Lynch Line February 2008
Racing starts in 2
months!
Hard to believe but yes
it’s just two months
till the season opener
at Firebird
International Raceway in
Chandler AZ, just
outside of Phoenix.
“Trafficade
presents the Unlimited
Lights at Firebird”,
along with the IHBA
Lucas Oil Drag Boat
Racing Series and the
Tire Pro’s Monster Truck
Nationals. This is
truly a “destination
event” the weekend of
April 24th –
27th. For
ticket information
contact the raceway at
http://firebird.ticketforce.com/
and we’ll see you
there. If you can’t
attend you will be able
to watch the Unlimited
Lights, plus the
Thunderboats (G) class
and for the first time
outside the State of
Washington, the Lighter
than LIGHTS all together
in the Valley of the
Sun, right here at
www.ulhra.org
What a month of
February! It began with
the announcement of
Polson MT and Anderson
Radio Broadcasting
signing with ULHRA Inc.
to bring our racing
series to Flathead
Lake. It’ll be the
first time in over 20
years that hydroplanes
have raced at the scenic
lake not far from
Kalispell MT. Many
ULHRA drivers such as
Jerry and Greg Hopp,
R.W. Dick Lynch and Joe
Souza among others have
raced at Flathead Lake
in years past and all
are looking forward to a
return engagement.
It’ll have special
meaning for the G-13
Tempo Thunderboat team
owned by Joe Frauenheim
and Phil Bononcini.
Back in 1955 the G-13,
then the Tempo VII
driven by Danny Foster
and owned by band leader
Guy Lombardo won three
heats at Flathead Lake
to win the Copper Cup.
Frauenheim & Bononcini,
in addition to their
G-13 and UL-72 teams
also own the G-13 Tempo
VI which was driven by
Lombardo to victory in
the 1946 Gold Cup. The
VI is completely
restored to running
condition and is seen on
display at various
events.
Following on the heels
of the Polson MT
announcement was the
agreement to return the
“Lights” to Tri Cities.
Tri Cities Water Follies
have signed on for the
Unlimited Lights to race
on the Columbia River at
the end of July.
Returning
ULHRA to Tri Cities
signified the renewed
strength of the TCWF
organization which made
major changes and
implemented cost saving
measures to keep the
event going in 2007 and
the program is growing
once again in 2008. For
the UL drivers they
truly enjoy racing at
Tri Cities, one of the
fastest race courses for
the Unlimited Lights and
one where the drivers
can really “crank it
up”.
Those two races added to
the 2008 events roster
have created the most
aggressive scheduling in
Unlimited Lights
history. For 5
consecutive weeks the
ULHRA teams will be
active starting with the
brand new River City
Racin’ event in
Chamberlain-Oacoma,
South Dakota. Opening
that area to hydroplane
racing has been
tremendously received.
That event will be July
13 & 14, followed one
week later by Polson MT.
and then another week
later in Tri Cities WA.
Those three races are
more than just “3 in a
row”. They’re the last
call for the Graham
Trucking Cup at Seafair
in Seattle. Due to
crowded conditions at
the Seattle pit area
ULHRA is limited to 14
Unlimited Lights at the
Graham Trucking Cup.
Those 14 teams will be
determined by UL series
points at the end of the
Tri Cities race.
Seattle is the 4th
race in a row and the
run still continues with
Silverdale WA one week
later. 5 weeks, 5
races, and afterward the
teams will be looking
forward to taking a well
earned breather for the
balance of August.
At the end of February
yet another event was
announced; this one an
exhibition at part of
another racing circuit’s
event. The Champ Boat
Series has invited ULHRA
to conduct an exhibition
during their series race
in Tennessee and ULHRA
has accepted. So, yes
it’s true; there will be
hydroplanes racing in
Tennessee the first
weekend of May. A select
group of Unlimited
Lights will travel to
Pickwick Landing the
weekend May 2nd
through the 4th,
right after the Phoenix
season opener.
