With less than 3
weeks notice, the Unlimited
Lights teams, and the ULHRA
staff prepared and went to
Evansville IN for the annual
Thunder on the Ohio. And
Thunder it was, with 9 Unlimited
Lights joining 5 U-Boats
including 4 turbine teams and
the turbocharged Allison powered
U-3 of
Evansville's own Ed Cooper.
The Evansville
Freedom Festival chose not to
contract with the U-Boats
regular sanctioning body, and
instead elected to conduct an
"independent race". But
in order to make that plan work,
somebody had to conduct the
race, and insure (sanction) the
race. That's where the ULHRA
came in. Sanctioning and
Insurance was provided through
the ULHRA's insurance carrier,
K&K Insurance. And the
Unlimited Light Hydroplane
Racing Association, Inc. was
brought in to conduct the race
and include the Unlimited Light
Hydroplane Racing Series in the
program.
Quickly, ULHRA
Executive VP and General Manager
Pat Malara, and Board President
Joe Frauenheim put the program
in motion. Many volunteer staff
members, as well as race team
members, had to rapidly adjust
work schedules to get the "time
off" to go to Evansville. And
they did. Referee Dave Cossette
was assisted by Bo Darling, and
in the helicopter watching over
Turn #1, none other than 4 time
ULHRA driving champion, Phil
Bononcini. The rest of the
ULHRA crew took care of timing &
scoring, flags, safety & rescue,
registration, and medical. Even
board member Kelly Stocklin
combined a number of tasks. He
drove the UL-14 boat to
Evansville, along with course
buoys, and did yeoman's work in
helping set the course, pit
area, and take care of the
starting clock. All in all, the
ULHRA was asked to put on a
show, and everyone delivered.
For many in the ULHRA
fraternity, including this
writer, it was the first visit
to the Evansville Freedom
Festival. It won't be the
last. The committee members in
Evansville are outstanding
people, and the festival is
first rate. Plus, when you see
the video coverage on this site,
you'll see an outstanding race
course, and one of the best
spectator amphitheater
or stadium you'll find
anywhere in hydroplane racing.
Mark down Evansville in your
future travel plans for
hydroplane racing. You won't be
disappointed.
It should be
pointed out that some luck was
involved this race weekend.
Luck, for us first-timers in
Evansville that is. They say
the norm is about 95 degrees and
80% humidity this time of year.
Not this weekend. It was mid
80's with humidity about 40%.
Thank you!!!!!!
The racing was
top notch throughout the
weekend, both from the Unlimited
Lights and the U-Boats. Of
the 9 Unlimited Lights
able to attend,
7 came from the west coast:
UL-1, UL-5, UL-9, UL-14, UL-51,
UL-72 and UL-929, plus two
eastern teams: UL-10 from
Rainbow City AL, the Milton &
Charley Wiggins team with Cal
Phipps driving, and the UL-58
Union Dooz team of Ping
Conflitti out of Detroit.
On the U-Boat
side, the two Red Boats were on
hand, plus 3 others, and two of
the 5 drivers had strong ties to
the Unlimited Lights. The U-1
Miss Budweiser was there,
launching it's Farewell Tour for
Anheuser Busch, with driver Dave
Villwock. The U-3 Master
Tire with Mitch Evans was also
there. This bright
red piston team won 3
times in 2003, but wasn't
planning to race in their home
town event till the change in
sanctioning was made by the
Evansville committee. Despite
short notice, the U-3 was a
stout competitor all weekend
long. They were joined by the
repaired U-8 Llumar Window Film
of 81st birthday celebrating
Bill Wurster, driven by former
UL driver J.W. Myers. "J-Dub"
as his friends in the "Lights"
call him, was taking over for
the still recuperating Mark
Evans who was seriously injured
in a flip in Detroit last
August. Evans is doing well,
but not quite recovered
sufficiently to return to racing
this season. Myers debuted at
Tri Cities last year in a Fred
Leland U-Boat, and now moved
over to the U-8. He
demonstrated that his being
selected to replace Evans was a
good choice. Also in the field
was current UL-1 driver, Greg
Hopp, doing "double duty"
driving for Fred Leland in his
U-100 Johnstone Supply.
Rounding out the field was the
U-19, leased by Ron Jones Jr.
from current owner Bill Wurster,
with Michigan's Jimmy King
behind the wheel. For the U-19
it was a tough weekend, with
only one heat start that
quickly became a DNF
(Did Not Finish). But
for the other 4 teams, it was
excellent competition all
weekend long.
Thanks to our friends at
www.hydropage.com you can
click on that link and review
their coverage of the U-Boats at
Evansville.
Friday was a day
of little activity on
the water. In the
afternoon, Kevin Aylesworth in
the UL-5 was able to do some
quick test laps. The pit area
couldn't be set because the Ohio
River was too high:
a situation that is not uncommon
in late June. But the Corps of
Engineers and others were on top
of the situation and the teams
were able to move in to the pit
area on Friday evening.
Saturday, the tone was set
quickly. This was going to be a
weekend of great racing. Cal
Phipps and George Woods started
out in their visually identical
(except for the paint) Ron Jones
Sr. Unlimited Lights, and it was
side by side up the backstretch
on lap one. At the end of the
"back chute" Woods' UL-72 Graham
Trucking presents Miss
Evansville shut down, the victim
of a failed propeller shaft
coupler. This left Phipps in
the UL-10 Wright Pontiac,
Cadillac, GMC all alone in first
place, right? Wrong!. The
X-Man cometh. Vince Xaudaro in
the UL-929 had been shadowing
Woods & Phipps, and he took off
after the UL-10. Holding the
inside lane, Xaudaro ran a
strong race. In the end, it
wasn't quite enough, as Phipps
held on for a 3 boat length
victory. Kevin Aylesworth in
UL-5 finished third, and
returned to the dock with hull
damage sustained by contact with
debris in the river. Michael
Flaherty finished 4th in the
UL-51 Happe & Sons Construction
entry while Ping Conflitti in
the UL-58 Union Dooz joined
Phipps in the DNF column.
Unfortunately, for Flaherty, the
engine in the UL-51 was damaged
beyond repair in this heat and
his race weekend was over.
With a 9 boat field, the ULHRA
officials decided to implement
the "Kelowna Plan", named for
the British Columbia city where
this racing format debuted in
the Unlimited Lights. In this
version of the Kelowna
Plan, five preliminary heats
would be contested, leading to a
Final Heat. In
those preliminaries, each of the
nine teams would race three
heats and take their best two
finishes to determine the Final
Heat lineup. Thus, Xaudaro was
also entered into Heat #2, along
with Greg Hopp in the UL-1
Mike's Hard Lemonade-Happy Go
Lucky, Jerry Hopp, substituting
for regular driver Paul Becker
in the UL-14 Miss Software
Prototype Technologies, Pingree
Conflitti in the UL-58 Union
Dooz, and Paul Droullard in the
UL-9 Office Ware American Eagle
presented by Kenny Kent
Chevrolet.
