Pirates,
landlubbers unite at Maritime Fest in Tacoma
Warm with the scents of tides and salt,
Saturday was a day when visitors to Tacoma’s waterfront and the 18th
annual Commencement Bay Maritime Fest could get their swash buckled
and their timbers shivered. For the full
story
go to:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/29/1319353/where-pirates-landlubbers-unite.html?story_link=email_msg
From the Lighter Side
photos: Julie Sparrowgrove
During
the LTL final heat, the wind picked up and created rollers that looked
more like larger versions of the ramps skateboarders use to "get some
air”. McKay's Commercial Driver Services E-10 hull came out of
the first turn, hit a massive roller, and launched him easily five feet
into the air.
"He was coming down
sideways”, Pratt said. "That was the worst part because I saw it; and
then I knew I was coming up on it." Pratt's Power Punch-Elwha River
Casino went nearly straight up in the air matching McKay's height
but came down with an incredible crash on the transom. And this was
simply the first warm-up lap out of the pits.
"If Shane and I
were smart, we'd have pulled off the course, hugged our families, and
kissed the ground," McKay said, "But who ever said boat racers are
smart?"
The
two had locked horns all weekend long. Pratt's Power Punch-Elwha
River Casino nosed out McKay's Commercial Driver Services
by about two feet in the first heat. Pratt beat McKay by three boat
lengths in the second heat. All of the preliminary heats were reduced to
three laps because of the rough racing conditions. In the second heat, a
brace that helps support the right sponson to McKay's hull snapped.
McKay tracked down a local welder who came to the race site and
fabricated a new brace.
Because of a four-hour weather hold
Sunday, the third heat was canceled and the final would be the only
racing action for the LTL teams. In the final, Pratt led McKay through
the first two laps. McKay closed the gap and going into turn one was
side-by-side with Pratt as they headed down the treacherous backstretch
for what they thought was their last lap. McKay said he was thrown
around from one hole to another and couldn't get the boat to go straight
out of the turn when he hit Pratt. Since Pratt didn't come off the
course or stop running, McKay said he wasn't either. The two thought
they were done and raced for what they thought was the checkered flag.
Then both noticed the white flag flying - meaning one more lap.
"I yelled, 'oh no!'" Pratt said. "I thought we were done and I had
survived. Now I have to do this again?"
McKay
said he didn't yell like Pratt did when he saw he had one more lap left.
"I was crying pretty hard," McKay said. "I know Shane thought we were
done, too. He went very wide on the course. I thought he was doing his
parade lap." McKay caught up with Pratt, by the final turn.
However, this turn would be a little different. "Shane gave me a lot
more room,” McKay said with a laugh.
The Power Punch-Elwha
River Casino powered up and won by about three boat lengths over
McKay's Commercial Driver Services. After watching the LTL final,
and with the Unlimited Lights in the water scheduled to run their final
after the LTLs, race officials canceled the race calling the conditions
"untraceable”.
"I
have hit rollers in Port Angeles before that I thought were pretty bad”,
Pratt said, “but those were ripples compared to what we had at Polson."
Since the points go to the registered owner of the boat number,
Steve Clark now moves into a commanding points lead over the LTL field
with 2,200 points. Colorado's Mike Schroeder is second with 1,200
points. McKay's second-place finish vaults him into third place with 900
points. One LTL race remains - The "Bayfair" hydroplane regatta in San
Diego, Sept.17-19.
Both Pratt and McKay will have their boats
repaired to take part in this weekend's "Maritime Fest" exhibition run
along Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway.
####
"FLATHEAD MONSTER" PREVAILS AT POLSON
REGATTA
Yes there was a Flathead Monster
hydroplane many years ago; just ask "Smokin Joe" Souza. But that's
not the hull that won the third annual Polson Regatta. The
"real" Flathead Monster, the one that legend says resides in
Flathead Lake in northern Montana, generated high winds and
punishing rollers out of the north and caused cancellation of the
Final Heat. ULHRA, Inc officials made a valiant effort but
just didn't have enough of a window of time when the winds subsided
before they returned again.
After the preliminary heats were
completed on Saturday, a third round of preliminaries was scheduled
for Sunday to be followed by a Final Heat of the top six teams in
points. High winds wiped out the entire morning schedule so it was
altered by replacing heats 3A & 3B with a B-Main heat (a staple at
most ULHRA events). The wind and rollers subsided sufficiently to
conduct the B-Main, which was won by Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro in his
UL-929 Miss Hyundai Assurance, followed by "Smokin Joe" Souza
in the UL-9 US Army and third went to Chris Grant in the UL-3
Prilosec OTC. Rookie Austin Eacret made an excellent
start to take the lead which he held for nearly two laps before
electrical problems stopped the UL-10 Cajun Queen just
before taking the white flag signifying one lap to go.
Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing
Technologies could not make the start with on-going engine woes
that have plagued the NASCAR Toyota-powered entry off and on this
season. While Perkins ran exceedingly strong in Seattle two
weeks ago, finishing second, the UL-72 never could get up to racing
speed and Perkins was fortunate to wind up with one second place
heat finish on the weekend.
