Gold Cup Video at Silverdale

Lighter than LIGHTS at Silverdale.

Nine teams from the Lighter than LIGHTS ULHRA series went to Silverdale to challenge what became a challenging race course on the weekend August 18 & 19.   Some survived and some didn’t.  In the end it was an entertaining element of the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series’ Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder with the LTL’s sponsored by Western Cascade Truck and Tank, and by Perkins Glass.
 
In the 8 cylinder ranks, Bud McKay from nearby Belfair WA came with his E-10 Geico Insurance NAMRON Racing entry determined to defend his victory of a year ago.  Three other teams were equally committed including Kevin Eacret in the E-108 Baker Equipment Co. along with Chris Dreewes in the E-83 Wyatt’s Diamond Jewelers / Power Punch from the Muncey Racing Team, and rookie Shane Pratt from Port Angeles WA in his first ever appearance in a hydroplane, driving the E-53 Penninsula Subaru.  Pratt and the E-53 team are the first ULHRA team based at the site “where Champions are Crowned”………Straitthunder presented by Victoria Express in Port Angeles, September 29 & 30. 
 
Pratt had never so much as taken a lap in a hydroplane, much less raced, so his first appearance on the water testing at Silverdale was a cautious effort.  Gradually over the course of the weekend he gained confidence and skill and was running representative lap speeds by the Final Heat on Sunday.  As a rookie he was required to start each heat 5 seconds behind the field and was closely watched by the ULHRA officials in the standard rookie qualifying procedure.
 
In the first heat Dreewes in the E-83 ran as strong as that boat has been seen in competition in many years.  Unfortunately it may well be the last time that boat is seen in competition.  In turn 2 on the second lap the boat took a big leap out of the water and came down hard on the right side while Dreewes was challenging for the lead with eventual heat winner Kevin Eacret.  Dreewes motored on to a solid second place all the while not knowing the extent of damage that had occurred.  He raced the final lap essentially without the right sponson.  The side of the sponson “blew out” but the boat kept running reasonably well as the bottom of the sponson remained intact.  When he returned to the pits it took on water and became almost entirely submerged at the dock before rescue crews and the Millican Crane Service were able to successfully remove the boat from the water.  There was damage also to the left sponson and the 83 hull was done for the weekend.
 
Eacret won, and McKay took third with Pratt in fourth.  That’s how the rest of the weekend concluded, with Kevin Eacret winning the race in the hull formerly owned & raced by Valleyfield’s Patrick Haworth.  Second place went to Bud McKay and Shane Pratt kept improving for a solid third place. 
 
On the 4 cylinder side two drivers from the Unlimited ranks, close friends Brian Perkins and Jeff Bernard came with the Perkins Glass two boat entry of the Y-28 and Y-82.  Unfortunately these small powerful race boats ran into mechanical woes in the first heat and were done for the weekend.  Instead in heat 1 and 2, rookie Leslie Warren in the S-136 My Joy took first.  Kevin Eacret in the S-6 Lil Miss Boat Electric was second (yes, Kevin was doing double duty in the E-108) and third went to Austin Eacret in the S-36 “Trainer”. 
 
After the first round of LTL heats due to the loss of the two Perkins boats and the Drewees 83, the 4 & 8 cylinder teams were matched in the remaining heats.  With Kevin Eacret driving the E-108, someone else had to step into the S-6.  The next available Eacret, Phillip, did so as a rookie driver and performed well.  In the end, Kevin Eacret won the 8 cylinder title at Silverdale, with Bud McKay second and Shane Pratt third, and in the 4 cylinder division Austin Eacret picked up his first race victory with Leslie Warren finishing second.  In LTL racing, as in Unlimited Lights racing, the winner of the Final Heat is the race winner. 
 
Next up for the Lighter than LIGHTS will be the end of September Straitthunder event in Port Angeles.  For the Unlimited Lights and the Thunderboats (G) the next outing will be September 14 -16 on Mission Bay in San Diego.
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing

UL-929 after Silverdale by Jay Dailey

Pictures and Video of UL-6 Flip by Gold Cup Video
 

click for Video

Perkins makes history:  First woman to win in Unlimited Lights!
 
It took two tries to get it done but Kayleigh Perkins made history at Silverdale WA taking the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder in race #5 of the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series. Driving the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric she battled deck to deck with Greg Hopp in the UL-1 Festool Supply NW – Graham Trucking G.T – Happy Go Lucky until turn one of the final lap. 
 
The 7 boat Final Heat had an exciting 5 wide start with Kayleigh Perkins on the inside, Cal Phipps in the UL-40 King & Bunny’s Appliances winning the start on the outside, and Mark Echols in the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking, along with Hopp & Ryan Mallow in the UL-19 Millennium Digital Media all battling for position.  Joe Turner in the UL-18 Countrywide Home Loans presents Straitthunder.com was slightly back at the start.  The other Final Heat starter, Paul Becker in the UL-14 Compuware’s Miss Critical Logic had to pull off the course prior to the start due to mechanical problems. 
 
