News from August, 2003!
Our first photos from Olympia, Washington!
UL-51 news that did not
make the news..... Lighter than LIGHTS just as exciting! In addition to the Unlimited Lights at Olympia Speedfest, the event featured the second round of the ULHRA's Limited Inboard Series. John Lynch Greg Hopp recovers from surgery in Washington
We are pleased to share this update at the request of Jerry Hopp!
Regatta Speedfest Regatta Date: 08/09/2003 - 08/10/2003 Promoter Olympia
Power Boat Association ULHRA Sanction 2003 -05 Place Olympia, Washington, Black Lake, Columbus Park Directions: I-5 to Olympia take Highway 101 (Ocean Beaches)exit then take 2nd exit West Olympia / Black Lake Blvd keep left at exit go under freeway on Black Lake Blvd approx 4 miles turn left at 5700 Black Lake Blvd into Columbus Park Accommodations: Red Lion Hotel take I-5 South to Olympia take Highway 101 (Ocean Beaches) then take 1st exit stay to the right take 2 more rights to Evergreen Park Dr. Ph: 360-943-4000 Course: 4 laps of an approximately 1-1/4 mile course TYPE OF START: Clock SAFETY/RESCUE TEAM: Region 10 Rescue Classes Prizes Trophies: 1st
through 4th place all classes; 1st through 6th place ULs Registration: Send Entries To Entry Fees $75.00 per
boat if class is unsponsored. Officials- NOTES: This Unlimited Light
Hydroplane Racing Association sanctioned regatta is insured through K & K
Insurance Group, 1712 Magnavox Way, Ft. Wayne, IN 46801. The policy
provides for 1 million dollars liability coverage, participant excess medical
insurance coverage of $15,000.00 ($500.00 deductible) and Accident Death and
Dismemberment coverage of $10,000.00. All prizes are the responsibility of
the sponsoring entity. ULHRA does not guarantee nor is it responsible for
payment of prizes. You are advised this event may be cancelled prior to
the race due to circumstances beyond the control of the ULHRA. Please
contact the race sponsor prior to your departure to ensure this event will take
place. This is not an APBA points race. After Seafair Saturday with the Lights, maybe "The Voice" needs a "signature exclamation"
ABC's Keith Jackson has "whoa Nellie!". Bob Frey of NHRA has "hoo BABY". Seattle Mariner's Dave Niehaus has "My Oh My!. John Lynch has, well, nothing at present, but after the Unlimited Lights program at Seattle's Seafair event, maybe it's time to try something. Suffice to say, if you missed the Unlimited Lights at Seattle this year, you missed hydroplane racing the way we all have wanted to see hydroplane racing; ever since Seattle, last year. Yes, when it comes to excitement, you should come see the Unlimited Lights! And when they get together in Seattle, you get the best there is. It began on August 2nd the way it ended in Seattle a year ago. A 3 team battle in Heat 1A with the same 3 teams as that tremendous final heat one year ago. Jerry Hopp in the UL15 Issaquah Pit Stop/Big "O" Tires of Issaquah Present Mike's Hard Lemonade, Phil Bononcini in the UL72 Graham Trucking, and Dave Bender in the UL38 Golden Nugget Casino Presented by Security Race Products. In 2002 that's how they finished, Hopp, Bononcini and Bender. In 2003's Heat 1A. Bononcini pulled out the win, coming from behind to edge Bender by a sponson length on the final straightaway. Hopp was a very close third place. For a while it was a 4 boat tussle, as Kevin Aylesworth in the UL5 Hilton Garden Inn Presents Baker Equipment was gaining on the lead three as they entered turn 1 of the final lap. Unfortunately for Aylesworth, racing on the inside and closing within a roostertail length his boat was engulfed in roostertails and he was unable to finish. The day continued with excellent Unlimited Lights racing. Cal Phipps in Milton & Charley Wiggins UL10 Parker Paint Present Grand Central Casino took two solid preliminary wins, although the second was wiped out by a 1 minute penalty in turn #1 for "bearing out". George Woods, returning to the Ted Jones race course for the first time since he won the Rainier Cup for Unlimited Hydroplanes in 1992, had two solid second place finishes in the UL51Security Race Products, showing there's still life in that 22 year old ex Grand Prix hydroplane. Steve Hook battled a difficult handling UL19 Windows SharePoint Services entry. You've heard the phrase "horses for courses"?. Well this horse isn't for this course. The 19 has a difficult time on the big 1 2/3's mile tracks, particularly a rough track like Seattle with the log boom creating parallel rollers on the backstretch, and there's always a "hole" just past the start finish line that catches many a hydroplane & driver. But Hook & Co. gave it everything they had, finishing 7th in the final after 3rd & 4th place finishes in the preliminaries and maintaining their hold on third place in the season points standings. Next week in Olympia, it's a 1 1/4 mile course, and that brings a smile to face of driver Steve Hook. One driver who always smiles even though it's been over a year since his last victory, is Phil Bononcini. He and partner Joe Frauenheim have done much for this series and