Pickwick Landing (05-28-08)

 

May 3rd and 4th , 2008

Pickwick Landing, Tennessee

Paul Kemiel Photographics

 

 

Like they were swinging from the same post, all four inboard hydroplanes pivoted around the exit pin  and hurtled down toward the Judges barge at speeds in excess of one hundred miles per hour. The thunder from their high octane powered engines rolled over the thousands of spectators in waves. Jaws dropped open, ice cream cones fell to the ground and little boys jumped up and down gleefully pointing and yelling. The contrast with the quieter tunnel boats that had run previously was pronounced. As the four approached the Judges barge, inexperienced witnesses couldn’t tell whether the boats were bounding from sponson to sponson out of control or were imitating the historic Lightning Joe Johnsons cavalry charge at the Civil War battle at Shiloh a few miles away. With roostertails pummeling the sky, only the more seasoned photographers remained on the railing for an up close shot.

 

ULHRA teams from as far away as Ohio, Washington State, Florida and Michigan assembled on the Tennessee River to demonstrate an Unlimited Light exhibition in conjunction with the Champ boat race scheduled for the same weekend.  Bo Darling, ULHRA event chairman and his wife Patti, who happens to be a native of the Volunteer state, orchestrated the collaborative efforts of both organizations and the local committees to the benefit of thousands of spectators. Former GNH, UL’s and G hydroplanes were represented on the pastoral waterway on several occasions during the course of activities.

 

Laketrash.com manufactures the Official Apparel of the ULHRA and was the Presenting sponsor of the ULHRA portion of the event. Laketrash.com also sponsored it’s own UL which was driven by Floridian, Mike Sadlon. Having just successfully competed in UL competition at Phoenix the previous weekend, Sadlon had the unusual  opportunity to match the performance of his craft against the features of Milt Wiggin’s G boat on the exceptionally large and irregularly D-shaped course.  Cal Phipps, who flies Milt’s boat for him found the water to his liking and proceeded to conduct several high speed passes of the Judges barge.

 

If it weren’t for astronomical good luck, one team wouldn’t have made any passes at all. In it’s third heat at Phoenix, the UL-00 Trafficade boat seriously damaged  its’ of  high performance heads. The clearances were so close, no other pair could work in the few days time available prior to the Exhibition. Coincidentally, the world headquarters for Patriot Performance Heads was less than 150 miles away from Pickwick Landing. UPS overnight from Phoenix and the heads could be ready for install in time. However, where to do the work???

 

Milt Wiggins’ boat shop happened to be less than a mile from Patriot Performance. Patriot squeezed in the repair, Milt Wiggins extended his famous Alabama hospitality and theTrafficade team was back on the water.

 

Several weeks have passed since the Exhibition. Organizers were very pleased with the ULHRA portion of the event and would like to see them return next year. Whether it is developed into a full race or not remains to be seen.   

 
 

Happy Hydro Goes to School (05-27-08)

 
The Pumptech Presents: Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky will be on display at the Cascade View elementary school between 10am and noon on Friday May 30th. 2007 NACCS National Champion driver Jerry Hopp will be there to show the 550 students the race boat and engines. Jerry drives school bus for the Snohomish school district and brings 37 kids to and from Cascade View School every day. Jerry and crew will be passing out Hero Cards by Gold Cup Video of the 4 time UL National Champ, 2007 NACCS National Champ and straight away record holding boat. Jim and Karon Wilmot will be there taking pictures of the event. School Principal Lyla Meyer said, "The students are so excited about the hydro coming to the school. They can't wait until Friday."

 

 

ULHRA: “On the Edge” on SPEED (05-27-08)

 

The Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association, Inc. has signed an agreement with Newave Productions.  The company has produced over 500 racing style shows in the past 14 years with a variety of content.  Ranging from IHRA Drag Racing and IHBA Drag Boat Racing to off road, late model dirt cars, ASA Speed Trucks and others……….and now ULHRA hydroplane racing.   The first ever Pepsi Racing Cup at Chamberlain-Oacoma South Dakota race will be held on the weekend of July 12th & 13th where Interstate 90 crosses the Missouri River in South Dakota. The telecast on SPEED Channel will be part of the 26 week “On The Edge” series in 2009.

 

“On The Edge” focuses on racing series, and more than just lap by lap coverage. The ULHRA hydroplanes and the people of ULHRA and the Pepsi Racing Cup will be featured.  This will be the first time since 2001 that ULHRA will be televised on a national cable network.  Newave Television Productions is a full service broadcast production facility with programs that have been produced and aired on SPEED and a number of cable channels such as ESPN, Fox Sports Net, Versus and SPIKE. 

 

The Pepsi Racing Cup at Chamberlain-Oacoma SD is the next race on the 2008 ULHRA season.  Both the Unlimited Light (UL) Hydroplanes and the Thunderboats (G) will be competing that weekend in the first event of “The Gauntlet”.  That’s the nickname given by ULHRA teams to the five races in five weeks schedule that starts in South Dakota, then travels to Polson MT, Tri Cities WA, Seattle WA, and winds up in Silverdale WA. 

