Port Angeles now has a "home team".

Two couples from Port Angeles WA have formed the first ULHRA Racing Team in the community that hosts Strait Thunder, "where champions are crowned".  Shane & Vicki Pratt and Gary & Tresa McCallister have combined their efforts and acquired the E-53 Dream Weaver hydroplane from John Weaver. The new team will race as the "Dream Weaver" in 2007 in the Lighter than LIGHTS series for 8 cylinder stock hydroplanes.  Their plan is to debut at quicksilver at Silverdale WA August 18 & 19. 

Last year the new owners worked with the UL-6 BCS team of Kerry Beynon and Al Carstensen in order to "learn the ropes" about team ownership, management and racing operations.  This year they'll put the knowledge they gained to work.  Shane Pratt will be the driver.

Some finish paint work is needed along with minor cosmetic work.  The main installation item is the front canard (wing) and the Pratt & McCallister owned team expects to be ready for launch in mid August. 

John Lynch
P.R. Director, ULHRA Inc.

UL-929 at the Classic Car & Wooden Boat Show

Vince "X-Man" Xaudaro and his UL-929 First Tech Credit Union presents Microsoft Office Project 2007 met many racing fans at the Des Moines (WA) Classic Car & Wooden Boat Show on July 14th.  Xaudaro's "all black, all the time" hydroplane currently sits third in the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series points standings, and Xaudaro leads the driver standings going into the Graham Trucking Unlimited Lights Cup at Seafair, August 3, 4 & 5.  Despite just completing a nearly 3,000 mile drive from Montreal, Xaudaro was on hand for this show. 

Along with assistance from crewmember Sara Morris and ULHRA's "Voice" John Lynch, Vince met hundreds of people and many of all ages tried out the UL-929 cockpit.....getting an up close viewpoint of what Vince sees and does when racing at 155 mph.  These photos were shot by Xaudaro.

This is a growing show held at the Des Moines Marina and attracted a large number of classic cars and boats.  In addition to Xaudaro's hydroplane, the vintage 1958 Miss Bardahl and 1968 Miss Budweiser were on display, and Lighter than LIGHTS competitor Jon Zimmerman showed his 8 cylinder Chop Chop.  Des Moines resident and veteran limited hydroplane racer Gary Wamsley also showed racing hydros. 

Coordinator Joe Jewell and his staff produced an excellent event.

UL-18 at the "Fathoms O' Fun" parade in Port Orchard

While most of the fleet was off gallivanting around the continent; and racing in Valleyfield, Joe Turner and the rest of Turner Racing had work to do. We were rebuilding our shop doors so the new hull would fit, and preparing the new boat for its return to competition after having taken 5years off.

While we were not able to go back east due to being a little past square one with the new hull, that didn’t mean we could just sit and watch a little baseball or watch the races on-line at www.ULHRA.org.

Turner Racing entered two parades, the first one being the “Fathoms O’ Fun” parade in Port Orchard, across Sinclair Inlet from Bremerton, and the Fourth of July parade in Port Angeles.

In the “Fathoms O’ Fun” parade the Turner Racing entry won “Best Specialty Vehicle” award. We had a group of horses in front of us and a group of politicians behind us. So you can imagine all of the jokes that sprang from our place in the parade.

Joe and Jackie took the boat up to Port Angeles and enjoyed being in our sponsors’ home turf as it were. They were impressed at how excited the fans are already for the race where “Champions are Crowned”.

Brad Turner
Turner Racing

Straithunder.com at the 4th of July Parade in Port Angeles

Here are some photos that were taken on the 4th of July in Port Angeles when Joe and Jackie Turner brought the Straitthunder.com, UL18 up for the parade.  She was ooohed and aaahed over in the line up area and applauded in the parade.  A fun time was had by all.

Joe rode the boat in the parade and handed out candy while assisted by Pam Randall one of the Strait Thunder volunteers. Carrying the banner were Dolores Briggs, Scott and Mary Buck.  We are ready for racing!!!

Mary Buck

Hydroplane demonstration a big hit in South Dakota.
 
Hydroplanes ran on the Missouri River in South Dakota for the first time in history on Thursday, July 12th. Four teams, including the UL-83 Power Punch ran around the ULHRA 1 1/4 mile course in front of media and fans that attended from hundreds of miles away.

Apparently, the repairs that Chris Dreewes and Steve Clark of Muncey Racing were able to accomplish at Valleyfield paid off. One crankshaft, two connecting rods and a new set of bearings assembled on a side walk in a parking lot can cause someone to have their concerns.
 