Heat 2 was just as competitive
as Heat 1, and Xaudaro showed
his team was more than may have
been previously expected. While
he didn't win the heat, he did
finish within a roostertail
length of the winning Greg Hopp.
Third place went to Jerry Hopp,
while Paul Droullard went dead
in the water in the final turn.
Fortunately the problem was just
lack of fuel caused by a
refueling error. Droullard
would race again. Ping
Conflitti was unable to
start the Union Dooz.
In Heat 3 on Saturday afternoon,
a rematch of George Woods and
Cal Phipps was set, along with
Kevin Aylesworth, Paul Droullard
and Ping Conflitti.
Unfortunately, mechanical woes
again beset the Union Dooz UL-58
and Conflitti was unable to
finish. At the start, and as
expected, it was Phipps and
Woods running together for the
first lap. In turn 1 of the
second lap, Phipps engine
expired. So, an easy run for
Woods, right? Wrong again.
Phipps' UL-10 dropping out
opened the door to Aylesworth in
the UL-5 Freedom Racing and the
San Diego CA native
responded. He pulled even with
Woods, on the inside lane at the
end of lap #2. But hold
on............they weren't
alone! On the outside, running
strongly and making it 3 wide
into turn one was Paul Droullard.
The brand new, 4 years in the
making UL-9 was flying down the
outside in its best performance
to date. The American Eagle
gave up some distance in turn
one but stayed within a
roostertail's length as
Aylesworth and Woods raced side
by side up the backstretch. In
the end, a drag race to the
finish line found George Woods
prevailing by about a boat
length over Aylesworth, with
Droullard close behind in
third.
Upon returning to the dock,
Woods noted that this was the
kind of competition that drew
him back to racing, and with the
Unlimited Lights. Aylesworth's
UL-5 had performed its best so
far this season, but again hit
debris in the river and required
repairs. The surprisingly
strong UL-9 brought a huge smile
to the face of owner-driver
Droullard, knowing the team
has made significant strides in
a short period of time. This
ended the Saturday UL schedule.
Sunday brought out more great
racing, although circumstances
made Heat 4 go off with just a 3
boat field. Both the UL-5 and
the UL-9 were unable to answer
the call, and with the tight
time schedule of the Freedom
Festival air show and scheduled
course closings for barge
traffic, Heat #4 could not be
delayed.. That left, Greg Hopp,
George Woods, and Jerry Hopp.
It was only the second time this
season that Greg & George had
met in a heat. George prevailed
in the Final at Issaquah,
Washington's "Tastin n Racin"
event. In Heat 4 at Evansville,
it was Greg Hopp. He secured
lane one and kept half a
roostertail length advantage
over Woods. Excellent driving
by both men, and very exciting
for the fans. Jerry Hopp drove
the UL-14 to another 3rd place
finish.
Heat 5 would be a surprise, but
not a complete surprise. At the
start, Greg Hopp in the UL-1 was
beaten out for lane 1 by Vince
Xaudaro. Two boats, the UL-5
and UL-9 both jumped the gun and
that led to a second
infraction. Droullard in the
UL-9 didn't hold his lane, and
Hopp was washed down heading
into turn 1. As a result, out
of turn number one the leader
was the X-Man. Xaudaro and his
UL-929 ran strong, while Cal
Phipps in the UL-10 appeared to
have some mechanical
difficulties and dropped back.
Because of jumping the gun, both
Aylesworth and Droullard were
assessed one minute penalties
which placed them 4th & 5th
respectively. With those two
out of contention, and the UL-10
running below normal
performance, it was left to Greg
Hopp to reel in Vince Xaudaro.
Hopp began out of turn #1 in 4th
place on the course. Gradually
he picked off the field and went
after Xaudaro. As was noted in
a preseason column here, Vince
is an excellent clock starter,
and while he knows his mount
isn't the fastest UL on the
circuit, "when you make them go
around you, sometimes they
don't". This became one of
those times. Xaudaro came away
with an impressive and popular
heat victory, while the hard
charging Greg Hopp simply ran
out of laps, finishing 2nd, with
Phipps well back in third.
On to the Final Heat, and
briefly it was to be a 7 boat
final. The 7th boat, by point
total, was the UL-9. Handling
concerns with the new boat led
Paul Droullard to ask Jerry Hopp
to drive in the Final, in order
to get his feedback on the new
hull. With Hopp moving over to
the UL-9, someone had to fill
the UL-14. Because the U-8 Bill
Wurster team was on hand, one of
the ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS
"Young Guns" was available.
Brian Perkins is a U-8
crewmember. He also debuted in
the Unlimited Lights series at
San Diego last year. He was
victorious at "Tastin n Racin"
two weeks ago in the 4
cylinder stock hydroplane, Miss
Breezy. Perkins accepted the
Final Heat assignment and wound
up giving a 4th place finish to
team owner and regular driver
Paul Becker. Even though Becker
couldn't attend the event he
wanted to support the Evansville
Freedom Festival's Thunder on
the Ohio. So he dispatched his
boat, with Hopp Racing taking
care of the UL-14, and wound up
with the 4th place trophy.
Jerry Hopp was given a choice.
Start in Lane 7 in Droullard's
American Eagle, or start one
roostertail length back on the
inside. Hopp chose the inside
route, but wound up starting in
Lane 6 on the front line because
the UL-10 with Cal Phipps
driving would not start. Greg
Hopp made sure he got lane one
this time, with Vince Xaudaro,
George Woods, Kevin Aylesworth,
Brian Perkins and Jerry Hopp to
his right. For the second time
this weekend, Woods and the
UL-72 received a DNF, due to
engine failure while racing with
Hopp. Hopp drove on to a
convincing win, averaging over
112 mph for the Final Heat.
Second place went to Vince
Xaudaro, his best ever race
finish in 4 seasons on the
Unlimited Lights circuit. Third
went to the Freedom Racing Team
and owner-driver Kevin
Aylesworth, followed by Perkins
and Jerry Hopp.
With the victory, and a perfect
1200 point weekend, the UL-1
Mike's Hard Lemonade-Happy Go
Lucky moved into first place in
the ULHRA points standings,
ahead of George Woods in the
UL-72 Graham Trucking - Red
Rocket. The UL-5 Freedom Racing
team moved into 3rd, ahead of
the UL-51 driven by Michael
Flaherty, which earned just 169
points on one 4th place finish.
The big move was by the
Xaudaro's UL-929, going from 9th
to 5th with a 1000 point
performance at Evansville.
Next up, these 9 teams will be
joined by Harold Mills and the
Thunder Valley Racing UL-40 at
Regates De Valleyfield, in
Quebec, Canada. The 100,000
fans that annually attend the
Valleyfield event should witness
another great weekend of
Unlimited Lights racing. We'll
have complete coverage right
here, starting Friday (July
2nd).
