U-15 "My Gypsy"

San Diego’s a 2 week old memory – it’s the last day of September (which means the “nice days” are just about over) – the Detroit Lions managed to find a way to not lose to the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Tigers played their last game of the year and sadly won’t make the post-season (but at least the Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez did win the battling title). YEP … time for some reflection on the 2007 ABRA season and what might be happening next year.

To say that I’m ecstatic that O BOY! OBERTO won the last two races of the year and has poised itself as a definitive threat to win the national championship next season would be putting it mildly. I have loved the town of Madison, IN, ever since attending my first race there in 1971 and watched it go absolutely bonkers when Jim McCormick pushed MISS MADISON to victory before 110,000 screaming fans and a nationwide audience on “ABC’s Wide World of Sports”. I was a few months shy of 15 when that happened, and the town was so cool – I loved everything about it. The Ohio River cutting through a valley, a bridge over the course connecting the communities of Madison and Milton, KY, watching the race from atop the hillside main street, taking a walk down the hill and going through the pits, eating corn dogs (which I never had tried before and Madison still has the best), and of course, being around “Cousin” Ed Cooper. What wasn’t there to like?

It became pretty natural for me to be a huge supporter of Madison, for both the boat and the town – and most fans of this sport would likely say the same thing. When you throw in Steve David – THEE most fan-friendly driver this sport has EVER seen – and such long time supporters of unlimited hydroplane racing in Art and Larry Oberto, well … how can you NOT be happy for the kind of season they had? They decided late to build a new boat for this year and just finished it in time to christen it and tow it to Evansville for the season opener. All they did was get consistently faster each race. David has tasted the drivers’ championship twice driving the OBERTO / MADISON – all that’s left is for the boat to win the coveted U-1 designation, and wouldn’t the town REALLY go nuts if that scenario came true? Personally, I’d sure like to see Steve win the Gold Cup too. It’s the one feather missing from his cap, and no one’s more deserving – especially after such a fine career of racing in all kinds of classes.

The BEACON PLUMBING and FORMULABOATS racing teams certainly had a disappointing season. Flips at Evansville for the 37 and the 5, then a disastrous flip at the Gold Cup in Detroit for the defending national champion 1 – the latter sending driver Mike Allen to the sidelines for two races while the team’s display boat was rushed into backup service with substitute driver Jimmy Shane. Jean Theoret had problems making mistakes like a senseless gun jumping in Detroit and going so slow that he ended up not being able to see as he washed down Dave Villwock in the ELAM at the start and got disqualified in Seattle. I still think Villwock put himself in trouble anyway by going too slow, but I admit the video pretty well showed he was washed down by Theoret. A season of bad circumstances kept the modern day “Checkerboard Comet” from the winner’s circle, sad to say for Billy the Schu and his hard workin’ crew. San Diego proved to be a nice rebound for earlier frustrations in the FORMULA camp, as Mike Allen returned with a repaired U-1 and captured an elimination heat win and a spot in the final. Mission Bay’s salt water did them in, however, in the final, but Jeff Bernard and the U-5 treated fans at San Diego and all over the Internet to a spectacular, breathtaking, high-speed 5 lap battle with Steve David and the OBERTO, losing out in the season finale by only a length or two. Bernard gave notice that he’ll be tough to reckon with, as will Allen in the U-1 (which now will go back to U-7). Stories have been circulating that BEACON is headed for a new boat next year, but lately some rumors have surfaced that – maybe NOT. Hmmm, wonder why not (if that’s the case)? Apparently everyone with both teams will be back, with the exception of FORMULABOATS Team Manager Mike Weber, who announced he’s retiring from the sport to have more time with his family. Good for him, I like Mike a lot – I met Mike and his brother Mark back when they were teenagers racing in Region 6. To know both of them now as adults is an honor.

I really don’t think there was a whole lot of doubt after the first race that ELAM would be hard to beat this year. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Dave Villwock, but let’s face it – until he came aboard, that team was a major under-achiever, BUDWEISER or no BUDWEISER. Fred Leland’s teams never ran as good until he joined them. Even though it seemed the BUD boys were unstoppable, he signed on and made many changes, to the point that winning became a foregone conclusion. Love him or hate him, he knows his stuff for props and boat setup, and is probably the reason that ELAM never seems to suffer from N2 violations. Gee, neither did BUD. For the record, I still think he’s a dirty driver and he really doesn’t need to be because his equipment is usually superior. I’m not just a fan complaining, either – plenty of drivers will say that privately, too. He’s also the sport’s biggest whiner, bearing a remarkable resemblance to another you could have loved or hated – Bill Muncey. OK, now that I’ve got that off my chest … I don’t see any reason why the ELAM wouldn’t be the team everyone else needs to look to knock off in 2008. They’re number 1 for many reasons, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’ve heard it mentioned that they might go for a new boat, but either way, it won’t matter. They’ll be there one way or the other.