By the end of the day however the oil pressure held well enough, no doubt because of the redeeming qualities of the Power Punch Oil Supplement which allowed the UL-83 to run deck to deck with the super charged UL-8 Boat Trader.Com presents Harley Davidson and the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric in a non points race that actually had fans cheering them on. Dave Warren’s G-329 Block Head Machine  Thunderboat was unable to answer the call due to a chipped propeller which occurred in a test run earlier in the day.  However that test run showed not only the powerful roar of the Thunderboat racing engine; it also demonstrated how that sound reverberates around the race course which features a sloped viewing area, ideal for thousands of racing fans.  Yes, at Chamberlain, South Dakota you can hear the ULHRA Thunderboats for miles. 
 
Potential race sponsors such as auto parts chains that financially support NASCAR flew representatives into the event and joined dozens of Tourism officials that are encouraging the development of the River City Racin' regatta. The reception and embrace of the community is truly remarkable. Multi-year commitments by the State of South Dakota to creating a new mid-west ULHRA race/festival on the level of the motorcycle driven Sturgis event were expounded to the attending fans from the stage erected specifically for the occasion.
 
Tents and fences along with security personnel and patrol boats created all the essentials in appearance of a loud, high speed ULHRA race. State representatives video streamed the days activities to governmental offices, hospitals, Tourism boards and the Governors office.  
 
Special thanks go out to local residents Angelia Bosworth and Cindy Peterson.  They stepped in at the last minute to make a major contribution to the live ULHRA webcast from the Chamberlain event. Ms Bosworth handled the streaming computer and Ms. Peterson assumed the duties of camera operator.

Wil Muncey
Muncey Marketing
Driver of the UL-83 Power Punch Oil Supplements

Four ULHRA teams at Chamberlain SD

River City Racin' is the name adopted by the committee in Chamberlain, South Dakota that is building a brand new event featuring the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association, Inc.  Thursday, July 12rh, four ULHRA teams will provide an "on the water" demonstration for the local community and the Governor of South Dakota leading to the debut of the new race in the summer of 2008. 

The teams include the UL-83 Power Punch owned by Debi Muncey and driven by Wil Muncey; son of legendary hydroplane race driver Bill Muncey.  Also appearing are the UL-8 Boat Trader.Com - Harley Davidson driven by Michael Flaherty, the UL-72  Miss Boat Electric driven by 19 year old Kayleigh Perkins, and the Thunderboat G-329 Block Head Machine owned & driven by David Warren.  In addition the UL-13 Washington Asset Management of J. Craig Fletcher has stopped by to display.  The Celtic Racing entry was damaged at the Valleyfield, Quebec race last weekend so this display gives the local populace the opportunity to view just what can occur in racing incidents.  The 13's damage was caused by rough water conditions which ripped the "belly pan" off the bottom of the boat, exposing the engine well. 

The Power Punch Racing Team had a disappointing Valleyfield weekend, with engine damage that occurred on their first run of the weekend.  The team worked for 2 solid days & nights to recover from a broken crankshaft and was ready for the B-Main on Sunday.  However they realized that the rebuilt engine could only be pushed so hard and likely would not allow them to compete for the B-Main win.  Plus, they were scheduled to participate in tomorrow's event at Chamberlain and didn't want to disappoint the newest fans of ULHRA Racing so the Muncey's agreed with ULHRA to sit out the B-Main at Valleyfield in order to participate in the program tomorrow.  In addition, Wil Muncey will substitute for ULHRA's Public Relations Director John Lynch who cannot attend and join ULHRA's Desert Thunder Race Director Bo Darling in addressing the fans, the media, and government officials at Chamberlain.

Max Hebert at Valleyfield

Haworth wins at home in Miss Boat Electric.

Valleyfield native Patrick Haworth picked up his second UL victory at Regates de Valleyfield this weekend and his third UL victory overall.  The talented Canadian racer drove the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric to victory over Jerry Hopp in the UL-1 Graham Trucking G.T. - Happy Go Lucky.  Haworth won all three of his heats at Valleyfield and closed the gap between Hopp Racing and Impact Racing to just 206 points in the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Series.  Haworth is co-driving with Kayleigh Perkins in the UL-72 this season. 

Third place went to Michael Flaherty in the UL-8 Boat Trader.Com presents Harley Davidson.  For the Baker Equipment owned team and Flaherty if was a hard earned third.  Three consecutive times, in Friday's exhibition heat and in the two Saturday preliminaries, the Harley Davidson entry went dead in the water just prior to the starting line; forcing a black flag aborted start and disqualifying the UL-8 from the restarts. However since they were eligible for the B-Main on Sunday and after a lengthy effort Saturday night & Sunday morning, Flaherty and the UL-8 started the B-Main, and won, earning a Final Heat slot.

