Commercial Driver Services hydroplane drives to LTL title
BELFAIR, Wash. – Thanks to an incredible second half
season,
Belfair’s Bud McKay won his fourth 8-cylinder
stock
Lighter-Than-LIGHTS high points championship in
hydroplane racing at
the “Salmon Cup” on Lake Sammamish
Sunday. The three-day race was a
dual sanction Unlimited
Lights Hydroplane Racing Association and
American Power
Boat Association race.
Out of the
eight-boat field that competed in the class,
McKay’s Commercial
Driver Services hydroplane ended up
with an overall 3rd place finish
for the entire weekend
based on points. Before the weekend, McKay
was sitting in
third place in overall points in the LTL series
behind
Belfair neighbor Steve Clark and Colorado’s Mike
Schroeder. Clark’s boat was destroyed in a crash earlier,
but
Schroeder didn’t show up for the race.
“Mike was at Chelan
just the weekend before,” McKay said.
“I really thought he was going
to be at Sammamish. With
the three-day race, we had boats from
Virginia and Quebec
– a three-day race has just too many points not
to grab
them for the end of the season.”
With a
considerable weight disadvantage, McKay’s
1,900-pound, 1984 wooden
boat is more than 600 pounds
heavier than the newer composite boats.
But with clean
driving and starts and finishes, McKay found his way
back
to the LTL title.
“
From the mid-season on, we
started and finished every
heat and didn’t miss a beat,” McKay said,
who won the LTL
titles in 2006, 2007, and 2008. “And that’s only
because
crew chief Kristen Edsinger worked incredibly long hours
tweaking the engine here and there. I would have been
watching a lot
of the races from the beach if it wasn’t
for all that she did.”
There was one particular race that really turned it around
for the
Commercial Driver Services in 2010 – the Western
Divisionals in
Olympia in July. Oddly enough, they didn’t
make score any points and
even had a small engine fire the
Saturday of the race.
“I di
dn’t make a start and had to be towed in each time,”
McKay
said. “I hate being towed in, but Kristen took it
personal. She got
with Matt Mattson and Brandon Payne, our
past crew chiefs, and
compared notes. She took a little
from Matt; a little from Brandon
and then did her own
magic. From then on, all I did was wave at the
rescue
boats as I came back to the pits.”
And it was
the last time McKay will be driving back to the
pits in a
hydroplane. After a short 6-year career in
hydroplane racing, McKay
retired from the sport after the race.
“This sport is
very expensive, and I can’t thank
Commercial Driver Services enough
for helping us get our title back.” McKay said, “But preparing the
boat for the races cuts too much into time with my girls. And that’s
a price I don’t want to pay any more.”
With all four of
his daughters watching as he came back to the pits for the last
time, McKay took off his helmet and hurled himself into the lake to
celebrate his title and his career.
“I figured someone
was going to try and throw me in the
water anyway,” the 6-foot-5,
305-pound McKay said. “This way no one hurt themselves trying to
throw me in.”
Becker follows championship with third career race victory
Airline pilot turned hydroplane racer, and former Naval Aviator
Paul Becker capped his best season ever in Unlimited Light Hydroplane
racing on Sunday (10-3) at Lake Sammamish just east of Seattle. Becker
won the Salmon Cup Regatta defeating Kayleigh Perkins and Rod Bourke,
after clinching his first UL series championship the day before. Becker
also won at Seattle back in August and now has three career race
victoires, putting him in a tie for twelfth all time with George Woods
Jr, Patrick Haworth and Mark Weber,
Becker, at the wheel
of his UL-14 Miss Sammamish Mortgage, had to overcome Bourke who made an
excellent start in his UL-5 Miss Kim. At 20' 1" the Bourke hull is
barely over the minumun length for Unlimited Lights which is 20', yet
Bourke has been quite competitive with his small block V-8 powered hull.
Kayleigh Perkins started back in the pack with the UL-72 Foster
Care-Triad Racing Technologies but slowly cut into the lead of Bourke
and Becker. Ultimately she prevailed over Bourke who wound up in third
place for the third time this year while Perkins took second behind
Becker.
Fourth place went to rookie Austin Eacret in Pat
Rankin's UL-10 "Cajun Queen" followed by Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro in the
UL-929 Hyundai Assurance, and another rookie, Kevin Eacret in the UL-11
Power Punch-ROXY Radio 94.5-K&N Engineering. Kevin Eacret finished
fourth on the course but was called for a lane violation and given a 1
minute penatly which dropped him to sixth place. The alternate in the
Final, "Smokin Joe" Souza in the UL-9 US Army was awarded 7th place.