There’s nothing – and I mean NOTHING – better than watching Jimmy King running Ed Cooper’s U-3 flat-out, especially listening to that turbocharged Allison screaming out every last horsepower it has. Two things will keep the Evansville team back, number 1 being a disadvantage at starts. Several of the other teams can go from slow to fast in a blink of an eye and that forces King to pick lanes in the middle or on the outside. When he can run from the inside, he can be as competitive as anybody but the starting will continue to be a trouble spot. Secondly, they break quite a bit and while Cooper is a great engine builder, they still are on limited funds. Personally – if I ever won the lottery – I’d call Ed and ask him how much he’d need to take care of all his engines and needed spare parts and “let’s go racing!”. All right, I’m allowed to dream …

Speaking of Cooper, he recently sold his backup hull to limited racer Mike Webster, who plans on lightening it up and refitting it with a turbine for next year. He has a few associate sponsors, and seems pretty anxious to get started for next season. It’s nice to see another new team getting involved. We haven’t seen Ray Forsman directly involved with unlimiteds for several years now, but he and partner Mike Hogan acquired the former MISS FREEI hull from Ken Muscatel during the year and has been busy fitting it for an Allison engine. I don’t believe that they plan on using a turbocharger with it but I could be wrong (there’s always a first time).

Sorry – had to duck that lightning bolt …

There seems to be two different stories surrounding Jim Harvey’s U-2 that Ken Muscatel leased and eventually bought. One that I wrote of before was that Mike Eacrett wanted to acquire it. Eacrett has been working with Ron Brown on his limited hydro, and Brown had originally designed it for Steve Woomer in (I think) 1998 but never got it started until Harvey came along, so this possibility made sense. However, it’s recently been suggested that Dave Bartush is interested in purchasing the hull. J. Michael Kelly drove for Harvey in 2005 and nobody’s made that boat go as fast, before or after, so I can see why Bartush would be interested. I’m not sure that without sponsorship dollars that team will be able to make it go faster than the boat they already have.

As far as Muscatel is concerned, he’s formed a company that will have a lot of involvement with the race sites and the promotion of the sport in general. The doctor got VERY involved with helping San Diego to pull their event off, making lots of phone calls and just doing what he’s always been good at – helping to make this sport look good. From a racing standpoint, he’ll bring the same hull out in ’08 that he ran this year, and he was pretty solid. Probably some of his best driving in years, and his strategy to finish consistent and be there to pick it up when some of the top guns failed proved to work out well for him. I wish he had a different color combination, though – I like that “Breathless” blue he used but not with that color of red. Yuck. Maybe with white or yellow but not that lipstick red, please.

Fred Leland dropped some hints at Tri-Cities that he may not stay around much longer but if he does, he’d like to try and make automotive power work in the unlimiteds before he leaves. I don’t know how serious he is about that but it would be interesting to see it done. No word on when he’ll do that, though. He’s been busy selling his boats, that’s for sure. He sold one to the LAKERIDGE PAVING team at the beginning of the year, and now he’s sold them another one. Their plans are to run the full circuit next year with this latest acquisition to be a back up, and they’ll probably run it for sure at the West Coast races. As for Fred, it looks like he’ll be back again with the same hull and Greg Hopp driving. It was nice to see him land MIRAGE BOATS as a sponsor – hopefully they’ll return as well.

I haven’t seen or heard anything about Mike Jones’ U-9. It ran only at Tri-Cities and Seattle and had troubles at both. Jones also indicated he might want to sell the team, and turn his efforts toward restoring the MILLER AMERICAN hull he owns to the vintage fleet. We’ll see.

Not a whole lot can be said about two new boats for 2007, that being FREEDOM RACING and MISS RED DOT. Jeffrey Johnson and Kevin Aylesworth had troubles at all three races they entered this year, so Brian Perkins didn’t get much of a chance to show what he’s capable of. That will be worked on over the winter. Nate Brown said he’d drive “just a few races” and then retire to let nephew Kip Brown take over the cockpit in the MISS RED DOT. Unfortunately, the U-17 only ran at Seattle so who knows if that driving deal is still in place. My guess is at the very least – if they can get some pre-season testing in (a lost art in today’s world for most teams), Nate will probably handle most of it to help dial the boat in, and maybe drive at Evansville (should they go there).

And then there’s the team that was wowing everyone on the West Coast – the U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS. David Bryant showed ‘em that he can drive with anybody, and the Gregory family has provided him with a terrific raceboat to drive. The former T-3 BUDWEISER has shown tremendous speed from the outside and an uncanny ability to come from behind, as it did racing against the OBERTO a couple of times. Here’s another boat that if some sponsorship dollars could be found for the entire season, there’s no telling how competitive 2008 could be for them.

