The UL-51 Race Team is proud to announce the new title sponsor for the remaining races of the 2004 season as Boat Electric Co. of Seattle WA. The boat is now titled "Miss Boat Electric" and carries the signs and logos for both Boat Electric and Espar Products Inc. in large letters on both sponsons, tails, and the tow vehicle. Boat Electric Co. a local Seattle marine supply business has been serving boaters and racers since 1968 providing the finest in marine wiring and electrical products as well as Espar diesel heating systems and almost every conceivable electrical item one could possibly need for your boat. The UL-51 will be displayed in front of the Boat Electric Co. store at 2520 Westlake No. in Seattle this coming Wednesday prior to the General Motors Cup at Seafair Race. Please check out their website at http://www.boatelectric.com and take a look at their extensive inventory of marine related products available at http://www.boatelectric.com/Line%20Card.htm. Sunday at the Budweiser Columbia Cup and Security Race Products Unlimited Lights Trophy Unlimited Light Hydroplanes and turbine & piston powered Thunderboats are preparing for the final day of a most successful 39th edition of the Columbia Cup at the tri cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland WA. Conducted by ULHRA Inc. by request of the host, Tri Cities Water Follies Association, the fleet included 11 Unlimited Lights and 10 “Thunderboats”. The newest team in the ULHRA, the UL-117 Escapius Maximus of Canadian Ron Doumont out of Windermere B.C. was forced to scratch due to engine damage. The rest of the “Lights” put on 3 excellent races. In Heat 1A, Jerry Hopp drove to victory in the UL-1 Mike’s Hard Lemonade – Happy Go Lucky took the measure of Kevin Aylesworth in the UL-5 Baker Equipment Company, by less than a roostertail length. Hlopp’s winning speed was 101.377, just ahead of Aylesworth’s 100.528. Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Software Prototype took third followed by Paul Droullard in the UL-9 Richland Suzuki. George Woods Jr. in the Graham Trucking was challenging Hopp for the lead but on the backstretch of lap two his engine let go and Woods did not finish. In Heat 1B, contact occurred in turn two just prior to the start between Vince Xaudaro in the UL-929 B&B Construction, and Harold Mills in the UL-40 Thunder Valley Racing. A one minute penalty was assessed Mills. Both boats were damaged, but finished the heat. As a result, at the starting line, first over was rookie UL driver Al Carstensen in the UL-6 BCS Racing entry. Carstensen is “C” in the BCS partnership and this was his first time out in the UL-6 after many successful seasons in limited inboards and he drove as if to continue that success. For a lap & 2/3’s he battled deck to deck with the “X-Man” but he was forced to shut down on lap 2 entering turn #2. Xaudaro went on to victory with an average speed of 104.484. Second Place was Michael Flaherty in the UL-51 Miss Boat Electric. Mills finished third with Carstensen Did Not Finish and Rick Bridgemanin the virtually brand new UL-17 Ted’s Red Apple Market unable to start. Bridgeman and his team had been working feverishly for weeks to get the UL-17 ready and pulled into the pits on Friday afternoon. Heat 2A matched the UL-1, UL-5, UL-6 , UL-9 and UL-14. At the start it was, SURPRISE, Paul Becker in the lead, just ahead of Jerry Hopp and rookie Al Carstensen, starting on the outside by rule, right behind, and just behind that trio were Paul Droullard and Kevin Aylesworth. Becker led into Turn 1, with Hopp taking the lead coming out of the turn, only to find Carstensen racing hard on the outside and taking the lead in the former Dave Bender owned & driven hydroplane. It stayed that way for 3 laps! Hopp and Carstensen trading the lead until Hopp pulled out to a slim victory in the end by less than a roostertail length. Hopp’s winning speed was 104.581, in front of Carstensen’s second place run of 102.044. Third place went to Aylesworth, fourth to Droullard, and fifth to Becker. The Unlimited Lights are, for the first time, racing on a “D” shaped course similar in appearance to what the stock cars race on at Charlotte NC, Atlanta GA, and Texas Motor Speedway. It’s proven to be a challenge for the driver’s to adapt because of the longer turns, but also very popular with the sun-soaked fans at the Columbia Cup because it brings the Unlimited Lights closer