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights
Evansville Freedom Festival. Historic and significant for the future of hydroplane racing.
For the
first time ever, turbine and piston
engine hydroplanes will compete in
an event, conducted by the Unlimited
Light Hydroplane Racing Association,
Inc. This weekend, June 25-27, the
annual Festival features 14 world
class racing craft in two divisions,
plus a spectacular air show over the
famed Ohio River.
The
Evansville Freedom Festival
committee elected to directly invite
teams from the Unlimited class of
hydroplanes, rather that contract
with Unlimiteds' sanctioning body.
The end result is a race day prize
package increase for each of the
teams competing. In addition, the
Unlimited Light Hydroplane Series
was invited. Originally not on the
Evansville schedule, the invitation
was issued just two weeks before the
Freedom Festival's weekend race
dates. Despite virtually no time to
prepare, or to get time off from
their "regular jobs", the Unlimited
Lights teams have stepped up in
excellent numbers. A total of 9
boats are expected to compete, along
with 5 boats from the larger
category.
Veteran
powerboat official, and Chief
Referee for the ULHRA, Inc. Dave
Cossette will be the referee at
Evansville. In fact, the entire
ULHRA staff, support crew, and
safety & rescue leadership will be
on hand to conduct the event for the
Evansville committee and for the
many thousands of race fans who
annually crowd the shores of the
Ohio River.
For the
Unlimited Lights, the field will
include the top 2 finishers from the
season opening "Tastin n Racin"
Festival in Issaquah WA. June 12 &
13. Sumner, Washington's George
Woods Jr. in the UL-72 Graham
Trucking - Red Rocket defeated
Snohomish, Washington's Greg Hopp in
the Mike's Hard Lemonade - Happy Go
Lucky in the Final Heat, after both
drivers had claimed 3 preliminary
heat victories. It's expected these
two will battle for supremacy in the
Unlimited Lights season
championship. Last year, the Hopp
Racing team, led by Greg's father
Jerry Hopp took the UL Championship,
just ahead of the UL 72 driven by
Phil Bononcini, who's taken a family
oriented "sabbatical" from racing in
2003. That's how George Woods Jr.
came to drive the UL-72 this season,
by personal request of Bononcini.
Last season was Woods' return to
hydroplane racing a 10 year hiatus
following a serious accident in
Kansas City in 1993. Woods drove
the UL-51 to 3rd place in the season
standings. The 51 hull, like Woods,
had been inactive for 10 years, but
came to life as a restricted
supercharged Unlimited Light.
This
year, the 51 is being driven by
rookie Michael Flaherty who took 4th
place in the season opener.
Flaherty and the Miss Draft Choice
Sports Bar & Grill will be in
Evansville this weekend, along with
the UL-5 Baker Equipment Company
driven by San Diego based owner
Kevin Aylesworth. The California
team took 5th at Issaquah 2 weeks
ago, but expects to be stronger this
weekend after a winter of hull and
engine improvements. The race at
Issaquah was the team's first time
on the water this season, and much
was learned.
Another
team that learned a great deal is
the UL-9 American Eagle, owned &
driven by Auburn, Washington's Paul
Droullard. The spectacularly
painted "Eagle" hull was crafted by
Droullard and friends over the past
4 years, using components supplied
by Ron Jones Jr. This team expects
to contend, with a bit more on the
water experience.
Two
teams much closer to Evansville will
join the field for the first time
this year. The UL-10 High Pressure
is always a favorite to win, having
won twice in 2003 in only 4 starts.
In fact, the Rainbow City, Alabama
based team of Milton & Charley
Wiggins is the Unlimited Lights
defending champion at Evansville.
The last time the "Lights" competed
here, Charley Wiggins drove the
current UL-10 to victory. This
weekend he returns as Team Manager,
with Detroit's Cal Phipps behind the
wheel. Phipps won in Seattle last
year in the most exciting heat of
the year, edging Californian Dave
Bender on the final straightaway
after trailing for nearly 5 miles.
Video coverage of that heat, plus
the entire 2003 season, and of the
2004 season opener may be viewed at
www.ulhra.org the official
Unlimited Light website.
The
other "close by" team is Michigan's
Pingree Conflitti and the UL-58
"Union Dooz". Conflitti acquired
this team in 2002, joined the
series, and won in only his second
ULHRA event at Valleyfield, Quebec
Canada. The Unlimited Lights return
to Valleyfield on Fourth of July
weekend.
Rounding
out the field of Unlimited Lights at
Evansville are two teams looking for
major improvements over the season
opener. The UL-14 Miss Software
Prototype Technologies, owned &
driven by Bellevue, Washington's
Paul Becker, is the oldest craft in
the fleet, having been built by Ron
Jones Sr. more than 30 years ago.
But it still shows performance
strength, as evidenced by 2 fourth
place finishes in 2003. Off season
hull changes are expected to provide
better handling. Due to the short
time to arrange schedules for the
Evansville event, Paul Becker is
unable to attend, so former UL-14
owner Jerry Hopp will drive.
Finally,
"the X-Man" is looking for more;
laps that is. Vince Xaudaro of
Bellevue WA. and his UL-929 is a
competitive and quick entry. But in
Issaquah two weeks ago, unexpected
damage to the skid fin brackets put
the boat on the shore without a heat
finish. But Xaudaro knows he has a
ride capable of competing with the
best, and he's in Evansville to do
just that.
Meanwhile, 4 turbine hydroplanes
will join Evansville's own Ed Cooper
Jr. with his U-3 Master Tire entry,
in the Freedom Festival's featured
event. The U-3, driven by Mitch
Evans, was victorious 3 times in
2003. The popular piston engine
hull, powered by a turbocharged
Allison from World War II, almost
became a 3 race defending champion
without a chance to defend. But
with the decision to run
"independent" events at Evansville
and San Diego CA, the Cooper team
will be able to defend two of its
victories from last year.
Joining
the Cooper team will be the
winningest team in all of hydroplane
racing, the powerful U-1 Miss
Budweiser team, in its final year of
sponsorship from Anheuser Busch.
The unprecedented 4 decades of
sponsorship from one company for the
same team comes to a close at the
end of this racing season. Joe
Little, team owner, took over from
his father, the late Bernie Little,
in 2003. Dave Villwock returns
behind the wheel with the talented
"Bud Crew" in the pits.
Bill
Wurster's U-8 Llumar Window Film
returns, following a severe accident
in Detroit last August. The team
was victorious at Tri Cities WA last
season with Mark Evans behind the
wheel. But Evans' injuries are
still healing, so 2003 rookie
driver, and former Unlimited Lights
competitor J.W. Myers takes over the
U-8 driving chores. Also joining
the field will be the veteran U-19
hull, now owned by Wurster. It will
be entered by Ron Jones Jr. with
veteran pilot, and former Llumar
driver Jimmy King behind the wheel.
This hull formerly was campaigned by
the late Bob Fendler, and was
originally built by Fred Leland and
Nate Brown in the early 90's.