There’s also talk of Washington, D.C., and Nashville returning as race sites, along with Phoenix. I have to agree with Sam Cole that the prerequisite should be for future race sites proving they’re in it for the long haul, that’s the best way to go after them. I happened to read a post by a member in the “Unlimitedsondown” news group that I tend to agree with about Phoenix, though. While I’d be happy to see 3 more races return to the schedule, I remember Phoenix in 1995, and I didn’t care for the format. To me, it lacked excitement – it wasn’t racing as much as just two boats out running some fast laps. I didn’t attend Valleyfield but I think they did the same thing, and Dayton tried that years ago without a lot of success either. But … it’s still one more race so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

I’ll be tackling some other subjects - items to reflect on, that sort of thing – in weeks to come so I hope you’ll join me then. I’ve got to say, though, that despite the races being somewhat anti-climatic in the beginning of the year (sorry … I know my anti-Darth Vader is creeping through), the racing overall at Seattle and San Diego has given me a lot of hope for 2008 to be what 2007 should have been – anybody’s race.

It gives us something to talk about and look forward to, doesn't it?

What an outstanding finish to wrap up the season! Steve David sneaked past Jeff Bernard to grab the inside lane at the start, and the two were literally side by side for five very fast and exciting laps. Jean Theoret and Dave Villwock had a battle of their own for third for a few laps before problems forced ELAM off the course.

This was the finest young Jeff Bernard has driven, as he and Steve David swapped the leads several times. David and OBERTO finally took advantage the last lap and a half on the inside, and beat Bernard and FORMULABOATS.COM I by a few boat lengths at the end. Jean Theoret and BEACON PLUMBING took third, with Mike Allen in the FORMULABOATS.COM II taking fourth after starting in the trailer position. J. Michael Kelly limped home in fifth with SPIRIT OF DETROIT, and David Bryant did not finish in MISS AHERN RENTALS.

This is so spectacular for the city of Madison, Indiana! A new boat after years of having the heaviest boat in the fleet, and now handsomely rewarded with two straight victories to close out the season. Steve David was understandably excited and jubilant as he heaped praise on his crew and the Oberto family for making this possible. Bob Hughes was also excited, echoing that this was possibly the best final heat ever seen. I wish I could have been there!

It’s been a great day for me personally, too – today was my birthday, and my presents were (in order): the Tigers won, the Indians lost, the Lions won, Villwock lost, and Steve David and OBERTO won! Now if only Curt Schilling can shut down the Yankees tonight – a perfect ending to a perfect day …

I’ve enjoyed covering the season, and from time to time I’ll post on other topics about this wonderful sport. Thanks for reading – till later ...

I’ve been away most of the day on personal business, but like yesterday, will be here to listen and write about the final heat. Here’s a summary of what has happened so far today in San Diego:

Heat 2-A –

U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS 150.009 400 / 400 total
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING 147.554 300 / 700 total
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS 143.892 225 / 450 total
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT 129.621 169 / 469 total
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING ---- DNS / 225 total

Heat 2-B –

U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I 149.477 400 / 569 total
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO 146/640 300 / 600 total
U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II 144.116 225 / 625 total
U-49 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING 117.750 169 / 169 total

Heat 3-A –

U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I 152.151 400 / 969 total
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS 150.874 300 / 750 total
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT 103.252 225 / 694 total
U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II ---- N2 / 625 total
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING ---- DNS / 169 total

Heat 3-B

U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS 151.902 400 / 800 total
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO 143.976 300 / 900 total
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING 131.652 225 / 450 total
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING ---- DNF / 700 total

Final Heat Qualifiers –

U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I / Jeff Bernard 969
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO / Steve David 900
U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS / Dave Villwock 800
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS / David Bryant 750
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING / Jean Theoret 700
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT / J. Michael Kelly 694

Consolation / Last Chance Heat (winner is trailer for final) –

U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II / Mike Allen 625
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING / Ken Muscatel 450
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING / David Williams 169

Dave Villwock and MISS ELAM PLUS accomplished in Heat 2-A what they were unable to in Heat 1-A yesterday: clinch the 2007 ABRA National Championship. A blown engine when the ELAM took a huge hop in 1-A not only took care of the engine, but ripped a hole in the bottom of the boat which required an overnight repair job. Two heat victories today eliminated the team’s desperation, plus assured them of a spot in the final today.

