12/29/2005 - 2006 Registration Fees Now that the holidays are over and we all get back to normal, I want to remind all the racers that the annual registration fees and the February tri-annuals are due. The checks should be sent to Chester Lepinski and made out to R/CU. These are due by February 1, 2006. After that you will get a $5.00 late fee added to each boat.
R/CU
c/o Chet Lepinski
172 Tamarisk Lane
Richland, WA. 99352
12/25/2005 - Merry Christmas! Have a Merry Christmas!
12/20/2005 - Master Hull Roster Update The Master Hull Roster on the Information page has been updated. If for some reason your registration information is incorrect, please contact our current Registrar, Troy McIntire roostertail10@aol.com 12/20/2005 - Stats Update The RCU 'Stats' has been updated on the Statistics page with the stats throughout the 2005 season-end.
12/20/2005 - Career Points The RCU Career Driver Points has been updated on the Statistics page with the stats throughout the 2005 season-end.
12/15/2005 - Fuel Order Dave Fox is going to be making the Ritches Brew Fuel Order at the end of January. Please Contact Dave at davefox19@charter.net By January 25th with quantities and nitro percentages or questions.
12/14/2005 - Boats Draw Proceedure Starting January 1st, 2006 R/C Unlimiteds will begin posting the "Boats Up For Draw" list on the club web site. This will be a faster and more accurate method of listing boats available to club members and to new people interested in joining the club. It will also show the due dates and expected drawing dates. This will become the "official communication" for entering a drawing or to register an available boat. Just print and fill out the registration form, toss in an envelope with a check for the registration fees, and mail to Troy McIntire, the club's Registrar. We do understand that there may be members out there who still do not have access to the internet. If you know of someone interested in a boat, who does not have on-line access, please have them contact Troy (roostertail10@aol.com), to enter a drawing or register a boat.
The following boats are now up for draw:
Hull #
Year
U#
Name
8407
86-88
U-1/11
T-1 Miss Budweiser
7612
1984
U-7
Lite All Star II
6640
1966
U-40
Miss Bardahl
5825
1963
U-25
Eagle Electric
8255
1985
U-100
Coors Light
8255
1984
U-40
Oh Boy Oberto
8721
87-88
U-21
Eliminator
7207
1976
U-77
Spirit of Dayton Walther
0302
2003
U-2
Trendwest
8700
2003
U-15
Miss Chrysler / Jeep
8408
93-94
U-24/75
Oh Boy Oberto
7025
1970
U-25
Pride of Pay'n Pak
7704
1980
U-4
Evans Marina
6812
1974
U-77
Country Boy
8255
1983
U-40
Miss Houston (red)
8255
1983
U-40
Miss Houston (white)
6740
1967
U-40
Miss Bardahl
Please send in your request for a boat up for draw POST MARKED on or before Jan 16th. The boat draw will follow around Jan. 22nd.
Troy, our 2005-2006 Registrar, can be reached at:
Troy McIntire
R/C Unlimiteds Registrar
2718 West Imnaha
Kennewick, WA. 99336
(509) 783-8452
Use the following Boat Registration form to register an available boat and send it to our Registrar.
All new Draws are $10 per entry and new boat registrations from the currently available boats are also $10. Thank You, The R/C Unlimiteds Contest Board
12/14/2005 - Master Hull Roster Update The Master Hull Roster on the Information page has been updated. If for some reason your registration information is incorrect, please contact our current Registrar, Troy McIntire roostertail10@aol.com 12/13/2005 - Ed Cooper, Sr., Remembered By Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian
Ed Cooper, Sr., who co-owned the U-3 Racing Team with his son, Ed Cooper, Jr., passed away on December 13, 2005, at King's Daughters' Hospital in Madison, Indiana. He was 86.
In a category dominated by Lycoming turbine engines, the father-and-son team was unique. They used the time-honored Allison V-12 piston power plant, originally intended for use in World War II fighter planes.
The Coopers started their racing careers in the 1960s as crew members for the community-owned MISS MADISON. In 2002, the U-3 team became the first to turn a lap at over 160 miles per hour with an internal combustion engine.
U-3 Team victories include:
(1) 1989 - Tri-Cities, WA (Columbia Cup); driver-Mitch Evans
(2) 2003 - Evansville, IN (Thunder On The Ohio); driver-Mitch Evans
(3) 2003 - Detroit, MI (APBA Gold Cup); driver-Mitch Evans
(4) 2003 - San Diego, CA (Bill Muncey Cup); driver-Mitch Evans
The elder Mr. Cooper served on the board of directors of Madison Regatta, Inc., in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, he and Ed, Jr., helped on the crew of MISS KENTUCKIANA PAVING, owned by Graham Heath and Bill Cantrell of Madison.
In 1985, the father and son pooled their resources and started their own team. They purchased Chuck Hickling's former TEMPUS, which they debuted in 1986. They built new boats in 1988, 1997, and 2002.
The Cooper team's supreme achievement has to be the 2003 Gold Cup at Detroit. They were the first piston-powered winners in twenty years of APBA racing's Crown Jewel.
Running under the sponsorship of FOX HILLS CHRYSLER-JEEP/SUN COATINGS, the U-3 and driver Mitch Evans defeated the defending Gold Cup champions Dave Villwock and MISS BUDWEISER in the Final Heat, 144.152 miles per hour to 141.488.
Ed Cooper, Sr., was a great friend and admirer of the late Bill "Pappy" Cantrell who, together with Graham Heath, taught the Coopers everything they knew about the Allison engine.
In an interview with this writer, Ed, Sr., revealed his greatest thrill in racing. That was the time when he tested the former TEMPUS hull on the Ohio River: "I always admired 'Pappy' Cantrell and wanted to be like him. That time when I drove the boat, I felt like I really was 'Pappy' Cantrell."
12/9/2005 - 2006 Annual Registration fees See the members section for the 2006 annual registration fees, plus fee for not making your starts in the year 2005, as well as the Tri-annual fees for boats in Develemont.
The Annual fees plus the no starts and the first Tri-Annuals have to be paid by February 1, 2006. If the Treasurer does not have them by then there will be a $5.00 late fee for each boat not paid by then. These checks should be sent to Chester Lepinski our current Treasurer made payable to R/CU.
R/CU
c/o Chet Lepinski
172 Tamarisk Lane
Richland, WA. 99352
12/8/2005 - R/CU Contest Board Meeting Reminder Your Contest Board has its regularly scheduled December meeting this Sunday, at the Palace Restaurant, on Main Street, in Ellensburg, at 10:30 AM. While Board members have to be there or face horrendous consequences, non-Board members are always welcomed also. (Non Board members have to ask for speaking time, that's all.) If you are feeliing like lending your opinions, support, or just want to share a little community with your fellow R/CU racers, come one, and come all! The meeting agenda will be posted in the members section of the R/CU website.
Best regards,
Marc Connelly
2006 R/CU Chairman
12/7/2005 - Registration Draw The following boats are now up for draw:
Hull #
Year
U#
Name
8407
86-88
U-1/11
T-1 Miss Budweiser
7612
1984
U-7
Lite All Star II
6640
1966
U-40
Miss Bardahl
5825
1963
U-25
Eagle Electric
8255
1985
U-100
Coors Light
8255
1984
U-40
Oh Boy Oberto
8721
87-88
U-21
Eliminator
7207
1976
U-77
Spirit of Dayton Walther
302
2003
U-2
Trendwest
8700
2003
U-15
Miss Chrysler / Jeep
8408
93-94
U-24/75
Oh Boy Oberto
7025
1970
U-25
Pride of Pay'n Pak
7704
1980
U-4
Evans Marina
6812
1974
U-77
Country Boy
8255
1983
U-40
Miss Houston (white)
6740
1967
U-40
Miss Bardahl
If you would like to register one of these, please fill out our Boat Registration form and send it to our 2005-2006 Registrar, Troy McIntire.