Coming out of turn #1 Greg Hopp took a nearly full roostertail length lead on Perkins, with Mallow & Echols back in third and fourth.  At the end of the backstretch however, Ms. Perkins was closing the gap and by the end of lap 1 she was within a boat length to Hopp’s inside.  The two traded the lead several times until turn 1 of the final lap where Hopp’s boat threw a propeller blade and failed to finish.  At the time Perkins & Hopp were side by side in their duel for supremacy. 
 
For the 19 year old Perkins today’s win marks the second consecutive year that Silverdale featured a first time winner in their rookie season.  Last year Ryan Mallow did the honors in the UL-19. Curiously, Greg Hopp’s UL-1 broke a propeller while leading at Silverdale last year before Mallow drove on to victory.
 
The reason it took two tries for Perkins is that she and Hopp were battling deck to deck in the Final Heat when Vince Xaudaro and the 4th place UL-929 Poulsbo PC & Technology presents Fife RV had a devastating accident forcing a restart.  Heading into turn number 2 Xaudaro’s “all black, all the time” hydroplane leaped off a roller and dove into a hole in the water.  Basically the hull stuffed the nose, and both sponsons were ripped from the hull reminiscent of a wishbone.  The boat did not flip, and fortunately Xaudaro was not injured as the ULHRA driver safety systems did the job, but the hull is another story and its future will be decided at a later time.
 
Mark Echols finished third for his career best and that matches the best result for the Estes Racing team in two years of Unlimited Lights racing. Fourth place went to Cal Phipps and fifth to Joe Turner who was driving the former UL-21 hull which had been inactive since the Tri Cities race in 2002.  The boat showed good chute speed and Turner indicated there’s more to work with in the hull that is owned by Jim & Karon Wilmot of Issaquah WA who’ve partnered with Turner for the balance of the 2007 season.
 
The Wyatt’s Diamond Jewelers “Best Start of the Weekend” Award was presented to Greg Hopp for a near perfect start in Heat 2B. Wyatt’s of Monroe WA presented Hopp with a stylish wristwatch which they do for the best start at every ULHRA race. 
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing. 

Today's Schedule at SILVERDALE

Sunday - August 19th

7:00 AM Registration Opens - Closes at 9:00 AM
7:30 AM Drivers Physicals
8:00 AM Drivers Meeting
8:20 AM Chapel
9:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
9:15 AM 4 Cyl Heat 2
9:45 AM 8 Cyl Heat 2
10:15 AM UL Heat 2 A
10:45 AM Skiffs
11:15 AM UL Heat 2 B
45 Minute Patrol Boat Break
12:15 PM 4 Cyl Final
12:45 PM 8 Cyl Final
1:15 PM Skiffs
1:45 PM B-Main
2:15 PM RC
2:45 PM UL Final

Draws

UL HEAT 2 A - 11, 14, 18, 33, 40, 83, 94, 98.

UL HEAT 2 B - 1, 6, 8, 13, 17, 19, 72, 929

Tough day at the office for ULHRA teams.

 Day One of the Graham Truckiing Cup at Silverdale Thunder was a challenge on all fronts.  The day dawned excellent for the test session that began shortly after 8:30am but by the time the first heats were ready shortly after 10:00am the wind had picked up significantly.  By the end of the day not only had the wind increased but so had the attrition rate.

Due to the high winds which took out about 90 minutes of racing time, plus the low tide at about 3:30pm the first day of the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Series ran half of the scheduled heats.  The third heat section originally scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled so the program can complete a second round on Sunday followed by the B-Main and Final.

A total of 16 Unlimited Lights teams made for an event record turnout along with 9 teams from ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS series for smaller inboard hydroplanes.  

For the LTL's, Leslie Warren in the S-136 My Joy took the victory in the 4 cylinder category after Unlimited drivers Jeff Bernard and Brian Perkins both ran into mechanical woes with their respective Perkins Glass entries and did not finish.  Second Place went to Kevin Eacret in the S-6 Lil' Miss Boat Electric and Third Place was secured by Austin Eacret in the Penninsula Suzuki. 

On the 8 cylinder side the Saturday heat winner was Kevin Eacret, doing double duty in the E-108 Baker Equipment Co.  Second place was Chris Dreewes in the E-83 Wyatt's Diamond Jewelers - Power Punch Oil Supplements.  On lap 2 of the 3 lap heat the E-83 may have performed its racing swan song.  It leaped several feet out of the water midway through turn #2 and came down hard.  Dreewes didn't realize it at the time but the side of the right sponson blew out leaving a gaping hole just above the water line.  Dreewes motored on to pass Bud McKay for second place but upon returning to the pits the boat quickly sank at the dock with only the sponson tips above the water line.  In addition to the right side sponson there was cracking on the left side sponson and while no announcement has been made it appears this hull's days may well be numbered. 

Third place went to defending Silverdale champion Bud McKay in the E-10 Geico Namron.  McKay commented on how rough were the conditions and it was evident that his boat was pounding the front end on the back stretch each lap.  Fourth place went to brand new racer Shane Pratt of Port Angeles WA in the E-53 Pennisula Subaru.  Pratt along with his wife Vicki had planned to enter racing this year after spending last year as volunteer crewmembers with the Kerry Beynon - Al Carstensen UL-6 team "learning the ropes" of team ownership and operation.  Pratt made his maiden voyage as a hydroplane driver in the morning test session and then raced his first heat to a fourth place finish.  As a "rookie" Pratt is required to start his heats 5 seconds behind the clock. 

