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Valentine (Val) Lisk, well known
owner of the E-27 Miss Tons of Fun 5
liter hydroplane, and a competitor
in the ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS
series, passed away February
14th following a lengthy battle with
Cancer. Val's love of hydroplanes
was well known in the sport.
After his wife Kay passed away in
the mid 90's, Val made a comeback in
racing after 25 years away from the
sport. He acquired a veteran Ron
Jones Sr. hull that once was a
record setting craft owned & driven
by Al Curtis. That boat raced as
the E-27 (now the E-36) and at one
time was sponsored by the late Bill
Bennett and his Sahara Hotel &
Casino in Las Vegas. Gordy Gillmer,
Dick Lynch, and Val's son Rob all
drove the E-27 with distinction and
success. Later Val sold that boat,
and acquired a newer Ron Jones Sr.
hull which he campaigned since
2001. In 2004 they brought back the
original name "Tons of Fun" on the
E-27.
Dan
DeFranco, himself a 2.5
Modified racer first connected with
Val when Dan was 15 years old. DeFranco
says, "racing kept Val going. I
really believe his return to
hydroplane racing following the
death of his wife kept him energized
and focused. In fact, when advised
of his spreading cancer, he told
his doctors that no matter what they
thought, he had another racing
season to complete. And he did. He
knew his time was limited, but he
got every minute out of that time he
could". Val Lisk survived much
longer than his doctors believed he
would and many say it was his love
of hydroplane racing that kept him
going.
Services
for Val Lisk will be held this
Saturday (February 26) at 2:00 pm at
the Greenwood Memorial Park, located
at
350
Monroe Avenue NE in Renton WA.
Additional photos of the UL-929 hull reconstruction project
Work continues on the transformation of Ken Brodie II's race boat to compete on the Unlimited Light circuit. The newest "eastern" UL team has the hull being prepped for paint and that will be followed by installation of the cockpit canopy, and they are redesigning the front canard. Rear tails have been ordered and will soon be delivered. The team will completely re-hose and re-wire the hull in preparation for entry into ULHRA competition. The trailer is being re-bunked and repainted as well, while Ken Brodie Sr. continues work on the team's 468 cu.in supercharged Unlimited Light engines.
The team
will join the series at the second race
of the season; the Chevrolet Freedom
Festival in Evansville IN. They are
also scheduled to race in the NW at the
Tri Cities and Seattle events.
John Lynch
"Voice" of
the Unlimited Lights
More photos of the UL-929 hull reconstruction project
They're called Thunderboats ACCS. After the first dyno test, one thing is certain. They will THUNDER!
In 2002, a
couple of very savvy high performance/racing
engine experts got together. They wanted to
see what kind of performance could be
expected from the newly authorized Unlimited
Light supercharged engine 'spec" So they
built one, dyno tested it, and were pleased
with the results. Later that very engine
was sold to an Unlimited Light team that for
a year and a half was rewarded with
outstanding performance and reliability over
the course of dozens of UL racing heats,
including the team's first ever UL race
victory. That engine was the initial
"blown"
powerplant of the UL-5 Freedom Racing Team
of San Diego's Kevin Aylesworth. Those
savvy "engine guys" were none other than
Glenn (Glenno) Davis and George Woods Jr.
Yes, THAT George Woods Jr..driver of the
UL-72.
Fast
forward 3 years and "they're at it again!"
Recently, the first dyno tests were
conducted at Gary Pugh's Performance Engine
Development in Fife WA, of a Thunderboats
ACCS engine. ULHRA.Com sat down with Woods
to review the results.
Fans of
hydroplane racing know George Woods Jr. as a
highly talented race driver who's won in
virtually every level of powerboat
racing. His record includes multiple class
records and championships, along with 3
victories in the Unlimited Class in the 80's
& 90's, and now 3 victories in Unlimited
Lights garnered in 2004. But Woods has also
been a race engine builder & tuner for over
30 years, both on the water and on land.
When he &
Davis decided to collaborate on a new ACCS
powerplant they looked over all the
options. Woods said their primary approach
was the KISS principle. as in Keep It
Simple. Woods also kept reminding
himself of a philosophy that's served him
well with engines he's built, tuned and
raced. That philosophy is "in order to
finish first, you first have to finish".
This is not
a story written for "gear heads". Your
correspondent is certainly no "gear
head", and Woods knows this so for the sake
of this story, he kept it simple. For
"gear heads" who want more details, Woods
says he & Davis welcome inquiries.
OK. how
about some basic "specs".
540 cubic
inch Chevrolet based engine (ACCS max. is
575 cu.in)
871
supercharger (max. allowed in ACCS)
4.5" bore.
4.25" stroke
Incidentally, the UL supercharged engine is
468 cu.in with a 671 supercharger running at
80% of crankshaft speed, develops in the
neighborhood of 950 hp and about 850 foot
pounds of torque in a 2,700 lb race boat.