Next up for ULHRA is the annual Awards program to be held
October 23rd at 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim WA.
John
Lynch
"Voice" of ULHRA Racing
|
|
Salmon Cup – Lake Sammamish State Park |
|
|
|
| |
|
UL
TOTAL POINTS AND STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
Sunday |
Total |
|
Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
Points |
Points |
|
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll SCI/Go Navy |
700 |
400 |
1100 |
|
UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss
Bison Creek Pizza/Depew Balancing Services |
700 |
169 |
869 |
|
UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster
Care/TRIAD Racing Technologies |
527 |
300 |
827 |
|
UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus
Foreclosure Group |
525 |
225 |
750 |
|
UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss
Hyundai Assurance |
569 |
127 |
696 |
|
UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling Equipment |
352 |
0 |
352 |
|
UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power
Punch Racing/94 Five Roxy/K&N Engineering |
225 |
95 |
320 |
|
UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
169 |
0 |
160 |
|
UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John
Howie Steak |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss
Prilosec OTC/Kelley Excavating & Site Development |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1A |
|
Unlimited Lights |
Points |
|
|
|
UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss
Hyundai Assurance |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss
Bison Creek Pizza/Depew Balancing Services |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power
Punch Racing/94 Five Roxy/K&N Engineering |
225 |
|
|
|
UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John
Howie Steak |
dnf |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll SCI/Go Navy |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus
Foreclosure Group |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling Equipment |
225 |
|
|
|
UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
169 |
|
|
|
UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster
Care/TRIAD Racing Technologies |
127 |
|
|
|
UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss
Prilosec OTC/Kelley Excavating & Site Development |
dns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2A |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster
Care/TRIAD Racing Technologies |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll SCI/Go Navy |
300 |
|
|
|
UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus
Foreclosure Group |
225 |
|
|
|
UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss
Hyundai Assurance |
169 |
|
|
|
UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling Equipment |
127 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2B |
|
|
Points |
|
|
|
UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss
Bison Creek Pizza/Depew Balancing Services |
400 |
|
|
|
UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
dnf |
|
|
|
UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss
Prilosec OTC/Kelley Excavating & Site Development |
dns |
|
|
|
UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John
Howie Steak |
dns |
|
|
|
UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power
Punch Racing/94 Five Roxy/K&N Engineering |
dns |
|
|
|
Final |
|
Unlimited
Lights |
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
SCI/Go Navy |
400 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
300 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
225 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Depew
Balancing Services |
169 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
127 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
95 |
| |
|
LTL
TOTAL POINTS AND STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
|
5
Litre |
|
|
|
|
E 10 |
Bud
McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
1100 |
1200 |
2300 |
|
E 222 |
Shane
Pratt |
Power
Punch |
700 |
0 |
700 |
|
|
1
Litre |
|
|
|
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
1025 |
1000 |
2025 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
600 |
750 |
1350 |
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
700 |
625 |
1325 |
|
28 |
Jesse
Robertson |
|
169 |
0 |
169 |
|
|
2.5 S
Stock |
|
|
|
|
12 |
Mike
Hofhie |
|
1200 |
1200 |
2400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
900 |
900 |
1800 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
225 |
675 |
900 |
|
Heat 1 |
|
LIGHTER THAN
LIGHTS |
Points |
|
|
1 Litre |
|
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
400 |
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
300 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
225 |
|
28 |
Jesse
Robertson |
|
169 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
|
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
400 |
|
E 222 |
Shane
Pratt |
Power Punch |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 2 |
|
1 Litre |
Points |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
400 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
300 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
|
400 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 3 |
|
1 Litre |
|
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
400 |
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
300 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
225 |
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 222 |
Shane
Pratt |
Power Punch |
400 |
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
300 |
|
360 |
Chris
Drewees |
|
225 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 4 |
|
1 Litre |
|
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
400 |
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
300 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
225 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
225 |
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
400 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 5 |
|
1 Litre |
|
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
400 |
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
300 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
225 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
225 |
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
400 |
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 6 |
|
1 Litre |
|
|
8 |
Nick
Bonincini |
|
400 |
|
6 |
Bianca
Bonincini |
|
300 |
|
3 |
Dave
Trisko |
|
225 |
|
|
2.5 S Stock |
|
|
12 |
Brian
Haney |
|
400 |
|
137 |
Dave
Solway |
|
300 |
|
36 |
Austin
Eacret |
|
225 |
|
|
5 Litre |
|
|
E 10 |
Bud McKay |
Commercial Driver Services |
400 |
Becker wins title: tries for race
victory on Sunday
Photos: Julie Sparrowgrove
After finishing
first & second in two preliminary heats on Lake Sammamish near Seattle
WA, Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Sammamish Mortgage has clinched the
2010 Unlimited Lights Series Championship. It is Becker's first national
title after joining the series in 2003. Becker's race craft, the one
time UL-110 of Carl Haas from Ohio, becomes only the fifth hull to ever
win the UL title since the series began in 1995.