That set up a Final Heat with
the three teams automatically seeded from Saturday's preliminaries
and the three B-Main finishers. Paul Becker in the 93
Rent-a-Wreck UL-14 and Kevin Eacret in the UL-11 Power
Punch-Ricciardi's Italian Seafood-K&N Engineering both had 800
points from their twin heat victories on Saturday. Wil Muncey
in the UL-00 John Howie Steak coupled second place and third
place finishes for 525 points. All of the teams were in the
water ready to race the Final when weather conditions brought the
event to a halt.
Unofficially, Paul Becker now leads the UL
National Points Championship with 3400 points, and then there is a
three way battle for second place with Kayleigh Perkins at 2725, Wil
Muncey at 2645 and Kevin Eacret at 2604. How close is that?
For those unfamiliar with Unlimited Lights scoring, all heats,
except the B-Main carry points; 400 for first place, 300 for second,
225 for third, 169 for fourth, 127 for fifth and 95 for sixth.
Thus the gap between second and fourth is less than one fifth place
heat finish. Bob Smets and his UL-20 Smetco.com Pallet
Handling Equipment was unable to compete at Polson and slipped
from third to fifth in the standings with 2219 points.
In
the Lighter-than-LIGHTS 8 cylinder Final, both Shane Pratt in the
renumbered E-222 Power Punch-Elwha River Casino took first,
barely holding off Bud McKay in the E-10 Commercial Driver
Services. Pratt's boat sailed into the air a couple times
on the backstretch as he battled wind and difficult racing
conditions. McKay's boat was a bit more stable but just
couldn't garner the speed necessary to hold the lead, although McKay
did edge in front briefly on the final lap.
For the third annual Polson Regatta,
this year's race was held downtown on Flathead Lake rather than on
the nearby Flathead River where the race was conducted the past two
years. Fan response was very positive to the location change as this
portion of Flathead Lake has a natural grass covered amphitheater
with great views of the entire race course. Hopefully next
year the "Flathead Monster" will be on vacation when the Unlimited
Lights return to Polson, Montana.
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
|
|
Third
Annual Polson Regatta |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
UL TOTAL POINTS AND
STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
Sunday |
Total |
| Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
Points |
Points |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
800 |
1 |
800 |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
800 |
2 |
800 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
525 |
3 |
525 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
4 |
300 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
300 |
5 |
300 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
0 |
6 |
0 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
0 |
7 |
0 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
0 |
8 |
0 |
|
|
**Sunday is position only
– no points due to weather condition (Blowoff)* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
LTL TOTAL POINTS AND
STANDINGS |
|
|
|
| E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
600 |
300 |
900 |
| E 23 |
Mike Schroder |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
| E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
800 |
400 |
120 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1A |
|
Unlimited Lights |
Points |
|
|
|
UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
DNS |
|
|
|
UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
225 |
|
|
|
UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2A |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
|
|
|
UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
DNS |
|
|
|
UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2B |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
DNF |
|
|
|
UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1A |
|
LIGHTER THAN LIGHTS |
Points |
|
|
|
E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
|
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
|
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sunday |
|
|
|
|
|
|
E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
|
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
300 |
|
|
BECKER AND EACRETT EARN 800 POINTS FIRST DAY AT POLSON
ULHRA’S THIRD ANNUAL
POLSON REGATTA IN MONTANA WENT FROM UNRACEABLE IN THE MORNING TO A BIG
POINTS DAY FOR TWO TEAMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
ULHRA IS RACING ON
FLATHEAD LAKE THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF THE FLATHEAD RIVER AND THE LOCATION
IS DOWNTOWN POLSON IN NORTHWEST MONTANA, NORTH OF MISSOULA.
THE LAKE WAS PLAGUED WITH
HIGH WINDS, WHITECAPS AND ROLLERS ALL MORNING. THEN THE WIND DIED, THE
WHITECAPS WENT AWAY, BUT THE ROLLERS REMAINED PREVALENT AS THE RACING
GOT UNDERWAY.
PAUL BECKER DRIVING THE
UL-14 MISS 93 RENT A WRECK – GO NAVY SCORED TWO HEAT VICTORIES, AS DID
KEVIN EACRET IN THE UL-11 POWER PUNCH-RICCIARDI’S-K&N ENGINEERING.
BECKER GAINED 500 POINTS ON SECOND PLACE KAYLEIGH PERKINS IN THE UL-72
FOSTER CARE-TRIAD RACING TECHNOLOGIES WHO WAS HAMPERED BY ENGINE ISSUES
THAT KEPT HER FROM RUNNING FULL SPEED. SHE WAS ABLE TO FINISH HER FIRST
HEAT AND DUE TO ATTRITION WOUND UP WITH SECOND PLACE, BUT COULD NOT
FINISH HER SECOND HEAT.
ROOKIE AUSTIN EACRET,
KEVIN’S COUSIN, HAD HIS BEST HEAT AS A UL DRIVER, NEARLY DEFEATING
BECKER AND DEMONSTRATING SKILL AT THE STARTING LINE IN THE UL-10 CAJUN
QUEEN. WIL MUNCEY IN THE UL-00 JOHN HOWIE STEAK HAD THE SMALLEST UL ON
FLATHEAD LAKE AND THE BACKSTRETCH ROLLERS NOTICEABLY AFFECTED “THE
LITTLE BOAT THAT COULD”. STILL MUNCEY WAS ABLE TO SECURE SECOND AND
THIRD PLACE FINISHES.
