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2009 ULHRA season closes with a Thunder Clap!

 Mission Bay, San Diego CA was the scene for the end of the 2009 Season on Sunday. And what a conclusion!

Mark Evans made a triumphant return to racing, Cal Phipps showed the way in the Thunderboat class, Kevin Eacret won his second LTL title in a different class, while Mike Hophine and Bianca Bononcini also won LTL titles; the first time 3 Lighter than LIGHTS championships have been awarded.

For Evans it was almost as if he'd never left. The veteran racer had been on the beach for 6 years following a serious accident in Detroit in 2003. In 3 of 4 heats in San Diego, Evans prevailed. Driving the UL-11 Power Punch Performance Lubricants-ROXY Radio 94.5-K&N Filters, the only supercharged Unlimited Light in the field, Evans was required by rule to start in the outside lane every heat and maintain that outside lane for one complete lap. That amounted to one third of the race because on the Mission Bay 1 2/3's mile course, each 5 mile heat totals 3 laps.

Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic made a bold move to secure the inside lane at the start. Between Becker and Evans were the UL-72 Foster Care-Vitamin Water driven by 2009 UL series champion Kayleigh Perkins, Bob Smets in the UL-20 Smetco.com Pallet Handling Equipment, and Chris Grant in the UL-3 The Supertravelzone.com.
Becker led throughout lap #1 before Evans was able to move closer to lane one and challenge on lap #2. At the start of the final lap Becker remained within striking distance but the UL-11 hull, which set the qualifying and heat speed records on this race course 3 years ago proved to be too formidable a foe with Mark Evans behind the wheel.

Evans won by over a roostertail length while Becker had open water between his ride and Perkins'. The pleasant surprise of the weekend was Bob Smets who's entry ran solidly all weekend and earned a ULHRA career best fourth place trophy and the Stout Tool Crew Chief Award.

The Mechanix Wear "Grace Under Pressure Award" went to the Chris Grant driven UL-3 Grant Racing Team after a herculean effort to rebuild their engine overnight and claim fifth place for the weekend with The Supertravelzone.com

Two UL teams were unable to compete in the Final. The UL-9 US Army-Warrior Foundation-NAPA Auto Parts driven by "Smokin Joe" Souza broke its engine at the finish of Heat #3. Souza and Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro each drove the UL-9 this season and earned Xaudaro Wilmot Racing sixth place in the UL season points race. Wil Muncey in the UL-00 WarningPower.com also was unable to start the Final. His ride was severely damaged in a spinout on Saturday afternoon prior to the start of Heat #2. Muncey was able to drive on to finish 6th but the damage to both sponson non trips was too severe for repairs to be made. The Muncey Racing Team did conclude its most successful Unlimited Lights racing season with a 3rd place season points finish.

"Thunder" returned to Mission Bay with the southern California debut of the G-Class Thunderboats in The Westport Series, raising awareness of the Prader-Willi Syndrome. Both heats on Sunday had tremendous 5 boat "flying starts" with these larger than Unlimited Lights race craft and more powerful supercharged engines which thrilled the crowd on both sides of the bay. In the Final Detroit's Cal Phipps made a surprisingly aggressive move prior to the start. Not that the move was surprising from a driver of Phipp's caliber, it just hadn't been seen all season by his G-Class competitors. The G-10 Frazee Paint-Titeflex Special had very little time on the water coming into this season and every test run and heat race helped develop the Wiggins Hydroplane Racing Team entry out of Alabama. Delivery of a new Ron Jones jr skid fin also helped. Following a short late Saturday afternoon test run Phipps and Crew Chief Charley Wiggins formulated a strategy. They adjusted the "handling" of the race craft for the Sunday morning Heat #3 and then Phipps told Wiggins he'd like an additional adjustment for the Final. Then came "the move". Phipps had been starting in mid pack or on the outside all season long but for the Final he went for and secured Lane 1. The Frazee Paint-Titeflex Special was up to the challenge. Phipps won the start and roared into turn number one with Canadian GP champion and Phoenix G-Class winner from back in April, Marty Wolfe out of Illinois in the G-93 WarningPower.com-Renegade right alongside. 2008 & 2009 G-Class points champion Dustin Echols in the G-17 Ted's Red Apple Market was just behind in 3rd while R.W. Dick Lynch in the G-13 Jet Chevrolet-Tempo and Dave Warren in the G-329 Power Punch Oil Supplements battled for 4th. Lynch, possibly inspired from racing on the Bill Muncey Memorial Course made a Muncey-like move just before the start. In the G-Class the format is classic Thunderboat style. No score-up buoys, no assigned lanes, and drivers select their lanes at the exit pin of turn #2 on the run to the starting line. Just prior to the exit pin Lynch moved the G-13 from lane 5 to lane 3. The move helped at the start but the vastly improved performance of the craft still wasn't quite enough and Lynch wound up in 5th place, just behind Warren who also showed significant improvement with his nearly 3 decade old craft.