Only three boats scheduled for the consolation/last chance heat because the hometown U-21 MISS ALL ACCESS, as I mentioned yesterday, was unable to repair the gearbox tore up yesterday during testing. A shame, because Brian Perkins had greatly improved his qualifying speed but it turns out the gearbox blown was the team’s only one. Hmmm … methinks I know what’s on their list for Santa this year …

The timing again is incredible – I have just enough time to watch my Detroit Lions probably win in OT over the Vikings, then catch the consy and final heat! Be back after all that.

You know, this worked out GREAT! I was at dialysis all afternoon, then got back home just as the 5 minute gun was fired for 1-A ... not bad timing. Here's the qualifying speeds and heat draws for today's racing:

(Courtesy of the ABRA website)
San Diego Thunderboat Regatta Qualification Speeds -

U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS / Dave Villwock 165.386
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING / Jean Theoret 163.371
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO / Steve David 159.798
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS / David Bryant 158.951
U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I / Jeff Bernard 158.867
U-21 MISS ALL ACCESS / Brian Perkins 152.191
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT / J. Michael Kelly 151.757
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING / K en Muscatel 148.079
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING / David Williams 147.183
U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II / Mike Allen 130.000

Heat 1-A

U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING
U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I

Heat 1-B

U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO
U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS
U-21 MISS ALL ACCESS

All Dave Villwock and the ELAM team had to do was finish the first heat of racing, and the national championship would be sewn up. That may still become a reality but not today. Theoret and Villwock locked up early after a great start but coming out of the first turn on lap two, the ELAM coasted to a halt. It turned out that the engine had blown (according to Erick Ellstrom), but that wasn't all. A hole has struck the ELAM on the bottom of the boat. Apparently it can be fixed by tomorrow. Theoret and BEACON PLUMBING finished first, followed by J. Michael in SPIRIT OF DETROIT, Muscatel in SUPERIOR RACING, and Bernard fourth in FORMULABOATS.COM I. Bernard had captured the inside lane at the start and was almost equal to Theoret as they crossed the line, but something happened to slow the craft down (possibly the loss of the salt water intake) which resulted in the late finish. Villwock was heard to be not happy when he returned to the pits, muttering something about the starting procedure.

Well gosh ... I'm sort of shocked by that!

1-B saw the withdrawal of the MISS ALL ACCESS, as Brian Perkins - in an early afternoon test - tore up the team's only gearbox. A shame for this team, considering the bad luck from last year's fire destroying their hull and building a new one for this year. Topping that off is the fact that they're the hometown team of San Diego.

In somewhat of a surprise, Mike Allen - who's been on the beach since a horrible accident at the Gold Cup earlier this year - took off from the starting line in lane 2 and led the field from wire to wire in 1-B. The defending national champion had been rebuilt over the last 6 weeks, in fact, the team was still applying decals to the boat after it first arrived in the pits. Steve David was fast in the OBERTO but unable to catch the speedy U-1 and finished second. David Bryant must really like racing the OBERTO, because just as he had done in Seattle, he had the AHERN RENTALS flying fast and hard on the outside to almost nip some beef jerky first hand. AHERN finished third, with LAKERIDGE PAVING failing to finish.

No word yet on the heat draws for 2-A and 2-B, but as always, as soon as they have them set up I'll relay it.

The first day of qualifying is here at the last race of the 2007 ABRA Schedule - a race which, sadly, almost didn't happen. Whispers all summer long abounded about San Diego possibly not being run because of a lack of a title event sponsor. Thanks largely to the efforts of Dr. Ken Muscatel, and probably some others I'm not aware of, this race will be pulled off but not without some casualties.

The biggest snafu lied in the potential boat count at San Diego, mainly due to a non-guarantee of appearance money to the fleet. What looked like a possible fourteen boat field dwindled quickly to eight, and eventually back up to ten. It turns out that both Mike Jones' U-9 and Nate Brown's U-17 were never planning on making it to San Diego to begin with, and initially Ted Porter was not bringing either the U-5 or the newly repaired U-1, but team manager Mike Weber confirmed that Porter changed his mind and both hulls would be there. In addition, Mike Allen would return to the cockpit of the U-1 after nursing his injuries. But what is a huge disappointment are decisions by both Ed Cooper and Fred Leland not to attend - directly attributed to the non-guarantee appearance money. This is truly a shame, not just for Cooper and Leland but for the fans at San Diego, fans all over the country who can't make it there, and the ABRA as a whole racing organization.

