Lake Washington at Renton, near Seattle, was the setting as several teams tested for the first time prior to the ULHRA 2006 season that begins in June.

Former limited inboard record holder and one time Unlimited driver Michael Eacrett debuted the long awaited G-24.  It arrived with a spectacular paint scheme and very interesting lines. Eacrett went on the lake for a brief shake down cruise in the morning and followed with a quicker run in the afternoon. This craft has been revamped from its original Ron Jones Jr design by former Miss Budweiser Crew Chief Ron Brown. The cowling features an air scoop reminiscent of those used on Pro Stock drag racing cars. Eacrett, driving for G-24 Racing LLC, will compete on the entire American Challenge Cup Series in 2006.

Eacrett was joined by Dick Lynch driving the G-13 Tempo. Lynch made two runs in the craft, the first all new ACCS hydroplane ever built. It was completed in about 6 months last year by designer-builder Da le Van Wierengen and the G-13 crew from Impact Racing.


The test day marked the debut in an Unlimited Light of 2005 Lighter than LIGHTS Modified champion Bob Estes in the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking. Bob and Janet Estes purchased this craft from Milton and Charley Wiggins of Alabama which was campaigned for several years as the UL-10 and driven to victory at Seattle in 2003 by Cal Phipps. Estes made one run, and his backup driver Mark Echols also made a run. Echols will man the radio for Estes in 2006, following a trend popularized by Hopp Racing of having an experienced race driver on the radio assisting the team driver. For Hopp Racing, having Jerry & Greg Hopp on both ends of the radio has served them well for 3 consecutive Unlimited Lights championships.

Greg Hopp and the Mike's Hard Lemonade Team was also on hand testing their newly acquired hull; the former UL-9 American Eagle. The Eagle paint remains for the moment but will be replaced with a Mike's paint scheme in time for the season opener, June 10 & 11 at Issaquah WA. The 3 time champion hull will be held in reserve.

Also on hand was 2.5 Modified World Champion Dustin Echols and Tim Holman testing two hulls that will compete in the Lighter than LIGHTS series in 2006 in preparation for that team's entry into Unlimited Lights competition with a brand new UL hull in 2007. Jeff Bernard and Brian Perkins were also on hand, testing one of the Perkins Racing LTL entries. Perkins will also take the wheel of Thunder Valley Racing's UL-40 Miss Red Dot Corp. The UL-40 was not on hand for testing as off-season hull updates are not quite complete. The team will be dyno testing their engine program on April 20th.

Only one boat was unsuccessful in getting on the water. The G-329 Baker Equipment entry driven by co-owner David Warren just installed their recently upgraded engine yesterday. Despite great effort the team was not able to test today but will be ready for Spring Training, May 20th at Tri Cities WA. When complete it will sport a different paint scheme than last year. Much taller rear wings were a noticeable change from last season.

The G-17 Miss Ted's Red Apple Market owned by Rick & Shawn Bridgeman, and the G-10 High Pressure of Milton and Charley Wiggins were not on hand for this first test. The G-17 is awaiting delivery of new cockpit glass that was lost in shipping, while the Wiggins team is home ported in Alabama.........inconveniently located for a test in suburban Seattle. They intend to test prior to Spring Training while the Rick & Shawn Bridgeman owned G-17 team.....the first team to enter the ACCS program, merely hope to get usable cockpit glass in time to test. After last year's all too brief appearance that ended in a flip at Tri Cities, co-owner/driver Rick Bridgeman is really looking forward to getting back in competition this year both with the G-17 and their all new Ron Jones Jr UL-17 hull that is being rapidly assembled at Jones' Pacific WA facility. The new UL-17 was started in January and according to Jones will surprise the naysayers by being ready for Spring Training next month, and the season opener, Tastin n Racin, June 10 & 11.

John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights, American Challenge Cup Series, and Lighter than LIGHTS

Muncey Marketing announces new sponsorship and a "professional" element for Lighter than LIGHTS teams at "Tastin n Racin". 

Limited Hydroplane Racing Turns Professional

This year at the tenth anniversary of the hydroplane races and festival known as Tastin’ n Racin’, the 4-cylinder and 8-cylinder hydroplane teams can have their cake and eat it too – quite literally. The family festival in Issaquah which attracts upwards of 50,000 spectators each year is one of the most popular venues on the racing circuit, but this year thanks to Baker Equipment, the season opener is even sweeter.

Bob Baker, owner of Baker Equipment, is one of the most active sponsors in the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association. This year for the Issaquah race on Lake Sammamish June 10-11, Baker Equipment is putting up prize and tow money for the entire Lighter-than-LIGHTS fleet. Lighter than LIGHTS is a racing series created by ULHRA, Inc. for hydroplanes that are smaller and lighter than the well-known Unlimited Lights hydroplanes.

In a ground-breaking move, the Lighter-than-LIGHTS 4-cylinder and 8-cylinder teams can race both days and pay no entry fee, but also get paid tow and prize money. Competitors who have long paid high entry fees to compete in their sport can now actually get paid to do what they love. Once they make an official start of the race, the boat owners will be awarded $100 tow money. The top three finishers in each class (4 cylinder, 8 cylinder, and a combined modified class) with receive additional prize money as follows:

FIRST PLACE = $200
SECOND PLACE = $100
THIRD PLACE = $50

Competitors in and around the sport are most certainly familiar with Baker Equipment who specializes in the sale of man lifts, scissor lifts & forklifts worldwide. Bob’s wife Kathleen, sponsors the 17’ S-6 2.5 litre stock hydroplane driven by Kayleigh Perkins, and Bob is now co-owner with driver Dave Warren of the big G-329 Thunderboat, measuring a little over 25 feet. Baker Equipment is an active sponsor of the ULHRA and a proponent of the Lighter-than-LIGHTS Racing Series. Said Bob Baker, “This is the series where tomorrow’s Unlimited Light and Thunderboat drivers are coming from. As someone who loves this sport, it’s important that I support this series.”

So, this year, hydroplane racers can come to Tastin’ n Racin’, race for free, go home with a check, and oh yes, stop by one of the tasty vendor booths for a bite to eat as well. For more information on Tastin’ n Racin’, check out their web site at www.tastinracin.com. See you in Issaquah!

ULHRA in the Snohomish WA Easter Parade Update.