 

The Official Pace Boat of the ULHRA

With the American flag fluttering its approval overhead, the first Official Pace Boat of the Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Racing Association made its debut in front of the spectator crowds for the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II opening ceremonies on the Columbia River adjacent to Howard Amon park in Richland, Washington last weekend. Sporting a bright yellow deck over its eighteen foot water line, the craft will act as the primary Search and Rescue (SAR) waterborne headquarters at ULHRA events during the course of the 2008 season. Suzuki Marine, the Official Outboard Powerplant of the ULHRA, provided the 150hp outboard for the catamaran.

Although the Pace Boat concept is almost ceremonial, this craft, manufactured in the Pacific Northwest by Aksano Catamarans, is capable of maintaining the proper pace for a full-fledged Unlimited Light start should the Referee desire to do so.  Initially targeted for the family outing type of use, the Aksano catamaran design not only lends itself well to maintaining stability at higher speeds but also demonstrates the rapid acceleration desired if the need arises to quickly get to the scene of an accident. ULHRA Rescue Official Pat McQuade, an expert on the needs and desires of Search and Rescue teams, consulted with Oguz Oze Aksan, owner of Aksano Catamarans, in developing this boat specifically for SAR use.  Davit systems, radio communication and driver extraction were some of the issues and concerns on which they collaborated. Drawing on his own racing efforts on the Mediterranean, Oze was able to apply years of experience into the project. "It's a pleasure to take something that we do every day at the factory and see that it can be applied to such an important and specialized use. McQuade was very knowledgeable and informative.  Between the two of us, I think we created a very good SAR platform from which to start. With time and feedback, we can continue to improve."

 

Costs of operation and the development of the exclusively ULHRA-dedicated craft can be partially addressed by using the boat as a floating billboard. "The Pace Boat concept lends a new dimension to some of the features and benefits that the ULHRA provides to an event," said Joe Frauenheim, ULHRA President. "We can enhance and develop a service that we need, and at the same time also provide tangible benefits to those that help us do so."

 

"The races on the Mediterranean covered hundreds of miles and took several days to complete.  Hydroplane races are up and over in less than twenty minutes. I am very pleased with the fact that the boats that I make can provide the quick and stable properties that the ULHRA needs" said Oze. 

 

For more information about his boats please visit  www.aksano.com

 

Classic Weekend 2008  (05/23/08)

Gold Cup Video at Richland

Look out, another Perkins is on the loose

From the Lighter Side...
By Bud McKay

Rookie Joseph Perkins ran away from the 4-Cylinder Lighter-Than-LIGHTS field at the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II. But on land, he couldn't run away from his family, friends and competitors who threw him into the Columbia River to celebrate his first-ever final heat hydroplane victory Sunday. Perkins' final heat win capped off a perfecto - winning all four heats for the weekend.

With, literally, a picture-perfect start in the final heat, Perkins kept his "Perkins Glass" hydroplane just out of reach of the another impressive rookie, Jesse Robertson in the local "Meyers' Auto Tech Inc.," in some of the most challenging water conditions the smaller hulls will see. Perkins averaged 85.107 mph in his final heat win.

Had he faltered anywhere on the course, which had a different look on each lap because the buoys were moving, Robertson was ready to pounce. Robertson finished with an 82.862 mph average for the final heat - a great debut for the new, hometown team.

Highline High School's Austin Eacret, who had his "The Trainer" hull upside down just a few days before the race to repair a crack to the bottom of the hull, finished third.

Six 4-Cylinder LTL teams were on hand for the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II. Rookie Bianca Bononcini, also driving a "Perkins Glass" hull, finished fourth place. Joe Gutierrez, piloting the "Cojote," came out in fifth place. Both Bononcini and Gutierrez were forced to sit out the final heat due to hull damage. The defending 4-Cylinder LTL high points champion, the "Lil' Miss Boat Electric" with Philip Eacret driving, was bitten by the gremlin bugs all weekend, not scoring a point.

Here's how the 4-Cylinder LTL class looks after the second race of the season:
1. 28 - Perkins Glass, Joseph Perkins, 1,600
2. 81 -- Meyers' Auto Tech Inc., Jesse Robertson, 994
3. 36 -- The Trainer, Austin Eacret, 652
4. 82 - Perkins Glass, Bianca Bononcini, 563
5. 10 -- Joe Gutierrez, Cojote, 525
6. 6 -- Lil' Miss Boat Electric, Philip Eacret, 500*
* Received 100 bonus points for Firebird race

In the 8-Cylinder LTL class, fan-favorite Mark Evans earned cheers from the shore when he took off in the Strait Thunder.Com hull, owned by Craig Bonar. But the engine let go in heat 1, and the gorgeous hull was left on the beach for the weekend. Bonar, who was scheduled to drive the hull Sunday, was still all smiles in the pits and talking with the fans on the beach and said he's looking forward to competing at the next LTL event, the Silverdale Thunder, Aug. 9-10.

Hopp wins: Perkins’ points lead shrinks
 
Story.  The Columbia River was as much of the story as the racing at the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II in Richland WA.  Swollen by the rapidly melting Cascade Mountain modern day record winter snowfall in Washington State made conducting the race a weekend long challenge. The ULHRA Safety and Rescue Team was kept busy replacing course buoys dislodged by the powerful current. 
 
