The Saga of Joe and Phil...and the "Budweiser/Pocket Mechanic"

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Light Hydroplane Historian

The team of Joe Frauenheim, Phil Bononcini, and the Issaquah, Washington-based UL-72 (BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC) has been with the Unlimited Light Racing Series since its early days.

Joe and Phil are now the winningest active UL team with two National Championships and nine race victories to their credit.

Frauenheim and Bononcini originally came together for the purpose of restoring vintage hulls and moved over to the Unlimited Light program as a sideline venture in 1996. Soon the racing took center stage and the team's equipment and experience began to evolve with each passing year.

The original UL-72 hydroplane, purchased from former SLO-MO-SHUN IV pilot Joe Taggart, won no races but served as an introduction to the sport for Joe and Phil. It was designed by Ron Jones, Sr., and built in 1985 by Ron Jones, Jr. In their debut race at Firebird Lake in Arizona, the team finished an overall fourth and scored a victory in the second preliminary heat with Bononcini driving.

The new team had something that their fellow competitors couldn't help but envy: a national sponsor. This was Coast Cutlery Company of Portland, Oregon, which enabled the UL-72 to participate in every race on the ULRS national tour.

In mid-season 1998, Joe and Phil unveiled their new bright red state-of-the-art UL. It was built by Fabrication Specialties, Inc., of Tacoma and designed by Ron Jones, Sr. The primary boat carpenters were Tom Kacklmeyer, Tara Jones, and Ron Jones, Sr. This is a sister hull to the WILDFIRE with a very few minor changes.

The new boat, named POCKET MECHANIC, was competitive during its first year and a half but needed modifications before achieving the winner's circle.

At the last race of 1999 in Honolulu, the POCKET MECHANIC suffered major damage. The boat barrel-rolled and landed hard on the port side. Fortunately, Bononcini escaped serious injury.

After a long hard winter of rebuilding, an improved UL-72 was ready when the starting gun fired at Lake Havasu in 2000. And they won the race! POCKET MECHANIC outran Charley Wiggins in EARL'S PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS and Randy Haas in MISS COMP-AIR in the Final Heat.

From then on, there was no stopping driver Phil Bononcini. He won the Tastin' 'N' Racin' Regatta on Lake Sammamish in their hometown of Issaquah. But he had to work for it. POCKET MECHANIC started behind but finally overhauled Terry Troxell and the STINGER to take the checkered flag.

After skipping the Madison Regatta due to a family commitment, the UL-72 next appeared at Detroit where a new co-sponsor (in addition to the fine folks at Coast Cutlery Company) was acquired by the team: Anheuser-Busch. From then on, the boat was officially known as BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC.

The UL-72 team already had close ties to the Budweiser brand. A couple of crew members from the MISS BUDWEISER Unlimited hydroplane--Mike Campbell and Dale VanWieringen--had assisted with the repairs to the POCKET MECHANIC the previous winter.

Joe and Phil brought home a pair of trophies from the Motor City. In the UL High Points race, pilot Bononcini outran Haas in MISS COMP-AIR, Jerry Hopp in HAPPY GO LUCKY, and Greg Grenier in MISS AUTHORIZED CELLULAR.

BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC also won the special one-heat exhibition for the Automotive Gold Cup at Detroit. Despite very rough water, the UL-72 averaged 80.615, compared to 75.713 for HAPPY GO LUCKY and 70.118 for MISS AUTHORIZED CELLULAR.

Frauenheim and Bononcini made a clean sweep of the two Pacific Northwest races that followed Detroit. BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC averaged 110.029 in the Final Heat at the Tri-Cities, Washington, compared to 106.026 for second-place Dave Bender in MISS SHIELD'S AUTO GLASS.

The finale at Seattle was a barnburner with BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC edging out MISS COMP-AIR 105.871 to 104.590.

The UL-72 missed a perfect season on account of a penalty lap at San Diego. But what a season it was! BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC totaled 6737 National Points in 2000, followed by MISS COMP-AIR with 4455, HAPPY GO LUCKY with 3702, EARL'S PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS with 2730, and THUNDER VALLEY RACING with 2670.

BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC is one of a new generation of Unlimited Light hydroplane hulls. It measures 24-1/2 feet and is powered by a 509 cubic inch Chevrolet automotive engine with Brodix heads and a Holley Dominator carburetor, which produces 833 horsepower at 7500 revolutions per minute. This translates to straightaway speeds of over 150 miles per hour.

A lot was riding on the 2001 campaign. For the first time, the Unlimited Light Racing Series was operating under the aegis of its own corporate identity--the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association (ULHRA). No longer were the ULs a support class for the larger Unlimited hydroplanes. The Lights had to prove that they were capable of making it on their own.

And they did! The 2001 campaign was a fantastic success from coast to coast with BUDWESER/POCKET MECHANIC leading the way.

