December, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE By Commissioner Patricia M. Darling
Each and every member of the Unlimited Light family should look back at the 1999 Season with tremendous pride. Once again you put together a season of exciting, and extremely competitive, racing…and even though the Christmas Lights are fading - prospects for the Unlimited Lights are brighter than ever. Consider boat count: 2 new boats are being constructed, there are 4 new teams being formed with plans to join our ranks over the next two years, and 5 or 6 hulls are being updated to comply with UL Rules. Our total inventory stands at over twenty ULs. From these we expect 3 to 4 to join the core 5 or 6 boats on the East Coast and 4 or 5 to be associates on the Western Swing. This is a significant and gratifying tangible commitment to the sport. Consider race sites: All of the U.S. sites are back on the 2000 schedule, and although the Barrie race has been cancelled, people are working hard on Kelowna, plus some other U.S. venues. Consider Media coverage: During the 1999 season, ESPN2 broadcast every single UL Final Heat. In addition, local television and other news media showcased individual teams and drivers, published interviews and photos and the Joyce Julius numbers on Unlimited Lights were solid. The new ulrs.org website has been especially successful, and tallied a smashing 55,000 visits in the non-racing month of November! Individual teams have created their own websites - another marketing tool for sponsors and a place for fans to visit and identify with. Unlimiteds Detroit, as well as other publications and websites, began giving UL summaries for the first time. Fans began to identify with drivers, as well as boats. The Press liked having Alamo and Bo Schide continually changing the lead with Charley Wiggins and Earl's all season. The Lights were competitive, and noisy, and fun!!! Sponsors liked what they saw and are coming back, and in several instances - coming back with increased commitment. At the well attended "Winter Meetings" in Las Vegas, I established a Rules Committee, a Technical Assistance Committee, and a Hospitality Committee. In addition, I have appointed Cindy Moore as UL Administrator, and her husband Chuck Moore has accepted the role of Director of Communications. With the focus on growth and participation, and these resources, along with the support of the UHRA Commissioner and Director of Marketing and Sales, we will make 2000 a viable, and successful season for the Unlimited Lights. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE By Commissioner Ken Muscatel
I am happy to state that I feel that the future of Unlimited Hydroplane Racing is brighter than it has been in several years. We anticipate entering a period of sustained growth, building on the momentum generated from last season. Highlights of the 1999 season included the addition of two race sites to our schedule, an increase in the number of teams that competing throughout the entire circuit, and record attendance at several race sites. Budweiser continued to lead the way, and the Pico win with Chip Hanauer at the wheel in the 1999 Gold Cup were hallmarks of an exciting year. In 2000, we will continue to enjoy sponsorship support from our friends at Ralphs and O'Doul's. Through the talents of Bo Darling as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Marketing, we look forward to the addition of several more sponsors. In addition, there will be an increased emphasis on improving hospitality options for the fans and race teams in order to make the race experience more exciting and enjoyable. We expect that most or all of the same teams will be competing on the national circuit in 2000, with the possibility of one or two additional teams being discussed as well. Last year, the sport instituted our "National Boat Program" to encourage participation in the entire racing series by our teams, and this program was clearly a success. We will continue the program in the coming year, with similar expectations for full fields and good racing. Our season will include all of the U.S. races from last season. We may add up to two more races to our schedule in the near future. Unfortunately, the Barrie, Ontario race will not be held this season, and the status of the Kelowna, BC race is still uncertain at this time. It has been our goal to provide Unlimited Hydroplane fans the strongest competition and best show that we can. To this end, significant technical and rule changes have been introduced foe the 2000 season. We will now monitor fuel flow to the engines in addition to utilizing the fuel restrictor. The purpose is to maintain fuel flows at the 4.3 GPM rate that restrictors were meant to provide, but which some teams, through technological innovation, were able to challenge to some degree. Fuel flow will now be treated much like N2, with a standard set at 4.3 GPM, and an error term which we will determine in the coming months, and at our first race. However, the goal is clear - no boat shall run more than 4.3 GPM during a race, similar to our successful restriction of N2 speed. The experiment to "level the playing field" by putting the winner out a lane with every victory was not a success. With much input from competitors, owners, and most importantly, our fans, we have emerged with a new plan for 2000. Starting with our inaugural event, any boat that wins a race will have its fuel flow reduced by 0.1 GPM with each victory, starting with its first win. If that team loses a race it will regain 0.1 GPM per loss up to the maximum of 4.3 GPM. For