Paul Becker and the UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic secured fourth place, just ahead of Dustin Echols in the UL-17 Schucks Auto Supply.  Both teams earned final heat positions by being the 3rd & 4th place teams in points after 4 preliminary heats. In sixth place was Pingree Conflitti in his first UL racing effort since Evansville 2005 in the UL-58 Union Dooz.  `Ping` was the alternate for the Final after King & Bunny's UL-40 team owner Chuck Dow passed on being the alternate due to engine concerns.  Conflitti was sent on to the course at the 3 minute mark when Vince Xaudaro's UL-929 Security Race Products was unable to answer the call after reaching the Final by finishing second in the B-Main. 

In the debut of the North American Challenge Cup Series for Thunderboats (G) and Valleyfield GP teams, Claude Bergeron took first in GP-444 Grand Prix Valleyfield, ahead of Bert Henderson in the GP247 Deep Water Special.  Henderson, driving a brand new boat that he constructed for the Valleyfield organization was leading Bergeron until the boat took a big hop in turn /2 and damaged the front canard`.  The loss of canard control slowed Henderson but he was able to maintain second place. Dave Warren in the Block Heat Machine G-329 took third followed by Jerry Hopp in the Graham Trucking G.T Happy Go Lucky who was invited by the Valleyfield organization to race in the NACCS.  In fifth place was Cal Phipps in the G-10 Titeflex Special from Wiggins Hydroplane Racing in Rainbow City AL. Hopp and Phipps were both assessed one minute penalties.  Hopp's penalty dropped him to 4th place.  Phipps missed a buoy on his last lap and ran an extra lap to cover the missed buoy. This weekend was the first time on the water for the G-10 which was acquired by the Wiggins team from Detroit's Justin Schaller two years ago.  It was built originally by Ron Jones jr. and made a very impressive debut at Valleyfield, as did the NACCS program.
Pierre Maheu in the GP-46 Bar L`évolution and Jimmy Shane in the GP-7 Long Gone did not finish and Ken Brodie Sr. did not start in the GP-555 GP-50 entry. 

Next up both for the Powerboats NW Unlimited Light Hydroplane Series and the North American Challenge Cup Series will be Seattle, August 3, 4 & 5 which will include the Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair. In addition, several teams will be on display and conduct some exhibition runs this coming Thursday (July 12) at Chamberlain SD, home of the newest ULHRA event called River City Racin' which will debut in the summer of 2008. 

John Lynch
P.R. Director, ULHRA Inc.

First round of heats complete at Valleyfield.

Jerry Hopp and Patrick Haworth drove to convincing victories in Heats 1A & 1B at the 69th annual Regates de Valleyfield; race number 3 in the Powerboats NW Unlimited Lights Racing Series. 

Hopp, driving in place of son Greg who's driving a turbine hydroplane this weekend, was the only driver in the restart of Heat 1A to hit the score up time properly.  In UL racing the score-up buoy is the start-finish line and here on the short 1 mile course at Valleyfield the score-up time is 1:00 prior to the start.  The other teams were early and wound up starting more than a half lap behind Hopp, as the teams are prohibited from crossing the course from the front stretch to the back.  In the end Dustin Echols in the UL-17 Schucks Auto Supply took second place with J.Craig Fletcher in the UL-13 Washington Asset Management in third.  It was the first 225 points of the year for Fletcher who is trying to earn sufficient points to move into the top 14 as only 14 Unlimited Lights can race at Seafair due to pit space limitations.

Currently, Bob Smets in the UL-20 Smetco Overtime holds 14th place in the points with 525.  Fletcher will need to either win his second preliminary heat today, or reach tomorrow afternoon's final in order to surpass Smets who could not take the time away from his Oregon business in order to race in Quebec.

4th place went to Michael Sadlon in the UL-4 No Excuses.  Sadlon's regular number is UL-89 but here in Valleyfield he`s competing for Richards Racing out of Shoreline WA.  The Richards team and driver Bryan Richards will earn the points this weekend scored by Sadlon.  Currently the Sadlon-Richards compact has 169 points.  Michael Flaherty and the UL-8 Boat Trader.Com presents Harley Davidson was the cause of Heat 1A to be restarted.  The boat went dead in the water prior to the start and in the racing lanes about 200 yards from the starting line so the black flag was displayed.  Since Flaherty's team was the cause of the black flag they were not permitted to restart Heat 1A.  Due to high wind conditions the two GNH teams elected to withdraw from Heat 1A.  They are the GNH-8 Deel Me In driven by Jim Deel and the GNH-61 Showtime Racing of Patrick Sankuer. 

In Heat 1B, Patrick Haworth in the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric was first across the line in lane 3 with Vince Xaudaro in lane 1 holding second with the UL-929 Security Race Products.  In lane 2 in third place was Paul Becker in the UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic and in 4th on the outside was the supercharged UL-40 King & Bunny's Appliances driven by Cal  Phipps.  That's also the order of finish with Haworth driving away to a straightaway length victory over Xaudaro.  Pingree Conflitti in his first heat since Evansville 2005 drove the Union Dooz to 5th place after encountering difficulties in turn 2 just prior to the start. 