Double duty will be the order of
the weekend for Greg Hopp. In
addition to racing the UL-1 in
the Unlimited Lights event, Greg
also resumes his turbine
hydroplane driving career in
Fred Leland's U-100. It will be
Greg's return to that category
of hydroplane since his accident
at Madison, Indiana last summer
in which he sustained season
ending injuries. With his
father Jerry driving the UL-14
for Paul Becker at Evansville,
Greg will be plenty busy.
John
Lynch
"Voice"
of the Unlimited Lights
Race teams talk about
"thrashing" to get ready for the next
heat. It's rare when the thrash is for
Race #2, and it begins prior to Race
#1. But in 2004, that's the scenario
for the Unlimited Light hydroplane
racing teams..
In a period of 6 days,
the 6 race 2004 series was expanded to
8. That's good news. The difficulty
for the teams is, that race number 2 was
added with only 2 weeks notice, and just
prior to the June 12 & 13 season opener
in Washington State. However, ULHRA
Inc. has stepped up for the Evansville
Freedom Festival in Evansville, IN this
weekend, June 25-27.
The traditional turbine
hydroplane race site came to the ULHRA
Inc. with a proposal to add the
Unlimited Lights to this year's program,
and for the ULHRA to conduct the event.
Management of ULHRA, Inc. accepted. But
all of this occurred early this month,
making for a series wide "thrash".
The lineup for the
Evansville Freedom Festival includes 9
Unlimited Lights, with the possibility
of one or two more. Featured are the top
two teams from 2003. The season began
on June 13th exactly as expected with
the UL-72 Graham Trucking - Red Rocket
and the UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade -
Happy Go Lucky showing the way. George
Woods Jr. in the UL 72 and Greg Hopp,
driving the UL-1 for the first time
since sustaining season ending injuries
in a turbine hydroplane a year ago, both
won three preliminary heats. In the
Final, the two teams were even after lap
1, but Woods moved out to a roostertail
length lead on the backstretch of lap 2
and was never headed. (video coverage
of the final heat may be viewed at
www.ulhra.org)
) Not only is it a battle between Woods
& Hopp, its also a battle of normally
aspirated engines vs restricted
supercharged engines, with Woods in the
"carburetor" version and Hopp with the
"blower".
The Evansville race will
include at least two teams that did not
trek west for the season opener in
Washington State, June 12 & 13. The
UL-10 Wiggins Hydroplane Racing "High
Pressure" team from Rainbow City AL, and
driver Cal Phipps of Detroit will make
their 2004 season debut. The UL-10 won
2 of the 4 races it entered in 2003.
With current team manager and former
driver Charley Wiggins at the helm, the
UL-10 team won in Evansville in 1998
and 1999; the last two times the
Unlimited Lights raced here.
Also from Detroit, is
owner-driver Pingree Conflitti with his
UL-58 Union Dooz. Conflitti has one
victory in 2 seasons with the Unlimited
Lights, in 2002 at Valleyfield, Quebec
Canada.
Taking 4th in the season
opener was rookie Michael Flaherty,
"understudy" to George Woods last year,
driving the UL-51 Draft Choice Sports
Bar & Grill. Flaherty had a 4 lap
battle with eventual third place
finisher, Harold Mills in the UL-40
Thunder Valley Racing. Unfortunately,
the UL-40 team was one of several that
could not get sufficient team personnel
free of the regular job commitments to
race at Evansville in the short amount
of lead time available. The UL-40 will
rejoin the series, 4th of July weekend
in Valleyfield. Flaherty showed a lot
of ability in his Unlimited Lights
debut, and should only get better as the
season progresses.
Fifth Place would be
considered a success by many, but the
UL-5 Baker Equipment Co. from Freedom
Racing and owner-driver Kevin Aylesworth
will be the first to tell you, they
expect more in 2004. A winter of off-
season hull updates concluded just prior
to the season opener, leaving no time
for testing. This supercharged team,
featuring a tandem wing hull by Ron
Jones Sr. expects to display more
competitiveness at the Evansville
Freedom Festival. This team finished
the 2003 season as the 4th ranked team
in Unlimited Lights.
The venerable UL-14 has
been part of the Unlimited Lights series
since 1995. Former owner, and defending
ULHRA team champion Jerry Hopp will
drive for current owner Paul Becker in
Evansville. Becker, the regular driver
for the team, was unable to free his
schedule to be in Evansville. The Miss
Software Prototype Technologies team
gave the 1971 vintage Ron Jones
hydroplane major off season changes,
including adding 18 inches of length to
the transom, which also reduced
the propeller shaft angle. The team
expects improved performance compared to
the season opener where they failed to
reach the Final Heat.
The UL-9 American Eagle,
one of the most eagerly anticipated
hydroplanes in the ULHRA, made its debut
two weeks ago. While there were some
handling concerns, caused by what
owner-driver Paul Droullard said was
"too much strut depth", Droullard and
his team have fashioned a new, more
shallow strut, and are headed to
Evansville. The boat showed plenty of
power from its Ed Trihey supercharged
engine. Droullard spent most of the
last 4 years on this new hull project,
built from Ron Jones Jr. components.
With its spectacular Red White & Blue
"American Eagle" motif, it should be a
popular addition to the Evansville
Freedom Festival.
Despite a disappointing
start to the season, the UL929 WFC
Construction of owner-driver Vince "the
X-Man" Xaudaro, will be in Evansville.
Damage to the skid fin bracket kept the
team off the water on race day Sunday,
but replacement components have been
machined and Xaudaro is looking forward
to his first appearance on the
Evansville course. With new Gary Pugh
horsepower, Xaudaro and his team expect
a lot from their team on the swift
Evansville course.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited
Lights
The 8th Annual Tastin n Racin
Festival, featuring the Baker Equipment Cup
was a success on all counts. Even the
weather, although shaky, cooperated for
excellent racing and a fine crowd.
Tastin & Racin again was the
season opener for the Unlimited Light
Hydroplane Racing Association's season. 10
boats were ready for the start. Many others
just missed the deadline but will join the
circuit later in the year. And it was
announced that the 6 race ULHRA season, has
grown to 8, in the span of 6 days. More on
that to come.
Heading into the season
opener, it was expected that the top 2 teams
from 2003 would battle for supremacy again
in 2004. And that's how the two day race
panned out.......with some surprises.
The 2003 series and Tastin &
Racin champion, UL-1 Issaquah Big O Tires
Presents Mike's Hard Lemonade - Happy Go
Lucky (yes, it takes your trusty "Voice"
about half a lap to announce that title!)
with Greg Hopp behind the wheel, was
expected to be challenged by the UL-72,
Graham Trucking - Red Rocket. The 72 is now
being driven by George Woods Jr., taking
over for 4 time driving champion Phil
Bononcini who's taken a "family sabbatical"
from race driving. And that's how it played
out.
