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June 2005. Let the Racin' (and Tastin') begin!

2005's eagerly anticipated Unlimited Lights season opens this weekend east of Seattle. It's the 9th annual Tastin n Racin Festival, featuring the Baker Equipment Cup for Unlimited Lights, June 10-12 at Lake Sammamish State Park near Issaquah WA.

The festival was created by members of ULHRA's Thunder Valley Racing Team with the idea of combining a race & festival in their homeport of Issaquah. It's gone beyond that to become one of the largest events of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. By presenting a festival, complete with live music, custom car show, food & crafts booths, a motorcycle stunt show, and hydroplane racing, the organizers of Tastin n Racin are now looked upon around the country as an example of how to properly develop a community event.

The 2005 Unlimited Lights season is expected to be more than a 2 boat race. Since 1997, all Unlimited Lights championships have been won by either the current UL-1, or the UL-72 hull. 8 straight titles spread between 2 boats. But now, there's more competition for the top of the podium than ever before in Unlimited Lights racing, and plenty of teams ready to break that UL-1-UL-72 streak.

To become the champion, you must first beat the champion. For the past two years, the UL-1 Hopp Racing team's "Mike's Hard Lemonade - Happy Go Lucky" has been champion. Despite increased competition in 2005, one must still look to the defender as the favorite till they are dethroned. Not only did the Hopp team win the title the past two seasons, they've won 11 of the past 18 Unlimited Lights races, dating back to Seattle, 2002. There's nothing to indicate they will be any less strong in 2005. The bulk of the race driving will be by Greg Hopp, while "Grandpa" Jerry continues to recuperate from twin knee replacement surgery and manages the team. Jerry plans to drive the rig to each event, but don't be surprised to see the senior Hopp behind the wheel in 2005. After all, he showed at Seafair Seattle in 2004 he still has what it takes to race in this series, winning on his home course with a thrilling victory over George Woods.

Big changes at the UL-72. The boat is the same, so are the engines and hardware and ownership. But the personnel is completely different. Last year's UL-72 crew has transferred along with driver George Woods to the team's new "G-Boat" in the Thunderboats ACCS series. Taking over the UL-72 is former UL-72 crew chief John Flaherty, and driver/son Michael Flaherty, the ULHRA's 2004 Rookie of the Year. This is the same team that operated the UL-51 for the past two seasons, till owners Joe Frauenheim and Phil Bononcini sold that program to David Warren and it will now be a "G-Boat". So, Flaherty, Flaherty, and company have moved to the championship caliber UL-72. Incidentally, the Thunderboats American Challenge Cup Series debuts at Valleyfield in July.

So whom else can be expected to challenge in 2005? Start with the only team other than the 1 or 72 to score a victory in 2004. The UL-5 Freedom Racing Team of San Diego's Kevin Aylesworth won at Valleyfield in 2004, and could've won at San Diego and Port Angeles, taking 2nd place at both events. But with offseason upgrades to the ever improving "tandem wing" hull, and continual improvement by driver Aylesworth, the UL-5 is a definite contender in 2005, especially after recording the fastest speed at Spring Training, last month.

Certainly a contender at every event they enter is the UL-10 Wiggins Racing Team, driven by Detroit's Cal Phipps, and Valleyfield's Patrick Haworth. While they won't challenge for the title, simply because they won't be able to compete at all events in 2005, they can certainly have an impact on the championship battle. This team won twice in 2003. They will not be at the season opener, but will join the series in Evansville.

Last year's third place team is a real "dark horse" this year. And that's not just because the boat is now all black. Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro and his crew have greatly modified the boat that took 3 consecutive second place finishes in 2004. It's been lengthened by 2 feet, widened by one foot, and added 40 cubic inches and more horsepower & torque in the engine well. Xaudaro has tested twice prior to the season opener and had problems both times. But if last year's an indication and this year's upgrades prove beneficial, expect the "X-Man" to challenge for his first ever UL victory, and possibly more, in 2005.

There is no doubt the UL-9 American Eagle is fast. It holds the ULHRA record for single lap qualifying at 122.324 mph. What it hasn't shown, yet, is a penchant for challenging on the race course.....something that a year's experience can certainly help. With limited parts & resources and modest sponsorship, the team must also "pick their spots" to challenge, but owner-driver Paul Droullard and team can qualify for Final Heats, a break through win for this team would be no surprise.

Another entry that established a team record 2nd place finish at Olympia WA in 2004, is the Thunder Valley Racing team, driven for the second full year by Harold Mills. The team's mission in 2004 was to finish heats and finish Final Heats. That they did...completing all Final Heats in the 7 races they entered (the team did not race at Evansville) and failed to finish just 2 heats all year. This on the heals of an extremely disappointing 2003 campaign that was fraught with problems. The team enters Tastin n Racin with no testing time, having a winter long hull repair and upgrade program culminate in the boat reaching the "paint booth" 7 days prior to the season opener. Still, this is a team that knows what it has and can certainly be and fully expects to be a "player" in 2005.

2nd year team, UL-6 BCS Enterprises showed they are ready to compete in 2005. The boat was driven to 4 UL victories by previous owner-driver Dave Bender. In 2004 the new BCS team, led by Kerry Beynon and Al Carstensen, many time champions in Limited Inboard racing, learned what they had and performed well. Now with a new rudder and more horsepower than in 2004, driver Carstensen says the boat is faster and "now, on the straightaway, it goes straight!!". Beynon and Carstensen know the way to the victory podium. While they cannot compete on the entire circuit, they'll certainly challenge along with way, starting at Tastin n Racin.

Don't ignore the "old guard". Not that airline pilot Paul Becker is old.......just his boat.....built by Ron Jones Sr. in 1974. But the veteran Miss Software Prototype UL-14 showed a lot a fire at Spring Training last month. And there's an adage that teams like Becker's can follow to success. That is, "if you make the opposition go around you, sometimes they don't". Translated, it means hit the starts on time and those that don't may not always be able to pass. For the first time in his UL career, Becker may have a hull and engine combination that will allow him to "mix it up a little" in 2005.

Another real dark horse is a brand new effort from owner Tom Eckenberg and driver Steve Hook. The team combined for 4th & 5th place ULHRA finishes in 2002 and 2003 before taking 2004 off to build a new Dale Van Wierengen hull. Now, in a "down to the wire" effort, the team hopes to debut at Tastin n Racin this weekend. Driver Hook showed his talent in an Unlimited (turbine) hydroplane last summer, but now returns to his favorite....the ULHRA series.

One of the many nice UL stories of 2004 was the Jackie's Purple Thunder UL-18. Practically sinking at Seafair in Seattle, this writer wrote off their competing the following week in Olympia WA. Not only did they show up, driver Joe Turner qualified for his first ever ULHRA Final Heat and scored a 5th place finish. Look for more improvement from this team in 2005.

10 or more teams will open the season at Issaquah WA this weekend. The series then moves east where several teams will join the series in Evansville IN June 24-26, followed by Valleyfield, Quebec July 8-10.

The 2005 ULHRA tour will then return to the State of Washington for three in a row.......Tri Cities WA for the HAPO Community Thunder Cup July 29-31, Seattle for the Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair, August 5-7, and the brand new Quicksilver Regatta in Silverdale, Aug 12-14.

The 8 race campaign then heads south to San Diego CA September 16-18 and concludes with the third annual Strait Thunder Hydroplane Race and All Makes Bike Ride benefiting the local Boys & Girls Club, in Port Angeles WA Sept. 30, October 1 & 2. More details on each event can been accessed by clicking on the SCHEDULE button on the home page of this site.

John Lynch

"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights