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Gold Cup
Video Salutes the UL-929
UL929 en route to Valleyfield
Vince Xaudaro, UL-929, announces Holweger
Development and Construction Inc. as title sponsor
at Evansville.
More from the G-13 Tempo test in Seattle
Mark Sharley provides
shots of the recent G-13 test, prior to the debut of
the new Thunderboats ACCS series in Valleyfield,
next month. Performance was markedly improved over
the initial test run at Spring Training in
May. Driver and engine consultant George Woods
reported they found a problem in the new engine
after Spring Training and took corrective
measures. Woods says the Tempo isn't quite where
he'd like it, but it's much closer than a month ago.
He also said the boat drove well. As the photos
depict, you can easily understand why people are
referring to the brand new Tempo, owned by Phil
Bononcini and Joe Frauenheim, as "Phil & Joseph's
Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat". (with apologies to
Andrew Lloyd Webber).
G-13 Testing at Lake Washington by Jeanne Miller
Strait Thunder meets Street Thunder
Below is an ad that will be in the Harley Davidson
magazine for the months of JULY, August and
September. The ad will cover the entire western half
of the United States. We hope to have a min. of 150
riders at our event. Honestly we are hoping for 500
or more. We have chosen the Boys and Girls Club of
Mount Angeles. They will be receiving a donation
from NW Scooters on behalf of the ULHRA. The
magazine can be picked up for free at any Harley
Davidson Dealer.
Statistics never tell the
whole story, even the statistics posted on this site
from Tastin n Racin 2005. But there is one "stat" that
cannot be ignored. From Seafair 2002 through last
weekend's Tastin n Racin 2005, the Mike's Hard Lemonade
team has been mighty tough to beat. In that 19 race
stretch, the Hopp Racing crew have been atop the victory
podium 12 times. The next closest is the UL-72 team,
currently racing as the Miss Boat Electric. It has 3
wins, all in 2004 with George Woods driving. Then
there's the UL-10 which won twice in 2003, with Patrick
Haworth and Cal Phipps driving. Finally, retired Randy
Haas in the former UL-110.....a sister hull to the Hopp
Racing UL-1 had one victory and Kevin Aylesworth in the
UL-5 also had one victory. Who's going to slow down the
screaming yellow charger? Well, it won't be easy, but
in 2005 there are plenty of real challengers.
The fastest qualifier in
ULHRA history showed at Tastin n Racin the American
Eagle can race, too. Victory in Heat 1A, followed by
consecutive 2nd place finishes (behind Greg Hopp)
demonstrated that Paul Droullard's team is definitely a
contender. With minimal sponsorship the team can't
"crank it up" as they'd like and must strive to avoid
breakage. But this is one quick bird, so don't be
surprised to see Droullard atop a victory podium.
It's one thing to learn to
drive the UL-51. At about 3400 lbs it was an excellent
way to start. But now, 2004 Rookie of the Year Michael
Flaherty has one of the best rides ever built for
Unlimited Light racing; the former 3 time ULHRA Champion
UL-72 Miss Boat Electric. Flaherty admitted he has some
"learning to do" with the much racier hull than he drove
last year. But he also showed to be a quick learner and
parlayed a "trailer boat" starting spot to a third place
finish at Tastin n Racin. This team, and this driver,
have much more they can show in the weeks ahead.
The "X-Man" reached a
personal milestone last weekend. He finished a heat at
Tastin n Racin. That's seems impossible for the 3rd
place driver in 2004 to say, but it's true. The UL-929
team had never, in 4 previous tries, scored a heat
finish at TnR. However, the newly revamped hull, 2 feet
longer and 1 foot wider than last year, showed it has a
great deal of potential, as does the new 509 cu.in
engine. A little more sponsorship and who knows how far
and fast Vince Xaudaro and the UL-929 can go.
An uncharacteristic error
prior to the start relegated the UL-5 Freedom Racing
Team to 6th place at Tastin n Racin. But Kevin
Aylesworth and the Freedom Racing Team expect more from
themselves this year, and should challenge for the
title. One heat victory helped the San Diego based team
to 3rd place in the standings after race #1.
What of the non finalists at
Tastin n Racin? Certainly the host team, Thunder Valley
Racing's UL-40 Miss Red Dot Corporation performed much
better than the points total shows; just one 3rd place
finish. Harold Mills was unable to finish his second
heat and took 2nd in the B-Main behind Michael Flaherty
to miss the Final by one position. The boat's first
time on the water in 2005 was Heat 1A on Saturday after
a winter long repair and upgrade on the hull. It's
quicker in 2005, and it's sponsored all season long by
Red Dot Corporation. This ex GP hull can certainly be a
"player" in the ULHRA championship hunt and driver
Harold Mills is getting closer and closer to his first
ever Unlimited Lights victory.
For those who root for the
classic underdog, Sunday morning was your time, albeit
briefly, at Tastin n Racin. It was turn back the clock
time. It was dear Gramma Emma morphing into Sandra
Bullock. Yes, the yellow boat was in the lead, but
it was the 31 year old Miss Software Prototype in the
lead!!..........and the Mike's Hard Lemonade was second
in Heat 1B. You had to know it couldn't last, and it
didn't. Exiting turn one on the 3rd lap after just
giving up the lead to Greg Hopp, driver Paul Becker
missed a buoy and had to circle around to pick it up,
costing him a second place finish. But the one time 7
Liter Division 2 "Buccaneer", created by Ron Jones Sr.
in 1974, showed it can still compete now that there's
new muscle in the engine well and better cornering
capabilities than demonstrated in the past. Becker and
the "Softprop" won't be on the "eastern swing" but the
team showed, especially on the long sweeping turn two,
they could be a real factor on the "D" shaped Hapo
Community Thunder Cup course at Tri Cities WA at the end
of July.
Up next is Evansville IN.
A field of 12 will contest that event on the swift Ohio
River course with one of the finest spectator viewing
areas in all of hydroplane racing. Joining the UL
"fleet" will be Detroit's Cal Phipps in the UL-10 "High
Pressure" from Wiggins Hydroplane Racing of Alabama.
This team won twice in 2003 and is certainly capable of
a win every time they compete. New to the UL series is
father & son Ken Brodie and Ken Brodie II from New York
in their new UL-50......their former GP-77. This will
be their first time in UL competition, but they have a
great deal of experience generated in the GP ranks. The
two boat contingent from Hard Hat Racing's Pingree
Conflitti will be in competition; both the UL-58 Union
Dooz which won in Valleyfield 2002, and the UL-559
"Outlaw" which Conflitti acquired the day after
Evansville last year, and raced 6 days later in
Valleyfield. It's certain to be a very full, and very
entertaining field at Thunder on the Ohio. If you're
anywhere within reasonable distance of Evansville,
Indiana, this will be a race to see, June 24th through
June 26th.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited
Lights
Gold Cup Video at Tastin' n Racin'
It's an odd numbered year so naturally Greg Hopp wins the season opener.
It happened in 2001, and 2003,
and now in 2005. Greg Hopp takes the victory in the 9th
annual Baker Equipment Cup at Tastin n Racin in Issaquah
WA. Driving the 2 time defending ULHRA National Champion,
Hopp grabbed victories in his two preliminary heats and then
drove the UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade-Happy Go Lucky to a wire
to wire victory in the Final over Paul Droullard in the UL-9
American Eagle. Hopp took the initial lead in the 2005
ULHRA Championship race with 1,200.
For Droullard, Tastin n Racin
weekend was a career best. He won heat 1A on Saturday, then
took 2nd behind Hopp in Heat 3A and the Final for a 1,000
point weekend. (note, Heats 2A & 2B were canceled due to
high winds on Saturday) For this Auburn WA owner-driver who
competed in the very first Unlimited Lights race 10 years
ago, it was his best ever finish, and he was deck to deck
with Hopp through the first of 4 laps.
Third place went to Michael
Flaherty in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric who benefited from
other teams' errors at the start to parlay a "trailer boat"
position to a podium finish. It was the first race for the
2004 Rookie of the Year in the UL-72.
Fourth place went to the
"X-Man", Vince Xaudaro in his newly remodeled and re-styled
UL-929. 5th went to Joe Turner in the UL-18 Pacific Rim
Brewing Company presents Baker Equipment Special. (and he
took first place in the longest boat name contest!) with
Kevin Aylesworth in the UL-5 Freedom Racing Team winding up
6th.
In the Washington State based
Lighter than LIGHTS series opener, Bob Estes in
the "Instigator" won the ESL Enterprises 8 Cylinder Modified
Class, while Mark Echols in the "Silver Cloud Inns" won the
8 cylinder stock class. And in the 4 cylinder stock class,
those "young guns" were at it again. Fierce rivals, yet
great friends and teammates, Jeff Bernard won the Final
in the S-6 Perkins Glass presents Miss Breezy, by just a
boat length over Brian Perkins in the Y-28 Perkins Glass.
John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights
Brian and Curtis Bost of Gold Cup Video share some Tastin' n Racin' photos
Day 1 of Tastin n Racin found Paul Doullard in the UL-9 American Eagle taking first place in Heat 1A. Unfortunately it was the only UL heat conducted on Saturday, June 10th as racing was halted due to high winds on Lake Sammamish near Seattle. Droullard led wire to wire for an impressive victory over Kevin Aylesworth in the UL-5 Freedom Racing entry. Recovering for a strong third place finish after the boat stalled just before the start was Harold Mills in the host entry, UL-40 Miss Red Dot Corporation. The boat went dead in the water just before the start but Mills was able to re-fire and ran strong for the 4 laps. He overcame Vince "X-Man Xaudaro in the newly remodeled UL929 who finished 4th. 2004 Rookie of the Year Michael Flaherty in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric did not start after a flywheel & crankshaft failure during the warmup period prior to the start. It's only one heat but Droullard finds himself atop the ULHRA standings for the first time ever. The Auburn WA resident qualified for the Final Heat at the first ever Unlimited Lights event in 1995. Ayelsworth's Freedom Racing team looks to make a gear change before racing resumes on Sunday. Mills and the Thunder Valley team were very pleased with how the upgraded UL-40 performed in it's first time on the water. And Xaudaro was thrilled for a different reason. For the first time in his team's history at Tastin n Racin, they finished a heat and scored points. Last year after a skid fin failure at this event, Xaudaro reeled off three consecutive 2nd place finishes on the way to a career best third place in the final ULHRA 2004 standings. Heat 1B will be conducted at 10:00am on Sunday with the rest of the Saturday schedule, and the Sunday schedule to follow. John Lynch
This week's guest on the Fast, Wet, and Wild show will be Chris
Courtright. Chris is the director of the very successful "Tastin
n Racin" festival which features the Baker Equipment Cup for
Unlimited Lights. Chris will discuss the genesis of the event,
now in it's 9th year, and what it takes to stage such a high
caliber program. Fast, Wet and Wild can be seen on RSBN.TV and
is simulcast on RSBN.net internet radio. Fast, Wet and Wild can
be seen on RSBN.tv every Thursday at nine P.M. PDT
UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade on display at Issaquah Albertsons One day prior to the season opener, The UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade of Jerry & Greg Hopp will be on display for race 
fans at the Albertsons in Issaquah WA, very close to the race site
at Lake Sammamish State Park east of Seattle. The display will be
held from 11:00am till 3:00pm on Thursday (June 9). Fans can get an
"up close" look at the two time defending Unlimited Lights
Championship hull, which the team just completed major off season
upgrades. Friday the UL-1 and the rest of the Unlimited Lights will
move to the pit area for this weekend's Tastin n Racin. Testing
will take place on Friday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm. Racing will be
held Saturday and Sunday. For complete details on the 9th annual
Tastin n Racin festival, click here.
http://www.tastinracin.com/Last chance test before Season Opener
Three teams made the trek over the Cascade Range to Entiat WA on
Saturday, June 4th for their final opportunity to test prior to
this weekend's Tastin n Racin season opener. Two of the teams,
UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade and UL-9 American Eagle weren't quite
ready for Spring Training last month. The third, UL-929 Xaudaro
Racing had a very limited run at Spring Training and needed to
test repairs made following their aborted test. The test session
was held as part of the APBA Region 10 race in Entiat, a town
just north of Wenatchee WA.