CHRIS GRANT IN THE UL-3
PRILOSEC OTC WAS UNABLE TO GET THE BOAT ON A PLANE AND DID NOT START IN
THE FIRST HEAT. “SMOKIN JOE” SOUZA IN THE UL-9 US-ARMY AND VINCE”X-MAN”
XAUDARO IN THE UL-9 MISS HYUNDAI ASSURANCE WERE UNABLE TO START TODAY’S
HEATS AFTER SUSTAINING HULL DAMAGE; XAUDARO DURING TESTING AND SOUZA IN
THE WARM-UP TO HIS FIRST HEAT. BOTH TEAMS WILL BE WORKING LATE NIGHT
HOURS TO BE READY FOR SUNDAY’S RACING AND THEY HOPE TO EARN THEIR WAY
INTO THE BIG 6 BOAT FINAL.
IN THE LIGHTER THAN LIGHTS
DIVISION SHANE PRATT WON TWO CLOSELY CONTESTED HEATS IN THE 8 CYLINDER
CATEGORY OVER BUD MCKAY.
CHECK THIS WEBSITE FOR
SUNDAY RACE TIMES. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT RACING MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS
9:30AM MOUNTAIN TIME, 11:30AM EASTERN TIME.
JOHN LYNCH
“VOICE” OF ULHRA RACING
|
|
Third
Annual Polson Regatta |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
UL TOTAL POINTS AND
STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
|
Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
525 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
0 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
0 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
300 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
800 |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
800 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
LTL POINTS AND STANDINGS |
|
| E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
600 |
| E 23 |
Mike Schroder |
|
0 |
| E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
800 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1A |
|
Unlimited Lights |
Points |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
400 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
DNS |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
400 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
300 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
225 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2A |
|
|
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss 93 Rent a Wreck/Go
Navy |
400 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
DNS |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2B |
|
|
Points |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch
Racing/Ricciardi's/K&N Engineering |
400 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
300 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
DNF |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Cajun Queen |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1A |
|
LIGHTER THAN LIGHTS |
Points |
| E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
| E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
| E 222 |
Shane Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
| E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver
Services |
300 |
|
|
|
|
GRAHAM TRUCKING CUP AT SEAFAIR,
PRESENTED BY POWER PUNCH PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS
Photos: Alan Lagervall and Julie Sparrowgrove
I
wrote yesterday that heat 2B was a good as it gets. Except for one
thing; the Final of the Graham Trucking Cup in Seattle was even better.
The Final Heat had nine starters including two trailer boats. At the
start Rod Bourke in the UL-5 Vestus Foreclosure Group had the inside
lane, with Wil Muncey next to him in the UL-00 John Howie Steak, and
Paul Becker in lane three in the UL-14 Sammamish Mortgage-WWU-Go Navy
crossing the line together. Right behind on the outside was Kelly
Stocklin in the UL-40 King & Bunny’s Appliances – Pogacha of Issaquah.
Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing Technologies was
fifth over the line along with Kevin Eacret in the UL-11 Power Punch-94
five ROXY-K&N Engineering, followed by the two trailer boats, Vince
Xaudaro in the UL-929 Miss Hyundai Assurance and Chris Grant in the UL-3
Prilosec OTC-Kelley Excavating.
In
turn #1 Becker had the advantage, Muncey’s boat got bogged down but he
was able to recover for sixth place, Bourke held the buoy line and
exited in second place. After a terrific turn 1, Kayleigh Perkins had
advanced to third and overtook Bourke in turn #2 and began to reel in
Becker. From then the race was on. Becker later said his crew on the
radio hollered “she’s gaining, get going”! and Becker did…….but so did
Perkins. By the end of turn two on the final lap, they were dead even.
It became a drag race to the finish and Becker won the race at the line
by less than a boat length. Becker’s speed difference to Perkins was
103.816 to 103.426 mph.
Rod
Bourke, driving the smallest race craft in the UL fleet finished a solid
third, his second consecutive third place finish, just ahead of trailer
boat Vince Xaudaro. Fifth place went to Kevin Eacret and Grant followed
Muncey across the line to take seventh.
Kelly
Stocklin was in fourth place after the first lap but the UL-40 went dead
in the water after crossing the line. Bob Smets in the UL-20 Smetco.com
Pallet Handling Equipment was unable to start.
Next for the Unlimited Lights will be Polson MT on the Flathead River at
Flathead Lake, on August 21st and 22nd.
John Lynch
“Voice”of
ULHRA Racing
Day two at the Graham
Trucking Cup at Seafair in Seattle
Photos: Julie Sparrowgrove
Excellent racing by the Unlimited Light
hydroplanes warmed up a drizzly day in Seattle. Paul
Becker led the way with heat victories in 1B and 2A and both were closely
contested. Becker, driving the UL-14 Sammamish Mortgage-Western
Washington University College of Engineering and Technology-GO NAVY took
first place over
Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing
Technologies in a battle to the finish line. Both drivers had to
overhaul Rod Bourke in the UL-5 Vestus Foreclosure Group who won the
start and led much of the first lap before finishing third.
