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Lynch Line
October 2007
When is the off season not the off season? As I’ve written before there’s never really an off season in ULHRA anymore. There’s the racing season and then there’s the non racing season. But this year there’s a bonus……..an off season exhibition event as the Unlimited Lights return to the site of the very first Unlimited Lights race. The year was 1995. The Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Association which was the sanctioning body for Unlimited Hydroplanes at that time had established the new Unlimited Lights class as their “support series”. The “Lights” grew out of 7 Liter/Grand National Hydroplane racing. That first race earned Dave Bender the honor of the first ever Unlimited Lights race champion at Firebird Lake in Chandler AZ just outside of Phoenix. Bender went on to 3 more career victories before retiring from competition in 2003.
The X-Man and the Camera Man? Could be. Vince “X-Man” Xaudaro is teaming up with Jim & Karon Wilmot for the Phoenix exhibition in November and this one event partnership might expand into the 2008 season. Xaudaro, he of the “all black, all the time” UL-929 has been without a ride since his mount was severely damaged at the Silverdale race in August. The Wilmot’s had been, until Jim’s untimely illness this spring, operators of the camera and streaming computer for ULHRA Video and became owners of the UL-21 hull last winter. An arrangement was made with Joe Turner for him to race the 21 hull as his replacement UL-18 Countrywide Home Loans presents Straitthunder.com entry at the Silverdale and Port Angeles races. Now back with Jim & Karon the hull is being prepped at Xaudaro’s shop for the Phoenix event and it will go into that program with two solid na turally aspirated (carburetor) engines; one from Xaudaro’s team that powered the UL-929 and one acquired by the Wilmot’s along with the hull from Carlos Buitron of Mexico; an engine that once was raced by the 3 time series champion Ned Allen owned, Bo Schide driven UL-16 team in the late 1990’s and has recently been updated by Ed Trihey. The 2008 schedule will be posted soon on this website. It will reflect the largest number of races “secured” at this time of year for the upcoming season. More races will be added to the schedule as contracts are completed. 2008 will see new race sites for ULHRA on the schedule, and possibly a return of a site or two from years past. Thunderboat (G) team owners met recently to discuss efforts to build up their program. The Thunderboat class was authorized in late 2003 as a division for hydroplanes larger than Unlimited Lights with bigger, more powerful supercharged engines. It’s been in a developmental phase since 2005. To hear one owner-driver in the class tell it, the G-24 of Mike Eacrett with Crew Chief Ron Brown and engine by Ed Trihey have it going. Jerry Hopp and the G-15 Festool Supply NW said at Seattle that the straightaway speed of Eacrett’s ride was amazing. Hopp said “we’d be even with the 24 exiting turn one and by the end of the backstretch he had 2 roostertail lengths on me”. The G-15’s superior cornering ability closed the gap in the turns. Hopp’s ride is no slouch. It holds the UL straightaway speed record of better than 161 mph. The kind of performance exhibited by the Eacrett driven G-24 is what the other G teams are working hard to achieve this off season. For 2008 the Thunderboat class is expected to compete at most, if not all ULHRA events with at least 6 teams committed to starting the season and a couple more efforts underway to join the “fleet”. When that many Thunderboats head toward the starting line fans get on their feet, reminiscent of the glory days of the Allison & Rolls WWII engines in Unlimited Hydroplane racing. Lighter than LIGHTS teams are also gearing up for the 2008 LTL season. Two time 8 cylinder champion Bud McKay, the only repeat champion in LTL history, along with multi-team (4 & 8 cylinder) owner Barry Eacret are spearheading efforts to improve the LTL series for the participants in both categories and for the race sites and fans. The Lighter than LIGHTS program was created to be a “stepping stone” for drivers, crew chiefs and teams to learn their craft and then advance to the larger race boat series if they so desired, and that is exactly what has happened. Since 2003 a total of 13 drivers including 2007 Unlimited Lights Champion Kayleigh Perkins have “graduated” from the LTL program.
We welcome
Melissa
Davidson to
this site.
Melissa has
taken the
reigns of
webmaster
from
retiring Ed
Nelson. Ed
departs this
position;
one that he
never sought
but refused
to turn down
when asked.
He was
recruited to
take over
the website
several
years ago
and learned
this
assignment
on the job.
He did the
same thing
in
developing
ULHRA
video….taking
a mere
concept and
making it
work for
continuous
live
coverage of
ULHRA racing
despite
phenomenal
obstacles…..not
the least of
which was
budget, as
in lack of.
Ed’s a
classic case
of “if you
want
something
done, ask a
busy
person”.
Like other
ULHRA
volunteers
he began his
association
with this
series on a
John Lynch P.R. Director & “Voice” of ULHRA Racing
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singular
level; Chief
Statistician.
However as
in most
volunteer
organizations
when one
proves they
can handle
one job,
another job
is thrust
their way.
Throughout
his time
here he
added
webmaster,
video
producer,
and even
took a stint
as Referee.
With his
long history
in
hydroplane
racing, from
limited
hydro owner
and crew
chief to
Unlimited
Hydroplane
crew chief
and series
inspector,
Ed Nelson
has
contributed
greatly to
the sport we
all love.
Thanks for
everything,
Ed. This
sport and
this series
have
benefited
greatly from
your
involvement.
Be proud of
your many
accomplishments
and
contributions
to what we
call Racing,
ULHRA Style!