12/7/2005 - Phone list update The phone list has been updated. If you need to correct an address, phone number, or email please let Troy know roostertail10@aol.com
12/7/2005 - Master Hull Roster Update The Master Hull Roster on the Information page has been updated. If for some reason your registration information is incorrect, please contact our current Registrar, Troy McIntire roostertail10@aol.com
12/7/2005 - Movie Night at the Museum Roger Newton will be hosting "Movie Night" this Friday, Dec 9th, 6:00 P.M. at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. The feature presentation will be the 1957 Gold Cup.
For directions see: www.thunderboats.org
11/28/2005 - Stats Update The 'stats' have been updated on the Statistics page with all of the 2005 data.
11/27/2005 - Phone list update The phone list has been updated. If you need to correct an address, phone number, or email please let Troy know roostertail10@aol.com
11/14/2005 - Hull registration and phone list If I didn't get you paperwork for a recently registered hull and you want it let me know by email roostertail10@aol.com and I will get it to you. Also if you need to correct an address, phone number, or email please let me know. Thanks Troy
11/14/2005 - A Brief Message From Your Incoming R/CU Chairman I want to thank everyone on the R/CU Contest Board for electing me as your Chairman for next year. I look forward to working with all of our membership to put on a fun and fair 2006 season.
Before I dive into the agenda for our important December Board meeting, I want to pause to reflect upon the 2005 season for just a moment. It was a good year, full of very tough competition on the race course and punctuated by a few interesting and intense discussions about rules, policies, responsibilities, and race formats. Throughout this past year, I felt privileged to be a firm supporter and confidant of Chairman emeritus, Nelson Holmberg. I truly appreciated his effort and his sense of fair play. I learned a great deal from Nelson about being a committed, good person. Nelson is one of the good guys, in my book.
His tenure as Chairman points out an important lesson that our club has yet to learn fully: Each and every one of us ought to be enticed to serve on the Board, no matter how much experience as a racer, or how much knowledge as a hydro historian we possess. It is a duty to serve, every bit as important as calling, judging, or setting up the scaffolding. Personally, I believe that everyone with a R/CU boat registration should serve on the Board at some point during their racing career. And, as members, we ought to give those who volunteer to serve the support that they need to feel good about taking on their chosen responsibilities. This club can remain great only if the involvement by each and every one of us is as important as racing itself. Willingness counts for a lot, and Nelson was one willing Chairman, just as Steve Schmitz was one willing Inspector and Jack Carson was one great and willing Race Coordinator. As I assume my responsibilities for this next year, I sincerely honor their individual efforts.
Next year is going to be really boring. That is to say, we are going to have a racing season that has very little controversy, but great racing just the same! Why? Because Bill Brandt bought the '72 Notre Dame and Steve Schmitz is commissioning a new hull from Russ Nachweigh, and Larry Oberto and his son are coming to race with us, and,, and, and... And because during the winter months the new Board is going to iron out some needed rules changes, update the rule book, address the scheduling issues early, and focus on what makes R/CU great- camaraderie and competition. I look forward to next year with great anticipation and I hope that you do as well.
The Atomic Cup just can't get here fast enough to suit me!
Marc Connelly
R/CU Chairman
11/13/2005 - Awards Banquet Success The Awards Banquet was a tremendous success with our highest turnout ever! 84 RCU & E-RCU members were in attendance at this year's event held at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. See the results here. Also, congratulations to our newly elected Board Members!
Our Board Members for 2006 will be:
Marc Connelly - Chairman
Chet Lepinski - Treasurer
Troy McIntire - Registrar
Mick Shutt - Secretary
Don Mock - Statistician
Roger Newton - Race Coordinator
Lee Robertson - Inspector
11/10/2005 - Don't miss out!
RCU T-Shirts
T-Shirt Front Click for larger images T-Shirt Back
Don't miss out on this great deal!! Get your shirts today before this deal expires! For a limited time you can get a great deal on RCU T-shirts. For a limited time you can get 3 shirts for just $25. These are being sold at cost.. You can't get a better deal.
Available now in sizes M, L & XL.
To order yours today, send your check for $25 (made out to RCU) plus your requested sizes to:
R/CU
c/o Chester Lepinski
Treasurer 172 Tamarisk Lane
Richland, WA 99352
11/8/2005 - Who's That RCU'er cont. In case you haven't figured it out yet, or if you just want to confirm your suspicion, just hold your mouse over the below image to see who it is.
11/4/2005 - Who's That RCU'er Just when you thought you were safe... then you get listed here. Can you guess who this RCU'er is?
11/3/2005 - A BIG PAR-TAY I just want to thank everyone who sent in their banquet reservations already. I have communicated with our caterer, given them our final reservations, and they will be feeding 84 of us at the 2005 R/CU ER/CU Awards Banquet! 84! Is that some kind of record, or what?!? Big thanks goes out to Mr. Chester Lepinski and the Czar for beating the bushes in the 11th hour. As always these two guys came crashing through for us and really got the turnout turned up.
PLEASE NOTE ONE IMPORTANT CHANGE: Forget that BYOB idea. Just erase it. It never happened. Instead, we will have beer and wine available for purchase by the glass. Just don't forget to tip the barkeep. (That's my boy!)
SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS NEEDED: Now, our attention turns to silent auction donations. If you have a donation, please let Nelson know about it as soon as possible. (nelson@noslencommunication.com) Your donations will help bolster the coffers of each club, which is always helpful. We have some Chris Denton photo disks, a couple of spectacular prints, a boat cover, and even a roundnose hull, (from any Newton plan set) already in the auction lineup. This should be fun!
I look forward to seeing all of my friends and fellow competitors at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, on November 12th. Again, thanks for sending in your banquet reservations. Much appreciated! Marc Connelly
10/29/2005 - Time is running out! ...It's already the 11th Hour! It seems like we finished the Gold Cup just a week or two ago and the Awards Banquet will be Weeks if not a Month or so away. So why worry about anything right? ...Wrong! Time seems to have passed without us knowing because we now only have... like one day... TODAY to get our reservations in to Marc, as he needs receive them by THIS TUESDAY!!! ...and you know how long it takes for things to be sent in through the mail.
Marc Connelly
3146 Moore Street SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Your reservation must be received by THIS TUESDAY,November 1st to ensure that you have a dinner waiting for you at the banquet.
Don't miss out on the coolest hydroplane banquet ever held!
10/27/2005 - Great Deal on RCU shirts
RCU T-Shirts
T-Shirt Front Click for larger images T-Shirt Back
Now! For a limited time you can get a super deal on RCU T-shirts. For a limited time you can get 3 shirts for just $25. That's a screaming deal folks and at this price they may not last long.
Available now in sizes M, L & XL.
To order yours today, send your check for $25 (made out to RCU) plus your requested sizes to:
R/CU
c/o Chester Lepinski
Treasurer 172 Tamarisk Lane
Richland, WA 99352
10/24/2005 - Banquet Menu Revealed After Insider Cracks. Leak investigation (and possible indictments) To Follow. And they say the White House is under intense pressure. Huh. Well, I've got some news for those guys- I am really feeling the heat for not posting the 2005 R/CU & ER/CU Awards Banquet menu sooner. Sorry, guys (and gals). I forgot that this could be a deal breaker for spouses and girlfriends. Now I am even catching it here at home. This is starting to feel a lot like turn one, lane three, at the start of your typical second connie! So put out those torches, put down the scythes, here is your bill of fare.