For the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder, the locally based UL-6 Gresham Well Drilling presents MAACO of Bremerton made a driver switch.  Since the end of the 2005 season co-owner Al Carstensen had driven with fellow co-owner Kerry Beynon working as Crew Chief.  The team planned for this weekend to be Beynon's return to race driving as both owners have winning race driving resumes.  In the beginning it looked like Beynon hadn't been out of the cockpit at all as he won the start  in Heat 1A and had a nearly full roostertail length lead heading toward turn number one when it came to a sudden end.  The UL-6 caught a wind gust with the choppy water throwing the nose into the air.  Beynon wresled to bring the boat under control and it hung on the transom for what seemed like many seconds.  In the end the boat blew over, ending the race weekend for the home town team right after it began.  Fortunately Beynon suffered only minor injuries and was released from the hospital, and it appears the boat could be back in action in a short period of time. 

The accident moved Unlimited Lights Heat 1B into position.  There were 8 teams to answer the call and all 8 got onto the course but 3 of them never made it to the start.  The UL-94 Union Pride with rookie Mike Jack driving, plus the UL-11 94.5 ROXY with Kelly Stocklin behind the wheel and the rebuilt (after substantial damage at the Valleyfield, Quebec race in early July) UL-13 Washington Asset Management with J.Craig Fletcher driving all went dead in the water.  5 boats made the start with Greg Hopp in the UL-1 Festool Supply NW - Graham Trucking G.T. - Happy Go Lucky taking the lead into turn #1.  Hopp made it a wire to wire victory over Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro in the Poulsbo PC and Technology presents Fife R.V. with Paul Becker in the UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic in third.and Charles Xaudaro in the UL-98 Miss Atomic Screen Printing taking 4th. 

For the restart of Heat 1A, well make that 2 restarts.  The first  found  the UL-18 Straitthunder.com with Joe Turner and the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking with Mark Echols both dead in the water blocking the racing lanes just past turn number one.  The heat was blackflagged before it began so in the second restart the field that began as 8 earlier in the day was down to 4 teams.  By the time the boats came to the starting line the field was reduced to 3 as Wil Muncey in the UL-83 Wyatt's Diamond Jewelers present Power Punch Oil Supplements went dead in the water prior to the starrt of the heat.  The resulting 3 boat heat appeared destined to be a comfortable victory for Ryan Mallow in the UL-19 Five Star  Racing......but appearances can be deceiving and certainly were in this case.  While leading by several roostertail lengths on the final lap Mallow missed the backstretch buoy and did not return to pcik up that buoy. As a result he w as penalized one minute.  Cal Phipps driving the UL-40 King & Bunny's Appliances nearly missed the same buoy but avoided a penalty with a hard right turn.  Unfortunately this move severely bogged down the UL-40 and Phipps was passed by Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric which wasn't performing as it had at Seafair two weeks ago in Seattle.  Nonetheless, Ms Perkins wound up in first place with Phipps in second and Mallow taking third. 

With only seven teams scoring points on Saturday it makes the racing on Sunday morning very interesting.  The top four teams by points after Heat 2B will automatically advance to the Sunday afternoon Final.  The next eight teams by points will square off in the non points B-Main where the top four finishers will also advance to the 8 boat winner take all Final for the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder. 

The first heat of racing is scheduled for 9:15am Pacific Time Sunday morning and all heats can be seen live on this website.  For those attending the event at Silverdale WA which is west of Seattle across Puget Sound near Bremerton, admission is free and Silverdale Waterfront Park provides an outstanding venue to watch an exciting day of Racing, ULHRA Style!

John Lynch
P.R. Director and "Voice" of ULHRA Racing.                                           

UL-929 to be Poulsbo PC and Technology presents Fife RV Center in Silverdale

The UL-929 Unlimited Light Hydroplane is happy to announce they will be running under the banner of Poulsbo PC and Technology presents Fife RV Center for this weekend's race in Silverdale, WA.   Poulsbo PC and Technology is a provider of PC repair and service to customers in Poulsbo, Silverdale and surrounding communities.  They also offer online support and service which is accessible at http://poulsbopc.net or by calling them at (360) 697-7015.

Fife RV Center is one of the premier RV dealerships in the country with a commitment to customer service which is second to none. They offer a wide variety of new and used RVs including Diesel Pushers, 5th Wheels, Travel Trailers, Campers, Sports Utility Trailers, and Park Models.  Fife RV Center also has one of the most comprehensive Parts and Service departments in the Recreational Vehicle industry..  Please visit Fife RV Center at www.fifervcenter.com .

Racing Sponsors Unite
 
Two racing sponsors today announced a cooperative agreement to share deck space on the UL-1 Unlimited Light hydroplane. FestoolSupply.com, a high-end German tool distributor, who made their racing debut as the title sponsor of Hopp Racing’s G-15 at the Seafair race will present the Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky.
               
Festool Supply Northwest of Mountlake Terrace, Washington has committed to back the national champion team for the balance of the 2007 season. Co-Owner Darcy Neidermeyer said, “After having the chance to meet and work with this racing team at Seafair, we very much wanted to continue our involvement.”

Graham Trucking, Inc. who also sponsors the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking of Estes Racing, The Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair, and most recently the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder will help support the UL-1 effort. Graham Trucking whose business is transporting import & export containers as well as refrigerated goods & flatbeds in the Northwest has been a very active sponsor in the boat racing community for many years. Hopp Racing’s long-time East Coast sponsor Bill and Happy Rands remain on the boat as “Happy Go Lucky”. 
               
UL-1 Owner Bob Schellhase, who hopes to find time to celebrate his birthday with a successful weekend in Silverdale said, “It may be the longest name in UL racing history, but we are so fortunate to have the backing of these three great organizations.”
               
The UL-1 FestoolSupply.com presents Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky will be racing in Dyes Inlet this weekend August 18-19 for the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder, with 39-year-old driver, Greg Hopp at the wheel. Greg’s win at Seafair puts the UL-1 entering the race this weekend with a 295 point lead over second-place UL-72 Boat Electric. 

Racing at the Graham Trucking Cup begins early on Saturday with the first heat scheduled for 10:00AM. Festool Supply Northwest and Graham Trucking will share a vendor space at the race site where fans can buy an inflatable toy hydroplane, other racing souvenirs, or even apply for a trucking driving job with Graham Trucking (Class A Truck Drivers Wanted). A side note for the hydroplane trivia buffs: UL-1 and G-15 hydroplane driver Jerry Hopp previously worked for Graham Trucking as a Class A truck driver himself. Perhaps that is where he honed his hydroplane driving skills?  
           
Next month look for exciting things from this team on Mission Bay in San Diego September 14-16. The San Diego race course typically affords the fastest lap speeds of any of the tracks on the circuit. San Diego racing will be followed by the ULHRA Championship finale at Strait Thunder in Port Angeles September 29-30.           
           
For more information on the Unlimited Light Hydroplane racing circuit, visit www.ulhra.org . For more information on the UL-1 racing team, please visit. www.hoppracing.com . 

Silverdale WA:  popular race site with racers and fans.

Silverdale WA is a growing city and community in Kitsap County WA, across Puget Sound from Seattle.  Because of its proximity to Seattle where the majority of ULHRA teams are home ported, the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder has quickly become a popular event for the Unlimited Light Hydroplane teams. Schedule

The first year, 2005, was a smaller turnout as several teams had sustained damage in the two races immediately prior to the inaugural Silverdale race.  A total of 7 Unlimited Lights teams competed.  Last year that "boat count" doubled to 14 UL teams and Ryan Mallow in the UL-19 picked up his first victory as a rookie driver and the first victory for team owner Tom Eckenberg and the Five Star Racing Team.  This weekend an event record 16 UL teams have entered, along with 8 or more Lighter than LIGHTS teams for a very full weekend of racing action.  Note that due to the tide situation this weekend, on the water action will begin as early as 8:30am with racing from 10:00am till 2:00pm on Saturday and till 3:00pm on Sunday.  Silverdale Waterfront Park provides excellent viewing from shore as well as access to the pit area. 

Wil Muncey and the UL-83 Wyatt's Diamond Jewelers presents Power Punch Oil Supplements is looking to turnaround their season.  After a promising opener at Richland WA back in May and a 6th place at Issaquah the team has run into mechanical woes at Valleyfield and Seattle. With the guidance of engine builder Ed Trihey the Muncey driven "Little Boat that Could" may well find the salt water of Dyess Inlet and the race course layout at Silverdale to its liking.

Another team looking for the same is the Joe Turner driven Countrywide presents Straitthunder.com.  Turner's team lost their original race craft  at the season opener in May.  The 35 year old hull finally had enough and was retired.  At Issaquah the Turner team "leased" the UL-15 from Jerry Hopp but that could only be a one race deal.  So, a partnership was developed with Jim & Karon Wilmot who acquired the former Thunder Valley Racing UL-21 hull in the offseason.  The Wilmot's plan was to begin racing in 2008 but with Turner in need of a hull and the Wilmot program needing some development time, both sides came together.  Unfortunately they simply ran out of time at Seattle two weeks ago and were unable to compete but the newly numbered UL-18 will be ready for the Graham Trucking Cup this weekend. 

Kelly Stocklin is scheduled to return to Unlimited Lights racing this weekend.  Stocklin drove for the Thunder Valley team till late in the 2003 season when a construction accident severely injured his hand.  He made a brief return to action last year with the UL-929 team and now will debut the 94.5 ROXY Miss Executif this weekend.  The UL-11 hull is a former record holding GP hydroplane that's been re-configured for Unlimited Lights racing including the installation of a cockpit capsule on the formerly open cockpit hull.  The veteran Stocklin will be treating this weekend as a "shake down cruise" but if all goes well and the opportunity presents itself, don't be surprised if this competitive racer decides to mix it up a little with the other teams. 