Woods says
Glen Davis researched all available
components and they agreed this had to be
built with "off the shelf" parts, no
exotics, and be simple to tune. The heads
were supplied by Airflow Research and there
was no "hand porting". In fact the entire
concept was based on the engine being
reliable and maintenance friendly. So while
they had several different camshaft designs
from which to choose, they ran the smallest
cam for simplicity and reliability.
What they
created was an engine package that Woods
says will make the Thunderboats ACCS class
"very exciting to watch and a very exciting
class for race drivers". In fact, Woods
says Thunderboats ACCS won't be for the
casual race driver. Ever hear NASCAR types
talk about the driver "getting up on the
wheel".....meaning a higher level of
concentration and competitiveness? Woods
says, that's how drivers will have to be
with this new combination, from the moment
they leave the pits to the moment they
return.
The new
Thunderboats ACCS formula mandates 25 to
28 foot racing hulls, with a maximum of 13
feet in width. The minimum hull weight is
3,500 lbs. Coupled with the new engine it's
going to be a very fast racing platform.
The dyno
test was sort of an All Star affair. Not
only were Davis & Woods assisted by Gary
Pugh of P.E.D.who does all the machine work
for them and owns the dyno, they were also
joined by a couple other racing luminaries;
engine experts and long time friends Dixon
Smith and Dave Villwock from the now retired
Miss Budweiser team. All 5 were actively
involved in the 2 day dyno test, as shown in
the photographs.
So how
about those dyno test results? In the Keep
It Simple and conservative test mode, Woods
says the engine produced......1,300
horsepower and 1,200 foot lbs of torque at
15 lbs of boost.
That torque figure is comparable to the turbines in the Unlimited class. What those numbers mean to those unfamiliar with engine specs is, plenty of power for high speed runs, and plenty of torque for quick acceleration in the ACCS hull. Woods noted, from other classes he's raced in the past, that both GP and K-Boats had much more engine than could be used in either class and both classes would suffer reliability issues with plenty of boats returning to the pits at the end of towlines. He says that 1300 horses and 1200 foot pounds of torque both add up to "plenty" in a 3500 lb hydroplane which is roughly half the weight of the turbine Unlimited hydros.
Woods says
they ran the supercharger at approximately
"18 over". The decision to test the engine
with the "blower" set nearly 20% faster than
the engine crankshaft was by design. He
says this is a more efficient way to run a
supercharged engine, and actually more
reliable. The original Unlimited Light
engine, designed to run at "10 over," was
very efficient and reliable but became a
real tuning challenge when the decision was
made to reduce the UL supercharger speed to
80% of crankshaft speed. That decision was
made in the UL ranks in order to maintain
competitive opportunity for the non
supercharged engines already in the UL fleet
at the time. While the move reduced the
performance of the engine it also made the
Unlimited Lights a tremendously attractive
and competitive racing series for teams.
Now, the UL's number the largest fleet of
raceboats and teams in their history and the
real growth factor in hydroplane racing in
North America. No such "limiting" action
need be taken in Thunderboats ACCS. It's a
clean sheet for this brand new and eagerly
awaited series.
Philosophically, Woods says there are no
real "secrets". It's just "hard work"
putting an engine program together. He's
convinced this design is an excellent
platform for the new Thunderboats ACCS
series, because the parts are easily
accessible and affordable, (well, as
affordable as one would find in a big
block high performance engine), and tuning
the engine is relatively simple. Woods says
this design should be every bit as reliable
as the UL engine......meaning teams can
afford to race, and race successfully with
just a couple motors, rather than an entire
truckload. It's cost containment efforts
such as these that have fueled the fleet
growth in Unlimited Lights, and will do the
same in the new Thunderboats ACCS
series............coming to a race site near
you in 2005!
John Lynch
"Voice" of
Thunderboats ACCS and the Unlimited Lights
Two long time supporters of hydroplane racing have joined forces on the first ever Thunderboats ACCS team.
The G-17 ACCS
team of Rick & Shawn Bridgeman of Olympia
WA have announced that their team, and sponsor
Ted's Red Apple Market of Westport WA will now
be joined by SRP. Security Race Products Inc,
founded by Al & Judy LaPointe have been major
supporters of various teams and ULHRA Inc. since
the organization's founding in the year 2000.
SRP has been an industry leader for many years
in safety equipment for racers, as well as the
production of both driver and team uniforms. In
fact those famous "purple shirts" worn by the
ULHRA staff are produced by SRP. Now Security
Race Products joins Ted's Red Apple Market as
associate sponsors on the G-17, driven by Rick
Bridgeman, in the inaugural campaign of the
Thunderboats ACCS series. Team Co-owner Shawn
Bridgeman says "we are pleased to be associated
with the national company that specializes in
all facets of racing apparel from safety to
casual; from the hard core racer to the race
fan."