The two favorites never were
matched in the draws for the 3 preliminary
heat sections,, and both teams advanced to
the Sunday afternoon Final with a perfect
1200 points. A third boat, the UL-5 Freedom
Racing Presents Baker Equipment Company
driven by Kevin Aylesworth from San Diego
also was seeded into the final heat. That
left 2 spots in the Final up for grabs in
the "B" Main. The challengers were the
UL-6, BCS Racing entry, driven by co-owner
and UL rookie Kerry Beynon. This is the
former B&B Racing UL-38 of now retired Dave
Bender. Beynon was joined in the "B Main"
by the UL-14 Highland East Auto Parts &
Machine presents Miss Software Prototype
Technologies (there goes another 1/2 lap!)
of Paul Becker, The UL 40 Thunder Valley
Racing entry with Harold Mills driving, and
the UL-51
Security Race Products
Presents Miss Draft Choice Bar & Grill,
driven by rookie Michael Flaherty, son of
Team Manager John Flaherty.
Tough to handicap the :"B"
Main. The UL-6 is a quality program, but
run by newcomers to the series, although
they'd been successful in other levels of
hydroplane racing. The UL-14 seemed to be
off its game all weekend, but last year
stepped up to a 4th place finish, so the
potential was there. The UL-40 team had
gone almost a year since the last time they
finished a heat, but showed promise in the
preliminaries. And the UL-51 has a rookie
driver behind the wheel of last year's 3rd
place team, but who drove the 23 year old
hull to impressive 2nd & 3rd place finishes
in the preliminary heats.
The "B" Main became a 3 boat
heat quickly, as Becker in the UL-14 dropped
back. Harold Mills led Michael Flaherty
with Kerry Beynon close behind. In the
past, one would've expected something to go
wrong for the 40 team, because that's how
all of 2003 went. But Sunday, June 13th was
different. For one thing it wasn't Friday
the 13th, and for another, even though
something went wrong. the team overcame.
That something was a problem
with the skid fin, which caused Mills to
nearly abort the run while leading. But as
Michael Flaherty was gaining and ready to
overtake, Mills determined that whatever the
problem, his hydroplane was still raceable,
and he drove the "Host" hydroplane for
Tastin & Racin to a popular "B" Main
victory. Second Place went to Flaherty,
with Beynon in third and Becker in 4th.
This moved Mills and Flaherty into the Final
Heat. But with only a 30 minute "turnaround
time" for the scheduled Final Heat, it was
anything but easy. Both teams made it for
the start.......barely!
The Final started off as
everyone expected. Greg Hopp and George
Woods, going at it deck to deck. But the
surprise was, Mills and Flaherty were in the
hunt, and having their own dice for 3rd. At
the end of lap 1, Hopp was inside and Woods
was outside and they were even, but on the
backstretch, Woods suddenly gained a
roostertail length lead and was never
headed. Woods went on to his first
Unlimited Lights victory, in a career full
of victories. And being the "proud papa",
he raced out of the UL-72, and into a
waiting vehicle to get to his daughter's
graduation on time. No one begrudged him
missing the trophy awards ceremony.
What was surprising for the fans was to
learn that the last time the UL72 won a
race was back in July of 2002, when
"guest" driver Patrick Haworth drove Red
Rocket to victory at Tri Cities WA.
Not only that, it was the
it was
the first ever UL victory for George Woods,
who's last appearance on the victory
podium came in 1992 at the Unlimited
hydroplane race in Seattle WA. The win was
also the first as Crew Chief for longtime
UL-72 crewman George Greer.
Meantime, Hopp and the UL-1
stayed close, but couldn't overcome the
gap. Still it was an excellent outing for
the Hopp Racing Team. It was Greg's first
competition racing since sustaining season
ending injuries in July 2003 while driving
an Unlimited Hydroplane at Madison IN.
Plus, it was an excellent performance by the
team that went through offseason
difficulties while trying to improve their
hull. Delayed parts & materials kept the
team out of Spring Training. Then in a
subsequent test, the boat experienced
"rudder flutter" following changes to the
stern of the hull. Another test and that
seemed to be cured. When the UL-1 hit the
water, it qualified number one, beating
Woods in the UL-72 by a mere two one
hundredths of a second.
Third place went to the
UL-40, Thunder Valley Racing team. Now
wait, wasn't that the team that got into the
Tastin & Racin Final a year ago because
other teams had to scratch, and then hit a
jersey barrier in Valleyfield, plowed along
in Detroit, and finished exactly one heat
the rest of the way? Well, yes & no. It's
the same, but different. The team scrapped
it's self titled "ham & egger" engine
program and built a brand new "bullet".
Based on the performance at Tastin & Racin
this year, the "Fabulous 40" will have to be
reckoned with. Driiver Mills, who had
attempted but failed to qualify as an
Unlimited hydroplane driver, showed it
wasn't for lack of driving talent. One
doesn't go deck to deck for 4 laps with
George Woods without talent, and that's
exactly what Mills and the UL-40 did in
their second preliminary heat. Mills in
lane one, and Woods in lane two, and it
reminded some of the great battle between
Dave Bender and Cal Phipps in Seattle, last
summer. Mills led for the first 3 laps but
on lap 4 Woods was able to ease ahead and
score victory by a couple of boat lengths.
For the UL-40 team, home ported at Issaquah
WA, it was the performance that vindicated
all they'd worked for this past winter.
Later, Race Director, and former driver of
the UL-40 Kelly Stocklin joked to Mills, "I
want my boat back!"
To be coached by George Woods
is to be coached by one of the very best.
That was the year 2003 for Michael Flaherty,
understudy to Woods in the UL51. He tested
several times, and at Spring Training this
year, but Tastin & Racin 2004 was his first
UL competition. And it was an impressive
debut. Flaherty wasn't shy about putting
the UL-51 into the thick of competition, and
showed this will be a team not to be ignored
in 2004. A strong 4th place finish in
the Final was well earned.
Several UL teams have done
major off season work on their hulls, and
not all of them were completed in time for
the season opener. One that was, barely,
was the UL-5 Freedom Racing presents Baker
Equipment Company, with Owner-Driver Kevin
Aylesworth our of San Diego. They nearly
"blow dried" the new paint
driving from southern California to the
Seattle suburb of Issaquah. The team tied
with the UL-51 for third in preliminary heat
points, but advanced to the final on the
basis of speed. While 5th wasn't the end
result the team wanted, they learned much
about their off season changes and expect to
be stronger as the season progresses.