Chef Carved Baron of Beef with creamy horseradish and dijon mustard
Creamy Dijon Chicken
Whipped Herb Potatoes
Old Fashioned Green Beans with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions
Garden Green Salad or Caesar Salad (choose one)
Fancy Mixed Fruit Bowl
Assortment of Cakes and Cheese Cakes
Dinner Rolls with Butter
Coffee & Punch
If this sounds good to you, well thanks. Now make that reservation, okay?
But if this seems in any way short of your expectations, well, it was all Chets idea.
Marc Connelly
Senior R/CU Banquet Lackey
10/24/2005 - Rick Lentz Named King of all Hydroplane Racing! Throughout the entire of the world of hydroplane racing this week, one names stands out from all of the rest: Rick Lentz. We could all take a page from Ricks organizational playbook. Why? Because Rick was the first person to get his reservation check in for the 2005 R/CU & ER/CU Annual Awards Banquet. It arrived in Saturdays mail, filled out neatly, with a check covering the exact amount needed to insure his banquet reservation.
So, in honor of his prompt response, as requested over a week ago, I have taken it upon myself to name him King of The Entire Hydroplane Kingdom for this week and on, up through the banquet itself. Get used to it, guys: King Rick. For the rest of you, take heart: the position of King may be taken, but there are still a lot of Prince slots still remaining to be filled. Are you a Prince of a guy? I sure hope so. You certainly could be if you just filled out your banquet registration form, wrote that check to R/CU, and mailed it today to:
Marc Connelly
3146 Moore Street SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Your reservation must be received by November 1st to insure that you have a nice, warm dinner waiting for you at the banquet. Don't miss out on the coolest hydroplane banquet ever held- presided over by King Rick himself! Get your reservations in the mail today, you Prince you.
See you there!
Marc
10/23/2005 - Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship Updates I would like to thank all that made the 2005 Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship Race a success. I believe that all that attended had a good time; we ended up having great racing after a rough start on Sunday due to those dreaded Ellensburg winds but the winds calmed down and by the time we got to the consolation and final races we had great water. Drinks and dinner in our private dining room at the Buzz Inn Steak House turned out to be a success. Al Waters liked that Chicken Fried Steak that he had for dinner last year so much that he had it twice this year (next year I think we will cut him off and make him eat something different). The swap meet/raffle drawing was a success. We had over 25 sponsors for this year's race so we ended up with a lot to give-away to the racers. Please go to race web site http://stubbersmedia.com/nwshc/ to see who won "All the Marbles" and check out the sponsor's page, they are the ones that will allow this event to keep happening...
Thanks to all those who sponsored the race with there dollars or there time. It means a lot to me and Al that so many are getting involved...
Marty Shallenberger
10/22/2005 - Mail / Phone list updates Our Mailing/Phone list has just been updated by our Registrar. If you see any changes/updates that need to be made to our mail/phone list now or in the future, please send your requests to our current Registrar at that time, who maintains this file. Our current Registrar, Troy McIntire (Roostertail10@aol.com) is taking your changes at this time.
10/20/2005 - Make your reservations today for the 2005 R/CU & ER/CU Annual Awards Banquet The invitations to the R/CU & ER/CU Annual Awards banquet will go out via snail mail today, and via email tonight, but you can download your copy right here, right now, at either the R/CU or ER/CU websites to get your reservation in place. Please don't procrastinate- we need to let the caterers know the meal count by November 1st. The cost is $25 per person and the event will go from 5:30 until 9pm or whenever we are all tired of rehashing the 2005 racing season.
This year, we are going to host the event at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, which is an excellent facility for us and a natural home for any hydro fan. Dr. Ken Muscatel will be our speaker and he will be both exciting and entertaining as he presents his enthusiastic and optimistic vision for the future of the sport. As a Museum Board member, I have come to know Ken a bit over the past few years and I really appreciate his love for the sport. He will be an excellent speaker.
We have made an arrangement for overnight accommodations at the Doubletree Inn at Southcenter, which is just minutes away from the event. There will be a silent auction, so if you have any items to donate, please let me know by contacting me at: marc@in-ad.com. All donations are deeply appreciated.
To cut down on cost just a bit, we are not going to have a wet bar on site this year. Instead, if you wish, you can bring the libation or beverage of your choice and we will have plenty of room in the Museum frig as well as an ice basin for you. The dinner menu will be posted here on the website in the next day or so.
This is going to be a fun party with- I guarantee you- some real surprises. We all had a highly competitive and fun racing season and this is the night that we can all get together and bask in the glory of our races well run. I hope to see you all there!
Marc Connelly
R/CU Secretary
marc@in-ad.com
360 754-8214
10/12/2005 - Boat added to For Sale page The 1972 Notre Dame has been added to the For Sale page.
10/10/2005 - RCU televised on The Outdoor Channel this week The Outdoor Channel will be broadcasting RCU's Columbia Cup race this week!
Air Times (Eastern & Pacific Time)
Monday Oct. 10, 2005 5:00P.M.
Thursday Oct. 13, 2005 1:00P.M.
Saturday Oct. 15, 2005 12:00P.M.
This Week's Episode: Columbia Cup 1/8th scale Unlimited Cup
This week on Inside RC we headed up to the Pacific Northwest to Kennewick Washington, for the Columbia Cup boat races. The focus was on the RC 1/8th scale Unlimited boats, but we had a chance to see some of the full scale ones too, since they were racing near by.
10/8/2005 - Awards Banquet Now that the 2005 Season is over, thoughts lead to our upcoming Awards Banquet. The Awards Banquet will held November 12, 2005 at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. click here for the flyer.
10/6/2005 - Engines added to For Sale page A couple Picco engines have been added to the For Sale page. Now's your chance for a great deal on engines if you are just getting into the sport.
10/5/2005 - Driver Standings Update The 2005 Season is complete and the 2005 Driver Standings have been updated with the points from all races this season.
10/5/2005 - Boat added to For Sale page The 2004 Silver Dollar Casino presents Miss Rock has been added to the For Sale page.
10/3/2005 - Gold Cup / Norm Evans Memorial Results The Gold Cup & Norm Evans Memorial race results are updated on the Race Schedule page. The Driver Standings will be updated once that information becomes available.
10/3/2005 - Gold Cup Winner Congratulations to Lee Robertson for winning the 2005 Gold Cup
9/29/2005 - Statistics Update The 'Stats' on the Statistics page has been updated with the latest info through the Spark Plug Regatta.
9/26/2005 - Points Update Drivers Points and Boat Points have been updated with the results from the Spark Plug Regatta race.
9/26/2005 - Spark Plug Regatta Congratulations to Dave Brandt for winning his 11th race this year. The race results are up in the Race Schedule section. Driver Standings will be updated once that information becomes available.
9/22/2005 - Updated Master Hull Roster The corrected and updated Master Hull Roster has been added to the Information page. If there is anything that you see that needs to be corrected, please contact Troy @ roostertail10@aol.com.
9/20/2005 - Updated Master Hull Roster Take a look at the Master Hull Roster on the Information page and Members section to confirm you registered hull status. If there is anything that you see that needs to be corrected, please contact Troy @ roostertail10@aol.com.