In the end, with 13 Unlimited Light hydroplane teams entered, Greg Hopp ran the outside line successfully in defending his title at Richland from one year ago.  For the UL-15 Pump Tech of Moses Lake presents Graham Trucking G.T – Happy Go Lucky team it was a perfect weekend.  4 heats started and 4 heat victories for 1600 points.  Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric finished third behind Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic but maintained her competition points lead over Hopp. However that lead was trimmed from 400 points to 175.  Ms. Perkins won both of her heats on Saturday but was defeated by Hopp in both Sunday heats.  One interesting string has continued.  Through two races and nine heats Paul Becker and the UL-14 has finished second in all of them.
 
Hopp with a supercharged entry was required to start outside of Becker & Perkins’ naturally aspirated engines.  Taking the outside route, just as he did in 2007, Hopp made an excellent start and took the lead coming out of turn #1.  Becker gave chase while Perkins and Brown battled for third.  The boats on the inside found going through the turns tougher than usual while Hopp’s bright yellow hydroplane was able to maintain better boat speed through the corners.
 
Fourth Place went to UL rookie driver Kip Brown in the UL-8 Sterling’s Famous Steaks & Seafood. Brown has extensive racing experience in the runabout ranks of Super Stock and Pro Stock.  Brown won two preliminaries including his first ever Unlimited Lights heat, and also earned the Wyatt’s Watch Best Start Award.  Becker’s team was presented the Mechanix Gloves “Grace Under Pressure Award”.
 
Fifth place went to Kayleigh Perkins’ older brother Brian in the UL-40 King & Bunny’s Appliances.  It was determined as a safety measure by ULHRA officials to run 4 wide heat starts on this Columbia River course configuration and the UL-40 was the trailer boat in the Final, starting 5 seconds after the front line.
 
Sixth place, by points, went to Wil Muncey in the UL-00 Trafficade Work Zone Services – Muncey Racing entry. 
 
For the Thunderboat North American Challenge Cup Series, Dustin Echols and the G-17 Schucks Auto Supply showed they are a force in 2008.  Despite not earning points in Phoenix, Echols outdistanced Dick Lynch in the G-13 Jet Chevrolet.com – Tempo on Saturday to win by 4 mph.  On Sunday in the first preliminary Lynch’s engine “laid down” as the driver explained afterward, believed to be caused by an electrical problem.  Corrective measures were unsuccessful so Echols was declared the winner with Lynch second.  The G-329 Block Head Machine presents My Town Motors owned by David Warren and driven by substitute Ryan Mallow this weekend found the difficult course led to some right side hull damage; nothing that can’t be properly repaired and that was the team’s decision.  They withdrew rather than taking a chance on a temporary fix. The next Thunderboat event, along with the Unlimited Lights is in mid July giving all of the teams ample time to make repairs and improvements. 
 
ULHRA’s next race will be the brand new Pepsi Racing Cup at Chamberlain-Oacoma where Interstate 90 crosses the Missouri River in South Dakota.  That will be the first race in what the teams have dubbed “The Gauntlet”.  Chamberlain-Oacoma begins 5 races in 5 weeks for the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association.  The South Dakota event will be on July 12th & 13th followed by another brand new event, the Anderson Broadcasting Radio Waves Regatta at Polson MT on Flathead Lake.  Then on July 25th, 26th and 27th the Unlimited Lights return to the Columbia River in southeast Washington State for the Graham Trucking Thunder Cup at the Tri City Water Follies.  On August 1st through 3rd it’s the Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair in Seattle, followed by Silverdale Thunder at Silverdale WA August 9th & 10th.
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing
 

Saturday Summary at Desert Thunder II

 
The first two rounds of preliminary heats were completed on Saturday (5-17) at the 2nd Annual Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder, and one constant remained.  Through 6 preliminary heats at two race sites in 2008, the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric and the UL-15 Pump Tech of Moses Lake presents Graham Trucking G.T.-Happy Go Lucky have yet to be drawn into the same heat.........and neither team has lost a preliminary.  Only in the final heat at Phoenix AZ 3 weeks ago have they met and Kayleigh Perkins drove to victory as Greg Hopp's hydroplane failed to finish.
 
Saturday weather was outstanding. Temperatures in the upper 90's and very little wind made for excellent racing conditions on the Columbia River at Howard Amon Park in Richland WA.  The numerous shade trees were utilized by the excellent first day attendance.
 
Other heat winners included Kip Brown in his very first UL heat, defeating Brian Perkins, Wil Muncey and Joe Souza.  Brown, nephew of turbine team owner and retired driver Nate Brown drove the UL-8 Sterlings Famous Steaks & Seafood past Perkins in the UL-40 King & Bunny's by the end of lap one and never looked back.
 
There was one incident that caused significant damage to two teams but no injuries resulted.  Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro driving the UL-929 had the steering wheel come off its mount in turn number one and the boat ran into the UL-13 of Celtic Racing driven by owner J. Craig Fletcher.  The Fletcher driven hull had gone dead in the water on the previous lap while challenging Paul Becker and Jerry Hopp for the lead in Heat 1C.  Fortunately Fletcher followed ULHRA Rules by staying belted in the boat's safety cockpit so that when Xaudaro's boat rode across the center of the UL-8, Fletcher was properly protected.   
 
Racing resumes at 11:20am Pacific Daylight Time for the final day of the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II.
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and "Voice" of ULHRA Racing.

Midnight Friday-Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder

 
Twelve Unlimited Light (UL) hydroplanes and three Thunderboats (G) are in the pits at Howard Amon Park in Richland WA as of Midnight, Friday 5-16. A handful of Lighter than LIGHTS teams are here with several more scheduled to arrive early Saturday morning.
 
This is the second annual edition of the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder in southeast Washington State.  Howard Amon Park is one of the finest venues to watch "Racing, ULHRA Style" for fans of powerboat racing.  The pits are located at turn two and the park viewing area stretches the entire length of the front straightaway.  This facility can easily accommodate 40,000 race fans and with free admission a sizeable crowd is expected over the course of this weekend's 2 day race. 
 
Saturday morning begins with testing and qualifying for all three ULHRA racing series from 9:15am till 11:45am.  Qualifying points are awarded to the fastest 8 UL teams and those points can make a difference in determining which teams will be in the field at Seattle in August and also which team wins the UL National Championship.  In fact, qualifying points made the difference in 2005 when Greg Hopp outscored Michael Flaherty by 120 points in qualifying over the course of the season and won the championship by a mere 83 points.
 
Leading the way here in Richland is defending series champion Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric.  She scored a perfect 5 wins in 5 heats of racing at Phoenix AZ 3 weeks ago.  She has 2000 points on the season plus 100 bonus points that were awarded to each team that made a legal start at the Arizona race.  Next in line is Greg Hopp in the UL-15 Pump Tech of Moses Lake presents Graham Trucking G.T.- Happy Go Lucky. Hopp won 4 preliminary heats but failed to finish the Trafficade Work Services Final Heat at Firebird International Raceway.  He has 1600 points, just 100 points in front of Paul Becker in the Miss Critical Logic UL-14.  Becker finished second in all 5 heats he raced at Phoenix. 
 
Wil Muncey has two boats to select from this weekend. The Trafficade - Muncey Racing team has brought its tried & true "lil red boat" and the "big red boat", the former UL-23 Pegasus hydroplane which the team acquired a year ago.  Muncey hopes to race the bigger boat this weekend in what will be that hull's first competition since qualifying third at San Diego in 2002 at better than 113 mph. However, if all doesn't go well during the qualifying session, Wil Muncey can declare he'll race the smaller hull which the team campaigned the past two years as the UL-83. The smaller hull also performed well at Phoenix and at the exhibition in Tennessee this Spring. The Muncey team currently sits in 4th place in the standings.
 
Michael Flaherty and the UL-11 Roxy 94.5 presents Power Punch Oil Supplements currently holds 5th place in the points.  This will be Flaherty's second race in this hull, owned by Darren Bartels of Buckley WA.  Seventh place is occupied by Oregon's Bob Smets and his UL-20 Smetco-Overtime. This weekend Smets has brought a bigger, more powerful engine; a 509 cu. in naturally aspirated powerplant that should provide nearly 200 more horsepower than his other, smaller engine.
 
"Smokin Joe" Souza and the Odessa TX based UL-39 Rouly Heat Exchangers "Pressure's On" is in Richland as they continue to work on developing this brand new team owned by Bob and Barbara Scribner. At Phoenix the team was only able to make a legal start.  This weekend the goal is to start and finish each heat and to improve with each time on the water. Their hull hasn't been in competition since 2002 when it was owned & raced by Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro.
 
Rounding out the field will be teams making their 2008 season debut. These include the "X-Man" in the former Thunder Valley UL-21 hull, now owned by Jim & Karon Wilmot. The Xaudaro-Wilmot collaboration will continue all season with what is now the third hull to wear Xaudaro's familiar UL-929 number. Vince's younger brother Charles will be behind the wheel of the UL-98 Miss Atomic Screen Printing, the oldest boat in the UL fleet which began it's racing life as a Ron Jones Sr. 7 Liter hydroplane in 1974.
J. Craig Fletcher will take to the Columbia River course in his newly acquired and renumbered UL-13 Celtic Racing entry; the former UL-33 which Mark Echols drove to victory in Port Angeles last September. 
Brian Perkins is here to drive Chuck Dow's Thunder Valley Racing UL-40 "King & Bunny's" the same hull that Perkins drove to victory at Issaquah in 2006 .  Perkins is the older brother of Kayleigh Perkins and he will be pulling double duty this season. He's been named to drive the U-50 turbine hull. 
Kip Brown will be at the helm of the Bob & Kathleen Baker owned UL-8 Boat Trader.com.  Brown is the nephew of U-17 turbine owner and retired driver Nate Brown.  Kip is also scheduled to drive his uncle's turbine this season.
 