have worked hard to help the ULHRA develop to the exciting competitive level it displayed on Seafair weekend. The depth of strong competition is evident. The UL10 has won twice, with single wins by the UL15 and Randy Haas in the UL110 which we hope to see again this season. Whomever purchases the UL38 gets one of the best programs in the series. The UL5 from San Diego is looking like a win just waiting to happen. The UL17 of Rick & Shawn Bridgeman of Olympia WA, this weekend's hosts at Speedfest on Black Lake, missed the Seafair event but that boat also shows flashes of what's on the horizon. While they have yet to win, the UL19 team continues to pile up points and maintain third place in the standings. Vince Xaudaro's new UL929 is a combination ideal for Olympia, but also did extremely well at San Diego last year with Doug Brow at the helm, taking third place. Even the heretofore struggling Thunder Valley team and the UL40 seem to be climbing out of the depths of back-markerdom. No such word, I know, but it depicts the tough year the team has incurred. At Seattle, the speed that the boat has not shown, made a brief appearance. With what that team learned on the dyno and at Seattle, expect Kelly Stocklin to be closer to the front in the 3 remaining races. And George Woods continues to get more out of a 22 year old boat with a restricted supercharger than most people expected. Those ex GP Hulls, the 17, 40 & 51, might just be ready to "air it out" a bit more, by the time they hit the series' fastest race water, San Diego in mid September. Through all of this, the UL72 and Phil Bononcini remain in 2nd place in team standings, with Phil first in driver points. Yet the amazing stat here is, no 2003 wins for the Graham Trucking Red Rocket after 3 years atop the standings in points and wins. With 3 races to go in 2003, do you really think the UL72 will be shut out of the winner's circle? Most people don't but getting to that winner's circle is tougher today than ever before in UL competition. Just ask Jerry Hopp, who's UL15 team won the last 3 races of 2002 and the first race of 2003, only to be winless since including a distant 5th place in Seattle. What it means is, you'd better be in Olympia WA at Columbus Park on Black Lake for Speedfest this weekend. Check the circular for details elsewhere on this website. The work of the UL17 and UL57 teams and their supporters are quickly growing Speedfest into an event of substance in only its second year. Several classes of race boats in addition to the Unlimited Lights will make for an action packed race weekend, August 9th & 10th. Seattle almost was a storybook career end for Dave & Gene Bender and the UL38 Golden Nugget Casino-Security Race Products team. Inspired driving by Bender earned the team a 2nd & first place in the preliminaries. Following a great, and clean start by all 8 teams in the final, Bender, in lane 2 assumed command out of the first turn. Into turn two it was 3 wide with Bender, Cal Phipps in the UL10, and Phil Bononcini in the UL72. Of the 3, Bender had the inside, but also had Kevin Aylesworth close behind in 4th in lane one. On the Seattle course, lanes 2 & 3 usually are more favorable than lane one because the turns are a bit tighter than other 1 2/3 mile ovals. That is where Bender and Phipps did battle, and where the race was ultimately decided. Bender had the advantage but never more than a roostertail length. Phipps appeared to have a bit of an advantage in chute speed, but only a modest advantage. But going into the last lap it appeared Bender was in position to win. Unfortunately, Bender's motor began to lose a bit of power in the final lap, possibly due to a failing cylinder. Phipps edged ever closer. Still, at the exit pin of the last turn, Bender had a one boat length lead. If horse racing's Dave Johnson were here, his famous call "and down the stretch they come!" would've been appropriate. Bender with his right foot practically pushing through the firewall trying to hang on; Phipps edging closer & closer, and at the line it was Cal Phipps by a sponson length! Fans were treated to incredible racing by two talented drivers, one with, it appears, many more wins ahead, and one who's climbed the podium for his final time. Dave Bender ran a classy program, and he raced with class and dealt with others in the same manner. He retires after 26 years in hydroplane racing, including 9 years with the Unlimited Lights as a founding member. It was oh so close to a glorious 5th career UL victory in his final go-around, but what a finish it was for his outstanding career. It's hard to describe just how good that race was without seeing it personally. We hope to bring you that visual evidence here, in the next week or two. See you in Olympia this weekend. And don't forget, San Diego September 19-21 and Port Angeles WA October 4th & 5th. If you're looking for the most exciting boat racing in boat racing, you've found it in the Unlimited Lights. John Lynch Click here for updates from July, 2003
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