The UL-6 team and driver
Kerry Beynon were awarded 6th place on the
basis of their 3rd place finish in the "B"
Main. It was pre-determined that the Final
would be a 5 boat affair on the Lake
Sammamish course. Beynon showed exactly
what he'd shown in his years as a limited
driver. Talent. When the "6" was on,
Beynon was right in the mix, but they did
have some mechanical issues that slowed the
team at times. But this hull, with 4 UL
victories on its resume, shows no reason why
a 5th victory and more should not be
expected. Beynon, along with partners Al
Carstensen and Jack Sipila all have
excellent racing credentials, and just like
Harold Mills showed in the UL-40, if one can
drive a limited hydroplane well, they can do
the same in an Unlimited Light. That's
the point of the "Lighter than LIGHTS
series" which also had its season debut at
Issaquah......showcase there is talent in
the smaller classes that deserve an
opportunity in the Unlimited Lights. We'll
detail that series in a subsequent report.
For the rest of the field,
some have more work than others. Vince the
X-Man Xaudaro must wonder if Issaquah has it
in for him. Last year at this race, in what
became his final race in that
hull........now a display boat in Mexico for
Carlos Buitron,the boat nearly sank.
Xaudaro came to Tastin & Racin 2004 with
high hopes for his UL-929 WFC Construction
entry. It showed well in qualifying, but in
Saturday preliminaries, their skid fin
bracket failed and couldn't be repaired in
time for Sunday racing. However the always
upbeat Xaudaro said the problem would be
fixed with an improved bracket in the next
week, so they can head east.
Joe Turner and the UL-18
Jackie's Purple Thunder was able to start
one heat, but failed to finish. This team
is making progress with each outing,
however, as they demonstrate that this
Unlimited Lights "thing" isn't easy. The
Turners are hopeful of better days ahead as
they continue to step by step grow their
program.
And then there's the American
Eagle 4 years in the making by Auburn WA
resident Paul Droullard, an original
Unlimited Light driver in the very first
event back in 1995. Spectacular paint, a
new Ed Trihey supercharged engine, and
Droullard was able to qualify and start. He
has the horsepower, but found he doesn't
quite have the "set-up". This was the very
first outing for the boat, and Droullard
said the hull would "nose over" and not
allow him to get up to full speed. He
credited the problem to a strut depth issue,
something they'll correct before their next
outing. It's an impressive looking boat.
If it starts to run as good as it looks,
watch out!
One knows there's more to the
UL-14 than met the eye at Issaquah. Despite
being a 30+ year old hull, it has shown
quickness, particularly on courses like
Issaquah. Over the winter the Becker Racing
team added 18 inches of length to the
transom, which also lowered the propeller
shaft angle. The idea is to help the boat
corner better and cut down on it's "hobby
horse" tendency in the turns. Unfortunately
something mechanical didn't go so well and
the team was down on power and performance.
But this is another team that was unable to
test prior to Tastin n Racin and significant
improvement can be expected their next time
out.
That next time out for many
of the UL teams,is less than 2 weeks away.
Yes, the posted schedule shows Valleyfield,
Quebec on July 2004. But just last week, a
major change occured. On Tuesday, June 8th,
the race organizers in Evansville IN elected
to conduct an "independent" Unlimited
Hydroplane race instead of contracting with
the Unlimited hydros sanctioning body. They
also invited the Unlimited Lights to race at
Thunder on the Ohio. And, they asked the
ULHRA Inc. to conduct the event. Those
requests were accepted, even though it means
quite a scramble for teams that were on a
schedule planned for early July. The
Evansville race is June 25-27, and teams
have to arrange flight schedules, get time
off from their "real jobs" and in some cases
get someone to drive their truck & boat a
couple thousand miles. With the opportunity
to return where the "Lights" last ran in
1999, the UL teams were happy to accept.
The other big news occurred
race day Sunday morning, when ULHRA Inc.
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Pat Malara, read a fax copy he'd received
that morning, at the driver's meeting. It
said the Unlimited Lights were invited to
race at the Columbia Cup at Tri Cities WA,
July 23-25. The ULHRA accepted, and as
noted, the original 6 race schedule now
stands at 8. Joining the fleet at Evansville
and Valleyfield will be, among others, the
UL-10 High Pressure from Wiggijns Hydroplane
Racing in Rainbow City AL, and the return of
the Detroit based UL-58 Union Dooz from Hard
Hat Racing and owner-driver Pingree
Conflitti. Incidentally, Cal Phipps will
drive the UL-10 at Evansville, with
Valleyfield native Patrick Haworth again
driving at the Regates De Valleyfield, which
he won in the Wiggins hydroplane in 2003.
Incidentally, George Woods'
victory Sunday in the UL72 evened the score
in the battle of engine types. Over the
last 8 events, 4 have been won by
supercharged engines, and 4 by normally
aspirated (carburfetor) engines.
And now, a word about the
sponsor of Tastin n Racin. Baker Equipment
Company, a firm that specializes in new &
used "aerial" construction equipment was the
Title Sponsor for this event. They did the
usual "sponsor" type things, and contributed
mightily to the program. But it was what
they did at the end of the event that set
Bob and Kathleen Baker apart from some
others. Taking a personal interest in the
program, they asked the event organizers if
they could present a couple of special
awards they themselves would select.. They
chose a Hard Charger, in Harold Mills,
driver of the UL-40; a very popular and
deserved choice. But the one that brought
the crowd to its feet, and struck a real
emotional chord, was their Hard Luck award.
They called up Lighter than LIGHTS
competitor from Bremerton WA, Eric
Christenson. He competed in the 4 cylinder
category, but after racing on Saturday, had
to withdraw from Sunday's competition with a
punctured hull. For anyone in any category
of racing, a damaged hull is a very costly
repair. So what was so emotional about the
Hard Luck award from Bob & Kathleen Baker?
It was just what a racer like Christenson
could use most: $500.00! A real
class act by a classy company.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited
Lights
Mark Sharley, one of our most prolific photo contributors, has misplaced some fairly expensive photo equipment, and equally, if not more important, about twenty rolls of exposed film. Most of the weekend's work. It was in a backpack that was last seen at the awards presentation. If anyone has seen the backpack or possibly picked it up for safekeeping, please contact Mark at mcsharley@wamail.net.
The Lighter than LIGHTS series debuted in 2003 and
quickly became a fan favorite. Two drivers, dubbed
the "Young Guns" raced "deck to deck" in heat after
heat in the 4 cylinder hydroplane category. Both
return in 2004, with "new & improved" rides.
Jeff Bernard of Tacoma WA, stepson of Unlimited
driver Terry Troxel and nephew of Unlimited driver
Mike Weber, took top honors in both categories, 4
cylinder & 8 cylinder hydroplane, in 2003. But it
wasn't easy. In the 4 cylinder ranks, he was pushed
every heat by Brian Perkins of Kent WA and the two
often swapped the lead and heat victories. Bernard,
driving for Yelm WA team owner Gerry Jarvis, came
out on top just enough to secure the championship.
This year Bernard returns, with a different Jarvis
owned hull, and expects to be just as strong.
Meanwhile, Perkins, who just set a national speed
record in his own 1 liter hydroplane, returns to the
cockpit of the Phyllis Pasquinucci owned Perkins
Glass Presents Miss Breezy, also based in Kent.