example, a team that has won a race will have its fuel restricted to 4.2 GPM, and if it then wins two races in a row, it will have its fuel flow restricted to 4.1 GPM for the third race. If it loses that third race, it will have a fuel flow of 4.2 GPM for the subsequent race. The lane restriction rule for 1999 has been repealed. In addition, we are instituting closer inspection rules and procedures with more serious penalties for rule violations, particular violations that are intended to purposefully circumvent our N2 and fuel flow restrictions. It is our intent to insure the competitiveness and the fairness of the racing, and provide the best racing possible for our loyal fans. 1999 saw very close competition among the Unlimited Lights as well, with an exciting battle for the top four spots in the national high point race that came down to the final race. The Lights are expecting the core of five or six teams to be augmented by three it four new teams in the East, and possibly five in the West, and we are anticipating another competitive year in 2000. The Lights have added a great deal to the show, and we are happy to have them with us in the coming year. My heartfelt thanks go to our fans and the supporters of the Unlimited Hydroplane Racing. Through the efforts of everyone involved with Hydros, I believe we can look forward to an exciting and successful year. EZracer.com features the Unlimited Lights! EZracer.com is a site we've featured on our links page for a while now. They make a good effort to present information relating to all types of racing and they plan to carry ULRS results during the 2000 season. They have also used two of our photos to highlight their newly added, developing powerboat racing page! Click here to take a look. McIntosh Marketing Services launches a news page... Over on the MMS site, they've added a news page tracking much of what's taking place in the world of Unlimited and Unlimited Lights racing. You can visit their new page at http://www.seanet.com/~mms/news.htm. It already contains many interesting details related to the series. New UL-23 Team Pegasus website launched! I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit the newly redesigned UL-23 Team Pegasus website. You can find it at http://www.ulrs.org/ul23.htm from this point forward. This address with serve as the team's new home on the web. Kay King has turned over the reigns of her original site and we've run through the entire structure (over 90 pages) verifying the hyperlinks, updating the look and ensuring that it's solid and ready for the winter months and the 2000 season. The Team Pegasus site has traditionally served as a resource for series information and already houses a rich history of Unlimited Lights detail. We are proud to be associated with the next generation of this great site and plan to remain on track with regular updates as we bring you the team's perspective on the series. With all the changes to the schedule, where would the Kelowna, B.C.Thunderfest fall next season? The weekend of August 11,12, and 13 is available as a possible date reports David Holmer of Hydros. UL-38 Tow Vehicle available... The B&B Racing Tow Vehicle is for sale. It is a 1990 Ford E350 Van with 16 foot bed. The front 2/3 of the box has been converted for living space and includes a refrigerator/freezer, microwave oven, sink, bed, sofa bed, adjustable table, four captains chairs, A/C, and lots of cabinet space. The back 1/3 is shop space with a work bench, air compressor, drill press and lots of cabinet space. In addition, there is a 6.5kw Onan generator, 35 gal race fuel storage tank, 15 gal generator fuel tank, and 36 gal diesel fuel tank. The truck is powered with a 7.3 liter International diesel on a 1 1/2 ton chassis. The truck is in excellent condition with 110,000 miles. The asking price is $19,000.00. Contact Dave Bender at (916) 355-2546 [daytime] or (530) 642-1301 [evenings]. Dave Bender - 12/21/99 Barrie, Ontario has been dropped from the schedule. The Hydrofest in Honolulu, HI has moved from it's traditional season ending date in September to August 27. San Diego will close the season on September 17. Our race in Kelowna, BC is still a possibility but a new date will need to be determined. Due to the time required to ship our teams back and forth from Hawaii, Kelowna's usual August race date is no longer available. Next year's schedule is summarized for your convenience on our schedule page. Miss Vnode.com prepares for 2000 and celebrates a new addition to the family! "Well, its time to begin getting ready for 2000. We will be improving the aerodynamics on the Miss Vnode over the winter as well as improving the steering system. The front canards will also look different this season. We will also change the strut angle in conjunction with the weight and balance. Since we will largely be using the same equipment as in the 1999 season, the winter and spring months will allow us the opportunity to plan and perfect what we have. I don't expect more than one or two engine dyno sessions. A new paint scheme? Don't rule out. A gearbox? Don't rule that out either. Doug Brow and I are still planning on him in the cockpit for 2000, provided Doug doesn't get too buried in work up in Friday Harbor, WA. We are planning on West coast events only this year. On a different note, Christina and I had a 7lb 1oz baby boy on December 13th and named him Drew John Hogan. We're really excited to show him to our wonderful friends in the racing community. Talk to you soon!" John Hogan - 12/20/99 "Just a few things to let you know what the Haas Team has going on. The boat is still out west (Las Vegas) at the York shop. As you know the boat had a very hard first year!!!! Thanks to the whole York crew and our crew chief Mike, we have just about got the bottom repaired and the damage from San Diego repaired. I cant thank all the guys enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going back out in January to pick it up bring it back get it painted so we should be ready for the first race sometime in February. I guess that's it for the Haas team, and thanks to the York guys there a great bunch. See ya at the the first race." Randy Haas - 12/17/99 If you don't know already, and I'm sure there are quite of few who don't (with all the newcomers we have!), if fees are postmarked by December 31, they are