In the Thunderboat (G) pits are three teams; all of which competed at Phoenix.  R.W. Dick Lynch leads with 1400 points in the G-13 Jet Chevrolet.com - Tempo.  He has a 200 point lead over David Warren in the G-329 Block Head Machine presents My Town Motors, despite Warren winning the Arizona season opener. However there's a driver change in the UL-329.  Ryan Mallow from the Five Star UL-19 team that is not competing this weekend will substitute for Warren this weekend. Dave is "on assignment".  His child is due to be born anytime this weekend.
The third entrant is the G-17 Schucks Auto Supply entry from Shockwave Racing, driven by Dustin Echols.  No points were awarded to the 17 team at Phoenix but they showed this team is coming together. Echols was leading on lap one of the final when his boat hooked on the very tight first turn at Firebird Lake.
 
Up to 10 or more Lighter than LIGHTS teams are expected this weekend.  The first heat of racing will be Unlimited Light Heat 1A, beginning at 12:20pm on Saturday.  
 
In addition to free admission, pit passes can be purchased for a nominal $5.00 and the 2008 edition of Thunder & LIGHTS Magazine is also available at $5.00 per copy at Howard Amon Park.
 
Live coverage can be heard on 610AM Information Radio KONA led by Sports Director Michael McDonnal and the vastly experienced KONA race crew. ULHRA Video will have live coverage on this website with audio provided by KONA.
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and "Voice" of ULHRA Racing 

 

Schedule: Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II. (05-15-08)

 

Two full days of racing await hydroplane fans at this weekend’s second annual Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder.  Howard Amon Park in Richland WA is the site with 12 scheduled heats of racing on Saturday plus the third round of preliminaries on beginning late Sunday morning with Final Heats on Sunday afternoon.

 

Up to fifteen Unlimited Lights will ply the Columbia River waters at this picturesque park which is one of the nation’s finest locations for fans to watch Racing, ULHRA Style!  Thunderboats (G) along with two classes of Lighter than LIGHTS hydroplanes will also be in competition.  Desert Thunder is the site of 2007 Series Champion and Rookie of the Year Kayleigh Perkins first ever Unlimited Light Heat.  It was Heat 1B at Richland in 2007 and can be viewed on this website by clicking on VIDEO, and it was a precursor of things to come as the then 18 year old Ms. Perkins overcame the mandatory 5 second starting line handicap imposed on all first time UL drivers, and went on to win her debut heat in come from behind fashion, by one boat length!

 

There will be 3 heats per Unlimited Lights’ section (Heat 1A, 1B & 1C for example) plus single heats for the Thunderboats (G) and each of the Lighter than LIGHTS classes in each section for a total of 12 heats of racing on Saturday.  Testing and qualifying will be conducted from 9:15am till 11:45am on Saturday (May 17) morning with Opening Ceremonies starting at 11:45am.  Heat 1A for the Unlimited Lights opens the racing portion of the Saturday schedule at 12:20pm. 

 

Sunday activity will begin with testing from 9:45am till 11:00am followed by the Opening Ceremonies at 11:00am and then Heat 3A for the Unlimited Lights opens the Sunday racing schedule at 11:20am.  There will be an intermission following Heat Section 3 when the pits will be open and fans can meet the drivers between 1:45pm & 2:45pm on Sunday. The Thunderboat and Unlimited Lights’ Final Heats are expected to be run around 4:00pm on Sunday afternoon.

 

Admission to Desert Thunder II is Free.

Pit Passes are $5.00

Thunder & LIGHTS Magazine, the official publication and media guide of the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association, Inc will be available for purchase at the race for $5.00 per copy.

Live coverage of Desert Thunder II can be heard in Southeast Washington State on 610AM Information Radio KONA and on the KONA website, plus ULHRA will have live video coverage on this website.

 

John Lynch

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

 

Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II this weekend! (05-13-08)

 

Graham Trucking of Seattle, Washington, continues to be one of the most active sponsors in the sport. Howard Amon Park in Richland plays host to the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association’s 2nd Annual event called the Graham Trucking Cup at Desert Thunder II.  This marks the third ULHRA event this year with title Sponsorship from Graham Trucking who also will sponsor the Graham Trucking Thunder Cup in Tri-Cities WA at the end of July immediately followed by the annual Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair in Seattle in August.  Graham Trucking also sponsors a top contender, the UL15 Unlimited Light hydroplane driven by Greg Hopp. Robert Graham, President of Graham Trucking, Inc. said, “I am honored to be part of this Richland event and to help continue its success”.

 

Fifteen Unlimited Lights are expected to compete as teams battle for points to qualify for the Seattle event.  Due to pit area space limitations at Seafair only 14 UL teams will qualify for that event and the next 4 ULHRA races will determine the lineup. 

 

2007 Unlimited Lights Series Champion and Rookie of the Year Kayleigh Perkins and her UL-72 Miss Boat Electric team head into Desert Thunder II with the points lead after a perfect 5 for 5 heats in at Phoenix AZ three weeks ago.  She leads Greg Hopp in the UL-15 Pump Tech presents Graham Trucking G.T. – Happy Go Lucky by 400 points and Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic by 500 points.  Each UL heat of racing includes 400 points for first, 300 for second, 225 for third, 169 for 4th, 127 for 5th and 95 points for 6th.  If fifteen UL teams enter the event there will be 3 heats of five boats each in the first two heat sections on Saturday. 