Heat 2A saw Wil Muncey in
the UL-00 John Howie Steak secure the favored inside lane and he nailed
the start, leading for most of the first lap. Becker took over the lead
exiting the second turn but Muncey drove an inspired race on the inside
to finish within a roostertail length. That effort became very
meaningful after the end of Heat 2B.
Bob Smets, who won Heat 1A
in impressive fashion over Kevin Eacret and Muncey, didn't time his
start well in 2A. Still he drove the
UL-20 Smetco.com-Pallet Handling
Equipment strongly throughout the heat to wind up third, passing
Rod Bourke on the final straightaway. Fifth place in Heat 2A went to Joe
Souza in the US Army UL-9 as the team continued a successful first day
of racing with a supercharged engine after a three-month engine
conversion effort.
Heat 2B was as good as it
gets. It began with Vince Xaudaro in the UL-929 Hyundai Assurance
winning the start and leading after the first lap. Kayleigh Perkins was
second, just to the outside of Xaudaro, and she edged closer where at
the white flag the two racers were dead even. Finally, on the backstretch
of the final lap Perkins moved in front but Xaudaro came right back and
they were virtually even at the exit pin. In a drag race finish the win
went to Perkins with Xaudaro second, Kevin Eacret in the Power
Punch-94.5 ROXY-K&N Engineering finishing third and Austin Eacret in the
Miss Bison Creek Pizza-Depew Balancing Services taking fourth.
At the conclusion of
the day, Becker leads in points with 800 followed by Perkins with 700;
Smets has 625 while Muncey and Kevin Eacret each have 525 points. The
top four teams by points advance to the Final and the 4th
place tie is broken by current season points. Wil Muncey is in the Final
and Kevin Eacret will try to earn a berth in the Final in Sunday's
B-Main where the top four finishing teams will qualify for the 8-boat
championship heat for the Graham Trucking Cup, presented by Power Punch
Performance Lubricants.
John Lynch
“Voice” of ULHRA Racing
***B-Main heat begins at
3:00pm pdt and UL Final will begin at 4:20pm pdt. Top four
teams by points will be in the final heat, and the top four teams from
the B-Main will be in the final heat.***
|
|
POWER PUNCH
PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS |
|
|
|
PRESENTS |
|
|
|
GRAHAM TRUCKING CUP AT
SEAFAIR |
|
|
|
August 7-8, 2010 |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
UL TOTAL POINTS AND
STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
| Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
Sci & Tech/Go Navy |
800 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
700 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
625 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
525 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
525 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
489 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
394 |
| UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's
Appliance/Pogocha of Issaquah |
169 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Dephew
Balancing Services |
296 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
254 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
0 |
|
Heat 1A |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS
|
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
97.7 |
400 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
95.71 |
300 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
94.53 |
225 |
| UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's
Appliance/Pogocha of Issaquah |
86.25 |
169 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Dephew
Balancing Services |
TNT |
127 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNF |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1B |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
Sci & Tech/Go Navy |
103.9 |
400 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
103.62 |
300 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
95.43 |
225 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
82.5 |
169 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
69.65 |
127 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2A |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
Sci & Tech/Go Navy |
95.49 |
400 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
94.49 |
300 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
92.3 |
225 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
91.89 |
169 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
79.35 |
127 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2B |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
102.38 |
400 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
101.66 |
300 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
95.71 |
225 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Dephew
Balancing Services |
74.69 |
169 |
| UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's
Appliance/Pogocha of Issaquah |
DNS |
|
Seafair - Saturday Results
Wil Muncey won the start of Heat 1A and maintained
the lead for nearly one lap. Bob Smets took command and raced to
victory with Kevin Eacret coming from behind to edge Wil Muncey for
second place. Kelly Stocklin finished fourth while rookie Austin
Eacret took fifth and Cris Grant did not finish.
In Heat 1B Rod Bourke made a great start and led the pack to the
end of lap number one. Paul Becker and Kayleigh Perkins passed
Bourke with two laps to go and Becker held off Perkins for the win.
Bourke wound up third with Vince Xaudaro and Joe Souza finishing fourth
and fifth.
| |
|
UL TOTAL POINTS AND STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
| Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
225 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
|
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
225 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
127 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Dephew
Balancing Services |
127 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
300 |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
Sci & Tech/Go Navy |
400 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
400 |
| UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's
Appliance/Pogocha of Issaquah |
169 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
169 |
|
Heat 1A |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
97.7 |
400 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
95.71 |
300 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
94.53 |
225 |
| UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's
Appliance/Pogocha of Issaquah |
86.25 |
169 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Dephew
Balancing Services |
TNT |
127 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNF |
|
|
Heat 1B |
|
|
SPEED |
POINTS |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
Sci & Tech/Go Navy |
103.9 |
400 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
103.62 |
300 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
95.43 |
225 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
82.5 |
169 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
69.65 |
127 |
Coming up Heat 2A
at 3:20 and Heat 2B at 3:35
Heat 2A UL 00, UL 3, UL 5, UL 9,
UL 14, and UL 20
Heat 2B UL 10, UL 11, UL 40,
UL 72, and UL 929
Day one at Graham Trucking Cup
Top points in 1A - Top
speeds in 1B
Two rounds of testing are complete and the draw
for the first round of preliminary heats has
been completed for the Graham Trucking Cup at
Seafair, presented by Power Punch Performance Lubricants.
All but one of the Unlimited Light hydroplanes
were on the water (Friday 8-6) at least once with several teams making
multiple runs. UL teams qualified to get to this race at Seattle so they
are not qualifying for national points. They are conducting test runs to
properly prepare for Saturday afternoon's racing schedule.
Fast lap of the day was turned
in by Kayleigh Perkins in the NASCAR Toyota powered UL-72 Foster Care -
Triad Racing Technologies. Triad is the North Carolina company that
builds Toyota NASCAR engines for most of the Toyota teams and the UL-72
is "auditioning" the powerplant this season to gauge its feasibility for
the Unlimited Lights' series. Perkins drove several laps above 110 mph
with her quickest at 111.273 mph.
Paul Becker in the UL-14
Sammamish Mortgage-WWU college of Science & Technology-GO NAVY, who
nearly won the Tri Cities race two weeks ago if not for a broken oil
pump belt on the final lap, checked in with a top speed of 104 mph where
top speed on the Lake Washington course today was not Becker's prime
consideration.
Those two teams are
matched in Heat 1B along with the UL-929 Miss Hyundai Assurance driven
by Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro who did get on the course briefly in his newly
rebuilt hull but no time was taken. With this boat's successful past,
including leading the poins championship in 2007 right before a
devastating crash, it would not be surprising to see the "All Black, all
the time" hydroplane contending by Sunday afternoon. One of the
most active teams on Friday is also in Heat 1B. Rod Bourke driving the
UL-5 Vestus Foreclosing Group topped out at 102.401 mph. Rounding out
the heat 1B field is "Smokin Joe" Souza, the former Army Sergeant First
Class in the supercharged UL-9 US ARMY. The team with the brand new
supercharged power plant is going through their paces slowly, with one
lap in the morning and a couple of timed laps in the afternoon session
with the quickest at 92.613 mph.
Heat 1A matches the season
points leader from early in the season, Kevin Eacret in the UL-11 Power
Punch-94.5 ROXY-K&N Engineering, with current points leader Bob Smets in
the UL-20 Smetco.com Pallet Handling Equipment, and current runnerup in
the season points, Wil Muncey in the UL-00 John Howie Steak. The Muncey
Racing Team spent the day resolving a just discoverd problem with their
hydroplane that has crossed the line second in every heat entered so far
this year. They did not get on the water on Friday but will have one
more testing opportunity at 8:30am Saturday morning.
Eacret
toured at an impressive 108.045 mph in the afternoon session, after
nearly blowing over on the front straightaway at the famed "Genessee
gap" where quite a number of accidents and near accidents have occured
over 59 years of racing on Lake Washington. Smets ran some
shakedown laps, not for speed, as did rookie driver Austin Eacret,
Kevin's cousin, in the UL-10 Miss Bison Creek Pizza - Depew Balancing
Services along with Chris Grant in the UL-3 Miss Prilosec OTC. Rounding
out Heat 1A will be Kelly Stocklin in the UL-40 King & Bunny's
Appliances-Pogacha of Issaquah.
The first round of heats on Saturday are as
follows.
Heat 1A 12:10pm Pacific time.
UL-00 Wil Muncey
UL- 3 Chris Grant
UL-10 Austin Eacret
UL-11 Kevin Eacret
UL-20 Bob Smets
UL-40 Mike Movinski
Heat 1B 12:25pm Pacific time.
UL- 5 Rod Bourke
UL- 9 Joe Souza
UL-14 Paul Becker
UL-72 Kayleigh Perkins
UL-929 Vince Xaudaro
Seafair - Preparing for the Race
Friday morning at 9:30am it begins. Final preparation for eleven
Unlimited Light hydroplane racing teams
as they will contest the
annual Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair in Seattle, presented by Power
Punch Performance
Lubricants.
Leading the field are the two
teams that battled for the win at Tri Cities, with plenty of other
serious contenders. Paul Becker and the UL-14
Sammamish Mortgage was leading at Tri Cities on the final lap when his
engine's oil pump belt failed and Becker's
boat coasted to a stop a half lap from victory. Kayleigh Perkins in the
UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing Technologies took advantage
of Becker's misfortune to give the Toyota NASCAR engine its first
victory in Unlimited Lights' racing, and the tenth trophy for Ms.
Perkins in a career that is only in its fourth
year.
Second place went to Wil Muncey in the UL-00 which will
race this weekend as the John Howie Steak and focusing attention on Food
Lifeline. Muncey at Tri Cities topped third
place Rod Bourke (UL-5 Miss Kim) Bob Smets (UL-20) Smetco.com and Kevin
Eacret (UL-11 Power Punch Racing-ROXY Radio 94.5-K&N Engineering in a
closely contested battle and now hopes to move one rung up the ladder.
Every heat this season so far, Muncey has crossed the line second.