Highlights of the
Unlimited Lights
exhibition will be part
of the Champ Boat series
telecast on Speed
Channel next winter.
ULHRA is approaching
this event the same way
it approached the
Phoenix exhibition with
the IHBA Drag Boats last
November. That November
success led to this
April’s full scale event
at Firebird Lake and
it’s hoped the Pickwick
Landing exhibition can
lead to a series race in
2009 as ULHRA continues
to expand
its racing
series across the USA.
Activity for the teams
is heating up,
particularly the new
teams. UL-39
“Pressure’s On” owned by
Bob Scribner of Odessa
TX and driven by Tacoma,
Washington’s “Smokin
Joe” Souza has just
taken delivery of a 509
cubic inch naturally
aspirated engine from
former UL racers, now
Thunderboat G-10
campaigners Milton &
Charley Wiggins of
Rainbow City, Alabama.
This is Scribner’s first
foray into ULHRA racing
and the new team owner
vows that the team will
have an impressive
appearance. His boat,
the first UL-929 of
Vince Xaudaro and
designed by Ed Karelson
nearly 2 decades ago
won’t necessarily be the
fastest hull but
Scribner subscribes to
the adage that “they may
forget how you raced but
they’ll always remember
how you looked”.
Scribner is the first
Texas based owner in
ULHRA racing and 2008
will be their “maiden
voyage” which he expects
to build upon in the
years ahead.
Ken Brodie checks in
from New York State with
the news that a buyer
has agreed to purchase
the UL-50 which has been
featured on this site’s
For Sale section. The
hull & trailer will be
delivered in the next
few weeks and while it
hasn’t been announced
who is buying the team
there is reason to
believe it may be headed
back to the Unlimited
Lights series, where it
was last raced by the
Brodie family at
Evansville and
Valleyfield in 2005.
David Grant checks in
with news that Grant
Boat Racing is ready to
do just that…..go boat
racing. Last year
Randy, Jean,
David and Chris Grant
acquired a never
completed UL that is
just about ready to go
racing. The UL-3 “t
machine” Ron Jones
tandem wing design was
acquired from Terry
Troxell along with a 454
Pontiac naturally
aspirated engine. Chris
Grant will be behind the
wheel when the team
debuts this season.
Darren Bartels has added
experience to his UL-11
program. Michael
Flaherty, former driver
of the UL-72 and UL-8
with 4 Unlimited Lights
victories, and his
former crew chief on the
72 team, Scott Main have
joined the UL-11
program. Bartels’ goal
for this year………the same
as many other teams;
qualify among the top 14
teams in points so he
can race at his hometown
Seattle race the first
weekend of August.
Lots of off season work
at Hopp Racing. Jerry
Hopp has submitted two
installments of the work
being done of the “Auld”
hydroplane, the
winningest UL in history
with 32 trophies.
“Grandpa Jerry” will
have other installments
soon. Meantime work
continues on the Bob
Schellhase owned UL-12
in hopes of being ready
by Phoenix, or at least
Richland in mid May.
The UL-12 was seriously
damaged at Port
Angeles. Not only was
there damage caused by
the flip, there was
plenty of corrosion
caused by the salt water
from the Strait of Juan
de Fuca. Jerry Hopp’s
report on off season
work goes into detail on
maintenance and
prevention of salt water
damage. You’ll find his
reports on this website.
Roostertales continues
to be a popular addition
to this website. There
will be several more
features over the next
few weeks as the season
opener gets closer.
Also the annual
Referee’s Seminar,
conducted by Chief
Referee Rick Sandstrom
and Assistant Referee
Howard Shaw will be
conducted on Saturday
March 1st.
Sandstrom will detail
for owners, drivers and
crew chiefs the new
rules and their
implementation, plus any
adjustments and
clarifications that will
pertain to Racing, ULHRA
Style in 2008. A live
webcast is planned for
the Referee’s seminar in
order that non
Washington State based
teams can view and
participate.
John Lynch
P.R. Director, ULHRA
Inc.
