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Lynch Line for April 2007
That’s why we test. Spring Training arrived for ULHRA Inc on Thursday April 26th. The concept is to provide an affordable means for ULHRA teams to test prior to the season opener. As race driver Harold Mills noted on the video webcast of Spring Training, pre-season testing isn’t commonplace in hydroplane racing as the cost for an individual test session can run into thousands of dollars for a team. As a result often times the first run of the season for some teams is the first heat of the first race. ULHRA decided 4 years ago to establish Spring Training so more of our teams could be ready for the “opening bell”. Twelve teams attended Spring Training with many of them achieving positive results. Mills, the former “pilot” of the UL-40 for Thunder Valley Racing noted that while he is a retired “Teamster” he’s not necessarily retired from race driving and we may see him racing again in ULHRA. On the bright side of the testing scale the UL-929 and Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro had a successful test session. The boat was rebuilt after sustaining damage at San Diego last September. One notable change is in the tails. They’re smaller in 2007. Xaudaro and Team Manager Eric Burke said that the larger tails used last year while effective and impressive were found to be stressful to the stern of the boat. For the UL-929 it looked like they are ready to rebound in 2007 from a less than typical Xaudaro Racing Team season in 2006. The “X-Man” has one career UL victory at Evansville in 2005. Another bright side was Bob Smets and his newly acquired UL-20. His first two runs were unsuccessful in getting the veteran Ed Karelsen hull onto a plane but the third time worked and Smets was able to complete quite a few test laps in preparation for his Wilsonville OR team’s debut at Richland WA at Desert Thunder, May 19th & 20th. Smets’ boat was originally built for and campaigned by former ULHRA entrant Wilsey Hamilton of Kent WA. Hamilton last raced at the 2000 Seafair event in Seattle. The first woman named to race in Unlimited Lights on a regular basis, Kayleigh Perkins, had a successful run as well in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric. She was also interviewed by KIRO TV Channel 7 for their newscast. To be clear, Tracy Morgan was the first woman to compete in the Unlimited Light series in a heat at Valleyfield in 2004. Ms. Perkins will drive in multiple events in 2007, sharing the ride with Canadian driver Patrick Haworth who has two Unlimited Light victories to his credit. The hull showed why it is still a formidable contender. Since the year 2000 the UL-72 has won 3 ULHRA championships, 4 drivers’ titles, and finished first or second in the standings every year. Perkins and Haworth are replacing Michael Flaherty who has moved to the new UL-8 Baker Equipment team and will be driving the former UL-5 that was campaigned by Kevin Aylesworth who’s Freedom Racing Team is wrapping up the hull’s rebuilding project after devastating flip in San Diego in 2005. While it was a good day for the UL-72 team, teammate Dick Lynch at the wheel of the G-13 Tempo from the North American Challenge Cup Series (NACCS) didn’t fare as well. His ride expired before one lap was completed due to a “thrown rod” while Lynch was merely warming up the G-13. It was rather surprising as the Tempo experienced no engine problems at all in 2006. But as the headline notes this is why Spring Training is held so teams can be prepared for the season opener rather than be out of the season opener before the first heat is run. A similar fate befell the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking team of Bob & Janet Estes and driver Mark Echols. Echols ran a few solid laps with the boat handling well till it too threw a rod and they were done for the day. Estes says they’ll be ready for Desert Thunder. For both the G-13 and UL-33 teams one of the challenges for “engine forensics” is to determine why the part failed. Was it due to the part itself or due to something else entirely? The knowledge gained will be quite helpful in the 2007 racing season. Also on hand was the new UL-98 Atomic Screen Printing team of Greg & Lora Walden of Kennewick WA. This is the former UL-14 Miss Critical Logic hull of Paul Becker that Becker drove to third place in the standings last season. Becker has acquired a replacement hull, the former UL-110 of Carl & Randy Haas but that boat wasn’t ready for Spring Training. Becker took the first couple laps in the UL-98 to check the systems and then driver Charles Xaudaro went on the water for a few laps. Unfortunately a shaft coupling broke and that ended Charles’ first run in the 98. Several other teams intended to be at Spring Training but due to parts delivery issues and other matters could not attend. One team told us they couldn’t get sufficient team members the day off from work (Spring Training was on a Thursday). Another, Bob Schellhase and the UL-1 that he owns campaigns with Hopp Racing weren’t able to test because the windows for their new cockpit weren’t ready; an issue that’s cropped up previously in ULHRA. In many ways these racing craft are “one of a kind” and some components just can’t be purchased “off the rack”. However, Schellhase was on hand with his sailboat, the Calisto and in order to note that his team was represented the Calisto sported in gaffers tape a UL-1. Schellhase said they will be ready to defend their ULHRA championship starting with Desert Thunder in Richland. It appears the largest turnout of Unlimited Lights for a season opener can be expected in 3 weeks. The record is a dozen UL teams set at Tastin n Racin at Issaquah WA last June. The all time record for UL entries at a single event was set in Detroit in 2006 and matched at Tri Cities in 2006 with 16 teams. Based on input from UL teams it appears that the record of 16 entries at one event may be eclipsed during the 2007 season. There was an excellent turnout of Lighter than LIGHTS with six of the 8 cylinder teams on hand. The most active was E-72 owner-driver Jon Zimmerman, and he was joined by Jim Mauldin E-31, Rob Schuler E-711, Steve Clark in his newly acquired E-222 purchased from Bob Donley, Wil Muncey and Chris Dreewes in the E-83 which had extensive sponson repairs done by Rob Schuler following damage that occurred at Port Angeles last fall and Darrin Mannie in the E-108 that he purchased from Patrick Haworth. Representing the 4 cylinder ranks was Kevin Eacrett in the S-6, purchased by Barry Eacrett last summer from Phyllis Pasquinucci. That boat was reworked in the off-season and sported a splendid new paint scheme. Photo galleries from Spring Training contributed by Jerry Hopp, Rod Smith and Tim Crowley have been posted on this website. The Lighter than LIGHTS will be at Desert Thunder on May 19th. Good news for Joe and Jackie Bush Turner and their UL-18 “Purple Thunder” program. Sponsorship for 4 races has been secured and the UL-18 will compete as the Countrywide presents StraitThunder.com with sponsorship both from Countrywide Home Loans and the Strait Thunder event at Port Angeles WA. Desert Thunder opens the 2007 ULHRA Racing Season. As many as 15 Unlimited Light teams are expected to compete at this first time ULHRA produced event with a 1 ¼ mile course on the Columbia River. The location is Howard Amon Park in downtown Richland, just a few miles upriver from where the annual Tri Cities Water Follies race is held. River City Racin’ will be added to the ULHRA schedule in 2008 at Chamberlain, South Dakota on the Missouri River where it is crossed by Interstate 90 in central South Dakota. This year there will be an exhibition on Thursday, July 12th. Beginning in 2008 on the weekend of July 12th the first River City Racin’ event featuring the Unlimited Lights and Thunderboats from the North American Challenge Cup Series will be held. The North American Challenge Cup Series which will include both the Thunderboats (G) and Valleyfield (GP) teams at select events in 2007 should have an interesting turnout at Valleyfield. Four Thunderboat teams currently expect to make the trek to Quebec province. The G-10 owned by Milton & Charley Wiggins of Alabama and driven by Cal Phipps of Detroit confirmed they intend to be ready for Valleyfield and will be joined by at least 3 west coast Thunderboats, the G-13 Tempo plus the G-24 of Mike Eacrett and the G-329 of David Warren. Valleyfield’s GP contingent comprised of previous GP entries and a couple of new boats may total 4-6 teams as well. ULHRA expects that up to 10 Unlimited Lights will also be at that event which attracts 100,000 plus attendance over the course of three days, July 6, 7 & 8. Thunderboats (G) are 25-28 feet in length and by rule must weigh a minimum of 3,500 lbs and can be powered by supercharged engines up to 572 cubic inches. Valleyfield GP’s can be a bit shorter and lighter and are also supercharged but with a somewhat different engine package. Melding the two categories into one class should make for some intriguing racing……..particularly on the tight 1 mile oval at Valleyfield. It’s “crunch time” for the volunteers who create Thunder & LIGHTS Magazine. New editor Mark Sharley and his group are putting the finishing touches to the 2007 edition which will be ready for the season opener, Desert Thunder on May 19th & 20th. Thunder & LIGHTS will also be available on various newsstands around the country and can be purchased through this website. The 2007 edition will be the largest Thunder & LIGHTS yet; totaling 112 pages chock full of information and color photographs and a Media Guide of what we call “Racing, ULHRA Style”. Condolences go out to ULHRA Inc. co-founder John O’Brien and his family. O’Brien, a longtime principle with Thunder Valley Racing and the UL-40 recently lost his father, John L. O’Brien who passed away at the age of 95. The senior Mr. O’Brien was a major force in Washington State politics serving for more than 50 years in the State House of Representatives including 8 years as Speaker of the House. The younger Mr. O’Brien not only has been a leader within ULHRA he was one of the organizers of a NW group of racers in the early 90’s that ultimately led to the formation of the Unlimited Light Racing Series in the mid 90’s and later ULHRA Inc. John Lynch P.R. Director, ULHRA Inc.
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