 

Both categories of Lighter-than-LIGHTS hydroplanes will also compete both Saturday and Sunday.  The 4-cylinder and 8- cylinder stock hydros are expected to total about 15 teams.  One entry, the E-25 Straitthunder.com, will see recently un-retired race hydroplane driver Mark Evans of Chelan, Washington behind the wheel, at least on Saturday.  Mark is returning to racing this year after a hiatus and healing period following a bad blow-over accident in Detroit in 2003. 

Among the Unlimited Light teams making their 2008 season debut include:

 

UL-40 King & Bunny’s driven by Brian Perkins who won with this boat at Issaquah in 2006 and picked up two heat race wins in 2007 while substituting.  Last year Perkins drove a turbine for the former U-21 team and recently was named to drive the U-50 turbine in 2008.  Brian is the older brother of UL-72 driver Kayleigh Perkins.

 

UL-98 Miss Atomic Screen Printing is the “hometown favorite” owned by Kennewick business owners Greg & Lora Walden and driven by second year Unlimited Lights driver Charles Xaudaro.  Charles is the younger brother of Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro who will compete with a “new” UL-929 this year in a joint effort with Wilmot Racing.  Vince’s hydroplane is the former UL-21 that debuted supercharged engines in UL racing back in 2001.  The Xaudaro-Wilmot team will be racing naturally aspirated engines. 

 

This weekend won’t be their season debut, but it will be a racing debut for Muncey Racing’s UL-00 Trafficade Work Zone Services.  The Muncey team, driven by Wil Muncey, is campaigning two boats this year as a single entry.  On larger race courses their “big red boat”, which is the former UL-23 Pegasus of former UL owner Bob Larimore will be entered and Richland is its first time out in Muncey red.  Last time on the water the J.W. Myers driven UL-23 qualified third at San Diego at better than 113 mph.  The “lil red boat” which the Munceys have campaigned since 2006 ran on the shorter, tighter race course at Phoenix three weeks ago and picked up first and second place finishes for a total of 700 points.

Bob Smets out of Oregon is expecting to continue his team’s improvement shown at Phoenix in the UL-20 Smetco-Overtime.  Smets will compete this weekend with a brand new 509 cubic in carburetor fed V-8 engine.  That means nearly 200 more horsepower for the Smets owned team.

 

Kip Brown, nephew of turbine team owner and retired driver Nate Brown will make his Unlimited Lights’ debut in the UL-8 Boat Trader.com, one of two “tandem wing” hydroplanes in the UL series.  Bob & Kathleen Baker acquired this hull a year ago from former owners Kevin Aylesworth and Jeffrey Johnson out of southern California.

 

The winning team at Port Angeles to end the 2007 season changed hands.  Mark Echols drove the then UL-33 for now retired owners Bob & Janet Estes to victory on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Now, J. Craig Fletcher’s Celtic Racing team will compete with the renumbered UL-13 with Fletcher behind the wheel entering his third season of UL racing.

 

Four-time UL race winner Michael Flaherty has changed teams and picked up his first heat victory for his new team at Phoenix.  The UL-11 Roxy 94.5 presents Power Punch Oil Lubricants is a supercharged hydroplane that was a former winner and record holder on the Grand Prix circuit.  Flaherty drove the UL-8 last season after two years with the UL-72. Team owner Darren Bartels and crew that includes Flaherty’s father John, and former UL-72 Crew Chief Scott Main have made strong strides with this program since it had an abbreviated debut at Silverdale WA last August.

 

Adding to the thunder of Desert Thunder II will be ULHRA’s Thunderboat series.  These “larger than UL” hydroplanes with more powerful supercharged engines head to Richland with R.W. Dick Lynch leading the points race with 1400 in the G-13 Jet Chevrolet.com – Tempo.  Phoenix race winner David Warren in the G-329 Block Head Machine presents My Town Motors trails just 200 points behind.  They’ll be joined by Dustin Echols in the G-17 Schucks Auto Supply and Mike Eacret in the G-24. 

 

Howard Amon Park is one of the finest sites from which to watch hydroplane racing.  The expansive grass park with plenty of shade trees is situated about 30 feet above the water line of the Columbia River and provides marvelous viewpoints across the entire front straightaway.  Vendor booths will be on hand with good eats and soft drinks. KONA Radio 610AM will provide live coverage of the race both days. ULHRA Video will web cast the event at www.ulhra.org with audio provided by KONA Radio.  Admission is free.

 

John Lynch

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

With contributions from Debi Muncey, Muncey Marketing

 

Racing for Seattle at Richland?!!!!  (05-08-08)

 

Absolutely. 

 

Bottom Line:  If you want to race in the Unlimited Lights’ event at Seafair in Seattle, you must first race at the Unlimited Lights’ events BEFORE Seafair in Seattle. 

 

The ULHRA 2008 season continues on May 17th & 18th at Howard Amon Park in Richland WA.  Desert Thunder II is expected to attract up to 30 race teams in three Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association series and that by itself is quite an endorsement of this second year event.  However, there’s a prize down the road that teams in the Unlimited Lights Racing Series specifically are seeking and that’s a ticket to the Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair this August.

