News from February 2004 UL-72... A look back and a look ahead
Frauenheim's own history in the Unlimited Lights shows otherwise. Three ULHRA team titles, and four driving titles for Phil Bononcini in their famed UL72 show that success comes from doing it right. As Frauenheim has been wont to say, the first priority to going faster is to "fix your boat". Don't think that as an arrogant statement from one who's bought his success. Despite having one of the finest racing craft in the series, it wasn't always that way for Impact Racing. The boat that's run the past three seasons as the UL19 was the original Bononcini-Frauenheim entry in the mid 90's. They didn't win a race, but they learned. Then they stepped up to a brand new state of the art Ron Jones Unlimited Light.....the current UL72. And for a season and a half that team found the same result........they didn't win a race, but they learned more. Unfortunately they ended 1999 with a disastrous flip in Hawaii. But sometimes, misfortune can turn into dame fortune. In the winter of 1999-2000, with help from the late Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser Unlimited team, the Jones built UL72 was not only repaired, it was given a new race set-up. And race it did! The Phil Bononcini driven UL72 dominated the series in 2000, 2001 & 2002, winning 3 straight titles despite Hopp Racing's victories in the final three events of 2002 with their newly supercharged UL15. In 2003 it appeared Bononcini could secure a 4th team title to go along with his 4th driver's title, except that the team had to withdraw from two Final Heats, at Issaquah and Olympia, due to prop shaft strut failure. Despite not winning a Final Heat, the UL72 piled up preliminary heat victories and Bononcini had his 4th driver's title. With 6 victories in the past two season for supercharged engines, all by the father-son duo of Jerry & Greg Hopp, many believe it's destined that "blowers" will take over the series. Joe Frauenheim says, not so fast! The UL72 team is poised for another serious run at victories and a fourth team championship. But they have a very large void to fill,.specifically the driver's cockpit, as Frauenheim's partner in business and racing, Phil Bononcin, decided to step away from race driving to spend more time with his family. It should be written correctly that the team HAD a very large void to fill, but now that is no longer the case. As one formidable talent departs, another equally formidable talent arrives.............all the way from the pit stall, next door. Yes, despite lots of speculation that he'd never take the UL72 seat without a supercharger, that's exactly how the UL72 will race in 2004......without a supercharger and with driver George Woods jr. What a change from a year ago at this time. Frauenheim & Bononcini had just taken delivery of the 20 year old UL51. They planned to put a supercharger in this veteran Jones hull, certainly not state of the art as is their existing Jones UL72. They're intent was to increase the fleet size in the ULHRA, and to get experience with supercharged motors that had only been authorized for UL competition 2 years earlier. So, they went to a source they knew was as savvy as they come in supercharged horsepower and in hydroplane racing; George Woods jr. Woods had combined with Glen Davis to build the first supercharged UL test engine. It was so reliable, that Kevin Aylesworth's UL5 team purchased the engine and ran the entire 2003 season, with some very impressive heat wins and a 2nd place overall at Valleyfield. One engine for the entire 2003 season; exactly what the ULHRA had in mind when the ULHRA supercharged engine specifications were approved. Supercharged, yes; but not unregulated. Woods was chosen to spearhead the new engine program. He hadn't even driven a hydroplane in 10 years since a career ending crash in Unlimited Hydroplane racing in 1993. But Woods was intrigued with the idea. He wanted to help supercharged engines to become accepted. He'd been building and tuning "blown motors" for drag racing and circle racing for about 30 years.. Now one of the sport's leaders brought him on board to assist this start-up second team. But Woods remembered that when the current UL51 was originally built, he helped set-up the boat for its first owner. So George told Frauenheim & Bononcini he'd help, but he wanted to take the UL51 out for it's first test run, just to see how it felt. One thing led to another, and Woods wound up driving this supposedly outdated craft to a strong 3rd place finish in the 2003 season championship. Yes, what started out as an engine building effort, became George Woods return to competitive race driving......and competitive he was.....like he'd never been away. Now, fast forward to the November 2003 season ending banquet. Woods had made it known that he enjoyed his return to race driving but now it was time to move on with his life and let someone else drive the UL51. On stage, however, not only did driver Phil Bononcini announce his retirement, he also publicly asked Woods to take over as driver of the UL72. Now, 3 months later, Woods has said yes. No less an expert on the subject than Ron Jones Sr. publicly proclaimed Woods the finest hydroplane race driver today....and this is after a 10 year layoff.. His racing history includes national championships and speed records in inboard hydroplanes and K Racing Runabouts, and 3 victories in his injury shortened Unlimited Hydroplane career. Now, that talent will continue to be on display in 2004 with the Jones designed and built UL72 being chauffeured by one of the very best of this, or any era; George Woods Jr. John Lynch Photographers Needed: We need your photos... Who knows, your photo just might end up on the cover!