I touched on this a couple of weeks ago with some thoughts about what direction the sport is heading. It's not easy from any angle you look at it. In this scenario at San Diego, one certainly can't find fault with either Cooper or Leland for not hauling their boats all the way to San Diego. Neither have signed contracts with race sponsors, and if any local sponsors are found it's usually done after they pull into the pits but never a guarantee that they'll have one. How many times has Leland pulled one, two, and sometimes three boats to races filling out a field? Ed Cooper certainly gets a nod for his chances for winning in San Diego, especially with the caution the other entries have to endure with the chance of salt water screwing up their turbines - the U-3 doesn't have that problem as the only piston powered boat in the fleet. Even so, for all they both have done for this sport, they can't be faulted for staying home. Without a big - heck, even a small time - sponsor backing you to take the load of travel expenses, it's a lot to ask when there's no guarantee you'll get any kind of money.

So whose fault is it that we're at this juncture in San Diego? Well, I think it's hard to place blame anywhere, but it's certainly something that just can't continue to exist, for obvious reasons. Firstly, there will be little sentiment to go back to San Diego next year without at least some reasonable assurances that this won't happen again. And - with only six races on the calendar as it is - the ABRA can't afford to lose any races when they're trying valiantly to expand the schedule to feature ten races and land a TV contract. Now, I'm not involved with any race committees looking for sponsorship, but I was involved in media (primarily radio) for over 30 years so I have some thoughts on who could be approached as sponsors. I always felt that a strong portion of the Southern California lifestyle has been overlooked as potential sponsors. Mainly, you see a lot of foreign cars in Southern California. I know this because I lived there years ago. You heard and saw more dealership ads for foreign cars than domestic. And what kind of foreign cars have a strong dealership presentation in San Diego? Well, both Toyota and Honda. I'm sure these dealerships have a united multi-county association just as other dealers in other cities across the country do. Why not take a page out of what Detroit has done with the Chrysler/Jeep Superstores? Or try at a corporate level like Seattle has done with Chevrolet.

Those are just a few suggestions, but others could include the Black Angus Steakhouses in the San Diego area, perhaps hitting up the franchises for a combined effort to sponsor the race. Years ago Jack-In-The-Box restaurants was the title sponsor - think they'd sit still if the race committee brought aboard Burger King for one year? Especially when Jack-In-The-Box is based in San Diego? Other sites have adopted Madison, IN's idea of individual heat sponsors to lower the cost of a title sponsorship, and that seems to be working rather well. A quick trophy presentation with the sponsor introducing the winning driver, and the driver thanking the sponsor for their involvement. Great for the fans, great for the sponsor, great for the race committee - everyone wins.

By the way, I realize some of the things I've said here are not necessarily original, and in all likelihood have probably been tried by responsible people to accomplish the goals of the race committees. So, I'm only thinking out loud. Selling yourselves is an important aspect of obtaining a client's business, and many radio and television ads have been obtained not just in the traditional "business lunch", but often by entertaining the client, such as taking them to sporting events. Well, how about if a race committee member can take a potential event sponsor to another race and showing them how they could be showcased? Yes, I know that means spending money to do that, but dolling out a few hundred for a potential of receiving several thousand can be a wise investment. It's worth thinking about anyway.

The race committee can't be the only ones to perform, however. Again - as I touched upon a few weeks ago - the ABRA has a responsibility to get ALL owners on board to race at ALL their scheduled events, and not just a few, Every race has to be considered of equal importance, and believe me, networks will have this on their minds when weighing in all the factors to the sport's credibility as they determine whether to provide a TV package. They, in turn, have this package they just signed up to do to sell to their own sponsors. A small turnout of boats at the early races doesn't make sense when there's several more showing up halfway through the season. Professional organizations strive to look professional at every stage. NASCAR wouldn't have nearly the clout they developed without establishing firm guidelines. They too, many years ago, dealt with regional fields and therefore remained relegated to regional coverage. Not that they didn't do well with that, but for it to truly grow nationally (and internationally) they had to get out of what they had always done. Ratings have slipped some since their peak of about four years ago, but demand has not changed, either for television packages or at the individual race tracks. There may be some resistance, but somehow there needs to be a unified commitment to have full fields at all races. They're ALL important - none should be skipped by any team.

OK, that said ... here's the field that will compete this weekend at one of my favorite race courses - Mission Bay in San Diego, California:

U-1 FORMULABOATS.COM II / Mike Allen
U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I / Jeff Bernard
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO – MISS MADISON / Steve David
U-10 MISS AHERN RENTALS / David Bryant
U-13 SPIRIT OF DETROIT / J. Michael Kelly
U-16 MISS ELAM PLUS / Dave Villwock
U-21 MISS ALL ACCESS / Brian Perkins
U-25 SUPERIOR RACING / Dr. Ken Muscatel
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING / Jean Theoret
U-48 MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING / David Williams