to the shoreline, and closer to the race fans. Heat 2B, will start the day for the Unlimited Lights with a lineup of UL-17, Rick Bridgeman, UL-40, Harold Mills, UL-51 Michael Flaherty, UL-72 George Woods Jr. and UL-929 Vince Xaudaro The top 3 teams, by points, will automatically advance to the Final Heat this afternoon. Jerry Hopp, with 2 heat victories and 800 points has already qualified. Those teams that do not qualify for the Final will be entered in the “B” Main, where the top 3 teams will also advance to the Final. In the Thunderboat series, the largest fleet of the year is in Tri Cities, and a modern day record for qualifying drivers has been set. I 4 “rookie” drivers have qualified to compete in this event. According to ULHRA Historian Fred Farley, the last time this happened was at the 1956 Seafair Trophy Race in Seattle The “qualifying driver” list includes, J Michael Kelly in Jim Harvey’s U-2 who was able to complete the driver requirements Saturday morning. Those requirements call for up to 15 laps under observation, with at least 10 of those laps exceeding 130 mph, and 3 of those laps must be consecutive 130 mph or faster. Kelly went on to start Heat 1B, by rule on the outside, and one roostertail length behind. He went on to a fifth place finish. Second to reach “qualified driver” status was R. W. “Dick” Lynch in the U-20 Miss Warner Auto Sales.. Lynch attempted to qualify 3 years ago at this same race. This time he and the Terry Martin owned, Hermiston OR based team were successful. Two other drivers, both from the ranks of the Unlimited Lights, finished their qualifying runs this morning. Steve Hook, who drove the UL-19 to 5th place and 4th place finishes in UL competition the past two years, is driving the U-99 Round Table Pizza Presents Conover Insurance for Fred Leland. Hook says he hopes the new UL-19 will ready to debut in two weeks in Seattle. Vince Xaudaro is driving the U-00 Windermere Real Estate for Brian Rubenaker, in addition to his regular ride in his own UL-929 B&B Construction. .
In Saturday competition,
Dave Villwock in the Miss Budweiser and JW Myers in the Llumar
Window Film went deck to deck for 3 exciting laps, reminiscent
of the way they raced in Evansville IN last month. In the end,
Villwock gained a very slim victory over Myers with an average
speed of 145.790. Myers speed was 144.567. Dick Lynch and the
Miss Warner Auto Sales took 3rd while Greg Hopp in the Spirit of
Tri Cities Presented by Robert Young & Associates was unable to
start.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited
Lights
To follow the racing action all weekend long from Tri Cities, Washington..........................
Here at
www.ulhra.org we will provide
updates all of the activity with Patti Darling writing heat
recaps, Ed Nelson and Jeanne Miller posting official results,
and audio cuts with John Lynch calling the Unlimited Lights
heats. KONA Radio 610AM in Pasco WA will provide audio cuts for
the Thunderboat heats. Plus you can log on to
www.konaradio.com for
continuous coverage throughout the weekend, starting Friday,
July 23rd.
Bringing hydroplane fans closer to the action, in Tri Cities WA
Race fans and race organizers
have noted over the years that when the Unlimited Lights compete at
the same venue as the turbine Thunderboats, such as this weekend in
Tri Cities WA, the Unlimited Lights seen to be a bit smaller by
comparison, which of course, they are. Now, the racing has been
outstanding, witness the final heats at Seattle in 2002 & 2003. But
the "Lights" smaller size; has been an issue. The UL's average 24.5
feet in length while the Thunderboats average 29.5 feet. Add in the
fact that till now Unlimited Lights have been required to race the
same distance from the shore as the Thunderboats, and the size
differential becomes more evident. But that will change this
weekend in Tri Cities, Washington at the annual Columbia Cup.
The Tri Cities Water Follies
Board of Directors voted this month to conduct an "independent"
race, instead of contracting with the turbine series' regular
sanctioning body. This decision mirrored what happened last month
in Evansville IN and what will transpire in San Diego CA in
September. In these "independent" events, the ULHRA, Inc. has been
hired to conduct the racing programs. With the ULHRA's sanctioning
insurance in place, changes in the course layout that have been
contemplated previously, can now be implemented.