9/19/2005 - Tri-Annuals due The Tri-Annuals are due at the end of the month. You can see the amount due in our members section. Please send all funds to:
RCU
c/o Chet Lepinski
172 Tamarisk Lane
Richland, WA 99352
9/18/2005 - San Diego, CA - Thunderboat Regatta Congratulations to Dave Villwock and the U-16 Elam Plus team for winning the Thunderboat Regatta in San Diego, CA. this weekend. Also Congratulations to Steve David, driver of the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, for winning the 2005 National High Point Driver Championship.
Thunderboat Regatta Race Results
Place
. .Team
. Driver
1st
.U-16 Ellstrom Manufacturing
.Dave Villwock
2nd
.U-8 Llumar Window Film
.Jean Theoret
3rd
.U-13 Spirit of Detroit
.Terry Troxell
4th
.U-25 PrimeLending presents Mr. Home Loan
.Ken Muscatel
5th
.U-2 Graham Trucking
.J. Michael Kelly
6th (DNF)
.U-5 formulaboats.com
.Mike Weber
7th (DNF)
.U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto
.Steve David
9/15/2005 - Nashville 2005 By Fred Farley (ABRA Unlimited Historian) LLUMAR WINDOW FILM WINS AT NASHVILLE
The sixth stop on the 2005 ABRA Unlimited hydroplane series tour marked the second straight triumph in the current campaign for LLUMAR WINDOW FILM (U-8) owner Bill Wurster and driver Jean Theoret on September 11 in the Music City Hydrofest at Nashville, Tennessee.
The LLUMAR team had won the Chevrolet Cup on August 7 at Seattle.
Theoret and the U-8 were actually fourth over the finish line in the five-lap Final Heat on J. Percy Priest Lake. But the three front runners--ELLSTROM (U-16) with Dave Villwock, OH BOY! OBERTO (U-6) with Steve David, and SPIRIT OF DETROIT (U-13) with Terry Troxell--were all assessed penalty laps for various infractions.
The race was a heartbreaker for Jimmy King, driver of the unnamed U-3. King and the Allison-powered craft were the legal leaders after four and three-quarter laps in the Final Heat when a broken propeller shaft sidelined them just short of the checkered flag.
The corrected order of finish was LLUMAR first, OBERTO second, SPIRIT OF DETROIT third, and ELLSTROM fourth.
Nine Unlimiteds attended the inaugural event on Priest Lake--the exact same boats that appeared in Seattle with the exception of Fred Leland's U-60 and U-99. They were joined at Nashville by a fleet of 5-Litre and Vintage inboards and two classes of OPC tunnel outboards.
For a first-year effort, the Nashville committee did a commendable job. Many familiar faces from the Evansville, Madison, and Detroit committees were on hand to lend their expertise to the new group.
The physical layout of the Music City Hydrofest was not without its challenges. The race course was invisible to those in the working pits. And the problem of the lack of adequate spectator viewing areas needed to be addressed.
The water was calm all three days and ideal for racing. Weather conditions were sunny and warm.
A sizeable flotilla of spectator craft tied up to the logboom, located just beyond the backstretch turn.
The qualification period produced some remarkable speeds on the approximate 2-mile egg-shaped course, which featured an 1155-foot first turn and a 682-foot second turn. The wide sweeping first turn allowed the boats to run almost as fast as on the straightaways.
Villwock and ELLSTROM qualified fastest at 171.796. Theoret and LLUMAR were next at 163.997, followed by King and the U-3 at 163.662, David and OBERTO at 159.627, Ken Muscatel and SUPERIOR RACING (U-25) at 153.659, Greg Hopp and MISS BEACON PLUMBING (U-100) at 153.198, Troxell and SPIRIT OF DETROIT at 152.033, J. Michael Kelly and GRAHAM TRUCKING (U-2) at 150.379, and Mike Weber and FORMULA POWERBOATS (U-5) at 146.818.
A couple of rookie drivers made their first appearances in an Unlimited hydroplane at Nashville. On Friday, Kevin Aylesworth tested the U-25 and turned a lap of 147.269. Mike Allen took out the U-5 on Saturday and did 141.612.
The "Madison Plan", featured at the 2005 Madison Regatta, was used at Nashville. This is the format, developed by U-6 representative owner Bob Hughes, that does away with the blind draw, based upon qualification speeds.
U-6, U-13, and U-16 were placed in Heat 1-A, U-3, U-25, and U-2 in Heat 1-B, and U-8, U-5, and U-100 in Heat 1-C.
U-3, U-6, and U-5 appeared in Heat 2-A, U-13, U-100, and U-25 in Heat 2-B, and U-8, U-2, and U-16 in Heat 2-C.
U-6, U-13, and U-2 found themselves in Heat 3-A, U-100, U-5, and U-16 in Heat 3-B, and U-3, U-8, and U-25 in Heat 3-C.
The boats would be competing for four spots on the front line and one trailer boat position in the Final Heat.
All preliminary heats were three laps and the Final Heat was five laps at Nashville. An exhibition heat of four laps was run on Friday for the purpose of testing the water under competitive conditions.
In the ten heats run on Sunday, September 11, the boats finished 30 out of 32 heats. There was only one DNF (U-3 in the Final) and only one DNS (U-5 in 3-B).
# # # # #
EXHIBITION HEAT (1) U-8; (2) U-2; (3) U-6; (4) U-25.
A blanket start with U-8 (lane-one) and U-6 (lane-four) crossing together. U-8 led out of the first turn, followed by U-6. U-2 then passed U-6 and U-8 and led by several boat lengths at the end of lap-one. U-8 reclaimed the lead on lap-two. U-8 led U-2 by one roostertail length after lap-two and also lap-three. U-8 then pulled away from U-2 and won by two roostertail lengths. U-6 and U-25 trailed.
# # # # #
HEAT 1-A (1) U-16; (2) U-13; (3) U-6.
A ragged start with U-6 first across in lane-three. U-13 led through the first turn but was passed by U-16 on the first backstretch. U-16 pulled away to a substantial lead on lap-two. U-6 challenged U-13 for second-place on lap-two before U-13 pulled away on lap-three.
# # # # #
HEAT 1-B (1) U-25; (2) U-3); (3) U-2.
U-2 and U-3 crossed together but jumped the gun. U-25 made a belated start, three quarters of a lap behind the "leaders." U-3 "led" U-2 by a roostertail length after lap-one and then pulled away. U-3 began making up ground on U-25. U-3 trailed U-25 by five roostertails on the final backstretch and moved to within one roostertail length at the finish line.
# # # # #
HEAT 1-C (1) U-8; (2) U-100; (3) U-5.
A ragged start with U-100 first across in lane-two. U-8, in lane-one, led out of the first turn and throughout. U-8 had a substantial lead at the end of lap-one. U-5 challenged U-100 for second-place and stayed within U-100's roostertail all three laps.
# # # # #
HEAT 2-A (1) U-6; (2) U-3; (3) U-5.
A ragged start with U-6 first across in lane-two. U-6 led out of the first turn and throughout. U-3 stayed within U-6's roostertail all three laps, while U-5 trailed.
# # # # #
HEAT 2-B (1) U-13; (2) U-100; (3) U-25.
U-100 crossed first just ahead of U-13. U-25 slowed in the score-up turn and started a half lap behind. U-100 led U-13 until the exit buoy of the second turn of lap-one. U-13 led by a boat length at the end of lap-one, by a roostertail length after lap-two, and by two roostertails at the checkered flag. U-25 trailed.