Up front Phipps and Wolfe were racing deck to deck and Wolfe was able to gain in the turns despite being outside of Phipps. In the end, however the 4,000 lb 26 foot long G-10 with close to 1600 horse power prevailed in a very popular win. It was Phipps first San Diego victory and he won when the cash truly was on the line; the G-Class Final at San Diego. He took second place in the then Wiggins owned UL-10 back in 2002.

For the first time there were 3 classes of Lighter than LIGHTS at a ULHRA event. Previously in the 4 cylinder class the 1.0 Liter hydroplanes and the 2.5 Liter stock hydroplanes had been combined. This time they raced as their own classes and both earned ULHRA National Championships.

Brian Perkins in the Y-28 Perkins Glass won all 4 heats in closely contested 1.0 liter racing. Bianca Bononcini in the Y-6 Blue Thunder won the series championship. in 2.5 Stock competition, Mike Hophine made a weekend out of come from behind victories, and he also prevailed as the National Champion in his S-12 Liquid Lizard. And in the 5 Liter - 8 cylinder stock class, the San Diego winner was Travis Johnston in the E-20 JJW Construction-Silver Cloud Inns while Kevin Eacret picked up his second LTL championship. Eacret dethroned 3 time defending champion Bud McKay by just over 200 points and combined his 8 cylinder championship with the 4 cylinder championship he earned in 2007.

This concludes the 2009 Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association season. Next for the series will be the soon to be posted 2010 season schedule, the annual meetings and awards banquet in January, and Spring Training will once again launch the new season next April. Log on to this site regularly this off season for updates on what's happening with Racing, ULHRA Style!

John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing

Photos - Linda Amundsen, Jim Blow, Mike Niwa, Rena Echols, Mark Sharley

Saturday San Diego Report

Mark Evans: Whatacomeback!

 Popular Mark Evans made a triumphant return to hydroplane racing today on San Diego's Mission Bay. At the season finale for the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series, Evans piloted the UL-11 Power Punch-K&N Filters-ROXY Radio 94.5 to a pair of heat victories and 800 total points.

Evans had been inactive since a devastating accident at Detroit in a turbine hydroplane back in 2003. He showed virtually no rust as he drove the record setting hull for Darren Bartel's Power Punch Team, and owned by Bob Schellhase to a pair of come from behind victories. In the first heat Evans won a "drag race" finish against 2009 Series Champion Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Foster Care-Vitamin Water. In the second heat Evans had to overcome Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic while Perkins finished a close third.

A tough break befell Wil Muncey in the UL-00 WarningPower.com. Muncey's season came to an end in the second heat. His craft "fell into a hole" in the Sea World Turn, causing it to spin out and the Mission Bay salt water "hydrauliced" the sponson non trips, ripping large holes. Muncey was able to finish the heat in 6th place for valuable points in trying to hold onto second place for the season, but the boat nearly sank at the dock. Muncey was trying for his first ever Unlimited Lights victory and was racing on the course named for his famous father, the late Bill Muncey who spearheaded bringing hydroplane racing to Mission Bay.

Marty Wolfe won both heats in the G-Class Thunderboats "Westport Series" raising awareness of the Prader-Willi Syndrome. Wolfe, driving the G-93 Renegade-WarningPower.com in only his second G-Class race of the year after winning the season opener at Phoenix, had a great duel for two laps in the first heat with Dustin Echols in the G-17 Ted's Red Apple Market. Echols boat slowed near the end of lap number two but close behind was Cal Phipps in the improving G-10 Frazee Paint-Titeflex Special. Phipps was in contention, less than a roostertail behind for the entire heat. Engine problems developed as Phipps finished the heat and the team was forced to change engines and missed the second heat. Dave Warren in the G-329 Ted's Power Punch was unable to start either heat while R.W. Dick Lynch in the G-13 Jet Chevrolet-Tempo had the strongest run for that team all year, finishing fourth in the first heat. The G-13 was unable to start the second heat as the turnaround time was limited due to the many classes of race boats participating but Lynch says they'll be ready for Sunday.