On Sunday, Becker will try
for his second race win of the season at the Salmon Cup Regatta. He won
at Seattle back in August. His other race victory came in 2008 also at
Seattle.
Becker topped Kayleigh
Perkins in the UL-72 Foster Care-Triad Racing Technologies in Heat 1B
when Ms Perkins was penalized for an improper score-up. The Unlimited
Lights starting procedure includes “scoring up” at the start finish line
prior to the start and on Lake Sammamish at Issaquah WA with a course
just under 1 ¼ miles, the score-up time was set at 45 seconds before the
green flag. Perkins crossed the score-up buoy ahead of the 45 second
mark and incurred a one minute penalty. Second place went to Rod Bourke
in the UL-5 Miss Kim with Bob Smets in the UL-20 Smetco.com Pallet
Handling Equipment in third and “Smokin Joe” Souza taking fourth in the
UL-9 U.S. Army. Ms Perkins was placed fifth after the one minute
penalty.
Heat 1A saw Vince “X-Man”
Xaudaro lead for the first two laps before Kevin Eacret took the lead.
Xaudaro, in the UL-929 Hyundai Assurance and Eacret in the UL-11 Power
Punch-ROXY 94.5-K&N Engineering battled to the end with Eacret winning.
However, prior to taking the checkered flag Eacret was penalized one
minute for a course infraction which promoted Xaudaro to first place and
Eacret's cousin Austin Eacret in the UL-10 Cajun Queen to second. The
UL-10 is owned by Pat Rankin of New Orleans who is attending this race.
Kevin Eacret wound up third as Wil Muncey's UL-00 John Howie Steak spun
out on lap #3 and was unable to restart. The 00 hull took on water over
the deck and was towed back to the pits partially submerged.
In the second round
Perkins took first in Heat 2A over Becker, followed by Bourke, Xaudaro
and Smets. Due to attrition only two boats could start Heat 2B with
Austin Eacret getting the win and Souza in the UL-9 could not finish due
to a supercharger belt failure.
Four drivers have qualified for the Final on Sunday including Paul
Becker with 700 points, Austin Eacret with 700, Vince Xaudaro with 569
and Kayleigh Perkins with 527.
Chris Grant who was unable to start a heat on Saturday will attempt the
B-Main on Sunday along with Rod Bourke, Joe Souza, Kevin Eacret, Bob
Smets and if the team can make repairs, Wil Muncey. The top two
finishers in the B-Main will advance to a six boat Final Heat and all
six boats will start on the front line.
John Lynch
“Voice” of ULHRA Racing
|
|
Salmon Cup –
Lake Sammamish State Park |
|
| |
|
UL TOTAL POINTS AND
STANDINGS |
|
|
|
|
Saturday |
| Boat # |
Driver |
Team |
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
SCI/Go Navy |
700 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Depew
Balancing Services |
700 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
569 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
527 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
525 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
352 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
225 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
169 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
0 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
0 |
|
Heat 1A |
|
Unlimited
Lights |
Points |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
400 |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Depew
Balancing Services |
300 |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
225 |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
DNF |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 1B |
|
|
Points |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
SCI/Go Navy |
400 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
300 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
225 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
169 |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
127 |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2A |
|
|
Points |
| UL 72 |
Kayleigh Perkins |
Foster Care/TRIAD Racing
Technologies |
400 |
| UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Sammamish Mortgage/WWU Coll
SCI/Go Navy |
300 |
| UL 5 |
Rod Bourke |
Vestus Foreclosure Group |
225 |
| UL 929 |
Vince Xaudaro |
Miss Hyundai Assurance |
169 |
| UL 20 |
Bob Smets |
Smetco.com/Pallet Handling
Equipment |
127 |
|
|
|
|
| Heat 2B |
|
|
Points |
| UL 10 |
Austin Eacret |
Miss Bison Creek Pizza/Depew
Balancing Services |
400 |
| UL 9 |
Joe Souza |
US Army |
DNF |
| UL 3 |
Chris Grant |
Miss Prilosec OTC/Kelley
Excavating & Site Development |
DNS |
| UL 00 |
Wil Muncey |
John Howie Steak |
DNS |
| UL 11 |
Kevin Eacret |
Power Punch Racing/94 Five
Roxy/K&N Engineering |
DNS |