# # # # #
HEAT 2-C (1) U-16; (2) U-8; (3) U-2.
A ragged start with U-16 first across. U-16 pulled away to a commanding lead on the first backstretch. Second-place U-2 finished lap-one about two feet ahead of U-8. U-8 then took over second-place and went on to lead U-2 by two roostertails at the end of lap-three.
# # # # #
HEAT 3-A (1) U-6; (2) U-13; (3) U-2.
U-13 crossed first in lane-two. U-6 caught up with U-13 and led out of the first turn. U-6 led U-13 by one and a half roostertails after lap-one and then pulled away on lap-two. Third-place U-2 tried to make up ground on U-13 but was unable to do so.
# # # # #
HEAT 3-B (1) U-16; (2) U-100; (DNS) U-5.
U-5 returned to the pits during the one-minute period. U-16 (outside) and U-100 (inside) crossed together. U-100 led through the first turn but U-16 led out of it and throughout. U-16 ran on the extreme outside all three laps. U-100 ran close to the buoyline but still couldn't catch U-16, which won by one and a half roostertails.
# # # # #
HEAT 3-C (1) U-8; (2) U-3; (3) U-25.
A blanket start with U-3 first across in lane-two. U-3 led through the first turn but U-8 led out of it. U-8 led U-3 by a roostertail length after lap-one, by one and a half roostertails after lap-two, and by three roostertails after lap-three. U-25 ran an extra lap for missing the 40-second score-up buoy.
After three sets of preliminary heats, ELLSTROM led with 1200 points, followed by LLUMAR WINDOW FILM with 1100, OH BOY! OBERTO with 1025, and SPIRIT OF DETROIT with 1000. These were admitted to the front line in the Final Heat. U-3 and MISS BEACON PLUMBING tied with 900 points for the trailer boat position. U-3 was chosen on the basis of faster qualification speed. BEACON was designated as the alternate.
# # # # #
FINAL HEAT (1) U-8; (2) U-6; (3) U-13; (4) U-16; (DNF) U-3.
The Final Heat warm-up period proved the undoing for three of the five entrants. U-16, U-6, and U-13 all jumped the 40-second score-up buoy and were penalized a lap. Moreover, U-16 incurred an additional one-lap penalty for being off-plane prior to the start gun.
The start was very ragged with only U-6 (inside) and U-16 (outside) anywhere close to the starting line. U-6 "led" out of the first turn, followed by "second-place" U-16. U-6 led U-16 by one second at the end of lap-one, followed by U-13, U-3, and U-8 in that order. U-16 took over the "lead" on lap-two and pulled away.
With four down and one lap remaining, the legally leading U-3 appeared to have the race in hand with second-place U-8 far behind. Then that certain "something" occurred which sent the Ed Cooper-owned entry into the DNF category with propeller failure.
Jean Theoret and U-8 inherited the lead and claimed the victory, followed by U-6, U-13, and U-16 to wind up the day's racing and affirm the Biblical proverb: "The last will be first and the first last."
# # # # #
LLUMAR owner Bill Wurster now has eight wins in the Unlimited Class since 1985. This is the first time that he has won two races back-to-back (Seattle and Nashville).
Driver Jean Theoret is shaping up as one of the most successful rookies in Unlimited history. Only Howie Benns, who won three races in 1974 with MISS BUDWEISER, has more victories during his rookie season.
U-16 owner Erick Ellstrom experienced disappointment in not winning at Nashville but consoled himself by clinching the 2005 ABRA National Boat Championship with former driver J.W. Myers and current pilot Dave Villwock. This marks the tenth consecutive year that Villwock has driven for a National Championship team.
With one race (San Diego) remaining on the 2005 calendar, the ABRA Driver Championship was still up for grabs. OBERTO pilot Steve David had a slim lead over Theoret, 7195 points to 6795.
9/14/2005 - Llumar Window Film Music City HydroFest Results Congratulations to Jean Theoret and the Llumar Window Film team for winning the inaugural Llumar Window Film Music City HydroFest in Nashville, TN. this past weekend.
Llumar Window Film Music City HydroFest Race Results
Place
. .Team
. Driver
1st
.U-8 Llumar Window Film
.Jean Theoret
2nd
.U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto
.Steve David
3rd
.U-13 Spirit of Detroit
.Terry Troxell
4th
.U-16 Ellstrom Manufacturing
.Dave Villwock
5th (DNF)
.U-3
.Jimmy King
9/13/2005 - Willamette Cup Points Update The Driver and Boat points have been updated with the latest results from the Willamette Cup.
9/13/2005 - Unstoppable? Yep, you guessed it! Dave Brandt makes it 10 wins so far this year as he collects the win for the Willamette Cup. Congratulations Dave for a race well won. Driver's Points and Boat Points will be updated once that information becomes available.
9/9/2005 - 2005 NW Scale Hydroplane Championship Race Just a reminder... Don’t forget to make your reservations now for hotel rooms if you’re planning on attending the NW Scale Hydroplane Championship Race in Ellensburg this year. The cut-off date for rooms at the Days Inn (Swap Meet Hotel) is September 20th. Last year it was almost imposable to get a room for that weekend as there is still a lot going on in Ellensburg that time of year. The Days Inn phone number is 509-933-1500. Please call me with any questions 425-672-1634 Marty. NW Scale Hydroplane Championship Website
9/8/2005 - Katrina Relief Brian Lepinski will be taking donations of can goods, clothing, blankets, and money to send to the red cross to help with the victims of Hurrican Katrina. Please help Brian fill his van to the max with donations. All donations will be made in RCU's name. Brian challenges everyone to donate at least $10.00. Please bring donations to our Woodland and Marysville races. Any donation will help. We thank you for any help you can provide.
9/6/2005 - KOLroy Question for Fred Farley Fred Farley (ABRA Unlimited Historian) answers the following question:
QUESTION:
Fred, I have a big matted picture of the U-1300, taken from a bridge or plane. Can you give me any information on the name and history of that hull? - Mike Noonan
ANSWER: That was Bob Gilliam's KOLroy, which raced in 1959 and 1960 under the sponsorship of Seattle Radio Station KOL, which had 1300 as a call number.
The Allison-powered boat was built in 1956 in a hobby shop at Fort Lewis, Washington, when owner/driver/designer Gilliam was a private in the U.S. Army. (Bob had raced Outboards in the early 1950s.) As the story goes, Gilliam even put full colonels to work sanding down the decks!
Originally named MISS B & I (U-88), it first appeared at the 1956 Seattle Seafair Regatta where it failed to qualify. It seems that Bob went for an after-hours test run on Lake Washington in almost total darkness and ran over the logboom!
Renamed FASCINATION in 1957 and 1958, the boat finally hit its stride in 1959 when KOL came on board as a sponsor. As KOLroy, the U-1300 recorded its best-ever performance at the 1959 Buffalo Launch Club Regatta, where it took second-place overall and finished ahead of National Champions MAVERICK and Bill Stead in the Final Heat.
Sold to Ron Kasper and renamed MISS SACRAMENTO (U-49) in 1965, the boat was found to have dryrot in the hull and was barred from further competition.
9/5/2005 - Statistics Update The 'Stats' have been updated on the Statistics page.
9/2/2005 - Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts
The hurricane victims need our help. The Red Cross link above is to help the victims of hurricane Katrina. Let's be part of the relief effort, even if we can only help with a small donation. Small donations have a way of adding up. Please help out if you can.