Perkins will alternate with Pasquinucci's husband
Ken, also an accomplished 4 cylnder hydroplane
racer. The Miss Breezy underwent substantial
modifications over the winter, and appeared improved
at the recent Spring Training test session.
But don't think the rest of the field will just get
out of the way. In year two, entries for the
Lighter than LIGHTS series are climbing rapidly.
Look for a strong challenge from Bill Hawk in the
S-70 along with Joe Gutierrez, Rob Alleger, Eric
Christensen, photographer turned race driver Alan
Lagervall and several others who will compete for
top honors in the 4 cylinder series.
Over on the 8 cylinder side, Jeff Bernard has
another title to defend, in Armand Yapachino's
Tacoma WA based "Luciano's Casino Joya Mia".
Yapachino has been involved in NW hydroplane racing
for many decades and has helped launch many driving
careers. In fact, Bernard's step father Terry
Troxel is a past driver for the Joya Mia team. In
the highly competitive world of 8 cylinder stock
hydroplanes, Bernard expects to be pushed this year
by quite a few challengers. Second place in the
series last year went to the E-4 Shoreline Sign &
Awning, owned by Richards Racing and driven by young
Bryan Richards. This year, their rebuilt E-4 is
virtually a brand new hydroplane, wider and expected
to be faster than last year's runner up. Mark
Echols will compete in his new E-17 Wild Hare,
acquired in time for the final race of 2003, from
Montana's Wally Johnston. Echols should be a front
runner in the E-17. Another top challenger is the
father-son team of Val & Rob Lisk of Renton WA.
With Rob at the controls of the E-27 Miss Tons of
Fun, this Ron Jones hydroplane should be challenging
at all Lighter than LIGHTS stops.
Larry Garcia in the E-41 The Joker returns, and
expects to improve on last season's 12th place
finish. Another team expecting to improve is Debi
Muncey's E-83
Ex-Presso, driven by husband Wil Muncey, son of the
late hydroplane great Bill Muncey. Wil & Debi
returned to racing in 2003 after being away for over
a decade.
The Lighter than LIGHTS series is conducted at ULHRA
sanctioned events at Issaquah this weekend, plus
Olympia WA on August 14 & 15 and at the season
finale at Port Angeles WA on October 2nd & 3rd.
John Lynch
P.R. Director, ULHRA Inc.
Young Guns are fine, but to succeed in the Unlimited Lights, you must get by the Old Guard
For the past two seasons, the Unlimited Light Hydroplane
Racing Association series has been dominated by two top
teams. While there have been scattered victories
for other teams, the two boats to beat the past
two years came from Hopp Racing (UL-1 Mike's Hard
Lemonade / Happy Go Lucky) and Impact Racing (UL-72
Graham Trucking - Red Rocket).
Ah, but in 2004 whom are the ones to beat? Yep, UL-1
and UL-72. They have the teams, equipment and talent to
get it done, and no one expects anything different this
season. Yes, in order to find the path to the podium,
Unlimited Lights teams must first get around Jerry &
Greg Hopp, and George Woods Jr.
George Woods Jr? Well, if you haven't kept up in the
offseason, although most of you certainly have, yes
THAT George Woods. He moves to the cockpit of the UL-72
Graham Trucking - Red Rocket, replacing 4 time driving
champion Phil Bononcini who's elected to take a family
oriented sabbatical from race driving. With Jerry Hopp
in the UL-1, you have two of the most savvy race
drivers, in the two most accomplished race boats
currently in the UL fleet.
Woods always had the advantage over Hopp in their
Unlimited Hydroplane careers, because Woods was
fortunate to drive for better funded race teams. But
Hopp has the boat with the most victories in UL
competition, with a successful transition to
supercharged power. Woods counters with the hull that's
claimed the most championships and the most race wins
with normally aspirated horsepower.
Hopp & Woods.......two outstanding talents still at the
top of their games, in their second half century of
life. Yes the talent remains, as does the competitive
desire, and race fans are in for a treat whenever these
two "vets" hook up in a heat this season.
Of
course, Woods might look upon the challenge as a solo vs
a tag team. Jerry Hopp can always "hand off" to son
Greg, also a winning driver in the UL-1. In fact, Greg
Hopp has won Tastin n Racin two of the last 3 years.
The usual Hopp Racing plan is for Greg & Jerry to
alternate driving heat by heat, except when there's a
conflict such as Greg having an Unlimited hydroplane
assignment the same weekend. Last year their normal
team plan took a big hit at the second race weekend.
While Jerry was driving the UL-1 at Valleyfield, Quebec,
Greg was injured in an accident in the U-100 at Madison
IN, and was out for the season. So that left the entire
driving duties to "Grandpa Jerry", who merely went off
and won at Olympia, San Diego, and Port Angeles to claim
Hopp Racing's first ever ULHRA season championship.
George Woods, was inactive for 10 years following a 1993
Unlimited Hydroplane racing accident. Finally healthy
enough to consider driving again, although not looking
to do so, Woods was recruited by Impact Racing's Joe
Frauenheim & Phil Bononcini to "consult" their new UL51
team, which was debuting Gary Pugh supercharged power in
a 20 year old Ron Jones hydroplane. Woods' talent in
tuning & racing supercharged engines is well known. One
thing led to another and eventually George Woods was
back in the cockpit. He raced this dated entry to 3rd
place in the 2003 standings. Quite a feat when you
consider that both boat & driver had been out of action
for 10 years. But putting George Woods in a Ron
Jones hydroplane seems to always work out well. Now,
Woods is behind the wheel of one of Jones' all time
best. And what it means for Unlimited Light Hydroplane
racing fans is a season full of great competition.
Jerry Hopp vs George Woods.
So, can anyone compete with these two? Certainly.
While they only compete part time and with different
drivers, the UL-10 High Pressure of Milt & Charley
Wiggins of Rainbow City AL won twice last year, with the
boat that was Ron Jones' immediate predecessor to the UL
72 Red Rocket. The UL-10 won't be at Tastin n Racin,
but Canadian Patrick Howarth will defend his 2003
Valleyfield victory, while Cal Phipps will defend his
Seattle title.
UL-5 Freedom Racing, owned & driven by Kevin Aylesworth
of San Diego, has undergone a second off-season of major
changes. Last year's changes boosted the team to 4th in
the standings, including a 2nd place trophy at
Valleyfield. It won't take much more to engage Hopp &
Woods. And the UL-17 Ted's Red Apple Market improved
greatly and took 2nd place at Olympia in 2003. In 2004
they will miss the season opener due to their off season
hull changes, but if their changes bear fruit, look for
Rick Bridgeman to be "in the hunt". Both of these teams
off season work was consulted by Ron Jones Sr. He
worked with both teams in the winter of 2003 with
excellent results for both and there's no reason to
believe the winter of 2004 changes won't be equally
successful.