In the first North American Challenge Cup Series Heat it was all Claude Bergeron in the GP Valleyfield, GP-444 with greater than a half lap win over Ken Brodie Sr in the GP-50 Performance GP-555.  David Warren in the G-329 Block Head Machine went dead in the water on lap number 3 and Cal Phipps in the G-10 Titeflex Special did not start.  Also failing to finish were the GP-7 Long Gone driven by Jimmy Shane and the GP-247 Deep Water Special being co-driven this weekend by Bert Henderson and Jeff Richards.  Mario Maraldo in the GP-59 Baby Doll III and Pierre Maheu in the GP-46 Bar L`évolution also did not start.

Depending on wind and weather conditions the second round of heats for the Unlimited Lights and Thunderboats (G) are expected to run in the 3:00pm hour Eastern Daylight Time.  www.ulhra.org will have live webcast coverage.

John Lynch
P.R. Director, ULHRA Inc.

Racing, ULHRA style resumes at the 69th annual Regates de Valleyfield at 9:00am Saturday (7-7) morning Pacific time (12:00noon Eastern time).  The Unlimited Lights in the Powerboats NW Series and the North American Challenge Cup Series for Thunderboats (G) are expected to be on the water shortly after 12:noon Eastern time for Heats 1A & 1B (UL) and Heat 1 (NACCS).  We will have live webcast coverage beginning at 12:00 noon Eastern time, unless there is a delay in the racing schedule. 

First round of testing complete at Valleyfield

In hydroplane test sessions there usually is a mix of the good and the bad and the in-between.  That describes the morning test session here at Valleyfield, Quebec for the Regates de Valleyfield.

Racing with ULHRA this weekend are 22 race craft in the Powerboats NW Unlimited Lights series, joined by GNH (Grand National Hydroplane) teams, and the North American Challenge Cup Series featuring GP (Valleyfield Grand Prix) and Thunderboats (G) teams.  

Wiggins Hydroplane Racing out of Rainbow City AL brought their 2 year long project to debut at Valleyfield.  The Ron Jones Jr. hull built originally for Justin Schaller of Detroit as a Grand Prix has been re-worked and re-engined for ULHRA`s Thunderboat program.  For the team and driver Cal Phipps of Detroit this morning's session was its on the water debut.  Owner Milton Wiggins said afterward that the new 565 cu. in supercharged engine performed very strongly but that there are some handling issues the team needs to correct.  This will be a good weekend for the experienced Wiggins team to sort out the G-10 Titeflex Special which is not only driven by Cal Phipps........he painted the boat as well.

Dave Warren in the G-329 Block Head Machine put in several solid laps before returning to the pit area.  If they've overcome engine maladies from past appearances this boat could do well on the Valleyfield course.  The GP contingent includes the GP7 Long Gone driven by Jimmy Shane, the GP 247 driven by co-owners Jeff Richards and Bert Henderson, the  GP-555 GP-50 driven by Ken Brodie, the GP-444 driven by Claude Bergeroné, the GP-46 of L`Evolution of Pierre Maheu and the GP-59 Baby Doll III of Mario Maraldo.  All but the Maroldo team made a successful run this morning.

On the Unlimited Lights side, joined by GNH hydroplanes, Cal Phipps is pulling double duty.....also wheeling the UL-40 King & Bunny's Appliances for Thunder Valley Racing.  This was Phipps first time with this boat on the tight one mile Valleyfield course although he is a multi-time champion here at the Regates.  Patrick Haworth of Valleyfield stepped into the cockpit of the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric for the first time in 5 years.  Haworth is teaming with Kayleigh Perkins this season as drivers of the UL-72.  Ms Perkins is on the trip as a member of the crew and she will drive the 72 at the exhibition event in Chamberlain SD next Thursday, July 12h.  Through two races the 19 year old Perkins has steered the UL-72 to third place in the points standings, winning 4 heats along the way in her debut season of Unlimited Lights racing after advancing from ULHRA's Lighter than LIGHTS series.  Haworth spent several laps reacquainting himself with the boat that he won with at Tri Cities WA in 2002. 

On the not so good side, Wil Muncey in the UL-83 Power Punch Oil Supplements sustained a broken engine crank in the test session.  That knocks the team out of this afternoon's 4pm non points heats.  However a potential replacement crank has been located and their engine builder Ed Trihey is on hand to provide assistance.  As one crewmember said it may be an all-nighter but we haven't given up.  
Also the UL-8 Boat Trader.Com presents Harley Davidson was unable to start for driver Michael Flaherty but the team believes the problem has been corrected.

