pingree Conflitti and his popular UL-58 “Union Dooz” unlimited light racing team are headed to Black Lake this weekend in quest of one of the most coveted championship trophy’s on the unlimited light tour. Nestled on the outskirts of Olympia, WA., the Black Lake Regatta will be boasting one of the fastest fields of race boats in the events history. With 5 competitive classes of hydroplane racing, the action should be nonstop! The weather is also expected to be ideal with weekend temperatures in the high 70’s and light winds unveiling near perfect water conditions. This years attendance is expected to be one of the best in many years.