There were three classes of inboard hydroplanes racing both for APBA points and the ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS series points. In the 1.0 liter class Brian Perkins in the Y-28 Perkins Glass won both heats while Bianca Bononcini in the Y-6 Blue Thunder clinched the season title in 4 cylinder Lighter than LIGHTS with a 2nd place finish in the first heat. In the 2.5 liter stock class, Mike Hofhine in the S-12 Liquid Lizard had to come from behind to win, and did so twice.......defeating Dutch Squires in the S-83 Mega Bucks in the first heat and Austin Eacret in the S-36 Bison Creek Pizza in the second. Then in the 5 liter heats, Travis Johnston was victorious twice driving the E-20 JJW Construction to a finish line win over Kevin Eacret in the E-36 and besting Eacret by a wider margin in heat #2.

John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing

San Diego Preview #3

The Unlimited Lights and the G-Class Thunderboats will provide plenty of exciting racing this weekend on the fast 1 2/3's mile Mission Bay course in San Diego. But wait, as they say in infomercials, there's
more!!!!!
Lighter than LIGHTS teams will be part of APBA inboard class racing on Saturday & Sunday.
From the 8 Cylinder stock series, Steve Clark, Kevin Eacret, 3 time defending LTL champion Bud McKay along with Travis Johnston and Wally Johnston will be part of the 5 Liter fleet at San Diego.
Wally Johnston is well known around the country as one of the top 5 Liter competitors year after year. However, there can be "one of those days" even for the talented Johnston and his "Agitator" hydroplane and that happened in July at Polson MT at ULHRA's Anderson BroadcastingRadio Waves Regatta on Flathead Lake. Mechanically things didn't go well for Johnston and he failed to finish a heat. Don't expect a repeat performance on Mission Bay from one of the favorites anytime the 5 Liters "crank it up".

In addition to APBA points, this is the final Lighter than LIGHTS race of the year and the championship is truly up for grabs between defending champion Bud McKay and challenger Kevin Eacret. For Eacret in the Block Head Machine - SpeedHut.com he trails McKay in the West Sound Electric - GEICO of Lakewood WA by 369 points. That's less than one heat victory (400 points). McKay is consistent but Eacret has the speed. Still, the final outcome can be decided by the likes of Wally Johnston and others in the battle for points.
Wally's son Travis is scheduled to drive in Justin Weymouth's E-20. This is a former Wally Johnston hydroplane and always a threat. In addition, Steve Clark in the Mattson Construction - Power Punch is having his best racing season to date and if mechanical gremlins or just plain bad luck doesn't befall Clark which has happened severaltimes to the always resourceful E-222 pilot, he can have an impact onthe final LTL standings. Mathematically Clark has a chance, albeit long odds of securing the 2009 championship.
Regulars from ULHRA's 4 Cylinder LTL series will also be competing at San Diego. They are led by points leader and defending co-champion of the series, Bianca Bononcini. For veteran San Diego race watchers, yes she is the daughter of 3 time Unlimited Lights Series champion and 4 time Driver champion, Phil Bononcini. Ms. Bononcini need finish but one heat to clinch the LTL 4 cylinder championship for 2009. Interestingly, none of Phil Bononcini's 12 Unlimited Lights race victories occurred on Mission Bay.
Nick Bononcini will also be on hand with the family's Pile Contractors entry. This is Nick's first season of LTL racing and he has an opportunity to leapfrog several teams and finish second in the LTL points race, with a successful Mission Bay weekend. Scheduled to join them is the Perkins Glass entry that's been driven by second year driver Joey Perkins and Brian Perkins, who also won the Silverdale Unlimited Lights race last month. No driver has been announced. The above three teams are 1.0 Liter hydroplanes. The 2.5 Liter stock hydros from the LTL series will be represented by Philip Eacret and Austin Eacret, plus multi-time national champion Dutch Squires who occasionally races at an LTL event. Other entries are expected in the 5 Liter, 2.5 Stock and 1.0 liter classes creating even more racing entertainment for fans at Mission Bay this weekend.
ULHRA Video will provide live coverage throughout Saturday & Sunday (September 19 & 20) from San Diego. Check the home page of this website to log on over the weekend.

John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing

Photos: Mark Sharley

San Diego Preview #2

Photos: Shelly Luke, Mark Sharley

 The Unlimited Lights' Champion for 2009 has been determined, but that's about it. On Mission Bay in San Diego this weekend, a lot can happen.

After six races 21 year old Kayleigh Perkins has clinched her third consecutive Driver's Title and second Team Title in three years.  Through the first 5 races the UL-72 Foster Care-Vitamin Water won all 5 and took a commanding lead in the points. At Silverdale WA in August, even though she was beaten by her older brother Brian, Ms. Perkins clinched the 2009 title. How she'll fare on the 1 2/3's mile San Diego course is anybody's guess since she hasn't previously raced the UL-72 on Mission Bay, although she did get in some test laps in her rookie season of 2007. Still, there are three 1 2/3's mile courses on the Unlimited Lights' circuit and on the other two this season, in Tri Cities WA and Seattle WA, she won in convincing fashion.