J. Craig Fletcher and the UL-13 Washington Asset Management - Celtic Racing took several solid laps in the session. Fletcher has no points so far and is trying to work his way into the top 14 in UL points to secure a spot in the 14 boat field at the Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair in Seattle, next month.  14th place currently is held by Oregon's Bob Smets and the UL-20 Smetco-Overtime.  However Smets' business responsibilities wouldn't allow him the time to travel to Valleyfield.  Also here from Florida in the re-numbered UL-4 of Mike Sadlon.  His entry is for the Richards Racing Team's UL-4 Millenium Digital Media which also has no points this season and is trying to qualify for Seafair.  Due to recent health matters and continued work on the re-built UL-4, driver Bryan Richards and the team could not be here.  They are testing this month in preparation for Seafair with assistance from G-13 Tempo driver Dick Lynch. The Seafair UL field is limited to 14 teams again this year due to space limitations at the Stan Sayers Pits on Lake Washington.

Paul Becker's UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic looked better in today's session than it had previously.  In typical racer summation Becker acknowledged that it is better but `we want more`.  With several heats this weekend and this afternoon's session the Becker owned team should have the opportunity to find `more`. 

Dustin Echols in the UL-17 Schucks Auto Supply for Shockwave Racing out of Olympia WA had a solid test session.  They are another team that have acquired an on boat camera to help determine what the boat is doing and what it needs.  This new Ron Jones hull demonstrates improvement every time out. 

Patrick Sankuer's UL-61, Vince Xaudaro's UL-929 Security Race Products and Jerry Hopp in the
UL-1 Miss Graham Trucking G-T did not run this morning and Pingree Conflittti's UL-58 Union Dooz had not arrived.  They are joined this weekend by the GNH-317 Irishman driven by Steven Kuhrs, the GNH-115 Integrity Car & Truck Rental presents M.A.S. Epoxies of Thom Heinz, and the GNH-8 Deel Me In of Jim Deel who may share the ride with Cal Phipps.........if Cal isn't worn out from driving the UL-40 and G-10. 

The UL-GNH teams and the G-GP teams are scheduled to return to the water at 4:00pm (EDT) this afternoon and www.ulhra.org will have a live video webcast of that session.

John Lynch
P.R. Director and `Voice`of ULHRA Racing

Defending Champion returns with new team.

(Salaberry de Valleyfield, Que) 
Michael Flaherty picked  up his first Regates de Valleyfield victory in 2006 at the wheel of the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric.  This weekend Flaherty will be out to defend his title in the UL-8 Baker Equipment presents Eastside Harley Davidson.  This is the craft that Kevin Aylesworth drove to victory in 2004, since rebuilt and virtually brand new following a near catastrophic accident at San Diego in 2005. 

The supercharged engine powered, Ron Jones designed tandem wing hull was acquired by Bob and Kathleen Baker in the off season.  After an  abbreviated  start in the first race at Richland WA in May, Michael Flaherty advanced to the Final at Issaquah WA last month on the strength of a preliminary heat win and 2nd place in the B-Main; ultimately taking 5th place in the winner take all UL Final.  The team's performance has improved substantially from the season opener and if that trend continues Flaherty should have  a good chance of repeating.

A team that expects to show more competitiveness this weekend is the UL-14 Compuware's Miss Critical Logic.  Paul Becker says they believe they've corrected the handling and ride issue with the boat.......the former UL-110 Miss Compair of Randy and Carl Haas  If true this hull certainly has shown in the past to be very capable of winning this race. In fact Randy Haas had the Valleyfield race won in 2002 until engine failure occurred in the final turn.

The beneficiary of Haas` final turn misfortune in 2002 returns to Valleyfield for the first time since 2004.  Pingree Conflitti of Detroit won that 2002 Regates de Valleyfield for his lone ULHRA victory.  He brings back the recently inactive UL-58 Union Dooz with a new more powerful engine. 

Florida's Mike Sadlon will drive his No Excuses Racing entry as the UL-4 for Shoreline WA's Bryan Richards.  Sadlon's goal is to secure sufficient points for the UL-4 team to qualify it for the Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair in Seattle,  next month; Only the top 14 UL teams by points will be eligible. Currently the number 14 team is Bob Smets UL-20 Smetco-Overtime with 525 points.  To surpass that total Sadlon will need at least a minimum of two 3rd place finishes (225 points, each) and one 6th place finish (95 points)......no easy task with the field on hand here at Valleyfield.  Bryan Richards health would not allow for a trip to Valleyfield and the boat wasn't ready at Issaquah earlier this month so the team has enlisted the help of G-13 Tempo driver Dick Lynch to help prepare the boat for the Seattle race. 