Another team looking to turnaround their racing fortunes is the UL-13 Washington Asset Management from Celtic Racing and owner-driver J. Craig Fletcher.  Substantial offseason work took longer than expected due to delivery of materials and components.  The challenge in hydroplane racing is teams cannot simply "buy off the rack" whatever they need.  Many times it involves custom construction which takes time, and with raw materials that take additional time to be delivered.  In the end the UL-13 was unable to race at the first two events this year so they changed their plan and drove to Montreal (Valleyfield) to try to earn enough points to qualify for the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair in Seattle.  Only 14 teams could race at Seattle due to pit area space limitations and they had no points at the time and knew they needed at least 526 points to get into the Seattle race.  In their second heat at Regates de Valleyfield the boat blew out its bellypan and nearly sank when it flew into the air and came down very hard on the Bay St. Francois water, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway.  Repairs were made just in time for Seattle but they were unable to race so this weekend at Silverdale will be their return to competition. 

The big surprise at Seattle two weeks ago was the Bremerton & Mason Lake WA based BCS Enterprises Racing Team.  The surprise?  No, make that surprises.  One:  They hadn't run all season after major work in the offseason including a new cockpit & belly pan plus a variety of hull repairs which were just completed the week of the race.  Two: Since they hadn't run they had no points on the season and were the third alternate for the Seattle race.  Three:  Things broke their way and after being on display on Friday of race weekend a slot opened in the 14 boat field and they were moved into the pits.  Four: after reaching the Final Heat at the trailer boat, Al Carstensen drove to a very impressive third place finish in the Gresham Well Drilling presents MAACO of Bremerton.  Now after a frantic weekend in Seattle the team has caught their collective breath and expect to be ready to compete this weekend. 

John Lynch
P.R. Director and "Voice" of ULHRA Racing

More Gold Cup Video at Seafair

Lighter than LIGHTS and "Skiffs" join UL's at Silverdale.

For the first edition of the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder this weekend a total of 16 Unlimited Light Hydroplane teams have entered.  It's the third year for the event at Silverdale near Bremerton WA and the first year under Graham Trucking title sponsorship. Schedule

Sixteen Unlimited Light teams is an event record.  In addition race fans will be treated to two classes of ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS series.  These are race craft that are smaller, and as the name implies, lighter than Unlimited Lights.  The two classes utilize small block stock 4 cylinder and modified jetski engines, and 8 cylinder 305 cu.in stock engines.  Both are excellent classes as "entry level" and preparatory classes for drivers and crews to learn their craft and later, if they desire, "graduate" to the Unlimited Lights series.  A total of 13 drivers have parlayed participation in the LTL program into an opportunity to race in Unlimited Lights, Thunderboats G in the North American Challenge Cup Series, and Unlimiteds.  The most noted this year is 19 year old Kayleigh Perkins, now driving the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric in her "rookie' year in Unlimited Lights.  At Seattle on August 5th in the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair Ms. Perkins took a hard fought second place finish, less than three boat lengths behind Greg Hopp in the UL-1 Festool Supply NW presents Graham Trucking G.T. - Happy Go Lucky.  Perkins showed great reaction to avoid Paul Becker's UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic which had gone dead in the water right in front of the Miss Boat Electric entering turn 1 on the final lap.  Not only did she avoid contact with the UL-14 she also pulled even with Hopp down the backstretch only to be edged at the line in a "drag race" style finish.

The Perkins family has been active in Lighter than LIGHTS racing even as their principle drivers, Kayleigh & Brian Perkins and Jeff Bernard have all moved up.  Brian and Jeff are currently driving turbine Unlimiteds but all three continue to appear in the LTL program when schedules permit.

At Silverdale there will be a brand new team debuting and it's the first "home team" for another ULHRA race site, Port Angeles WA.  Shane Pratt will be driving the E-53 in the LTL 8 cylinder class at Silverdale.

Bud McKay, defending champion in the 8 Cylinder Stock category returns to the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder with his E-10 Geico Namron entry. 

The defending series champion in the 4 cylinder category, Eric Christensen, is another graduate to the Unlimited Lights series.  His UL-35 team will debut in 2008.  Eric, from Bremerton, is not competing in the LTL program this year.

Team owner  Barry Eacret continues to expand his program.  He has added an eight cylinder stock team to his 2 four cylinder stock teams.  Drivers include Kevin & Austin Eacret. 

Eight or more LTL teams are expected.  They will be joined by a group of vintage Jersey Skiffs which will conduct heat race exhibitions in between hydroplane heats.  The "Skiffs" are very entertaining and provide a few fortunate attendees the opportunity to experience a race craft on the water.  "Skiffs" carry two people; the driver and the "riding mechanic".  Guest "riding mechanics" may be seen a few times on Dyes Inlet this weekend. 

The race program at Silverdale this year will be earlier than past years due to the tides.  Activity will get underway by 8:30am each morning and racing will conclude around 2pm on Saturday and by 3pm on Sunday.  It must conclude by then or the water will be too shallow at low tide to conduct more heats of racing.  Due to the tide situation ULHRA brings in a huge crane to lift boats into the water and there is space for just one. The "Godzilla" crane is necessary for the lengthy reach required to place the hydroplanes in sufficient water depth.  This style of crane due to its mass moves a bit slower than cranes usually seen at hydroplane races and as a result the operator is kept very busy throughout the weekend. 

Great, close-up viewing of the racing action is available at the Graham Trucking Cup, at Silverdale's Waterfront Park.  For those who cannot attend, live coverage via ULHRA Video's web cast will be available on this website.  Check this website's home page for web cast times.