Also in the pits is the nearly all new and once again "All- Black-All-the-Time"
UL-929 of Vince Xaudaro, racing this weekend as the Miss Hyundai
Assurance with Hyundai of Everett, Skaigit Valley Hyundai, and Doug's
Hyundai co-sponsoring.
Xaudaro says the engine concerns from the boat's debut weekend at
Tri Cities have been corrected and he expects to be racing
strongly this weekend.
The US ARMY and the UL-9 driven by
"Smokin Joe Souza" is hoping for a successful weekend. The crew has
spent countless hours over the past three
months not only improving the 25-year-old hull, but also converting the
former naturally-aspirated engine program
fueled by racing gasoline to a methanol-fueled 468 cu.in supercharged
powerplant. This will be the first time on the water
for this engine package in the UL-9 and the team plans to make
quite a few runs over the course of the weekend, and try to gradually
step up performance each time.
Chris Grant and the UL-3
Prilosec OTC arrived on Thursday afternoon. Crew Chief and co-owner
David Grant says they've spent a great deal of
time upgrading their engine program and new parts were being completed
as they arrived. In Grant's words,
"We're
here to win." Austin Eacret and the
UL-10 Cajun Queen are
also on hand. Expected to arrive Thursday night or Friday
morning is the UL-40 Rockstar Energy Drink-King & Bunny's
Appliances of new team owner-driver Mike Movinski. Former owner
Chuck Dow and his Thunder Valley Racing Team will provide the pit
crew.
Unfortunately for Dan McCulloch and the UL-77 "Coulee
Miss" they will have to miss the Graham Trucking Cup
due to engine damage
from the Tri Cities race they were unable to overcome in time.
Activity for the UL teams begins Friday morning with a 90 minute
session on Lake Washington at Seattle, lasting till 11:00am Pacific
time. ULHRA's live first webcast of the weekend will begin at
approximately 9:15am Pacific time on Friday.
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
ULHRA NAMES 7 Cedars OFFICIAL CASINO
7 Cedars Casino Expands “Fun and Games” to
Include Racing
August
5, 2010. Just in time for SEAFAIR, the largest festival in the
Northwest, the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association announces 7
Cedars Casino has been named “THE OFFICIAL CASINO OF THE ULHRA”. 7
Cedars Casino is located right on Highway 101 just 52 miles west of
Seattle on beautiful Olympic Peninsula.
The racing organization and the casino
have a long-time history including joining forces for the ULHRA’s Annual
Awards Banquet for the past two years.
To jump-start the sponsorship, 7 Cedars
Casino will be the presenter of Heat 1B at this Saturday’s Unlimited
Light hydro races at Seafair. Jerry Allen, CEO of 7 Cedars will be on
hand to take the stage, congratulate, and present the award to the
driver who wins that heat. Allen said, “7 Cedars is very proud to be a
sponsor for the Unlimited Lights… Hydros and 7 Cedars are both
entertaining and classic fun! It’s ALL FUN and Hydros!”
7 Cedars is a native-American casino
located in Sequim, Washington. In addition to over 400 slots, The Cedars
at Dungeness Golf Course boasts an 18 Hole Championship Course known as,
the driest round of golf in Western Washington. For more information on
the casino and its many elegant features, including gaming, shopping,
and dining please visit
www.7cedarsresort.com.
Debi Muncey, ULHRA Director of
Promotions, said, “This is such a perfect union. Racing, ULHRA-style
and 7 Cedars Casino both have a reputation for being fun and
picturesque, while at the same time preserving Northwest history and
heritage. Hydroplanes are such an integral part of the fabric of the
Northwest. I am thrilled to partner them up with 7 Cedars Casino.”
The
2010 ULHRA Awards Banquet will take place at 7 Cedars in Sequim.
Planning is already in the works, with the date to be announced. For
more information, visit
www.ulhra.org
The Unlimited Light
Hydroplane Racing Association is a high performance automotive-powered
class of inboard hydroplanes that continues to gain popularity
especially with fans seeking affordable, exciting family entertainment.
The thundering engines produce a sound that turns heads, pumps
adrenaline, and compels innocent bystanders to transform into hard-core
racers. For more information regarding the Unlimited Light Hydroplane
Racing Association, please visit
www.ulhra.org.
#####
Unlimited Lights' teams meet the
Seattle media.
Photo Credit: Tim Crowley
Five teams represented ULHRA, Inc. at the annual
Seafair media conference on Tuesday (8-3).
"Smokin Joe" Souza, driver and Team Manager of the
UL-9 US ARMY was joined by Army Captain Myra Waldher
and discussed both the racing
program and the very positive reaction to the ARMY's involvement with
the UL-9 team, particularly at the Torchlight Parade last Saturday
evening. Souza served 12 years in the Army as a Sergeant First Class.
Wil
Muncey, driver of the UL-00 John Howie Steak discussed his team's new
sponsorship and the team's improved performance; with the Muncey Racing
Team currently in second place in the points standings. He also
discussed their affiliation, along with sponsor John Howie Steak, with
Food Lifeline. It's a nonprofit food distribution agency working to
provide nutritious food to hungry, low-income people in Western
Washington state.
Paul
Becker, owner-driver of the UL-14 Sammamish Mortgage discussed his new
crew, from Western Washington University's School of Engineering.
Becker's original crew, including his son, were friends from Newport
High School in Bellevue WA who later attended and graduated from WWU.
Now the department, as part of their practical engineering program, has
several new volunteer crew members on Becker's team getting real world
experience, and they will be handing the pit crew duties this weekend.
Vince
"X-Man" Xaudaro was on hand to discuss his newly rebuilt UL-929, racing
as Team Hyundai this weekend. Xaudaro's "All Black, all the time" hydro
was severely damaged three years ago. Now with about 75% of the boat
brand new, and a full foot longer, with a new 509. cu.in engine, Xaudaro
is eagerly anticipating getting on the Seafair Ted Jones race course.
Kayleigh
Perkins talked about the UL-72 Foster Care - Triad Racing Technologies.
It's the Toyota NASCAR powered racecraft that she drove to victory at
Tri Cities on July 25th for her 10th career victory. She is only the 4th
driver to amass a double figure career win total, and she's just in her
4th season of Unlimited Lights racing.
The
Unlimited Lights will compete for the Graham Trucking Cup presented by
Power Punch Performance Lubricants on Lake Washington in Seattle. Live
coverage on this website through ULHRA video begins at 9:30am Pacific
time (12:30pm Eastern) on Friday. KIRO TV Channel 7 Seattle and KJR
Sports Radio 950AM will have live broadcast coverage on "Seafair
Sunday", August 8th.
One other note: Paul Becker announced an
affiliation for his UL-14 with the US NAVY, where he served as a Naval
Aviator. So this matches Souza vs Becker in their own version of the
"Army Navy" game at Seattle this weekend.
John Lynch
Voice" of ULHRA Racing
John
Howie Steak will hold a benefit for Food Lifeline in Bellevue, WA on
Wednesday, Aug. 4.
The event will include the John Howie Steak Unlimited Light
hydroplane on display, autograph sessions with driver Wil Muncey, an
opportunity to have photos taken in hydro cockpit, and free copies of
Thunder & LIGHTS Magazine.
Participants should bring a can of food and/or cash donation
for Food Lifeline. Food Lifeline is a local hunger relief organization,
efficiently serving the Western Washington area by using 95% of revenue
to directly feed hungry people. Last year the organization delivered
more than 19 million meals to hungry people through its
network of nearly 300 neighborhood food banks, hot meal programs and
shelters. In 2009, Food Lifeline helped feed more than 675,000
hungry people in local Western Washington communities
The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Shops at The
Bravern, 11111-NE Eighth St., Suite 125.
The UL-00, John Howie Steak, will be competing in this
weekend's Graham Trucking Cup Unlimited Light Hydroplane portion of the
2010 Seafair regatta.
#####
Norma
Rosenthal Public Relations, LLC
ShinShinChez, LLC
P.O. Box
2965
Issaquah, Washington 98027-0134
(206) 331-7901
POWER PUNCH
PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS PRESENTS THE GRAHAM TRUCKING CUP AT SEAFAIR
In the relatively brief history of the
Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing
Association, Inc. (2001 - present) there
have been a lot of firsts.
First supercharged engine in Unlimited
Lights; 2001
First supercharged engine to win an
Unlimited Lights race; 2002.
First father & son to win races in the same
season; 2002
First woman driver to win a race; 2007.
First 1-2 finish by women drivers; 2009
And now, more firsts and they occurred at
the Thunder Cup at Tri Cities
WA, July 25, 2010.
1.
An engine built for NASCAR racing wins a UL race. Kayleigh Perkins in
the UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing Technologies took first place in the
Thunder Cup at Tri Cities. The engine powering the UL-72 is a Toyota
NASCAR engine built for the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide
Series by Triad out of North Carolina. It's a 358 cu. in. oval track
racing engine
designed
for up to 300 miles of competition on pavement, rather than three heats
of five miles each on a oval track on water where the propeller
regularly pops out of the water and increases the engine rpm and load
dozens of times per lap. The team is "auditioning" the engine this
season to gauge its viability as a future UL power source. With the
NASCAR engine there are
now seven available engine "options" in the
Unlimited Lights' series.
2. Wil Muncey, driving the UL-00 Atomic
Shirt Co - Warning Power.com at Tri Cities finished second. That wasn't
the "first" as Muncey has finished second in every heat he's entered
this year and he's second in the national points race. The "first" was
Perkins and Muncey finishing 1-2 as it became the first time that small
block V-8 naturally aspirated (carburetor) engines finished 1-2 in a
ULHRA Unlimited Lights race. At Seattle Muncey's ride will be titled
"John Howie Steak".
And as announcers say on infomercials, "but
there's more"..............!
3. Rod Bourke driving the UL-5 Miss Kim
finished third at Tri Cities and Bourke's boat is just over 20 feet in
length, also with a small block V-8 . So not only was Tri Cities
the first 1-2 finish by small block V-8's in Unlimited Lights'
history, it was a 1-2-3 finish for the small block
brigade. Small block
hydroplanes can have up to a 700 lb weight advantage compared to their
big block and supercharged competitors. It's all part of ULHRA's
continued effort to provide an equitable competitive opportunity in the
Unlimited Lights' series for a variety of engine packages.