If you didn't know different, it'd be hard to believe that both
the UL-1 hull, and co-owner Jerry Hopp, underwent major
off-season reconstruction. Both seemed to perform flawlessly.
The UL-1 with Greg Hopp driving looked ready to defend their two
consecutive ULHRA titles. Meanwhile, Jerry Hopp seemed in good
shape on his two surgically replaced knees. His only comment
later was the knees "growled" from standing around much of the
day.
Paul Droullard and the UL-9 American Eagle seemed to pick
up right where they left off last year, when the Eagle set a new
ULHRA qualifying lap record in San Diego at 122.324 mph.
Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro turned some 'scary-fast' laps before
returning to the dock to sort out some steering woes. More
repairs are scheduled prior to Tastin n Racin. After adding 2
feet in length, 1 foot in width, and 40 more cubic inches in the
engine well, if the steering issues are cleared up Xaudaro will
be an even stronger challenger than in 2004 when the 929 was the
third ranked team.
Clear skies. No wind. Loud hydroplanes. A great appetizer for 'Tastin'
and Racin'! It all starts with testing on Friday afternoon
(June 10) with racing all day Saturday & Sunday. If you can't
attend in person at Lake Sammamish State Park just east of
Seattle at Issaquah WA, log on here frequently for updates and
video coverage.
Mark Sharley
Photo Editor, Thunder & LIGHTS magazine
Miss Red Dot Ready for 2005 Hydroplane Racing Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Miss Red Dot Ready for 2005 Hydroplane Racing Season Red Dot announces title sponsorship of unlimited-light hydroplane team SEATTLE (June 6, 2005) -- Red Dot Corp. announced today that it will be the title sponsor of the UL-40 unlimited-light hydroplane owned by Thunder Valley Racing of Issaquah, Wash., for the 2005 racing season. The boat, called the Miss Red Dot, will compete in an eight-race circuit that begins at the Tastin' and Racin' festival on Lake Sammamish in Issaquah from June 10-12. Unlimited-light hydroplanes are throwbacks to the "thunderboat" era of hydroplane racing of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, when fans gathered to take in the irresistible noise of the big-block piston engines and the spray and excitement of deck-to-deck competition. This is the second year Red Dot has supported the UL-40 and Thunder Valley Racing but its first as title sponsor. Red Dot president Randy Gardiner said the company is excited to expand its relationship with Thunder Valley Racing and the UL-40 team, which finished sixth in the Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Racing Association (ULHRA) national points standings in 2004. "Hundreds of thousands of fans in the United States and Canada see unlimited-light hydro racing every year, in person and on television, so it’s great exposure for Red Dot, our products, and our distributors," Gardiner said. With a top speed of 160 mph, a rooster tail longer than 50 yards, and a 1,100-horsepower supercharged engine, the Miss Red Dot will be a favorite on the water and off it, said†John O'Brien, one of eight partners in Thunder Valley Racing. The crew opens the pit area before each race so fans can have their picture taken with the boat and meet legendary driver Harold Mills. In addition to the season-opening race in Issaquah, the Miss Red Dot will compete at ULHRA-sanctioned events in Evansville, Ind., June 24-26; Valleyfield, Que., July 8-10; Tri-Cities, Wash., July 29-31; Seattle, Aug. 5-7; Silverdale, Wash., Aug. 12-14; San Diego, Sept. 16-18; and Port Angeles, Wash., Sept. 3-Oct. 2. ABOUT RED DOT Red Dot is a worldwide leader in the design and production of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and replacement parts for commercial trucks, buses, and vehicles used in construction, mining, agriculture, fire and rescue, and military service. The company was founded in Seattle, Wash., in 1965 and has 430 employees at three locations in the United States and Europe. Visit Red Dot at www.rdac.com.
