THE UNLIMITED
LIGHTS: 1995 IN REVIEW The 1995 Unlimited hydroplane season saw the introduction of a support class, christened the Unlimited Lights, to run between heats of the big boats. The Unlimited Lights Racing Series, featuring the Grand National Hydroplanes, contributed many exciting moments for the fans during the 1995 campaign. The GNHs indeed created their own level of interest all across the country. At season's end, driver Mark Weber of the PEGASUS PONTIAC team emerged as Series Champion in a field of competitors that included Mike Mammano, Randy Haas, Mike Weber (Mark's brother), Brian Reynolds, Joe Tate, Dave Bender, Charley Wiggins, Jerry and Greg Hopp, Jimmy Deel, Steve Kuhr, Jim Kropfeld and Todd Yarling. In 1994, an experimental "mock" series of four GNH races was conducted in conjunction with the Unlimited schedule. The results were impressive enough for the smaller boats to be accorded full-fledged support class status in 1995. While an Unlimited hydroplane typically measures 28 feet long with an aircraft engine, the Unlimited Lights are some 22 feet in length and utilize high- performance, big-block, marine V-8 engines (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford) with a 468 cubic-inch limit. For years, the GNH class has functioned as a training ground for future Unlimited drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and sponsors. Many former drivers of these boats are now piloting, or have piloted, the turbine-powered Unlimited hydroplanes. The debut race for the GNH boats was at Phoenix, Arizona, on April 23. Dave Bender, at the wheel of PAY- N-PLAY, became the first winner in Unlimited Lights Series history with an average of 101.906 miles per hour in the Final Heat. Mark Weber finished second at 97.905 with PEGASUS PONTIAC, followed by Mike Mammano in MISS BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO and Randy Haas in MISS LEROI, while Paul Droullard and MISS BEV-TEK failed to finish. As the season progressed, no one boat dominated for very long. It was always anybody's boat race. No one driver won more than two races back-to-back. Charley Wiggins and HIGH PRESSURE scored consecutive victories at Madison, Indiana, and Lewisville, Texas; while Brian Reynolds and FLYIN' HAWAIIAN won on consecutive weekends at the Tri- Cities, Washington, and Seattle, Washington. Mammano won at Detroit, Michigan, on June 4 under the banner of BOB THIBIDEAU FORD SPECIAL and at Evansville, Indiana, on June 25 under the sponsorship of R.C. COLA. In between Mammano's victories, Mike Weber won at Kansas City, Missouri, on June 18 with PRIDE OF DETROIT. The Unlimited Lightsseason concluded on September 17 on San Diego's Mission Bay. Mark Weber did the honors on behalf of RED DOG BEER, followed by Mammano in MISS BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO, Rick Bridgeman in SHOCKWAVE, Haas in MISS LEROI, and Tony Stalder in CHIPS AHOY. Series Champion Weber had, earlier in the season, finished second at Phoenix, Evansville, and Lewisville for owner Bob Larimore's team, which headquarters in Springfield, Ohio. The addition of the Unlimited Lights to the 1995 Unlimited circuit translated to lots of competitive action for the fans. Perhaps the single most suspenseful heat of the year occurred at Lake Washington on a rain-soaked day in Seattle. FLYIN' HAWAIIAN had sustained damage to the starboard side after being rammed at the start of the Final Heat by another boat. Pilot Reynolds managed to hold off a last-minute challenge from a fast-closing Larimore in RED DOG BEER at the finish line. In the words of Unlimited Commissioner Bill Doner, "The Unlimited Lights Series serves as a unique proving ground for marine engine manufacturers to promote their product and expose the live and television audiences to an engine very similar to those currently sold to the public." "This companion, or support, series provides a research and development arena for hull structure, paint and coatings durability, aerodynamic experiments, propulsion design, engine management design, and many other component applications to the boating industry--all tried and proven in the rigorous torture testing of the racing circuit."
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