Dave Villwock and ELAM will admittedly be hard to beat on this, the fastest race course of the circuit. Their high point lead is so insurmountable that it's actually anti-climatic and will be wrapped up in the first heat of racing. BUT - that doesn't mean the overall racing will be dull and without drama. The OBERTO crew gave Steve David a lot to be confident of after their win in Seattle, and the best money is on either of these two to come away with the victory. David Bryant and AHERN RENTALS along with Jean Theoret in BEACON PLUMBING lead as the best of the rest, certainly capable of pulling off an upset. Both of the FORMULABOATS and SPIRIT OF DETROIT have good speed but consistency has been a problem for the former BUD boats, despite the talents of both Mike Allen and Jeff Bernard. J. Michael Kelly - in my opinion, the next future star of this sport - drives gutsy but his 20 year old boat would have to have a lot of breaks to make a win possible. But, it got a lot of breaks and ended up winning the Gold Cup two years ago, so anything's possible. Nobody has any realistic ideas of either the ALL ACCESS with Brian Perkins, SUPERIOR RACING with Ken Muscatel, or LAKERIDGE PAVING with David Williams pulling off any surprises, but all three teams have shown signs in recent races of being more than just a field filler - certainly at Seattle.

Some quick "scuttlebutt" (to borrow a term from UD's "Thunderboat"):

Fred Leland has sold another hull to the LAKERIDGE PAVING team. The word is they'll prepare it as a backup hull to their present entry. Limited racer Mike Webster has purchased the previous Ed Cooper hull that ran prior to the present U-3, and after an off-season of "lightening up and strengthening the hull", will compete in 2008. The racing team's new number will be U-22. Nothing confirmed as far as I know, but strong rumors have surfaced that Dr. Ken Muscatel has sold the boat that he had raced the past two seasons - Jim Harvey's experimental new hull that debuted in 2003. Mike Eacrett, who had a brief career as an unlimited pilot back in the mid 90's, is the reported buyer. Eacrett has been racing in the G limited class with assistance from former BUDWEISER crew chief Ron Brown, who was instrumental in working with Harvey on the boat and reportedly is the boat's designer. So - if this indeed is true, it might be interesting to see that boat return. Definitely erratic, but J. Michael proved that it can run with the best of them at times. There were earlier rumors that Ray Forsman's new boat might make an appearance at San Diego, but that now appears unlikely. Many fans are anxious to see this new entry hit the circuit, as it will add one more piston powered craft to the fleet - a supercharged Allison will be the powerplant. Maybe next year.

That will do it for now - I'll report on qualifying and other news as it becomes available. The final heat will be streamed live through Hydroinsider.com, and I understand that the guys from Madison at wjbnlive.tv are also planning on streaming live, possibly the whole race.

Here's best wishes for a safe, fast, and competitive weekend!

You know, I have no problem whatsoever with anyone disagreeing with my postings, or challenging me on what I've written. Free speech is a wonderful thing.

However - it should be pointed out that I make my identity quite clear before anyone reads this blog, and I expect the same courtesy in return. I have received several nasty comments - probably from the same people - who have so nobly signed their comments as "ANONYMOUS". What brave writers they are!

It's sad that a presumably adult being would hide their insults behind "ANONYMOUS". Why not share your braggadocio with the rest of the world? Unfortunately, if you refuse to sign with your full name and e-mail address when leaving your comment, don't expect me to publish it.

That's only fair.

It’s 2 weeks to the 5 as I sit down to write this. What can we expect in San Diego? Has this season lived up to its billing? Are the Unlimiteds in good shape as we prepare to close out 2007? What kind of changes can we look forward to as the off-season is almost upon us?

There are several points to consider – pro and con – about the state of Unlimited Hydroplane racing. The sport has been pronounced on its death bed several times in recent years, but somehow it’s managed to survive and there have been some encouraging developments worth noting.

One of the first things that comes to mind is the leadership of the sport, meaning Sam Cole. Cole apparently has convinced both race teams and race sites that this sport can make a comeback. How else can you explain that only three years ago this sport was bitterly divided as to its direction (thank you, Mr. Garbrecht – may he rest in peace). Not to mention the announcement by Joe Little that 2004 would be the last year for Budweiser’s participation in Unlimited Hydroplane racing, and all of Hydroplanes, Inc., was up for sale at the end of the year. The outlook wasn’t too pretty. Sam Cole was well known to the sport’s participants – he had a history that translated into being able to be trusted. I’m not sure that the hard core, long-suffering fans held out a lot of high hopes as the 2005 season dawned, but they were still willing to show up, as they always did.