ACCS stands for
American Challenge Cup Series, and features
bigger hulls, bigger & more powerful engines,
and faster speeds than its sister series, the
Unlimited Lights. The G-17 team was the first to
commit to the new series with their virtually
all new hull, re-built a year ago by the team in
consultation with Ron Jones Sr., and with the
ACCS series in mind. While the boat was a bit
heavy for UL competition in 2004, it's expected
to be a very lively and competitive ACCS entry,
racing at near the 3,500 pound minimum.
How much of a
difference will there be with the new ACCS
engine? More of a difference than some may
believe.
That story
coming soon, right here.
John Lynch
"Voice" of
Thunderboats ACCS & the Unlimited Lights
Racing for more than just trophies, NAMRON is racing for a cure! BELFAIR, Wash. — Namron Racing Team, a nonprofit 5-Litre hydroplane team, announces today that it will join the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association’s (ULHRA) “Lighter Than Lights” series for 2005. The team, led by co-owners and co-drivers Bud and Gigi McKay from Belfair, are donating all prize money and show money the team earns to charity organizations supporting cancer research. At each race site Namron Racing Team competes, and also on the team’s website (www.namronracing.com), the team will sell $1 raffle tickets for an end-of season drawing for prizes. All proceeds from the raffle will be donated toward cancer research, adding to the total revenues directed towards finding a cure. “Not only is hydroplane racing one of the most exciting forms of motor sport racing that the whole family can enjoy, it’s a fantastic platform for touching millions of race fans through marketing,” said Bud McKay. “As well as being competitive racers and ambassadors in the sport of hydroplane racing, Gigi and I want to bring awareness to cancer research and programs like hospice. We’re not just racing to win hydroplane races; we’re truly racing for a cure of cancer.”
Namron Racing Team plans to compete in the ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS series with races at Issaquah, WA, in June, plus a brand new race at Silverdale WA in August, not far from the team's Belfair home port, and also in Port Angeles WA at the beginning of October. The complete LTL schedule is listed on this website.
The 5-Litre class of
hydroplanes, mostly 18 to 22 feet long, is a
very competitive and popular class
of limited inboard hydroplane racing. Boats
in this class can reach straightaway
speeds close to 120 mph in competition,
powered by stock 300 cubic inch automotive engines.
“I can’t wait to get out on the course and mix it up a little,” Gigi McKay said. “In this class, we’ll be racing at some incredible speeds and very close together. But being competitive is just one goal for our team. Knowing we are racing for a cure of cancer is both very important and very personal to me..” Gigi McKay is a four-time cancer survivor. Two of those cancers were diagnosed as terminal. “If I can beat those odds, beating the guys out on the water doesn’t look so impossible,” she said. Namron Racing Team is named after Bud’s dad — Norman McKay. Namron is simply Norman spelled backward and the name Bud’s dad called his woodworking shop. Norman McKay passed away from cancer in February 2003. A few months later, Gigi lost her “favorite” Uncle Floyd Burks to cancer. “My dad was a true hydro nut and passed that passion onto me,” Bud McKay said. “Gigi’s Uncle Floyd loved anything that was fast and loud and passed that onto Gigi. We know that both of them are cheering us on from their front-row seats.” Andy Foster, Bud’s stepbrother from Auburn, is the team’s crew chief. Foster has worked for numerous automotive drag racing teams in the Puget Sound area. He’ll work with his uncle Gus Foster, from Seattle, one of the most sought-after race engine gurus in the Pacific Northwest, to build the motors for Namron Racing Team. Brandon Payne, from Graham, Mark Cabral, from Seabeck and John Perry, from Bremerton, round out the all-volunteer crew for Namron Racing Team. “When we first started to talk about what we wanted to do with hydroplane racing, we had people asking to join our team before we even had a team,” Gigi McKay said. “There may be teams that have more money and better equipment, but you won’t find a team with a heart and a passion to be the best like Namron Racing Team.” Like most boat racers, the McKays have to make time in their busy schedules to take care of the racing details for the team. Bud McKay is employed at McChord Air Force Base as a civilian in the 62nd Airlift Wing public affairs office heading community relations as well as an Air Force Reserve master sergeant at McChord’s 446th Airlift Wing’s public affairs office. Gigi McKay, a former motorcycle cop, is the security manager and guest services manager for the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale. “We’ve got some great plans and a solid team,” Bud McKay said. “We hope that we’ll attract sponsors that not only want to sponsor our team but truly join our team as we become one of the most respected and well known boat racing programs, in and out of the water, in the country.” For more information on this team, click on www.namronracing.com.
Namron Racing Team
UL-5 is back together again
The
Lynch Line. By John Lynch, Voice of the Unlimited Lights,
and Thunderboats ACCS. Click here for updates from January, 2005
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