Plenty of others to look for, including the debut at
Tastin n Racin of the brand new, 4 years in the making,
UL-9 American Eagle of Paul Droullard. BCS Racing with
Kerry Beynon and Al Carstensen sharing the driving
duties, debuts with the ex B&B Racing program from now
retired Dave Bender. In the last race of his career,
Bender finished 2nd by a boat length at Seattle, behind
Cal Phipps after leading all but the final 100 yards,
last August.
It
all starts this weekend at Tastin n Racin, at Lake
Sammamish State Park. Take Exit #15 off Interstate 90,
east of Seattle.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights.
Expected Unlimited Lights entries at Tastin n Racin
(10)
#
Team
Driver
UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade - Happy Go Lucky Jerry &
Greg Hopp
UL-5 Freedom
Racing
Kevin Aylesworth
UL-6 BCS Racing Enterprises
Kerry
Beynon - Al Carstensen
UL-9 American Eagle
Paul Droullard
UL-14 Miss Software Prototype
Paul Becker
UL-18 Jackie's Purple Thunder
Joe Turner
UL-40 Thunder Valley Racing
Harold Mills
UL-51 Graham Trucking Cargo Express
Michael Flaherty
UL-72 Graham Trucking - Red Rocket
George Woods Jr.
UL929 Xaudaro Racing
Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro
Plus
15
or more Lighter than LIGHTS (4 cylinder and 8 cylinder
hydroplanes) and 23 Nostalgic Circle Boats (classic
Big Block runabouts)
The Unlimited Light Hydroplane
Racing Association, Inc. is proud to welcome a NW legend in
broadcasting and hydroplane race announcing.
Hall of Fame inductee Bill O'Mara will join the "Voice" of
the Unlimited Lights, John Lynch at Tastin n Racin, this
Sunday, June 13, at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Lynch says it's a
personal thrill to welcome O'Mara to the Unlimited Lights
season opener. Borrowing a line from the Clint Eastwood
film "Space Cowboys", he says. "Bill was around when
hydroplanes were born". 3 point Unlimited Hydroplanes to be
exact. "We all watched Bill growing up in the Seattle area"
said Lynch, "and he brought drama, interest and excitement
with his announcing style for hydroplane racing.
Bill O'Mara was sports director
of KING TV Channel 5 in Seattle when Stan Sayers and Ted
Jones broke the one mile speed record for propeller driven
craft and later won the 1950 Gold Cup in Detroit with Slo Mo
IV. Then in 1951 O'Mara broadcast the first Gold Cup race
held in Seattle and continued doing so throughout the 50's.
After a stint in San Diego, O'Mara return to the Seattle
area where he continued to broadcast the Seattle races in
the 60's and 70s on radio. Today he remains active as
Sports Director of KLKI AM 1340 in Anacortes WA.
Retirement? Not for Bill O'Mara. After all he's only 87
years old.
Fans can meet and talk with
Hydroplane Hall of Fame announcer Bill O'Mara, this Sunday
during Tastin n Racin at Lake Sammamish State Park, near
Issaquah WA.
Capsule training on Friday, June 11 There will be a capsule training session at
the Frauenheim's at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 11. Season Opener! Tastin n Racin, Friday through Sunday June 11-13. Details here!
As entries
continue to pour in for Tastin n Racin at Issaquah WA June 11-13th,
the organizers of the event have revised the schedule. Up to 50
race boats will be participating in several classes, plus their
always full schedule of other Tastin n Racin activities and events.
For the many thousands who attend Tastin n Racin, here is the latest
revised schedule of activities.
Friday, June
11th. Hydro Happy Hour, 4:00pm till 8:00pm.
Hydro Happy
Hour is for teams to check in their race boats, register for the
weekend of racing, and enjoy live music from The Pop Offs,
performing Power Pop & Classic Rock hits. The Pop Offs perform from
4:30pm till 7:30pm. There is no charge for parking at Lake
Sammamish State Park on Friday, June 11th. The public is invited to
attend, enjoy the music, and get an "up close" look at the teams
competing at Tastin n Racin.
Some of the
other features that makes the 8th Annual Tastin n Racin Festival the
most popular event of its type in the Northwest, include the Custom
Car Show on Sunday, presented by Diamond Lil's Card Casino of
Renton. Nearly 300 street rods, street machines, sports cars and
restored cars will be on site.
Live music is
presented all weekend on the O'Brien Law Firm Main Stage, produced
by Pacific Rim Talent.
Pleasure boat
displays will be presented by Seattle, Boat, Redmond Sea Ray, and
Olympic Boat Centers.
The Seattle
Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt & Drill Team will perform two shows on
Saturday at 1 & 3:00pm.
There will
also be a Motorcycle Ride & Display featuring new & restored bikes
on Saturday, presented by Eastside Harley.
The Thunder
Valley Food Walk features 15 or more food vendors serving
tantalizing treats, along with Arts & Crafts vendors and their
unique items.
A Carnival
features lots of fun rides and games, and there is a Family Fun Area
with inflatable kid's rides and activities.
Sunday morning
Chapel Services are conducted for the races and race fans, at 9:45am
at the Main Stage. Services will be conducted by ULHRA Chaplain Jim
Riley from Dallas TX, and feature the Sojourners Praise Band from
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Bellevue WA.
And, the
weekend features the Baker Equipment Cup with two days of racing
with the Unlimited Lights, Lighter than LIGHTS and the Nostalgic
Circle Boats.
It's no wonder
that more than 77,000 people have attended Tastin n Racin in just
the past two years. It takes place at Lake Sammamish State Park at
Issaquah WA, just east of Seattle along Interstate 90 at Exit # 15
east.
Tastin n Racin
details: Saturday & Sunday, June 12 & 13
Parking,
$5.00 per vehicle. No overnight parking.
Admission. $3.00 per person with children under 6
years old, FREE.
Two day
Pass $5.00
Spectator Pit
Pass $5.00 Children under 10, FREE when accompanied by
an adult.
Free Shuttle
Bus. Buses depart from the Issaquah Park & Ride every 20
minutes on Saturday & Sunday (June 12 & 13) from 10:45am till
6:00pm.
Saturday
Tentative Schedule
Sunday Tentative Schedule
All times subject to weather, cranes, accidents, boat towing & Acts of God.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the
Unlimited Lights
Here is our first proclamation
from King County for Tastin' n Racin' 2004 Days
Here is a shot of Rich rolling the paint on today.
(6-3-04) The engine came off of the dyno yesterday and now some assembly
required. Soooo much time and so little to do. Mark Sharley shares
photos of Greg Hopp and Joe Turner running at Spanaway Lake a few weekends ago.
Three teams to watch in 2004 |
So
fine, he raced the entire season, and this year slides over to the cockpit of
the UL72 Red Rocket, to replace 4 time driving champion Phil Bononcini, who's
taking a "sabbatical" from racing to spend more time with his family. What it
means for the rest of the competition in the ULHRA, with Woods in the UL72, is
there's "no rest for the weary" The most successful hull since 2000 should
continue being successful.