For
Perkins' team it was a major switch this year as they'd been very
successful with a 509 cu. in V-8, winning 30 races since the 2000 season
and the most race victories by a non supercharged Unlimited Lights team.
The nearly 25 foot long hull now with the Triad engine is about 175 lbs
lighter.
Muncey's boat is just under 21 feet in length or
about four feet shorter than Perkins' ride. Years ago it was dubbed "The
Little Boat that Could" and it continues to demonstrate that it can. The
Muncey Racing Team has shown improvement each year with the small hull
that sports a 350 cu. in V-8 assembled by Mukilteo's Ed Trihey of Ed's
Automotive & Machine. Trihey is one of the most in-demand engine
builders for UL teams. While Muncey's boat is much shorter there is one
more similarity beyond the small block V-8. Both hulls were designed and
built by Ron Jones Sr.
Bourke's UL-5 originally was designed and built by
Mike Hanson. Bourke's choice of powerplant is a rarity in hydroplane
racing where traditionally most engines, particularly in the Unlimited
Light series, are Chevrolet based. Bourke's small block V-8 is a Ford.
Perkins, Muncey and Bourke will face plenty of
challengers for the Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair, August 6-8. Leading
the way is Paul Becker in the UL-14 Sammamish Mortgage who was on his
way to victory at Tri Cities when the oil pump belt broke while the 14
hull was leading on the last lap, forcing the owner-driver from Bellevue
to shut down and not finish the race.
Points leader Bob Smets from Wilsonville OR is
running the best he ever has, now in his 4th season in UL racing with a
20 year old Ed Karelsen hull. Smets finished 4th in the Final at
Tri Cities but his consistency has propelled him to the top spot in
points for the first time in his career.
The dark horse (pun intended) is the "All Black,
all the time" UL-929 Team Hyundai owned and driven by Vince "X-Man"
Xaudaro. This craft has been three years in rebuild mode by the owner
and crew following a devastating crash at Silverdale WA in 2007. Xaudaro
was leading the season points race before the accident. Today, with a
509 cu.in big block V-8 and virtually
brand new hull highlighted by a splashy black
paint scheme, the boat is a foot longer and one of the longest in the UL
fleet. Xaudaro expects to contend at Seattle after having a bout of
"newboatitis" at Tri Cities. Incidentally, Unlimited Light
hydroplanes, by rule, may range from 20 feet to 26 feet in length.
Another Seattle entry looks virtually brand new,
but it's about a quarter century old. In fact the boat is older than the
crew chief. The UL-9 US Army driven by "Smokin Joe" Souza will
debut its new supercharged engine at Seattle. It was planned to race at
Tri Cities but one component on the new engine would not cooperate so
the team couldn't get on the water. This is the hull that Souza drove to
a perfect start in taking the lead in the Final at Seattle last year
only to
have the then
naturally aspirated engine go sour just before entering turn #1. Souza
ultimately finished sixth. This year with a new crew and a dazzling
paint scheme plus a "blower motor", Souza, the former Army Sergeant
First Class, is gunning for more.
The other supercharged entries will certainly make
their presence known. Kevin Eacret and the UL-11 Power Punch
Racing-ROXY Radio 94.5-K&N Engineering had a tough weekend at Tri Cities
after entering that event with the national points lead. Eacret, a
rookie driver in Unlimited Lights was able to overcome mechanical woes
and finish fifth at Tri Cities but lost a lot of
points due to non finishes in
the preliminary heats.
New owner-driver Mike Movinski brings the UL-40
King & Bunny's to Seattle for his first competitive effort at the Graham
Trucking Cup. He recently acquired the racing program from Chuck Dow and
Thunder Valley Racing, and it will be Dow and the TVR crew that will
work the pit area for Movinski who hails from Wyondotte, Michigan. Dow
and Thunder Valley debuted
supercharged engines in UL racing back in 2001. By
rule, supercharged Unlimited Light
hydros must start outside of the naturally
aspirated hulls. All teams must maintain their starting line lane
through the first turn on the first lap but then they can begin moving
inside toward the buoy line if they have an overlap on the boat to their
inside. Overlap is defined as one full
roostertail length lead. While the rule is the
same this year for carburetor engines it is a change for the "blower
motor' teams which previously were required to maintain their starting
line lane for one full lap.
Chris Grant in the UL-3 Prilosec OTC, Dan
McCulloch in the UL-77 Coulee Miss and rookie Austin Eacret in the UL-10
Miss Bison Creek Pizza round out the field. Eacret is the cousin of
Kevin Eacret, and both are rookie drivers in Unlimited Lights who
"graduated" this year from ULHRA's "Lighter than LIGHTS" series. They
are the 14th and 15th drivers to move up from the LTL ranks to UL racing
since the LTL program was launched in 2003.
Activity begins Friday morning (8-6) with testing
on Lake Washington. Preliminary heats for the Graham Trucking Cup
presented by Power Punch Performance Lubricants will be on Saturday
afternoon with the B-Main and Final Heats on Sunday afternoon. ULHRA
Video will have extensive coverage on this website all weekend plus KIRO
TV Channel 7 and Sports Radio 950 AM KJR will have live broadcasts on
Sunday (8-8).
John Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