Joe Frauenheim found himself wearing two hats in the new scheme of things. In addition to his accustomed role as UL-72 team owner, he was also the President of the fledgling ULHRA.

The competition was keen in 2001 with four different teams achieving the winner's circle at one time or another during the seven-race season.

Greg Hopp won at Issaquah with FREDDIE'S CLUB, Dave Bender took the top spot at Detroit with SECURITY RACE PRODUCTS, and Randy Haas triumphed at San Diego with MISS COMP-AIR.

BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC and Phil Bononcini were the only repeat winners during 2001. They achieved victory at Tonawanda (New York), Valleyfield (Quebec), Seattle (Washington), and Chelan (Washington).

At season's end, the UL-72 boasted 6168 accumulated points. Then came FREDDIE'S CLUB with 4218, MISS COMP-AIR with 3947, SECURITY RACE PRODUCTS with 3551, and MISS SCHWING AMERICA with 2661.

At Tonawanda, BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC took the checkered flag ahead of Tom Snyder in PONTIAC COIL and Jean Theoret in CASINO DE MONTREAL, a couple of Grand Prix Class boats.

At Valleyfield, Phil Bononcini brought the crowd of 125,000 to its feet when he outran Randy Haas and MISS COMP-AIR, 85.985 miles per hour to 85.503 in the Final Heat.

At Seattle, Bononcini and Haas crossed competitive swords again. BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC won by a tick of the clock with lap speeds of 107, 107, and 106, while MISS COMP-AIR did 105, 107, and 104.

And at Chelan, Bononcini and Haas turned some of the fastest speeds in ULRS history. BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC did 117.655 and MISS COMP-AIR 114.737. Greg Hopp wasn't far behind with FREDDIE'S CLUB at 112.101.

In all, 2001 was a banner year for Joe and Phil and the UL-72. They participated in all seven Final Heats, won four of them, and were towed in with mechanical failure (at San Diego) only once.

BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC, together with MISS COMP-AIR, FREDDIE'S CLUB, SECURITY RACE PRODUCTS, HAPPY GO LUCKY, and the rest certainly demonstrated the Unlimited Light hydroplanes to be a viable and prestigious showcase of APBA racing.

With nine victories in the last two years, BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC stands as the winningest active Unlimited Light team. The only UL with more wins than the UL-72 is THE ALAMO, owned by Ned Allen and driven by Bo Schide, which has twelve first-place trophies. Allen and Schide retired after the 1999 campaign, but their boat is still making the rounds as Jerry Hopp's HAPPY GO LUCKY.

Joe and Phil have come a long way since their early days with the Unlimited Light Racing Series. Prior to acquiring the original POCKET MECHANIC, their focus had been on restoration rather than competition. They worked on such classic antique racers as MISS THRIFTWAY, GEN V, SHADOW II, TEMPO VI, and REDSKIN.

"I'll never forget our first race," Bononcini recalled. "That was in 1996 at Phoenix. Up until Wednesday before the race, we weren't sure if we were going to make it.

"After three all-nighters by the crew, we tested on American Lake near Tacoma, Washington. We were in no mood to just throw a boat together, have it be all messed up, and look foolish. But we had enough confidence in our set-up to make it to Phoenix. We left straight from American Lake to Firebird Lake. The result: we won the second heat and finished fourth overall. It was a lot of fun."

The team owes a lot to its primary sponsor, Coast Cutlery. Coast is the number-one knife and multi-tool manufacturer on the market. The Pocket Mechanic tool is one of many Coast products. Their continuing support of Unlimited Light hydroplane racing affirms the sport's ability to attract product loyal fans across the United States.

BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC has a dedicated pit crew. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty or to work around the clock when the need arises.

George Greer is an irreplaceable and integral team member. George handles propellers, driveline components, and composite repairs. Greer is also active in vintage hydroplane restoration. His pride and joy is a 1956 Henry Lauterbach hull, the MISS HAVANA, a beautiful piece of work.

Land Washburn is the transporter who is responsible for getting the truck, the trailer, the boat, and the equipment to and from each race.

John Flaherty handles engines and systems. Mike Hutchison and Mike Flaherty are dockside assistants.

The engines are built by Gary Pugh of Performance Engine Development in Tacoma with reliability as a high concern.

Marie Frauenheim and Jan Bononcini, the wives of Joe and Phil, are very much "hands on" participants in the UL-72 pits. They do everything from changing engines to twisting wrenches. Together with Dolores Flaherty, Marie and Jan keep the crew's liquid and sugar levels stable.

And there is also designer/builder Ron Jones who is never far away from one of his favorite creations, the BUDWEISER/POCKET MECHANIC.

The UL-72 team of Joe and Phil stand ready to take on all comers in 2002. "We're ready to rock!" they say. "Are the other teams ready for us?"