Heading up the list of challengers is Wil Muncey, son of the famed Bill Muncey for whom the San Diego race course is named. Wil drives the UL-00 Warning Power.com owned by his wife and business partner Debi Muncey. Their Muncey Racing Team has had their most successful season ever. Currently the UL-00 resides in 2nd place in the season points standings although he's still seeking his first ever Unlimited Lights' race victory. William E. (Wil) Muncey Jr on the Bill Muncey Race Course competing for the Bill Muncey Trophy? Could the stars have lined up any better for a first ever win?

Chris Grant in the UL-3 The Supertravelzone.com has had an amazing season. Despite fighting poor engine performance throughout the year, the determined Grant Racing Team has finished all but one heat they've started this season and that consistency has propelled them into third place, just 28 points back of Muncey in the battle for 2nd place. Engine performance picked up significantly at the last two events in Seattle and Silverdale. If the tandem wing hull's handling can improve as much at San Diego this is a team that could find themselves challenging the front runners.

Returning to racing after several years on the beach after a serious accident in Detroit is the popular Mark Evans. This former Unlimited driver for Miss Budweiser and PICO, among others, will be making his Unlimited Light's debut this weekend. Back in 2002 Evans, as part of a ULHRA telecast, test drove the UL-72 but this will be his first competitive experience.........and what a ride he has. The UL-11 Power Punch-ROXY Radio 94.5-K&N Filters hull holds the qualifying speed record at San Diego at better than 126 mph. Plus, in its season debut at Silverdale WA last month the UL-11 was driven to victory by Brian Perkins. Evans was expected to race at Silverdale but a schedule conflict forced him to miss that race and make his ULHRA debut this weekend in San Diego.

Making friends around the country for an organization that he was part of for 12 years, "Smokin Joe" Souza drives the U.S. Army-Warrior Foundation-NAPA Auto Parts UL-9. Souza achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class and the chevron signifying that rank sits proudly atop the canopy of the Xaudaro-Wilmot Racing hull. In addition to making friends for the U.S. Army, Souza is demonstrating he still knows how to find his way around a race course after a decade long layoff ended last year. The UL-9 keeps improving each race and Souza has a mathematical chance of jumping all the way to second place in the points standings at San Diego.

Another team with an outside chance at reaching 2nd place in the points is the 2001 San Diego race winning hull, the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic driven by airline pilot and former US Navy flier, Paul Becker. 8 years ago Randy Haas of Ohio drove this hull on Mission Bay to his third career victory. Becker picked up his first career victory in this hull at Seattle in 2008 and was in position to win the 2008 series points hampionship when his season came to an end with a spectacular blowover accident at Silverdale WA. Lengthy recovery and repairs to the hull have the Ul-14 and Becker rounding into competitive shape. Known as one of the best "starters" in the Unlimited Lights' series, Becker is always a threat.

Oregon's Bob Smets rejoins the UL fleet with his UL-20 SMETCO.com pallet handling equipment entry. The owner-driver has an extensive record in northwest limited hydroplane racing and acquired this hull to move into the Unlimited Lights' series three years ago. It's been a challenge for Smets from a mechanical standpoint as the reliability of the UL-20 has been challenging. If engine woes have been removed this is a hull & driver combination that certainly can be competitive in San Diego.

The newest owner-driver in the Unlimited Lights series will make the trek to San Diego from the Grand Coulee area of Washington State. Dan McCulloch purchased the former Union Dooz UL-58 race team from Pingree Conflitti this summer and raced at Polson MT, Tri Cities and Silverdale WA. McCulloch had a memorable duel in the B-Main at Silverdale against "Smokin Joe" Souza, falling just a roostertail length short of qualifying for the Final. Mathematically, McCulloch has an outside shot at finishing the season in the top 10 in the Unlimited Lights series. He'll be continuing his association with Darren Bartel's Power Punch Racing Team, competing as the Power Punch Performance Lubricants.

Rounding out the field is the GNH8 "Deel Me In" owned by James Deel of Toledo OH. Deel's veteran Staudacher hull is quite competitive and has competed occasionally in the Unlimited Lights series. Earlier this year they traveled to Phoenix AZ, picking up a solid second place finish in their first heat only to be derailed by engine problems in the second. Veteran driver Cal Phipps will do double duty, driving the "Deel Me In" and also driving the G-10 Titeflex Special-Frazee Paint for Milt & Charley Wiggins of Alabama in the G-Class event at San Diego.