John Lynch
P.R. Director and "Voice" of ULHRA Racing

UL-11 At the Lacey Boys and Girls Club


Pictures of The Miss Executif sponsored by 94.5 Roxy at the Lacey Boys and Girls Club and other locations available at www.KRXY.com Go to Photo Galleries and click the links.

 

Darren Bartels

Namron Racing Team, 'Cell Phones for Soldiers' connect for Graham Trucking Cup

As Belfair's GEICO Presents Namron Racing Team gets ready to defend its 2006 Silverdale title this weekend at the Graham Trucking Cup hydroplane race, team owners Bud McKay and Brandon Payne hope to find themselves going through piles of cell phones rather than piles of racing equipment. Namron Racing Team, the 2006 Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Racing Association 8-cylindar stock Lighter-Than-Lights High Points champion, has partnered with the "Cell Phones for Soldiers" program for the remainder of the 2007 season. Schedule

"Cell Phones for Soldiers," started by teenage siblings Brittany and Robbie Bergquist from Massachusetts, collects used and outdated cell phones and recycles them to earn pre-paid calling cards they donate to deployed military members and their families. The goal for 2007, is to earn 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards. To do so, "Cell Phones for Soldiers" expects to collect 15,000 cell phones each month from all over the country.

McKay hopes fans coming to the shores of the Silverdale Waterfront Park Aug. 18-19 for the race will bring their old cell phones to the race. click for Silverdale Poster

"We'll have a collection bin at our boat in the pits over the weekend," McKay said, a retired Air Force Reserve master sergeant. Both McKay and Payne are current civil service employees at McChord Air Force Base. "I'd love to fill our cockpit full of old cell phones from hydroplane fans by the end of the racing season so that we can help recycle them."

Unlike most motor sports events, the ULHRA opens the pit area to fans. Because of the tides, racing begins at 10 a.m. The pits open for the fans to come and see all of the hydroplanes around 2 p.m. on Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Graham Trucking Cup is free and features the fast and loud Unlimited Lights hydroplanes.

"Silverdale's our home course, and we hope to have the GEICO Presents Namron Racing Team back in the winner's circle when it's all over," McKay said. "But we hope to have an even more impressive showing in collecting old cell phones for our deployed loved ones."

For the fans who can't make the race, collection bins will be at the North Mason Chamber of Commerce office in Belfair and, in Silverdale, at the Guest Services desk at the Kitsap Mall.

For more information about the "Cell Phones for Soldiers" program, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com or call McKay at 360-801-1626. For the latest schedule of events and more about the race, visit www.ulhra.org.

Gold Cup Video at Seafair

       

Hopp, Perkins & Becker to renew rivalry in Silverdale.
 
Look back on the Final Heat at the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair and you just might see a rerun at the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder August 18th & 19th. 
 
Fans remember a thrilling finish where Greg Hopp edged teenage sensation Kayleigh Perkins by 3 boat lengths.  What they may forget is, for 2 plus laps both were led by Paul Becker before his boat went dead in the water.  Becker did jump the gun but maintained his advantage over the rest of the field, signaling that the UL-14 Compuware’s Miss Critical Logic is ready to challenge for Becker’s first career race victory.
 
Hopp, driving the Graham Trucking G.T. – Happy Go Lucky was required to start outside of Perkins and Becker and other teams because his engine is supercharged.  In the end a drag race type finish earned Hopp the close victory over Ms. Perkins who picked up a career best 2nd place finish in her first year in the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Series.  With three races to go the UL championship point’s race is starting to be whittled down to the same 2 teams that have won the title the past 7 years.  Perkins drives the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric for Impact Racing which won the championship from 2000 through 2002 and Hopp Racing has won the past 4 season titles.
 
Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro in the UL-929 First Tech Credit Union presents Microsoft Office Project 2007 stands third in the point race. The 929 team trails Hopp by 804 points with 3 races to go. Xaudaro still is in contention but he’ll need to make a serious move in the points at Silverdale.  The UL-929 is certainly capable of a win, as is the UL-14.  Becker received from Wil Muncey at Seattle the original skid fin that was used by Randy Haas when he drove the boat, then the UL-110 Miss Comp Air, in the late 90’s and early in this decade.  Suddenly the UL-14 came alive with a 2nd place qualifying effort at just over 113 mph and despite jumping the gun, led the Final Heat field for more than 2/3’s of the race.
 
Don’t ignore a hometown favorite.  The UL-6 MAACO of Bremerton presented by Gresham Well Drilling wasn’t even in the field at Seattle on Friday, yet wound up in third place in their season debut.  The BCS entry had “major surgery” in the offseason, getting a new belly pan and cockpit capsule, plus repairs from the 2006 season.  Due to withdrawals by other teams a Seafair entry slot opened for the third alternate at Seattle early Saturday morning.  Driver Al Carstensen was towing the boat to Seattle to display at Seafair and was on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge about an hour from the race course shortly after 6:00am when he got the call that they were in the race.  The team was also an alternate for the Final when the UL-62 IRS Environmental – Benz Electric of Rod Bourke had to scratch……..and suddenly Carstensen was in the Final.  He made the most of the opportunity with a third place finish, following last year’s second place finish in this same event.
 