issued at a discounted rate for the season. If you didn't receive an
e-mail from me, please contact me and I'll give you the specifics. Happy Holidays, If you plan to be in the Mount Olive, NJ area on Saturday, February 5, 2000 you have the opportunity to take advantage of a capsule training session that will include the use of onboard air. Training will be supplied by the Region 1, 2, 3, & 4 Rescue Team under the direction of Brian Small and Ken Smith. Visit the recent APBA update for all the details. Mike McCormick's new team takes shape. Thanks to Scott Tebbe we have the latest word on the new UL-4 McCormick Racing team. What follows are three photos of the stripped down hull in Mike's boat shop in Philpot, KY. It's clearly one big boat, especially for an unlimited light! As you will see, work has already started on the hull and will continue through the winter months. Here are the photos: photo 1 | photo 2 | photo 3 For more on the team, read Fred Farley's initial announcement from late last month. The latest on the UL-9 Droullard Motorsports team. Over on the UL-9 site, they've added a new team member, unveiled a new set of sponsorship options and enlisted the help of Steven Lamson of Continental Productions as their new sales and marketing director. Visit their site for all the details! We have another team on track for the 2000 season. Chip Reiter of Check-Six Racing has contacted the series seeking information and forms to come onboard for next season. His hydro will be called Chips Ahoy. Chip will serve as both the owner and driver with his team of six. Their plan is to run for points in the ULRS series and they are "awaiting national sponsorship". The new team hails from California. We look forward to seeing them on the water next season. Team Pegasus, American Spirit Motorsports & Thunderboats On The Air, Inc. "Chuck, I want to update you on a couple of projects we're handling. As you know, my company, Thunderboats On The Air, Inc., represents Bob Larimore's UL-23 "Pegasus" team. I wanted you to know that we are presently negotiating a multi-year national sponsorship proposal with Supercuts. The company, and its regional franchisees, joined Apex Industries, and supported the boat as associate sponsor in Kelowna, Seattle, and San Diego, and then as title sponsor in Hawaii in 1999. The three-year package under discussion includes a display boat program, and sufficient financial backing to permit a serious run at the series title. The Pegasus boat will be undergoing renovation at Balcer Boats in a few weeks, and the team is planning a substantial step up in its engine program for the 2000 season. Also, I want to advise that our company now represents American Spirit Motorsports. The team has been involved in auto racing for the last three years, and formed a new ULRS program this Fall, in partnership with a group of experienced Northwest hydroplane racers. The team already has a former Unlimited Light/ Grand National hull undergoing a substantial rebuild, including lengthening, and installation of a cockpit canopy. A national sponsorship search is underway. Some companies that have been approached, have already worked with this team in past stock car racing campaigns. The organization plans to run the entire 2000 circuit. You are free to publish the above information on the ULRS web page. If you have any questions, I'd welcome an inquiry. Holiday greetings to you and Cindy!" J. Mike Fitzsimmons writing on 12/10/99 Radio Controlled LightsOn the UL-10 Earl's Performance Products site, Charley Wiggins points us in the direction of a story on a radio controlled version of the UL-10. It appears Charley isn't the only one winning in an Earl's boat! The story focuses on Andy Kunz's radio controlled version of the UL-10, but taking a look at the model boat portion of Andy's site, we found that there are also photos of R/C versions of the UL-125 Wild Fire and the UL-72 Pocket Mechanic. He even has video of these two boats running out on the water. Probably the neatest things we turned up was the manual that details how to build any of these boats. During the Las Vegas meetings the Unlimited Lights Racing Series created a new Rules Committee in order to provide further focus for the class. The new committee is comprised of Don Melillo, Charley Wiggins, Joe Frauenheim and Cindy Moore. During the Las Vegas meetings, the Unlimited Lights Racing Series created a Technical Committee headed by Bob Larimore. The new Technical Committee is available to individuals/teams who are considering joining the Lights. They will be available to help determine physical needs of potential boats. For more information on the Technical Committee and how it might be able to help, e-mail Bob Larimore. Click here for updates from November, 1999.
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