New race teams appeared to start 2005, including Chad Sanderson, whose sponsor was Ted Porter of Decatur, IN based FORMULABOATS.COM. I lived and worked in Fort Wayne, IN, which was only a 25 minute drive north and it was kind of neat to see an unlimited hydroplane appear occasionally in that town, or in Auburn, IN where Sanderson was from. Detroiter Dave Bartush also made the jump by purchasing one of Kim Gregory’s two hulls and was the surprise - or shock, whichever you prefer – of the year by pulling off an upset victory in the Gold Cup. Speaking of Gregory, he was so impressed by the direction he saw the sport heading in that he contacted Joe Little and purchased the T-3 Budweiser hull for 2006. Rookie Jean Theoret was hired by Bill Wurster as the new chauffer for LLUMAR WINDOW FILM, and all the winningest driver in Grand Prix hydroplane history did was score two victories and be named the ABRA Rookie of the Year.

The sport was becoming more competitive, no doubt about that. Some new young guns were on the horizon for the sport, too. No offense to some of the veteran drivers, but even they would admit the sport needed to get some of the “graybeards”, as Steve David has admitted, moving on and get some of the newer fans excited about the younger drivers such as J. Michael Kelly. 2006 saw the return of Unlimited Hydroplane legend Billy Schumacher return to the sport, now as a new owner after purchasing Bill Wurster’s team. Billy’s name returned to the Gold Cup, adding an owner’s title to his two driving wins. Chad Sanderson sold his interest in his racing team to sponsor Ted Porter, who wowed the racing community by purchasing both the T-5 and T-6 Budweisers from Joe Little. And all they did was capture the national championship, including a victory at Valleyfield by Rookie of the Year Mike Allen. So the outlook for 2007 looked very promising.

Freedom Racing decided to order a brand new boat for this year after that disastrous fire destroyed their previous entry. The city of Madison, IN, decided that after some 20 or so years (I forget, I know it was built in the 80’s) it was time for a brand new boat. I won’t recap what’s been going on this season because it’s been well chronicled. However, this isn’t to say there aren’t concerns. I realize I’m going to get some darts thrown in my direction for some of the things I’m about to say, but I’m just giving my opinion.

I salute the ELAM team for their drive and determination to excel in this sport. Unless a modern-day miracle happens, there’s no way they’ll lose the national championship when San Diego becomes history. BUT – if they dominate the fleet in 2008 like they have this year, the sport will head into a downward spiral again. Is it their fault they’re so better prepared than everybody else? Nope, not at all. They’re not spending Budweiser dollars, either, but they’ve been extremely committed. A lot of that comes from Dave Villwock. I admit I’m not a fan of his because I think he’s a poor sport and whiner when he loses, but I don’t take anything away from him as a wizard with boat setup and propellers. Nevertheless, my opinion remains the same – domination in a 6 event sport will be eventual death.

Now, there are some encouraging things to look at. It appears that serious discussions have been and are still going on to secure more race sites. This is very badly needed, and everyone knows it. I was in the media business for over 30 years until a stroke retired me three years ago. Thank God I never lost my voice or faculties – I’m truly blessed. But to get to my point – 6 races do not a series make. With 8 there’s an outside shot. Ten is the ideal number that I believe a television package could be put together. To get there, attendance needs to continue to climb at all races. Not just for the race sites’ sake, but to make an impression on potential sites. We need to get to 8, then to 10. Detroit’s attendance was better this year, and from what I can tell most of the other sites are reporting similar results. That’s definitely good.

The snag in all this – again, my viewpoint – is that there are some teams, while wanting the sport to grow, seem to not regard Evansville, Madison, and Detroit important enough to get ready for. “BUT JIM!”, you protest, “DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IT COSTS TO PULL THE BOATS ALL THE WAY EAST WITHOUT A SPONSOR?”. I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park. But every year it’s always a guessing game – how many will be in Evansville? 8? 9? Whew, a few more decided to come, so we have 11. Think about that – do you realize how hard that is for the sponsoring committee to sell for a potential event title sponsor? If I had a business and knew virtually nothing about the sport, I have to justify the expense - am I sponsoring a sport that is professional or just some high speed hobby?

As for sponsors for the boats to come east, God Bless Ken Muscatel and Fred Leland. While I don’t know the details, it wouldn’t surprise me that some members of the race site committee dig into their contacts and line up sponsors – which they have a great chance of doing as long as they know for sure teams are coming. I’m sure Evansville and Madison are the same. This strategy of starting your season at the fourth race of the year doesn’t bode well for a professional look. Teams need to prepare for Evansville as their first race like the top tier teams do, not Tri-Cities. The Kansas City Royals can’t lay back and start their season in mid July because it suits their plans and financial outlook. This sport has to have a firmer commitment from all teams to be ready to go. Both Leland and the doctor seem to always have someone more than willing to put their logo on their boats – why can’t the rest of the fleet sit up and take notice? It can be done, if only they try.