A career best 4th place finish showed that the UL-17 Venture Bank presented by Schucks Auto Supply is also improving.  Driver Dustin Echols, another rookie in ULHRA competition in 2007 drove to a second place in the B-Main and then took 4th in the Final.  A career best 5th place in a very short, so far, career was secured by Charles Xaudaro in the UL-98 Atomic Screen Printing from Kennewick WA, followed by Charles’ older brother Vince.  Mark Echols in the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking was unable to finish. 
 
For Silverdale it’s possible there will be a record turnout of Unlimited Lights.  Last year an impressive 14 teams entered the 2nd year event and for the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder August 18 & 19, even more are possible.  The first appearance by the UL-94 is scheduled.  The boat that began its racing life in the 1980’s as a record setting 7 Liter hydroplane owned & driven then by current G-24 owner-driver Mike Eacrett, the Dave Bartholomew owned craft will reappear in Unlimited Lights racing for the first time since the Seattle race in 1999.  This 24 foot craft will be driven initially in competition by “Smokin Joe” Souza while the team’s driver, rookie Mike Jack, begins his UL driver licensing effort.  Jack is a veteran of limited inboard racing in the Pacific Northwest.  Also at Silverdale the UL-18 Straitthunder.com presented by Countrywide will compete with Joe Turner behind the wheel.  This is the UL-21 hull owned by Jim & Karon Wilmot of Issaquah WA, partnered with Turner for the balance of the 2007 season.  Turner and his team came up just short of running at the Seattle event but expect to be fully ready for Silverdale. 
 
Expect a turnaround performance by Michael Flaherty in the UL-8 Boat Trader.com presents Baker Equipment.  After an impressive win in the B-Main, Flaherty inexplicably erred in the score-up procedure, crossing the line about a second early in the outside lane.  He tried to eliminate the one minute penalty by racing around the course, crossing the line before the start and then cutting across the infield to go around turn # 2 in order to start the heat. However, ULHRA rules don’t allow “cutting the course” after the score-up time is past (in the case at Seattle the score-up time was 1:20 prior to the start) so Flaherty’s one minute penalty stood.  So despite appearing to finish 5th in the Final, Flaherty was dropped to 7th place by the imposition of the one minute penalty.  Performance wise, the UL-8 team is rounding into shape and they should be a serious contender at Silverdale. 
 
The Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder is the fifth race in the seven race Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series.  Silverdale WA is just across Elliott Bay from Seattle, near Bremerton WA which has a major presence from the U.S. Navy including the Bremerton Naval Shipyard and an impressive “mothball fleet”. 
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing

Alan Lagervall at Seafair

Alyce Dreewes at Seafair

KIDS AT SEAFAIR, AND THE ULHRA FAMILY HOSPITALITY AREA ON FRIDAY. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALYCE DREEWES)

ALYCE DREEWES PHOTOGRAPHS SEAFAIR

G-15 Festool Supply Northwest on display in Mountlake Terrace

The G-15 Festool Supply Northwest will be on display Tuesday August 7, 6-9pm in Mountlake Terrace. Every year on the first Tuesday evening of August, the City of Mountlake Terrace participates in National Night Out (NNO) against Crime. NNO is a large community event in the City Hall Civic Center parking lot featuring live music, local talent, food, contests and plenty of other entertainment. The main focus of this fun-filled evening is to bring neighbors together to meet one another and learn about public safety.  Bill and Darcy Neidermeyer, owners of Festool Supply Northwest and sponsors of the G15 at Seafair this last weekend are a couple very involved with their community, and appreciated the opportunity to bring the hydroplane to this event. Enjoy family-friendly entertainment and public safety displays. Your children will love the cotton candy machine, DJ, big bouncy house, and sitting in the police and fire vehicles. Adults like to check out the SWAT bus and the DUI goggles, and everyone flocks to get free hot dogs served by firefighters from Snohomish County Fire District 1. For more information, call the Mountlake Terrace Police Department at (425) 670-8260, or go to http://www.cityofmlt.com/cityHappenings/events.htm

FIRST ROUND OF QUALIFYING COMPLETE AT SEATTLE

The Powerboats NW Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Series has returned to its home track in Seattle at the annual Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair. The morning session found excellent water conditions but difficult air conditions. Low clowds and misty rain made for challenging visibility and foggy windshields.

Greg Hopp in the UL-1 Graham Trucking G.T. – Happy Go Lucky leads the field with a speed of 114.265 mph. Second on the ladder is Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro in his UL-929 First Tech Credit Union presents Microsoft Office Project 2007 at 109.973. Close behind are Michael Flaherty in the UL-8 Boat Trader.com presents Baker Equipment Co. at 109.21, Paul Becker in the UL-14 Compuware’s Miss Critical Logic at 108,993 and Dustin Echols in the Schucks Auto Supply presents Venture Bank at 108.227.

Twelve of the 15 Unlimited Lights teams made runs during the morning session. Three teams that did not get on the water in the 90 minute session are expected to run in the afternoon session which begins at 3:40pm Pacific time. Those teams include the UL-18 Straitthunder.com of Joe Turner who has leased the former UL-21 hull from Jim & Karon Wilmot, the UL-40 King & Bunny’s Appliances driven by Cal Phipps and the UL-83 Wyatt’s Diamond Jewelers presents Power Punch Oil Additives.