9/1/2005 - Triple Engine Question Fred Farley (ABRA Unlimited Historian) answers the following question:
QUESTION: Was there ever a boat in the Gold Cup or Unlimited Classes that used three inboard engines? - K.M. Brien
ANSWER: To my knowledge, only one such craft ever made a start in a bona-fide race. That was GRAY GOOSE III (G-45) in 1940. Owned by George Cannon, the Ventnor-built hull was powered by a trio of unsupercharged Lycoming engines, the same as used in the 225 Cubic Inch Class hydroplanes. This brought the total cubic inches above the 600 minimum required by the then-current Gold Cup rules
Each engine turned its own shaft and two-bladed propeller. The center motor was installed forward with the two wing motors aft in a hull that was basically a standard Ventnor Gold Cup hydroplane, similar in configuration to MY SIN and SO-LONG.
The total cost of GRAY GOOSE III was probably less than one-fourth of many of the other Gold Cup rigs of that era. Motor Boating Magazine had nothing but praise for Cannon's ingenuity and resourcefulness in trying something different with GRAY GOOSE III.
Unfortunately, the III threw one of her propellers through the hull during a test run and suffered extensive damage. Plans for participation in the 1939 Gold Cup at Detroit had to be cancelled.
GRAY GOOSE III did make a start in the 1940 Gold Cup at Northport, Long Island, with Hugh Gingrass driving but failed to finish due to mechanical difficulties.
After the war, the boat was re-powered with a single Allison and renamed CHAZ by new owner/driver Chuck Klein. CHAZ qualified at the bare minimum of 65 miles per hour for the 1950 Detroit Gold Cup and was trounced in the race by SLO-MO-SHUN IV, which lapped the entire field in Heat One with Ted Jones driving.
8/31/2005 - Silver Cup Points Update The Driver an Boat points have been updated with the latest information from the Silver Cup.
8/30/2005 - Dave Brandt finally did it After two and one half years of going together David on Friday late afternoon took Brenda to the race course in Ellensburg. Then they took a walk over to the Yakima River were David got on one knee and asked Brenda to marry him. Well that was a no brainier and Brenda accepted. Brenda Garza is the daughter of Luis and Blanca Garza of Othello, WA. Brenda works at the Othello hospital and CBHA. David Brandt is the son of Jackie and Bill Brandt of Kennewick, WA. David is with the Washington State Patrol and enters the Patrol Academy on August 29th. No wedding date has been set. We hope it is not at one of the races. Everyone in R/CU wishes Brenda and David the best.
8/29/2005 - Silver Cup Update Congratulations to Dave Brandt for reeling in another win! This makes 9 for this year! With 3 races left, will Dave make it 12? The Silver Cup and Race Schedule have been updated. Driver & Boat points will be updated once that information becomes available.
8/25/2005 - Statistics Update Mick Shutt has updated the 'Stats'. You can view the update on the Statistics page.
8/23/2005 - "Our Goal is National Championship" Here is a link to a Puget Sound Business Journal article about the Ellstrom business and Miss Elam Plus racing for your reading pleasure. Ellstrom family races hydros like it does business: all-out
8/19/2005 - Keeping Milfoil to a minimum All boats that have run at a Milfoil site should be thouroughly cleaned (10% Bleach Solution) before entering their next race (water source). It has been suggested that our boats (and other R/C racers) may be the largest factor spreading this to all our courses. Yes, this may take a little more effort, but if this helps out even just a little then it is well worth it. Let's each do our part to keep our race sites as clean and milfoil free as possible.
8/18/2005 - Diamond Cup Update The Diamond Cup page with finishing orders has been updated. See the link on the Race Schedule page.
8/18/2005 - Driver & Boat Standings Update Congratulation to Dave Brandt for winning the Diamond Cup race. See the Driver Standings page for updates. The Diamond Cup page will be updated once that information becomes available.
8/13/2005 - August Newsletter available The August newsletter is available online in the Members section.
8/11/2005 - Online survey to improve the club Take our online survey to help improve our club. Has there been a nagging issue that you would like to change? Would you like to give your opinion anonymously? Now is your chance! Go to the Members section and let your voice be heard!
8/8/2005 - Kim Gregory purchases Bud T-3 Hull One of Unlimited hydroplane racing's most recognizable boat will be back on the water in 2006.
Kim Gregory, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has confirmed the purchase of the T3 Miss Budweiser, a previous world champion, and will race on the American Boat Racing Association circuit in 2006. This former Miss Budweiser hull made her racing debut in 1989 and last ran in 1996 with drivers including Jim Kropfeld, Tom D'Eath, Chip Hanauer, Mike Hanson and Mark Evans.
Gregory and wife Debbie run USA Racing Team and had raced the U-10 Miss Emcor on the circuit in 2004 and prior and won the 2004 Gold Cup in Detroit. A name for the new boat and a driver have not been confirmed yet.
"We'll be spending the balance of the year searching for a national sponsor," Gregory said, further clarifying that USA Racing Team purchased the T3 and equipment from Joe Little with no association to the Miss Budweiser name.
Gregory also stated he is returning to unlimited hydroplane racing because he is pleased with the direction the sport has been moving in and the amount of positive publicity he has seen about the American Boat Racing Association in 2005.
8/7/2005 - Congratulations Llumar team! Congratulations to Jean Theoret and the U-8 Llumar Window Film team for winning the 2005 Chevrolet Cup at Seafair! The order of finish in the Final was as follows:
Place
. . Team
. Driver
1st
.U-8 Llumar Window Film
Jean Theoret
2nd
.U-16 Ellstrom Manufacturing
Dave Villwock
3rd
.U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto
Steve David
4th
.U-5 Formulaboats.com
Mike Weber
5th
.U-99 Lakeridge Paving
Jeff Bernard
6th
.U-25 Silver Dollar Casino's/Rock
Ken Muscatel
7th (DNF)
.U-3
Jimmy King
8/6/2005 - Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship The 2005 Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship is planned for October 15-16th in Ellensburg Washington. We will be racing at the same part of the lake as last year, so millfoil will not be a problem. Be sure to book your room soon, as space fills up quickly. For more information, visit the Northwest Scale Hydroplane Championship website.
8/5/2005 - Updated MHR We have an newly updated Master Hull Roster on the Information page. It has been updated with the new boats that have raced this year.
8/3/2005 - Congratulations to Scott Meyers Congratulations to Scott Meyers for his support of the U-3 hydroplane in Tri-Cities. His business logo "Meyers' Auto Tech" was listed as a sponsor on the Vertical Wings of the U-3 during the Columbia Cup weekend of racing.
8/2/2005 - Columbia Cup Update The results from the Columbia Cup are in. Congratulations to Dave Brandt for winning an impressive 7 races so far!
7/31/2005 - Congratulations Elam team! Congratulations to Dave Villwock and the U-16 Miss Elam Plus team for winning the 2005 Columbia Cup! The order of finish in the Final was as follows:
7/30/2005 - Statistics Update The "Stats" PDF has been updated on the Statistics page. Take a look and see how you compare to the other racers throughout RCU's history.
7/26/2005 - Villwock to pilot the U-16 Miss Elam According to the ABRA website, Dave Villwock will be back in the drivers seat for the rest of the season, starting with the Columbia Cup. "He walked into a meeting with Erick Ellstrom Monday afternoon as the retired driver of the sport's prestigious Miss Budweiser boat, and walked out with the keys to the Ellstrom family's U-16 Miss Elam. Dave Villwock is making his comeback on the Columbia River course that he earned four career victories on so far (in the Miss Budweiser in 2004, 1999, and 1998; and in PICO's American Dream in 1996) with a boat many dub as the fastest in the field."