Unlimited Lights 2002 Rookie
Driver of the Year Kelly Stocklin is also a veteran race official
and director. In addition, he's a board member of ULHRA Inc. . He's
taken on the responsibility of coordinating race courses with the
event organizers in Evansville, Tri Cities and San Diego for the
ULHRA Inc. This weekend, Stocklin has created an all new kind of
race course for the Unlimited Lights and the fans at Tri Cities.
Previously, the Unlimited
Lights would run a shorter version of the Thunderboats course at
race sites where both series competed. For example, in Evansville
this year, the Lights and Thunderboats shared turn 1, with separate
turns 2, the same as at Seattle. In San Diego in the past, the
Lights had their own turn 1. But this weekend in Tri Cities, only
the backstretch on the Columbia River course will be shared.
Stocklin's design for the
Unlimited Lights course has a design inspired by major stock car
tracks as it mirrors the Texas, Atlanta, and Charlotte speedways.
Both turns 1 & 2 will be much larger for the "Lights" with a long
backstretch, and a "quad oval" on the front straightaway; two turn
buoys separated by a one thousand foot long front straightaway.
More importantly, this design brings the action much closer to the
race fans in Columbia Park on the Kennewick side of the river. In
fact, the outside course markers for the Thunderboats, will be the
straightaway buoys for the Unlimited Lights on the "Benton County
"side. As Stocklin noted, "coming around turn two the fans will see
a tremendous wall of "skid fin" roostertail and then the Unlimited
Lights will be heading directly toward the shore, before making the
quick turn onto the front "chute". Add in the noise factor of the
Unlimited Light supercharged and normally aspirated
automotive engines, along with the close proximity to the
spectators, and this weekend will be a prime opportunity for fans to
enjoy hydroplane racing, "Unlimited Lights style".
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited
Lights
Expected entries for the
Columbia Cup.
Unlimited Lights
Boat #
Name
Driver
UL-1 Mike's Hard
Lemonade - Happy Go Lucky Jerry Hopp
UL-5 Baker Equipment
Co. Kevin Aylesworth
UL-6 BCS
Racing
Al Carstensen
UL-9 American
Eagle Paul
Droullard
UL-14 Miss Software
Prototype Paul Becker
UL-17 Ted's Red Apple
Market Rick Bridgeman
UL-40 Thunder Valley
Racing Harold Mills
UL-51 Boat Electric
Company Michael Flaherty
UL-72 Graham Trucking -
Red Rocket George Woods Jr.
UL-929 B&B Construction
of Tri Cities Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro
Plus Oregonian Ron Dumont has
purchased the former UL-19 from Tom Eckenberg and is expected to
debut in UL competition this weekend. Boat name & number To Be
Announced.
Meanwhile, Eckenberg's brand
new UL-19, being built by Dale Van Wieringen and the 19 crew, is
nearing completion and the team hopes to debut at Seattle in two
weeks.
Thunderboats. This will be
the largest turnout of the year for this series.
1 Miss
Budweiser
Dave Villwock
3
Mitch Evans
6 Oh Boy Oberto
Steve David
8 Llumar Window
Film
J.W. Myers
20 Miss
Warner Auto Sales
R. W. "Dick" Lynch
25 Royal Hotel of
Richland
Dr. Ken Muscatel
99 Round Table Pizza
Presents Conover Insurance
Steve Hook
100 Spirit of Tri
Cities Presented by Robert Young & Associates Greg Hopp
00 Windermere Real
Estate
Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro
PLUS
4 American Maid /
Stout Tool "The World's Fastest Pleasure Boat".
Owner-Driver Mark Evans will conduct exhibition runs and rides in
this 4 seater turbine powered hydroplane, which in 1997 earned the
nickname "Flip n Win" when it flipped in Seattle in a preliminary
heat, yet came back to win the race.
Sponsor for UL 929 at Tri
Cities Jim Hightower reports he will be conducting capsule training for driver's needing certification, tomorrow evening (Thursday, July 22) from 7pm - 9pm. at Royal Hotel in Richland.