 

Because of the growth in teams competing in the Unlimited Lights series there are far more teams with the capability and desire to race at Seattle than there is pit space available.  So, after weeks of discussion, consideration and debate, the ULHRA Board of Directors earlier this year instituted a qualifying system for the 14 available UL positions at Seafair.

 

Bonus Points were awarded to those teams that competed at the Trafficade Work Services presents the Unlimited Lights at Firebird near Phoenix AZ in late April, and at the Lake Trash.com ULHRA exhibition event at Pickwick Landing in Tennessee first weekend in May. A total of 10 UL teams have received bonus points and they have the advantage for 10 of the 14 positions available at the Graham Trucking Cup Seattle event.  The first 10 “slots” go to teams with the most participation points plus bonus points. Bonus points were offered only for the first two events of the year due to the length of travel required to participate. UL Participation Points are offered at each ULHRA race and with each consecutive race entered the number of Participation Points offered increases.  For example, the 9 UL teams that entered the Phoenix event each received 30 participation points.  If they race at Richland, they earn an additional 60 participation points.  If they miss a race then their next ULHRA sanctioned event is worth 30 points.

 

What about competition points…….those 400 first place, 300 second place, 225 third place and so on points?  Competition Points determine the series champion and the 4 remaining slots available at Seafair.  Now, as John Houseman used to say in those old Smith Barney commercials, teams that want to race at Seattle will have do things “the old fashioned way….they  eaarnnn it!”  Thus, competition for those four “competition points positions” at Seattle between the teams that did not go to Phoenix and Pickwick Landing should be very keen at the next four races. For that and many other reasons there will be an excellent field competing at Richland WA, May 17 & 18.  That’s good for the fans of hydroplane racing, and so is this:  Admission is free!  

 

In the UL season standings after one race it looks just like last season ended; Kayleigh Perkins leading Greg Hopp.  However, Paul Becker has shown he’ll be quite competitive and there are a host of other challengers looking to make an impact such as the new “rides” for Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro and Wil Muncey and the improved performance for Bob Smets who brings a bigger more powerful engine with him to Richland. Brian Perkins should be formidable. J. Craig Fletcher will have his season debut in his new entry; the former UL-33 that was driven to victory at Port Angeles last September by Mark Echols.  Plus there will be a host of other challengers; up to 15 in the Unlimited Lights’ series, alone.

 

The two day event, May 17 & 18 will be broadcast live on KONA 610AM Information Radio serving Richland, Pasco, Kennewick and the surrounding area.  Desert Thunder will also be video streamed around the world here at www.ulhra.org  

 

John Lynch

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

 

GEICO hydroplane flips at Firebird Raceway but still manages to win
 
CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Talk about getting a win the hard way -- Bud McKay, from Belfair, Wash., flipped the GEICO of Lakewood Presents the Namron Racing Team's hydroplane in heat four but still managed to win the Trafficade presents Unlimited Lights at Firebird 8-Cylinder Lighter-Than-LIGHTS race April 27.
 

"The hull has a crack on the top deck, the engine cowling took a big hit and was pieced together with duct-tape and the distributor is shot, but I did have some good news," said McKay when interviewed after the flip. "I managed to save 15 percent off my insurance by calling GEICO of Lakewood, Wash., when I was being towed in."
 
At the start of heat four, McKay piloted the GEICO hull to the inside lane on the tight and dangerous Firebird one-and-a-quarter-mile track. The GEICO hull dove into the first turn after passing through the speed traps at close to 110 mph with Lake Havasu, Arizona's, Mike Schroder on his outside. McKay couldn't hold the GEICO hull through the turn and just missed hitting Schroder by a few inches before both boats were at the apex of the turn.
 
The GEICO hull rode up in the roostertail of Schroder as the boats were both heading into a 25-mph head wind. The GEICO hull then corkscrewed in the wind, hit upside down, and then landed right-side-up.
 
"I thought for sure I hit Mike," McKay said, the two-time defending 8-Cylinder LTL champion. "I had that steering wheel cranked to the left as far as she would go and I had the throttle all the way to the floor. I hoped I could spin the boat out to avoid the collision. But all of a sudden, all I saw was white from Mike's roostertail then the racecourse was where the sky was just a split second ago."
 
Ironically, the damage to the hull was minimal, and McKay with the help of Belfair's Steve Clark, and Rick and Sue Starr, from El Paso, Texas, got the boat ready for the fifth and final heat of the weekend in less than two hours.
 
As McKay came out on the course with the GEICO hull for the final heat after flipping in the previous heat, the fans in the stands erupted in a cheer. But during the warmup session for the final heat, McKay's boat went dead in the water in the middle of turn two when the distributor gave out from being wet when McKay hit the water upside down, causing the race to be stopped before it started. And since the GEICO hull had scored a class-high 1,200 points for the weekend, McKay was declared the overall winner.
 
Clark scored 400 points for the GEICO hull when he climbed in and drove to a first place finish in heat three. McKay drove to a win in heat two and got 300 valuable points with a second place finish in heat one. The Firebird race was deemed a bonus points race and each LTL team earned an extra 100 points for the race -- giving the GEICO hull 1,200 points. Schroder, with 1,000 points, finished second. Kevin Eacret, from Mukilteo, Wash., driving the GEICO of Lakewood II Presents Lil' Miss Boat Electric, took an overall third place LTL finish for the weekend.
 