Seattle’s Mike Eacrett was on the water twice in the G-24 as part of the 5 boat North American Challenge Cup Series. This spectacularly painted entry burned significantly at Tri Cities a year ago and this is the team’s first time on the water since that incident. Eacrett’s best lap was 110.654, juar bit ahead of Dave Warren’s G-329 Budget Truck Wrecking – Sahara Pizza at 109.812. Detroit’s Cal Phipps got on the water as he is pulling double duty with the G-10 ROXY Radio 94.5 of Wiggins Hydroplane Racing out of Gadsden AL. Phipps and the G-10 in ULHRA’s new North American Challenge Cup Series took it slow and easy testing out a new skid fin configuration. Dick Lynch in the G-13 Tempo – Jet Chevrolet shut down after one lap and as water conditions worsened Jerry Hopp took a couple of test laps in the G-15 Festool Supply NW.
 

 Driver Boat Speed
UL 1, Greg Hopp,, Graham Trucking GT – Happy Go Lucky, 114.265
UL 929, Vince Xaudaro, First Tech Credit Union presents Microsoft Office Project 2007, 109.973
UL 8, Michael Flaherty, Boat Trader.com presents Baker Equipment Racing, 109.210
UL 14, Paul Becker CompuWare presents Miss Critical Logic, 108.993
UL 17, Dustin Echols, Schucks Auto Supply presents Venture Bank, 108.227
UL 19, Ryan Mallow Five Star Racing, 107.568
UL 33, Mark Echols, Miss Graham Trucking, 106.291
UL 62, Rod Bourke, IRS Environmental presents Benz Electric, 102.034
UL 20, Bob Smets, Miss American Classic Homes, 95.659
UL 4, Bryan Richards, Millennium Digital Media, 94.673
UL 72, Kayleigh Perkins, Miss Boat Electric, 104.960
UL 98, Charles Xaudaro, Atomic Screen Printing, 88.085
 

Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup has 15 UL’s

 

The Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Series fleet at the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair has expanded to 15 teams.  Due to the withdrawal of the G-11 Executif from the North American Challenge Cup Series, that opened a slot in the 20 boat ULHRA fleet at Seattle.  As a result the UL-4 Millennium Digital Media driven by Bryan Richards is now in the Graham Trucking event which becomes a 15 boat program.  This also moves the UL-13 Washington Asset Management of J. Craig Fletcher into the first alternate position, and the UL-6 Maaco of Bremerton driven by Al Carstensen into the second alternate position.  Carstensen and the UL-6 finished second here at Seattle but due to major off season work on the hull, this weekend is the first appearance for the team co-owned by crew chief Kerry Beynon.

 

Because of the growth of Racing, ULHRA Style, and the shrinking space available in the Stan Sayers Pits due to the Seattle Parks Dept. expansion of other programs, Seafair has been forced to limit the two ULHRA series to a total of 20 teams.  Both the UL-13 and UL-6 will be on hand and ready to step into the field should any other teams have problems and be forced to withdraw from the race.  The ULHRA race course can handle up to 8 teams so Heats 1A & 2A on Saturday will have 8 entries with Heats 1B and 2B having 7 entries.  After Heat 2B on Saturday afternoon the top 4 teams by points will be seeded into the Sunday afternoon Final for the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup.  The B-Main earlier on Sunday afternoon will determine the other 4 Final Heat entrants.

 

ULHRA teams will be on the water for testing and qualifying beginning at 9:30am Pacific Daylight time on Friday morning (8-3).  Live coverage via ULHRA Video will begin on this website at approximately 9:15am. 

 

John Lynch

P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing.

Nine ULHRA Teams at Hydromania

 
ULHRA Teams participated in large numbers at the second annual Hydro Mania event at historic Seattle Center.  The site of the 1962 World's Fair hosted the ULHRA teams as a prelude to this weekend's Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup and the North American Challenge Cup Series along with the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair for Unlimited hydroplanes.  That number of 9 teams is 45% of the ULHRA fleet of 20 that will compete on Lake Washington this weekend; 14 Unlimited Lights (UL) and 6 Thunderboats (G).  Thanks to KIRO TV, the official television station of Seafair for providing these photos from Hydromania.  http://www.kirotv.com/index.html   &   scroll down

UL-929 on display at Marymoor Park

Today, August 1st, the UL-929 First Tech Credit Union presents Microsoft Office Project 2007 hydroplane will be on display at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA for the First Tech Credit Union Movies@Marymoor Series. The Hydroplane will be on display from 6:30pm – 9:30pm with Driver Vince “Xman” Xaudaro signing autographs for fans.

First Tech Credit Union and Epic Events, King County Parks will be offering citizens an opportunity to watch some great films under the stars. Movies are held at McNair Field in Marymoor Park and all donations go directly into supporting parks maintenance. Tonight’s featured movie is The Devil Wears Prada with an approximate start time of 9:20pm.

For more information go to: King County's First Tech Movies @ Marymoor Park

Click here for updates from July, 2007