J. Craig Fletcher is another owner-driver in search of sufficient points to qualify for the Graham Trucking Cup.  His team has made the nearly 3,000 mile trek with their UL-13 Washington Asset Management - Celtic Racing entry.  If off season work has succeeded this team is certainly capable of securing the points needed.  This is Fletcher's first time at Valleyfield on the tight 1 mile course but the hull has been here previously, most recently in 2004 when it was brought here by former owner Pingree Conflitti. 

A popular team in Valleyfield after arriving today was the Power Punch Oil Supplements UL-83 of Wil & Debi Muncey.  Understand that when it comes to hydroplane hotbeds, Valleyfield is right at the top of the list.  The UL-83 is a multiple champion hull on this race course prior to it being shifted to the Unlimited Lights series and the fans here remember. Those who've also read the series titled Wil & Joe's Excellent Adventure last winter on this website also flocked to author and co-owner Debi Muncey.  The Muncey team enters the Regates with renewed optimism spurred not only by their boat's past success here, but also through the improved performance of the UL-83 this season. 

A total of 14 ULHRA teams will begin testing for the Regates de Valleyfield on Friday (July 6) with preliminary heats on Saturday followed by the B-Main and Final on Sunday.  Check this website often for updates through the weekend and live webcast coverage here at www.ulhra.org  

John Lynch
P.R. Director and Voice of ULHRA Racing

Preview #1 Valleyfield 2007:  Points matter. 
 
14 ULHRA teams are en route to the annual Regates de Valleyfield near Montreal.  For some, winning Valleyfield is the goal.  For others, “points matter” as they attempt to qualify for, or maintain their qualified status for their hometown Graham Trucking Cup for Unlimited Lights at Seafair in Seattle. 
 
This will be the third race since the imposition by the ULHRA Board of Directors of new racing rules in the Unlimited Lights’ series.  One rule adjustment sets the UL “score up” buoy as the starting line instead of a mid point on the backstretch.  Depending on the time needed at an individual race site as determined by ULHRA’s Chief Referee, all teams must cross the “score-up” buoy up to  1:15 seconds before the start.  This exact time frame may vary based on course size and the time it takes for the teams to complete one lap.  The Valleyfield course is a tight one mile track.  At Issaquah and Richland this year the time set was 1:15 as both courses were approximately 1 ¼ miles long with larger turns than Valleyfield.
 
A second rules adjustment requires that anytime there are naturally aspirated (carburetor) engine teams and supercharged (blower) engine teams in the same heat, the carburetor teams will occupy the lanes inside those of the supercharged teams.  In a 6 boat heat at Valleyfield, for example, if the heat “draw” puts 4 carburetor teams and 2 “blower” teams in a given heat, the carburetor teams will fight for lanes 1-4 and the “blower” teams will fight for lanes 5 & 6.  The third rules adjustment requires that in a mixed heat such as depicted here, the supercharged teams must hold their starting line lane for one complete lap before moving to the inside lanes.  Carburetor teams can move to the inside lanes (assuming they have the required 5 boat overlap) after completing turn #1 on lap one…….after passing the “exit pin” (buoy).  For the carburetor teams this is how the racing rules have been in ULHRA since 2001. For the supercharged teams these changes went into effect this year in an attempt to maintain and improve the competitiveness in Unlimited Lights racing and after two races that goal has been achieved in more exciting racing heats, right up to the finish line.
 
In the first two races Greg Hopp was victorious in the UL-1 Graham Trucking GT – Happy Go Lucky.  In both cases Hopp started in the outside lane and was able to drive around the competition…….but it took tremendous effort as he edged Vince Xaudaro in a terrific final heat at Richland, and in an equally exciting final held off  Ryan Mallow in the UL-19 at Issaquah.  Both Final Heats can be viewed on this website.  Just click on VIDEO on the left side of the Home Page. Hopp drove the team’s veteran Jamie Auld hull, a 7 time UL championship hull to victory at Richland WA in May and followed that with a victory in the newer Paul Droullard –Ron Jones Jr. UL-1 at Issaquah.  The lineup for Hopp Racing at Valleyfield changes once again but this time the change is not the hull.  Jerry Hopp takes over the cockpit from son Greg because Greg will be driving a turbine hydroplane at Madison IN this weekend.  Changing from Greg to Jerry reminds Pacific NW fans of a time in 1990 when Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. both played baseball for the Seattle Mariners.  There was a game where Father & Son Griffey each hit a home run……..on consecutive at bats!  The point here is, whether Greg or Jerry is driving, the UL-1 is one formidable foe.  However opponents do look to the results over the years at Regates de Valleyfield and find encouragement that the Hopp team has won on Bay St. Francois only once when Greg took top honors in 2005.  Last year in the Auld boat it appeared that Greg was on his way to a second Valleyfield victory when he encountered lapped traffic on his final lap.  The time loss allowed Michael Flaherty in the Miss Boat Electric UL-72 to close the gap and the two boats raced side by side up the backstretch to the final turn.  At the exit pin of the last turn Hopp’s boat spun out, Flaherty won the race, and Hopp had to settle for second place. 
 