 It was the first time the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association's LTL series was run out of the state of Washington. The next race for the LTL series is May 17-18 at "Desert Thunder II" at Howard Amon Park in Richland, Wash.

 

 

Pickwick Landing Exhibition, presented by LakeTrash.com  

 

Four teams representing ULHRA demonstrated this organization’s brand of hydroplane racing on May 3rd & 4th at Pickwick Landing State Park in Tennessee.  ULHRA’s appearance was made possible by Lake Trash.com and Lake Trash Apparel, the official apparel supplier to the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association. The event was the 4th annual Pickwick Challenge Powerboat Race & Festival.  This year the featured series was F1 Champ Boats based out of North Carolina and the event benefited the Carl Perkins Center for the prevention of Child Abuse.

 

Columbus Ohio’s James Deel in the UL-8 “Deel Me In” joined with the Rainbow City AL team of Wiggins Hydroplane Racing, Sadlon Racing from Vero Beach FL and Muncey Racing from Monroe WA.  The Sadlon and Muncey teams were fresh from ULHRA’s season opener the weekend before in Chandler AZ near Phoenix.

 

The Final Heat of the Pickwick Landing exhibition brought the crowd to their feet.  At the start Deel with his Unlimited Light hydroplane, and Cal Phipps driving the Wiggins Services and Supply G-10 Thunderboat were even. Muncey and Sadlon started about a half roostertail length behind.  Deel and Phipps are longtime racing friends and associates and Phipps has driven for Deel in the past.  Both put on an outstanding exhibition of Racing, ULHRA Style for the many thousands in attendance till Deel’s boat went dead in the water at the end of lap #1.  Meanwhile, Muncey and Sadlon were lurking close behind and by the end of lap two, Muncey…..inside of Phipps…….had pulled even going into turn #1.  The UL course was approximately a mile and a half in length with a modified “D” shape.  Muncey was able to challenge all the way through the D till the final turn when Phipps put the hammer down on his 572 cubic inches of supercharged engine and pulled away to nearly a roostertail length victory.  On the relatively short front straightaway, Phipps’ Thunderboat was surpassing 145 mph.

 

The weather was excellent except for a late afternoon blustery wind which the ULHRA teams dealt with successfully. The Muncey engine which was damaged at Phoenix was rebuilt with tremendous help from Contingency Awards Program sponsor Patriot Performance in Gadsden AL, along with the Wiggins Racing Team, and it ran very strongly. Phipps thrilled the crowd with passes close to the shoreline with the supercharged engine at full song.  Sadlon, driving the LakeTrash.com entry made a strong run to finish within a roostertail length of Muncey in the battle for third as the Florida based team continues to improve.

 

Last year two exhibitions were conducted by ULHRA; at Chamberlain-Oacoma SD and at Chandler AZ.  This year those two locations are full race sites on the ULHRA calendar.  Could Pickwick Landing follow in the future?  It’s certainly possible.  Working with the Champ Boat Series proved to be quite successful.  Coordination by the two organizations was excellent; ULHRA’s effort was led by Bo and Patty Darling.  Plus the combination of two distinctly different racing series proved popular with the fans.  ULHRA 3 lap heat “sprints” combined with the Champ Boat 50 lap finale on the European style Champ Boat course to provide an entertaining mix of marine motor racing. ULHRA “Voice” John Lynch was brought in to substitute for regular Champ Boat announcer Steve Michaels who was on assignment at the F1 Champ Boat World Championships in Portugal.

 

James Deel had some tough luck but when he was running, he was running with the usual “full out” effort and talent that race fans have seen from this Ohio racer for better than 4 decades.  A bent propeller shaft caused when a lifting component on the “Deel Me In” failed on Saturday, was straightened by Peden’s Prop Shop of Iuka MS, just about 5 miles from the Pickwick Landing TN race site. Deel was able to run strongly on Sunday till set back first with a failed battery, and then secondly with a broken throttle linkage.  Without those “niggling” problems Deel showed his boat remains a formidable competitor and his presence at ULHRA events is always welcome when his schedule permits.

 

The Pickwick Landing area is a strong motor boating region with Pickwick Dam created by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). An excellent Marina is found at Pickwick State Park.  The no wake zone in the Marina did prove a challenge to the UL teams but they met the challenge.  Marine Sales in Pickwick provided the official tow boats, a squadron of Cobalt Boats which towed the ULHRA hydroplanes out of the Marina to the race course.  Launching from open water rather than from a dock was a first for the hydroplane teams.

 

Next on the ULHRA calendar:  Desert Thunder II.  With up to 15 Unlimited Lights teams along with the Thunderboats series and Lighter than LIGHTS series, race fans may be enjoying 30 teams in competition at Richland WA’s Howard Amon Park.  Admission is free and the race will be held over two days, Saturday & Sunday, May 17 & 18. 

 

John Lynch

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

 

 

2008 Thunder & 'LIGHTS

 
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