Digital submissions are preferred, although we can accept images captured on film.
Preferred file size is approx. 7 in.x 5 in. at 300 ppi, but other sizes are acceptable.
Please don't send the ones that you shot with your digital camera set at it's lowest possible resolution; we probably won't be able to use those.
Email images to Photo-Editor Mark Sharley, at mcsharley@wamail.net.
Film-shooters should email Mark for mailing arraignments, etc. Deadline for submissions is 3/5/04; that's only
a few weeks away, so get 'em in quick! Thunder Valley removes "interim" from interim Driver Harold Mills
Harold Mills was the APBA's 2.5 Liter Modified National High Point Champion in the year 2000. He's well known throughout the country as an excellent racer and clock starter......a skill he demonstrated in his brief time in the UL40 last season. The popular Mills is active in his community, raising awareness for a variety of worthy causes. He's also held racing leadership positions and has been race driving since 1979. During the work week, Mills is a driver for DHL Airborne Express. 2003 was not a kind year for Thunder Valley. Basically, if something could go wrong, it did. This offseason they are working to make sure a repeat of 2003 doesn't happen. This trendsetting team which was the first to bring supercharged power to Unlimited Light racing, and the first to acquire a Grand Prix class hull for ULHRA competition, has a busy off season of upgrades underway. Engine Chief Chuck Dow noted recently that while the team had a variety of engine problems last season,, the engine failures actually were the result of other mechanical maladies in the boat; and those are being corrected this offseason. An original Thunder Valley member who was unavailable for much of the 2003 campaign is back assisting in the offseason work. Jon (JC) Courtright has a wealth of racing experience dating back to his days with the Squire Shop Unlimited Hydroplane. His talents will be called upon this offseason as the team plans to extend the air traps to the full length of the hull and complete repairs and upgrades following by the crash in Valleyfield where the boat lost its steering, went up on shore, and rammed a jersey barrier. One particular improvement Mills eagerly awaits is with the cockpit. Following the crash, the escape hatch door seal, leaked, and the ventilation wasn't up to snuff. So Mills found himself getting a bit damp while awaiting departure from the pits, and once at racing speed, the cockpit windows would "fog over". You can't race if you can't see and at Port Angeles Mills decided the best course of action was to leave the course and return to the pits rather than fight the interior fog. While he will be competing in his third race as a ULHRA driver, Mills is still be looking for his first ULHRA racing points. At both San Diego and Port Angeles last season, the UL40 was unable to complete a heat.
In honor of Hawkeye, Trapper John, BJ, Major Burns and Charles Emerson Winchester III, the Thunder Valley team has nicknamed its new race shop as the "Swamp". And leave it to Crew Chief Ken Eng to invoke a little M.A.S.H type humor into the appointment of Mills. He said to Harold "after the season we had, you still want to race with us? I thought you were smarter than that". Maybe he is. After having so much go badly in 2003, just a bit of good fortune could propel the popular Thunder Valley team into a contending role in 2004. Despite their misfortune in 2003, this team was a leading ambassador for the sport as hundreds if not thousands of race fans around the UL circuit were invited to climb aboard the team's hydroplane.. In 2004, those new fans will be emotionally riding along with Harold Mills, watching him and the Thunder Valley Racing Team, and their "Fabulous 40". John Lynch
It was a real treat to meet them all at Jack and Sheri Sipila's home…and boat shop… on Kitsap Lake, Bremerton, Washington. BCS stands for Beynon, Carstensen and Sipila…and Kerry, Al and Jack are the owners, and crew, AND drivers. Jack got in to boat racing partly because of Dave Villwock, driver of the Unlimited Miss Budweiser. Jack crewed for Dave, and was a classmate of Dave's wife Pam. In fact, his best friend was dating Pam's twin Sister. A 17-year Inboard Racing veteran, Jack first crewed on his cousin's SS. Five years later he bought a 145 and claimed 1990 Rookie of the Year honors from Seattle Drag and Ski. He was Region 10 High Point Champion in '94, '96 and '98, also racing Super Stock, 2.5 Stock, and 2.5 Modifieds before he and Sheri decided to buy Paul Droullard's National Mod (which raced as UL 6 in Hawaii). Renamed "Jack Attack", he will race it at Region Ten races in '04. Jack had wanted to get in to the ULs, so when Dave Bender's UL 38 became available, he and his partners jumped at the chance to get a first class boat.