Opposing teams are hoping there’s a bit of “rust” on Jerry Hopp’s competitive driving talent as he’s driven just one heat this season and his most recent complete race was at Seattle in 2006.  Further, Jerry has limited “seat time” in the UL-1 hull that will be in Valleyfield, and this hull will be making its first ever appearance at Valleyfield.  However, this is also the hull that owns the all time ULHRA lap speed record of 126.528 mph set by Greg Hopp at San Diego last September and there is no doubt; ”Grandpa Jerry” is really looking forward to racing this weekend.
 
Victory in the Final Heat is one thing, but points in all heats do matter and after a look at the present standings one will see that Hopp Racing leads Vince Xaudaro and his “all black, all the time:” Xaudaro Racing (UL-929) by a mere 50 points.  That’s less than the point total for one 8th place finish…..otherwise a virtual tie for the championship after 2 events.  In third place, only 406 points back is the UL-72 Miss Boat Electric driven for the first two races this year by 19 year old sensation Kayleigh Perkins.  Ms. Perkins, the first woman racer to have a regular ride in Unlimited Lights will step aside this weekend for Canadian standout Patrick Haworth who has one UL victory on his resume’.  That occurred in Tri Cities WA in 2002 when he drove the UL-72 as a “guest” of then regular driver and still co-owner Phil Bononcini.   Who was the first woman to race in Unlimited Lights?  That would be Tracy Morgan of St. Clair Shores MI.  She drove the then UL-14 Miss Critical Logic (now the UL-98 Miss Atomic Screen Printing) at Valleyfield in 2004.
 
On the other side of the points scale, yes points do matter.  For the race in Seattle due to pit area space limitations there is a Seafair imposed limit of 14 Unlimited Lights teams at that race.  So the top 14 teams by points will race in Seattle.  As there are considerably more than 14 UL teams and most are in the Pacific NW, the challenge is to be in the top 14 after the Valleyfield race since there will be no other UL events after this weekend until Seattle.  As a result there are teams heading to Valleyfield with the expressed goal of getting into the Top 14 in points. 
 
For one, there is the UL-13 Celtic Racing team of J. Craig Fletcher.  This 2006 ULHRA “Hard Charger” award winner is in his second year of racing Unlimited Lights.  Unfortunately their off season upgrades took longer than planned and the team missed the first race of the year and at Issaquah the boat wouldn’t run properly.  So Celtic Racing will make its first appearance at Valleyfield and for this hull, the former UL-559 of Pingree Conflitti it will be the first Valleyfield appearance since 2004.  Speaking of “Ping” Conflitti, he too will be racing at Valleyfield in the re-engined UL-58 Union Dooz, which he drove to victory in Vallefyfield in 2002.  The “Dooz” has been inactive since the season ending race of 2005.  It will have the most powerful engine it has ever run and if the team can get it “hooked up” properly, it should be an interesting weekend for the Hard Hat Racing Team. 
 
Another team returning to Valleyfield for the first time since 2003 is Shockwave Racing out of Olympia WA.  The Rick & Shawn Bridegeman team now have the newest hull in the fleet, a new Ron Jones Jr. creation racing as the UL-17 Schucks Auto Supply and driven by two time 2.5 modified World Champion Dustin Echols.  Each time out this boat gets better and this weekend should be no exception.  The white painted boat has a supercharged engine and a distinctive design with both tails at a much more severe angle to the water compared with other UL teams.  The UL-17 team currently sits 13th in the points race with 568 markers.  That’s a precarious spot for the Seattle race thus the Bridgeman’s had no qualms about scheduling the Valleyfield event to maintain their top 14 points position.  Plus, they really enjoy the Regates de Valleyfield experience.   
 
Also on board for Valleyfield for the same reason as the Bridgeman’s is Chuck Dow and the UL-40 Thunder Valley team, driven by Cal Phipps.  Dow, the engine builder for the team acquired most of the outstanding stock from TVR partners over the winter and now is majority owner.  The UL-40 missed the Richland WA race but did run well at Issaquah WA including a heat victory by former driver Brian Perkins who was filling in for Phipps whose flight to Seattle was delayed.  Yes, Brian Perkins is the older brother of Kayleigh Perkins and Brian is scheduled to drive for Kevin Aylesworth’s turbine team in 2007.  The UL-40 is currently 12th in the points race.
 
More in the next Valleyfield preview.  Reminder:  You can watch the Unlimited Lights and the North American Challenge Cup Series (G & GP) heats here at www.ulhra.org.  The webcast schedule will be posted starting Friday morning, July 6th.
 