7/22/2005 - Unlimiteds newsgroup For those of you who may be interested in newsgroups for the Unlimited Hydroplanes, there is one called Unlimiteds-On-Down located at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unlimitedsondown/.
At present it appears that they have 719 members. It may be a place to get some questions and answers.
7/15/2005 - Jeff is back ...well, sort of The good news is that they released me from the hospital today. They finally determined the problem was a mold spore in the air that is typically found on dirt roads and it is not contagious from person to person. I will be on bed rest at home for a while as this illness has done a pretty good job of knocking me out and I will be taking meds for 3 weeks to combat it. Hopefully at that point I'll be over the illness. I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and the calls I received. It's nice to know our "racing family" is always there to help out whenever needed. Thanks guys!
7/13/2005 - Webmaster in Hospital The webmaster is in the hospital with decreased kidney function and pneumonia like symptoms. Please keep him in your prayers.
7/13/2005 - Chet the Jet Blog A nice blog site for Hall of Fame member Chet Lepinski has been set up. If you would like to read and or comment, please go there for a visit http://chetsthejetblog.blogspot.com/
7/12/2005 - Boat Bio added The 1971 Country Boy boat bio has been added to "Our Boats".
7/11/2005 - Honey Bucket Governor's Cup Completed The results from the 2005 Honey Bucket Governor's Cup has been posted on the Race Schedule and Drivers Standings page.
7/7/2005 - TV Coverage for R/C Unlimiteds at the Columbia Cup Chet just got off the phone with the Outdoor Channel people that will be doing the taping of the R/C Columbia Cup. As it stands now, everything is set for the recording. Inside R/C will be taping the show on Friday the 29th and Saturday the 30th to capture our racing event. This is a great time for all you racers that want to be on big time TV to show up to this race. Our sponsor Oberto would like to see 50 boats there. Get your boats all shined up for this special event!
7/6/2005 - Granger Testing/Demonstration As you may have read in the newsletter, the club is in search of race site locations. Brian Lepinski has done some legwork and found a potential new race site for us. (Thanks Brian) There will be a test run for R/CU boats in Granger WA. on July 17th from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. This will be to see if the pond is big enough for our boats to run on, which Brian believes will work out just fine. This opportunity is to also let the people of Granger know what we are about. The city wants us to put on a race there and will do anything the clubs asks. Brian has talked to them and this test session/demonstration will give us a better idea if we can add this race site to our 2006 race schedule. Please E-mail Brian Lepinski if you can make it. We know that this is not a race but would like to see a fair amount show up.
7/5/2005 - July Newsletter The July newsletter is available online in the members section.
7/4/2005 - Happy 4th of July! In celebration of the 4th of July, our country's Independence Day, the 1996 PICO American Dream Boat Bio has been updated, which displays our country's flag paint scheme. Happy 4th of July!
7/3/2005 - Congratulations Elam team! Congratulations to J.W. Myers and the U-16 Miss Elam Plus team for winning the 2005 Madison Regatta! The order of finish in the Final was as follows:
Place
. . Team
1st
. U-16 Ellstrom Manufacturing
2nd
. U-3 Master Tire
3rd
. U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto
4th
. U-2 Graham Trucking presented by Bello's Pizza .
7/2/2005 - New Boat Bio Added the 1993 Circus Circus to the Our Boats section of this site.
7/1/2005 - More Race formats added Testing times and Race information for the Columbia, Silver, Willamette & Gold Cups have been added to the Race Schedule.
6/30/2005 - Diamond Cup & Champion Spark Plug Regatta Testing times and Race information for the Diamond Cup and for the Champion Spark Plug Regatta races have been added to the Race Schedule. Take a look, so you can be prepared for those races.
6/29/2005 - Columbia Cup accomodations The Clarion Hotel in Richland has given us a rate of $79.00 and that includes a hot breakfast, indoor pool and other things. Call Shelley at 1-800-635-3980 and tell her you are with the hydroplanes. They have an ad in this year's program with us, so let's support our contributors!
6/28/2005 - Congratulations to the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto The U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto Unlimited Hydroplane won the first race of our "Full Sized" counterparts. Evansville's 'Thunder on the Ohio' was the first stop on the tour. Reports state the racing was tight and that we have quite a season to look forward to.
Additional links for more information: The Madison Courier U-6 Miss Madison site ABRA website
6/27/2005 - RCU Honey-Bucket Governor's Cup 2005 Move over Lava-Lamps, here comes the Honey-Bucket! Look out folks, it's another exciting racing event from Harry Gatjens. See the Race Schedule for testing and racing details.
6/26/2005 - President's Cup Today's President's Cup race information has been updated. See the Race Schedule and the Drivers Standings for updates.
6/16/2005 - Columbia Cup Passes In the last newsletter there was an order form for 3 day pit passes and vehicle parking passes. These were to be sent into Chet Lepinski by July 7th. As of June 15 he has received only 3 order forms and with this outlook we may have to cancel the race. Chet knows that most of you want to wait until the last minute to do things but he doesn't. The orders that I receive by the 7th are the count that I will give to Water
Follies - No additional. Only the racers that had their orders in by the
7th will be the ones who receive their passes that I hand out at the
Governor's Cup. This goes for the Vehicle parking pass and Early entrance pass.
6/15/2005 - U-25 Test Session Thursday The U-25 Unlimited Hydroplane will be testing on Lake Washington tomorrow, June 16th. Crew Chief Roger Newton mentioned that they will be testing some "Top Secret" upgrades made to the hull in the off-season. Drive on down to Stan Sayers pits at 11:00am and watch the magic as they hit the water!
6/14/2005 - New Boat Bio Added The 2004 Silver Dollar Casino's presents Miss Rock has been added to the 'Our Boats' section of this site.
6/13/2005 - Bernie Little Memorial The Bernie Little Memorial race information has been updated. See the Race Schedule and the Drivers Standings for updates.
6/6/2005 - Gar Wood Memorial The Gar Wood Memorial race information has been updated on the Race Schedule, as well as the Drivers Standings.
5/31/2005 - June Newsletter The June newsletter is available online in the members section.
5/30/2005 - Bernie Little Memorial race details Race details for the Bernie Little Memorial race has been added to the site. Just go to the Race Schedule, then click on the Bernie Little Memorial to see testing times and race format.
5/25/2005 - New Boat Bio Added The 1996 Coopers Express (Roostertail Detroit ver.) has been added to the 'Our Boats' section of this site.
5/24/2005 - New Boat Bio Added The 1972 Vans PX has been added to the 'Our Boats' section of this site.
5/23/2005 - Points Update The Driver Standings have been updated with the points earned through the Rose Cup race.
5/23/2005 - Rose Cup Results After 5 races, we have our first repeat winner. See the Race Schedule for details of the race. Drivers Standings will be updated once those details become available.
5/20/2005 - Master Hull Roster & Phone list update The Master Hull Roster on the Information page has been updated with corrected information and the phone list in the members section has been updated. Please take a look at these and confirm your information and registered hull status. If there is anything that you see that needs to be corrected, please contact Troy @ roostertail10@aol.com.
5/18/2005 - Updated Master Hull Roster Take a look at the Master Hull Roster on the Information page and confirm you registered hull status. If there is anything that you see that needs to be corrected, please contact Troy @ roostertail10@aol.com.
5/17/2005 - Chet's Birthday Celebration
On Saturday, May 14th, RCU helped Chet Lepinski celebrate his 66th birthday.