CAPTION -- Red Dot will be the title sponsor of the UL-40 unlimited-light hydroplane owned by Thunder Valley Racing of Issaquah, Wash. The Miss Red Dot will compete on an eight-race circuit organized by the Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Racing Association. The first event is June 10-12 at the Tastin' and Racin' festival on Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Wash. Based in Seattle, Red Dot manufactures heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and replacement parts for commercial trucks, buses, and vehicles used in construction, mining, agriculture, fire and rescue, and military service. (RED DOT PHOTO) The Lynch Line, 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
TASTIN’ N RACIN’ NEWS JUNE 10 – 12, 2005
TnR is one week away !! Please review the following for important information:Race Registration – We have extended the pre registration date to June 5th. If you get your registration in by then you will be included in the $100.00 drawing, and a parking pass will be made available to you by either mail or at parking gate will call. If you don’t pre-register, you will have to pay the parking fee to come in and get your parking pass. Camping- We have had the request for years, and now the State Park has made it available. You need to make reservations if you want to get in without paying the parking fee. You can still buy a spot either Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights. See Chris Courtright on site for reservations. Email jonorchris@juno.com for reservations before June 10th. Racer Information- Please check out the ‘racer information’ on either this site or www.tastinracin.com for further information regarding the race. Some of the important information is: Friday is NOT a free parking day. Please make sure you register to get a parking pass. Parking fee is $5.00 Pit Set up is Friday. Testing and Qualifying is Friday from 2pm – 6pm. Please make every effort to bring your boat to the pits on Friday for placement. Autos going down the road to the pits will be strictly limited. Only boats on tow and crew trucks will be allowed down the road to the path. Tow Trucks will be on site. RV towing boats will not be allowed down the path. Tow your boat to the ‘gravel road’ and come in to the pits and find the race director, Kelly Stocklin. We will find a truck to tow you in. Registration is Friday June 10, 1pm – 6pm, Saturday, June 11, 7am – 9am and Sunday June 12, 7am – 9am Boats will be accepted in to the Pits after 2pm on Friday, if they are walked in. Please remember the hot pits are for racing crew members, not children, friends, and family members. Lets keep the pits safe and limit the number of unnecessary persons coming in – they can hang out in the cold pits with your crew truck. Security Committee (the security in the red shirts) will be using the ‘whistle rule’ to notify everyone of boats overhead and other dangers in the pits. Please corporate with their efforts to keep the pits safe. Hopp Racing web site adds Jerry's Corner
I've had some time while recouping from the double knee replacement surgery. With trusty digital camera in hand I learned how to build my own web page and add things to it. I'm going to drive the truck and boat around the circuit this year and take along my 14 year old grandson Justin. I added a page for him to post things and pictures to as we travel across the county to the race sites. You can get to this page by going to the Hopp Racing web site www.seanet.com/~hoppracing/ home page and clicking on Jerry's Corner below the boat picture. I have the latest news and pictures of the work in progress on the UL-1 Mike's Hard Lemonade/Happy Go Lucky.
Jerry
Brodie Motor Sports approaching first ULHRA event.
Another father-son combo is set to join ULHRA competition this month. Transferring to Unlimited Lights after many years in the old Grand Prix class, Ken Brodie and Ken Brodie II will join the UL ranks at Evansville IN, June 24-26. The New York State based team is ready to launch their UL-50 after an offseason of extensive updates, including installation of an enclosed cockpit and the addition of ULHRA required rear "tails". This former GP-77 hull was re-acquired by the Brodie's this off-season with the expressed purpose of being their first hull in ULHRA competition.
 If history tells us anything, this hull won't be the Brodie's last in ULHRA competition. As the photos indicate they are close to being ready to test. In fact they've scheduled a test session near Buffalo for the weekend prior to Thunder on the Ohio. The elder Brodie has been assembling the team's first UL supercharged engine. Ken II is slated to drive but don't be surprised if the senior Brodie gets behind the wheel sometime this season. Team sponsors include GP:50 Pressure Transducers and Transmitters,
http://www.gp50.com/ and
DART Machinery.John Lynch
"Voice" of the Unlimited Lights
Click here for updates from May, 2005
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