There are other things I could comment on, like trolling at the start and a few other things, but I’ve gone on long enough for now. Despite the ELAM’s dominance, I’m encouraged by OBERTO winning in Seattle. I’m encouraged by David Bryant and the job he’s doing in the U-10. Dave Bartush’s crew has really put together a fine boat for J. Michael to drive. Also the emergence of Jeff Bernard, and other good looking young guns like Brian Perkins. There’s already talk of perhaps two new teams joining the field next year. So while Sam Cole has a few issues to address, the unlimited fraternity, as well as the fans, have a lot to be hopeful for and I believe the right guy is in the right position.

Talk to you in a couple of weeks …

Steve David and his Madison, IN, based team proved that Art and Larry Oberto's money was well-founded. David guided the new OH BOY! OBERTO to a picture perfect start and took off and hid from the field to capture the Chevrolet Cup at Seafair in Seattle. Jean Theoret in MISS BEACON PLUMBING and Dave Villwock in MISS ELAM PLUS were out of it before it ever got going by bogging down and started way back in the pack. David would have none of it, and ran his own race - turns out he knew what he was doing.

OBERTO led the entire way, followed by David Bryant in TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS, J. Michael Kelly in MISS CAR PROS third, and ELAM fourth. Villwock claimed that they had "figured out what had been wrong and we fixed it" but that Theoret "must have been mad for losing the inside to us, so he hosed us down." Sure, it wasn't that you screwed up by going too slow, Dave - it HAD to be someone else's doing. Admittedly, Theoret did cut him off, but, boo hoo. You're still a poor sport.

A great weekend of racing, and an additional note: I hope that the unlimited owners have their eye on 19 year old Kayleigh Perkins! She's a racer - just some more seasoning and she might be ready to make the jump in a few years. We'll be watching ...

Till San Diego ... later!

Seafair '07 has been ANYTHING but dull, that's for sure.

Heat 2-A saw only three of the five entries officially start, as MISS LAKERIDGE PAVING and MISS CONOVER INSURANCE failed to answer the starter's gun. Nate Brown in MISS RED DOT battled Greg Hopp in MIRAGEBOATS.COM for a few laps before Hopp pulled to a comfortable victory. RED DOT was second with Ken Muscatel in PROCRAFT WINDOWS in third.

2-B went down as the closest finish ever for unlimited hydroplanes as David Bryant in TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS edged Steve David in OH BOY! OBERTO by only a few feet at the finish, a literal photo finish. What was amazing is that Bryant went from third, passing Jeff Bernard in FORMULABOATS.COM I, to first on the last lap - and he did it from the outside, no less! J. Michael Kelly brought MISS CAR PROS in fourth, with rookie Jimmy Shane in FORMULABOATS.COM II coming in fifth.

Jean Theoret needed to win heat 2-C for a crack at getting into the final. To do that, he was up against Dave Villwock in ELAM, Jimmy King in TODD HOSS-RONALD McDONALD HOUSE, and rookie Brian Perkins in THE PLUMBING JOINT. Theoret made it count by snagging the inside lane and making a picture perfect start and took the lead out of the first turn. Despite a strong run by ELAM, Theoret and BEACON PLUMBING had too much cha-cha for this dance and won convincingly. ELAM was second, with PLUMBING JOINT third, and TODD HOSS II fourth after being penalized a one lap penalty for jumping the gun.

Heat 3-A saw Jeff Bernard win his second heat of the event, once again besting J. Michael Kelly, who finished second. Muscatel took third, with Greg Hopp fourth, Jimmy Shane trailed in fifth, and Nate Brown brought his craft home in sixth.

The drama was set for heat 3-B ... all the hot dogs were in this one. BEACON would do battle again with ELAM, plus throw in the OBERTO, TODD HOSS I and TODD HOSS II, and poor Brian Perkins in THE PLUMBING JOINT thrown in the midst. Both BEACON PLUMBING and OBERTO forced ELAM into lane 3 with TODD HOSS I in four. TODD HOSS II trailed slightly with THE PLUMBING JOINT a distant sixth at the start. Once again Theoret nailed the start from lane one and was never headed. ELAM never seemed to have the superior speed shown earlier in the season and took second. It was the second straight heat loss for Villwock, and only his third overall for the season. OBERTO was third, followed by TODD HOSS I fourth, TODD HOSS II in fifth, and THE PLUMBING JOINT sixth.

The qualifiers for the final are:

U-5 FORMULABOATS.COM I / Jeff Bernard
U-16 MISS ELLSTROM ELAM PLUS / Dave Villwock
U-6 OH BOY! OBERTO / Steve David
U-37 MISS BEACON PLUMBING / Jean Theoret
U-10 TODD HOSS MORTGAGE INVESTORS / David Bryant
U-13 MISS CAR PROS / J. Michael Kelly
U-25 MISS PROCRAFT WINDOWS / Ken Muscatel (won provisional)