Chet, you're a great guy and everyone on R/CU wishes you a very happy Birthday and hope all your birthday wishes come true.
5/16/2005 - Points Update The Driver Standings have been updated with the points earned through the Dean Chenoweth Memorial race.
5/15/2005 - Dean Chenoweth Memorial Results Four races and four different winners! See the Race Schedule for details of the race. Drivers Standings will be updated once those details become available.
5/11/2005 - June Tri-Annuals Update An updated version of the June Tri-Annuals has been added to the Members section.
5/10/2005 - 1/8th scales in Herald newspaper Here is an article regarding a protest of scale hydroplanes at the Twin Lakes race location found in the HeraldNet online newspaper today.
5/10/2005 - June Tri-Annuals The June Tri-Annuals are coming due soon. Make sure you have your payment in before June 1, 2005! The list for June Tri-Annuals is available in the Members section of this site.
5/2/2005 - Points Update The Driver Standings have been updated with the points earned through the Bill Muncey Memorial race.
5/2/2005 - Bill Muncey Memorial Results Three races produce three different winners! See the Race Schedule for details of the race. Drivers Standings will be updated once those details become available.
4/29/2005 -2005 NW Scale Hydroplane Championship Race Mark your calendars for the 2005 NWSHC race, October 15th and 16th in Ellensburg Washington. We have been approved by the Parks Department to race on the same pond that we ran on last year… (Milfoil should not be a problem). The Saturday night swap meet has been organized and if it’s anything like last year it should be a huge success….. If you haven’t looked at the website lately Jeff Stubbers has redesigned it and has also updated it with this year’s race information, including a link to the entry form. We all had a lot of fun last year and we anticipate a much larger turn out this year… I would recommend that you plan early for hotel rooms as Ellensburg can fill up early that time of year…..See you at the races
By: Fred Farley - ABRA Unlimited Historian Most of the boats in the MADISON movie appeared courtesy of the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Seattle and were maintained by the museum staff, headed by David Williams. Here is a rundown of the participating boats.
To represent the MISS MADISON, two different hulls were used. All of the running shots involve the former SAVAIR'S MIST, which was built in 1961 as MISS LUMBERVILLE. The shop scenes involve the actual 1971 Gold Cup-winning MISS MADISON, which first appeared in 1960 as NITROGEN TOO and was renamed MISS MADISON in 1963.
The ATLAS VAN LINES is represented by the former PAY 'n PAK'S 'LIL BUZZARD, which is the boat in which Tommy Fults was fatally injured at the 1970 San Diego Gold Cup. It never competed as ATLAS VAN LINES although it was used as an ATLAS display hull for a number of years.
The MISS BUDWEISER is represented in the early scenes by the former 1962 NOTRE DAME (painted brown). This hull actually appeared at the 1971 Madison Gold Cup as THE SMOOTHER MOVER. In the later scenes, the former 1978 TEMPUS portrays the MISS BUDWEISER (painted red). Intertestingly enough, both of these boats actually raced as MISS BUDWEISER back-up hulls in 1967 and 1980 respectively.
The 1960 MISS BURIEN/TEMPEST hull is represented during the movie with various names, including TOWNE CLUB and CAT'S PRIDE. The latter is the only fictitious name in the film. There never was a boat named CAT'S PRIDE. It is rumored that a "kitty litter" company helped to finance the movie.
The 1959 MISS THRIFTWAY and the 1957 quasi-HAWAII KAI III (alias BREATHLESS II) also appear briefly as "themselves" in the movie.
The 1971 HALLMARK HOMES makes an appearance (via ABC WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS stock footage) in a crash sequence.
The 1962 MISS SEATTLE TOO disintegration scene (via KING-TV film of the 1962 Seattle Gold Cup) is supposed to represent the crash of one of the ATLAS VAN LINES boats in the MADISON movie.
Also present during the filming of MADISON was Joe Taggart's 1964 vintage TOMYANN Unlimited hydroplane, which never had a racing career. It was parked in the pits but was never put in the water.
A number of Limited boats were also parked in the movie pit area but weren't put in the water. These included Bill Fisk's THE IRISHMAN.
The MADISON movie had been anticipated for nearly a decade prior to the start of production in 1999. Most of the above boats would likely not have been available if filming had begun 1990 or 1991 as originally planned. The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum can take credit for the MADISON movie's being made.
4/19/2005 - Drivers Standings Updated The Drivers Standings have been updated with the latest points from the Apple Blossom Regatta.
4/19/2005 - "FOUR STARS" for Madison. Premiere of ‘Madison’ earns FOUR STARS!
Bonnie and Mike McCormick, the wife and son of the late Jim McCormick attended the movie premiere(Staff photos by John Palmer Gregg)
Jim Caviezel showed himself Sunday as a man of great patience and consideration for his fans.
Caviezel, the star of “Madison,” was the last of the actors to arrive for the Ohio Theater’s premiere presentation of the movie made six years ago in Madison and along the Ohio River. Jake Lloyd (now 16 and with a young lady of equivalent age on his arm); Paul Dooley, who played Mayor Don Vaughn; and the other actors in the movie arrived before Caviezel, making their way down the red carpet from the corner of Main and West streets to the marquee of the theater, pausing for autographs as digital camera and home video shots were taken by enthusiastic fans.
But it was the man who played hydroplane driver Jim McCormick, winner of the 1971 Gold Cup, who most entranced the crowd. The tall, slim Caviezel moved slowly down the double line of fans, an excited buzz and clicking of cameras accompanying him.
To the women and girls in the crowd, there was one big reason they came to see Caviezel.
“Yes, he’s hot!” said Debrah White of Whiteland, who had driven down with her husband as they do many weekends during the year. “He’s very handsome — VERY handsome. And I’ve heard he’s a very nice man, too.”
Stacy Robertson of Milton, Ky., flashed a small piece of paper that Caviezel had signed for her. “That’s priceless,” the young woman said. “He’s dreamy — he’s a good-looking man.”
Caviezel appeared calm and cool in a light-colored summer suit. But at one point someone wiped sweat from his forehead. He took his time, signing any autograph requested and chatting with those who gazed starry-eyed in his direction.
A little girl wanted an autograph, but had no paper to offer Caviezel. He playfully pretended to sign her forehead; she said, “Yeah! Go ahead!” But he laughed and said, “No — you don’t want me to sign that — your mom’ll kill me.” She finally produced an empty soft-drink cup, and he scrawled his name, then moved on. MORE>
4/18/2005 - Apple Blossom Results are in We have a brand new race winner among us! See the Race Schedule for details of the race. Drivers Standings will be updated once those details become available.
4/15/2005 - May newsletter available The May newsletter is available online in the Members section.
4/4/2005 - Atomic Cup Results are in Congratulations to Dave Brandt for winning the first race in 2005! See the Race Schedule for details of the race.
Boat Registration form to register an available boat and send it to our Registrar.
After two and one half years of going together David on Friday late afternoon took Brenda to the race course in Ellensburg. Then they took a walk over to the Yakima River were David got on one knee and asked Brenda to marry him. Well that was a no brainier and Brenda accepted. Brenda Garza is the daughter of Luis and Blanca Garza of Othello, WA. Brenda works at the Othello hospital and CBHA. David Brandt is the son of Jackie and Bill Brandt of Kennewick, WA. David is with the Washington State Patrol and enters the Patrol Academy on August 29th. No wedding date has been set. We hope it is not at one of the races. Everyone in R/CU wishes Brenda and David the best.