Testing will take place on Friday with heat racing on Saturday and the Unlimited Lights Final for the Bill Muncey Trophy on Sunday afternoon.

John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing

 

San Diego Preview #1

They're bigger and louder than Unlimited Lights, and they're gunning for their best payday ever.

They are the G-Class teams from the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association, Inc. and they will be racing in their season finale at San Diego CA on Mission Bay, September 19th & 20th. It's the culmination of The Westport Series http://westportwa.com raising awareness of the Prader-Willi Syndrome; "Still hungry for a cure". http://www.pwsausa.org

Five teams will be on hand to compete on the 1 2/3's mile race course where the fastest speeds in ULHRA qualifying and racing have been set. Leading the way is the G-17 Warning Power.com from Shockwave Racing in Olympia WA, driven by Woodinville WA's Dustin Echols. The Rick & Shawn Bridgeman owned G-17 has certainly raised its performance since an accident back in June. Repairs and hull adjustments have improved the ride and stability of the hull and make Echols a leading contender every time out. The 2008 G-Class champion leads the points going into San Diego but a lot of things can happen once the cranes put the boats on the water.

In the last race, for example, Echols ran the quickest speeds at Silverdale WA in August but was unable to start the Final heat and the winner was David Warren in the G-329 Power Punch. Warren's boat is the oldest in the G-Class fleet, built in the early 80's by Ron Jones Sr. It previously ran as an Unlimited Light in 2003 & 2004 before being acquired by Warren and shifted to the G-Class where the engines are bigger and so are the superchargers. Warren's engine approaches 572 cubic inches compared to an Unlimited Light restricted supercharged engine of 468 cubic inches.

Making the trek from their home base of Alabama is the Wiggins Hydroplane Racing Team for their first San Diego appearance since 2003. Back in 2002, driver Cal Phipps in the Unlimited Light UL-10 Frazee Paint took 2nd place at San Diego. This year in the team's G-class entry the G-10 Titeflex Special-Frazee Paint, Phipps is one of the favorites. It's splendid paint scheme, created by the driver, will stand out on the Mission Bay course. Even though this Wiggins team project has been underway for four years it has comparatively little time on the water and is still developing. Phipps won one heat at Polson MT in July and showed excellent speed but the tight corners were a hindrance. On the big Mission Bay course with 1200 foot turns, a lot of things can happen.

Marty Wolfe in the Johnson Wolfe G-93 Renegade-Warning Power.com brings another top competitor to the event. Wolfe won the race at Chamberlain - Oacoma SD in 2008 but has made only 1 ULHRA appearance this year; at Phoenix in which he bested Echols in the Final. Wolfe hails from Crete IL near Chicago and has had a very successful season in the Canadian GP series. His racing schedule not only keeps him fast on the water, but a lot of time on the road criss crossing the country.

Rounding out the field will be the biggest hydroplane in the ULHRA fleet and the only craft specifically designed and built for the G-Class. The G-13 Jet Chevrolet-Tempo driven by R.W. Dick Lynch is a hydroplane that not only wears a distinctive multi-colored paint scheme, it's also a race craft with plenty of potential. Unfortunately "potential" can be a double edged sword and in the case of the G-13 much of the potential so far has been unachieved on the race course. Each outing has brought improvements to the program and if more improvements do as expected, this craft on the big Mission Bay course just might make a statement.

How big is it? Essentially the G-13 meets the minimum size requirements of an Unlimited hydroplane.

The G-Class designation came about as a salute to the former Gold Cup Class of hydroplanes that raced primarily before World War II. One of those craft, the G-13 Tempo VI was owned and driven by bandleader Guy Lombardo and won the Gold Cup race in 1946 in Detroit. That boat was acquired and restored in the 1990's by Joe Frauenheim, co-owner of the G-13 Jet Chevrolet - Tempo.

Testing will be conducted on Friday with heat racing on Saturday and The Westport Series Final Heat on Sunday afternoon.

John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing

San Diego's Radio Interviews

Radio Show Downloads: www.kcbq1170.com

Saturday:

3:30 Mark Evans - driver of the UL-11, former turbine hydroplane driver. Very well known in the hydroplane circles.

3:45 Bud McKay - 3 time champion Lighter than LIGHTS Class

4:00 Smokin Joe Souza - driver of the UL9, US Army entry

Sunday

12:15 Wil Muncey, driver of the UL-00, currently in 2nd place in standings. Son of Bill Muncey, for whom the course on Mission Bay is named after.

12:30 Vince Xaudaro, The "X" Man, also drives the UL-9

 

Click here for updates from August 2009