Royal Hotel
1515 George Washington Way
Richland WA
509 946 4121
Friday morning capsule training has been CANCELLED.
For information, call Jim Hightower at 253 851 45f74.
Thank you, John Lynch
New Team and Number at Tri-Cities
Hot & dry......and very fast. The Columbia Cup at Tri Cities
WA is scheduled for Friday through Sunday July 23-25, and the Unlimited
Lights will be there. Not only the Lights on the water, but ULHRA, Inc.
will conduct the event as it did in Evansville IN at the end of June.
Originally the Unlimited Lights were issued an invitation to race in Tri
Cities in early June. But on July 6th, the Tri Cities Water Follies Board
of Directors voted to conduct an "independent" race with turbine powered
hydroplanes, and asked the ULHRA Inc. to sanction and conduct the event.
ULHRA, Inc. accepted on July 7th.
As the UL teams head to the Tri Cities, the race for the 2004
season championship is as close as everyone expected. Greg & Jerry Hopp and
the UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade - Happy Go Lucky team hold a slight edge over
George Woods Jr. in the UL-72 Graham Trucking - Red Rocket; a mere 153
points. That's less than a fourth place heat finish difference (169 pts).
The driver's race is reversed, as expected, because the Hopp's share the
driving duties.
Third Place is now held by Kevin Aylesworth's Freedom Racing
Team, Baker Equipment Company UL-5 following the team's and Kevin's first
ever UL victory in Valleyfield. 4th place is the rapidly improving team of
the X-Man, Vince Xaudaro and his UL-929 WFC Construction.
Some of the teams that haven't made an appearance so far this
season are expected to debut at Tri Cities. One of those is the UL-17 Ted's
Red Apple Market entry of Rick & Shawn Bridgeman, with Rick in the driver's
cockpit. Last year Rick equaled his Unlimited Light best ever finish with
2nd place at his "home" race in Olympia WA. This past offseason major
changes were made to the former Staudacher Grand Prix hull, to make it more
competitive with the Unlimited Lights restricted supercharged engine.
Coming back from the eastern
trip, The UL-9 American Eagle had substantial cockpit damage to
correct, following a failure of the escape hatch. But owner-driver
Paul Droullard says they'll be ready for Tri Cities. The
patriotic motif of the American Eagle has been a popular addition at
all ULHRA stops so far this season. And the new hull, which
Droullard and crew spent 4 years preparing for UL competition, is
starting to show competitiveness.
The UL-40 Thunder Valley team with driver Harold Mills currently sits in 7th in the points, after missing Evansville and taking a strong 3rd place in the Final Heat at Valleyfield. Mills also won the "B" Main at Valleyfield. For the first time in Thunder Valley Racing history, the team was nominated for the traditional Valleyfield Invitational. After starting strongly the hull sustained some minor damage in the rough racing water, so Mills retired the UL40 from the Invitational. But this team will be more than ready for Tri Cities. Mechanically it's been an outstanding season so far the the team that calls itself the "Fabulous 40". With an entirely new engine program running extremely well, and no problems to deal with, race fans and competitors noted something not seen previously in the UL-40 pit area at Valleyfield. There was no "thrash" going on Saturday night. The work was done, the team was relaxing. Look for more from this group the rest of the season, especially on a fast track like Kennewick WA.
Rookie Michael Flaherty sustained a damaged engine in
Evansville in the UL-51 Boat Electric Company, but the team was able to
"thrash" it back together in Vallefyfield. Flaherty currently sits in 6th
place in the points. The BCS Racing Team, the UL-6 of Kerry Beynon, Al
Carstensen and Jack Sipila will return to the series after debuting at
Tastin n Racin in Issaquah WA with Beynon behind the wheel of the ex Dave
Bender UL-38.
At this writing, it appears anywhere from 10-15 Unlimited
Lights will answer the Tri Cities call, with 11 being the most likely
number. Entry updates will be posted here, as they are learned.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights
FAREWELLS:
Regates De Valleyfield
Preview Friday Click here for updates from June, 2004
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