Kerry Beynon, born in Seattle, and raised on Mason Lake, where he currently lives, started racing motorcycles at age 16—partly because his Mother wouldn't let him drive the car. Beginning with flat track, he then moved to Motocross and Jet Ski racing before he got in to 2.5 Stocks with one of his competitors, Al Carstensen. Kerry earned his credentials as a motorcycle mechanic in a Tacoma School, then worked in a motorcycle shop. He realized there was no business in the winter, so he went to work for Johnson Controls, at the US Navy Bangor Submarine Base, in the Automotive Supply Department. His fiancée Irina works at the Navy Hospital and is just learning about boat racing. Kerry loves to fish, and build remote-control boats and planes, and he is helping with the remodeling of the UL-6 shop. Mostly, however, BOATS dominate his thoughts. Al Carstensen raced motorcycles against Kerry from 1980-86, then he raced Jet Skis. He says, "Well, I just started looking for something with less injury and less exhaustion", so he and Kerry teamed up in 1995 and became the "Quick Fix" racing team, running 2.5 Stock and Mods.
The UL-6 Crew is another NICE trio: Crew Chief Mike Parker is an HVAC technician in Bothell and has experience on all the above named boats. Mike loves boats, and his fiancée, Deirdra, whose Father, Ron Liljemark, is also a crew member. Ron says he has been a "roostertail freak" since he was five and the Tri-Cities race, with his Aunt, in 1956. In fact, Deirdra was born during a Tri-Cities race (in a hospital in case you are wondering). Third on the crew is Bill Beigh, called "Billy B". Billy also works for Johnson Controls at Bangor, in vehicle maintenance and has crewed on the 2.5. He and wife Linda have 3 daughters….two of which are TWINS.!!!! Honestly, three owners and three drivers and three crew….but then there are the 2 sets of twins. This is a real interesting team and though they all present as NICE, as I interviewed them I caught a feel of the fire within. These guys are coming to race and there is no doubt about that. As a matter of fact, as Bo and I were leaving, they asked us to stay and play "Bunco"—for money!!!! Well we got out of there as fast as we could. Patricia M. Darling, reporting for the ULHRA Click here for updates from January, 2004
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While accepting there were benefits to be found in Unlimited Light hydroplane racing by adding supercharged engines, ULHRA President and Co-Owner of Impact Racing, Joe Frauenheim has maintained that "blowers" are not a requirement for success. 
50 Year
old UL Rookie Harold Mills of Seattle assumes cockpit command of Thunder Valley Racing's UL40.in 2004. Mills filled in at the final 2 stops on the UL ciircuit in 2003, subbing for the injured Kelly Stocklin who was the series Rookie of the Year in 2002. In 2004, Stocklin will step back from driving in the ULHRA series, but will continue with machining and fabrication work for the Thunder Valley team as well as his association with the Miss Budweiser Unlimited team. . Competitively in 2004, Stocklin will be returning to his first love in racing, Super Stock Runabout, where he may attempt to set a new class record in 2004. Stocklin will also remain a key element of the popular event co-founded by Thunder Valley Racing. The annual Tastin & Racin Festival, featuring the Unlimited Lights is held annually att the team's Home Port of Issaquah WA, on Lake Sammamish. This year's event will be June 11, 12 & 13 at Lake Sammamish State Park. 
One thing that makes this collaboration interesting to watch is the melding of skills, and personalities. Mills commented "Even though I was only with the Lights a short time last year (both at the race sites and on the water) I had a great time and hoped that I could return for the 2004 season." Team Principal John
O'Brfen noted "As I mentioned at the banquet (November 2003) while receiving the Burnt Piston Award, we had the worst year of our career in 2003. We have inspected, injected, dissected and protracted our
motors and systems and know now what happened to us. We will be giving Harold a formidable race boat to contend with in 2004. Harold is known throughout the country's racing community. He has fans from Seattle, to Detroit and San Diego. Now, our French Canadian friends in Valleyfield can meet him. In addition to his flying starts, he will be an
excellent ambassador for the Lights". 