John Lynch
P.R. Director and “Voice” of ULHRA Racing.

UL-17 on the road to Valleyfield.         
 
Jason Crawley, truck driver for of the Shockwave Racing Team is posting a daily blog at the team’s website on his travels and travails from Olympia WA to Valleyfield, Quebec for this weekend’s Regates de Valleyfield.  Here are the first two installments beginning with his departure on Sunday, July 1. 
 
John Lynch
 
7.2.07 - The Road to Valleyfield - Day 1 Belgrade, Montana
 
Day one of the trip has gone very smooth. Only complaint thus far would be that the Montana DOT needs to make a little bit wider lanes when going through their construction zones. The weather has been awesome and hot to say the least. By the time I drove by lake Coeur d' Alene I was ready for a swim, it was really tempting, but I kept driving. For the past couple of hours I have had an amazing lightning show off in the distance, that has been just an endless series of flashbulbs streaking across the sky for what has to be miles. I arrived in Belgrade Montana at 1:30 am MST, the site of my first nights sleep. It is roughly 711 miles from Olympia, and about a 13 1/2 hour drive in a big rig. Right now I am dreading my morning task of cleaning the front of the truck. Its not pretty right now, nor is it very easy to see out the windows due to my collection of bugs.
Well its time for sleep now, I need to rest so I can do it all over again tomorrow.
I apologize I am unable to attach any pictures at this moment, I will try to get some on here later.
 
7.3.07 - The Road to Valleyfield - Day 2

I have reached the end of my second day, and am still loving every minute of it. What's really fun about driving through the mid-western states are the people. They are so intrigued with the hydroplane that I usually have to plan on each of my stops being at least thirty minutes. These people don't get the luxury of seeing these boats up close, so when they get the chance its hard to break away, which doesn't bother me any. I try to give them the best understanding of the sport so that one day we may see them at a race.
Once again it was pushing the 100 degree mark today, making for a miserable ride at times, but what made today worse is the fact that I am now breaking into the wet heat. Good old humidity has not been fun today, there were times it felt like the steering wheel was melting to my hands, but it was just from the moisture in the air.
As far as an update goes. I pushed a little further today, knowing what lies ahead. I drove about 14 hours today and just a shade over 800 miles. I did this due to past experiences. Tomorrow I will be driving through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. Population which means traffic and slow downs.

Jason Crawley

On the road to Valleyfield with the Power Punch Racing Team.

If you've never made the drive across North America from the Seattle area to Valleyfield near Montreal towing an Unlimited Light hydroplane, here is a synopsis of the trip that will be completed by Thursday, July 5th.  Wil & Debi Muncey and the UL-83 team check in with this recap on July 3rd.    

John Lynch

The trip to Regates de Valleyfield from our home port Monroe WA started out in typical boatracing fashion. Apparently the trailer decided to show its appreciation to the new team truck that was going to pull it three thousand miles one way by blowing several fuses and then burning up a relay and the headlight switch. I particularly enjoyed the fact that it happened on a Friday night so that everyone that could possibly supply a part or other wise help within five hundred miles could get out of town before we could call. By Saturday afternoon the Power Punch Team was merrily on its way on I-90 to the race course on the St. Lawrence river near Montreal.

As we sailed up to Spokane WA and called ahead for a room we began to realize that this wasn't the average summer weekend. Something about the Fourth of July. Anyway, by the time we got to Missoula, yes that would be Montana, it was apparent that there weren't any rooms from Spokane I-90 on for Saturday night.

A bed at the Best Western develops a new value when you raise the back door of a two and half ton truck on a Sunday morning and look out on to mountains of Montana after sleeping on the floor under furniture pads. The adventure continues. Sturgis SD is our target of destination and after only one embarrassing wrong turn we arrive reasonably intact.

Stopping in Chamberlain, South Dakota where the Missouri River is crossed by I-90 was kind of interesting. There is an exhibition of ULHRA hydroplanes scheduled there next week on Thursday, July 12th to help encourage development of the Governors Cup next year. Yes, the Governor will be there. We had the opportunity to meet with some of the board members and event organizers. They are very excited about their boat race. It's fun to be the heroes of the moment. In this part of the country a boat like ours will empty the customers of a restaurant outside to check it out. Lots of Thunder and Lights Magazines to go around.

Moving on, it is pretty warm on the road. OK, its over ninety!  The truck over-heat alarm went off and we had to cool down for about thirty minutes. After that the truck behaved excellently throughout the day. We ultimately stopped for the night in Blue Earth, Minnesota only because Debi thought that it had a cool name.

by Wil Muncey - driver UL-83 Power Punch Oil Supplements

Click here for updates from June, 2007