The Unlimited Lights - 1998 in Review

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

In the space of four years, the Unlimited Lights Racing Series (ULRS) has established itself as a class act in the high-speed world of competitive hydroplaning. As the official support class for the larger Unlimited hydros, the automotive-powered UL boats are an exciting category in their own right. The 1998 season in particular was chock-full of memorable moments. No fewer than eighteen Unlimited Light teams battled for National Championship honors. All utilized high-performance versions of readily available, big-block, automotive/marine engines.

Unlimited Light hydroplanes must measure at least 20 feet in length, compared to 28 feet for the Unlimited hydros. All UL boats must be equipped with F-16 style cockpits with air system and escape hatch on the underside of the hull.

The season commenced at Evansville, Indiana, in June and concluded three months later at San Diego, California. In between were stops at Valleyfield, Quebec; Detroit, Michigan; Norfolk, Virginia; the Tri-Cities, Washington; Kelowna, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington; and Madison, Indiana.

THE ALAMO (UL-16), the 1997 ULRS High Point Champion, repeated in 1998 with a total of 7744 points, compared to 4865 for second-place WILDFIRE (UL-125). Owned by Ned Allen and driven by Bo Schide, the UL-16 finished first in four High Points races, placed second at Kelowna, and third at Evansville.

Touted by the press as "The MISS BUDWEISER of the Unlimited Lights," THE ALAMO likewise triumphed in the Automotive Gold Cup--a one-heat exhibition race at Detroit, which included Grand Prix Class boats. The UL-16 led FINI FINISH (GP-38) over the finish line by five seconds and THUNDER PUMPER (GP-45) by fourteen seconds after five miles of racing.

After only three years of competition, the Automotive Gold Cup has established itself as a coveted award and a highlight of the Unlimited Lights racing season.

Eight UL boats appeared for the season-opener at Evansville. These included the new PEGASUS (UL-23), which was owner Bob Larimore's comeback boat. After a near-tragic crash in the 1997 Kelowna race that destroyed the previous PEGASUS, Larimore spent many weeks convalescing in a Canadian hospital. But Bob's enthusiasm for racing was undampened. He ordered a new Balcer hull with the newly mandated safety canopy.

During 1998, the Pontiac-powered UL-23 posted two podium finishes: a third at Valleyfielwith Terry Troxell driving and a third at Madison with Mark Weber in the cockpit.

Charley Wiggins ended a three-year dryspell with a victory at Evansville with HIGH PRESSURE (UL-10). Wiggins outran Randy Haas in MISS LEROI (UL-111) and Schide in THE ALAMO in the "winner-take-all" Final Heat. This marked the first win for the Birmingham, Alabama-based HIGH PRESSURE team since a pair of 1995 victories at Madison and Dallas.

THE ALAMO made a spectacular return to the winner's circle with a trio of consecutive victories at Valleyfield, Detroit, and Norfolk. This brought the Ned Allen team's two-year total to six, which included wins in 1997 at Valleyfield, the Tri-Cities, and Kelowna.

With four down and four High Points races remaining on the 1998 calendar, THE ALAMO had 3950 accumulated points, followed by MISS LEROI with 2350, WILDFIRE with 1671, PEGASUS with 1314, and HIGH PRESSURE with 996.

The UL racers lost one of their own a few days prior to the Detroit event. Greg Grenier, driver of MISS AUTHORIZED CELLULAR (UL-141), elected not to compete following the death of his brother Rick, who passed away as the result of a heart attack. He was 48. Greg turned the UL-141's wheel over to relief driver Cal Phipps who went on to finish third at Detroit behind THE ALAMO and MISS LEROI.

The Western ULRS tour commenced at the Tri-Cities with ten boats in attendance. Joining the fleet in the Columbia Park pit area was the new bright red POCKET MECHANIC (UL-72), designed by Ron Jones, Sr., and co-owned by Joe Frauenheim and Phil Bononcini. Joe and Phil had raced their 1985 vintage Jones hull on the Eastern circuit and finished fourth at Valleyfield with Bononcini driving.

Victory at the Tri-Cities went to George Stratton and the WILDFIRE, which snapped THE ALAMO's three-race win streak after Schide's boat broke a propeller shaft in the Final Heat. WILDFIRE, a 1997 Ron Jones creation, had gone through five engines in five races, but benefited from some on-site fine-tuning from designer Jones.

Five out of eight entrants fell by the wayside in the Tri-Cities Final Heat, which saw WILDFIRE take a decisive first at 105.970, followed by Haas in MISS LEROI and Jerry Hopp in MISS GRAHAM TRUCKING. WILDFIRE, owned by Kim Gregory, had won the last three races of 1997 at Seattle, San Diego, and Honolulu, and had finished second earlier in 1998 at Valleyfield.

Moving north of the border to British Columbia, Dave Bender was a surprise winner at Kelowna with PETE'S WICKED ALE (UL-38). Bender, who hails from Eldorado, California, hadn't won an Unlimited Lights race since his back-to-back triumphs in 1995 and 1996 at Firebird Lake in Arizona.

PETE'S WICKED ALE outran THE ALAMO over the finish line at Kelowna by eleven seconds, 97.074 to 91.444. Third-place went to Mike McLellan, the hometown driver, with MISS VNODE.COM, followed by Mark Weber in PEGASUS and Bononcini in POCKET MECHANIC.

Bo Schide returned to the winner's circle the following week at Seattle. McLellan, the up and coming rookie, improved on his Kelowna performance with a second-place at Seattle with MISS VNODE.COM. Stratton and WILDFIRE, sponsored by FREDDIE'S CLUB, had difficulty in the Final Heat and slipped to third, but nevertheless posted the fastest lap of the day--a speed of 109.810 on lap-two around the 1.25-mile Lake Washington oval.

With seven down and one major race remaining in 1998, THE AlAMO had an insurmountable lead in National Points. Owner Allen, driver Schide, and the Fort Lauderdale-based UL-16 had done it again.

During the six-week layoff between Seattle and the season finale in San Diego, the Unlimited Lights were added to the program at the Madison Regatta in southern Indiana over the Labor Day weekend. No National Points were awarded, but the eight UL boats in attendance turned in a fine account of themselves.

THE ALAMO, the winningest hull in ULRS history, won all three heats on the Ohio River at Madison. MISS LEROI took second overall, followed by PEGASUS/APEX INDUSTRIES and HIGH PRESSURE. The closest finish of the day was in Heat Two when Bo Schide outdistanced Charley Wiggins over the finish line by less than a second, 101.753 miles per hour to 101.197.

The 1998 season ended in the same manner as 1997 with a victory by Stratton in WILDFIRE. The UL-125 led Haas and MISS LEROI to the checkered flag by four seconds, followed by Bender in PETE'S WICKED ALE. There were actually two boats named WILDFIRE in attendance at San Diego. Owner Gregory had recently purchased the CLOSE CALL Unlimited hydroplane from the estate of the late Steve Woomer. The newly renamed WILDFIRE (U-10) finished fourth in the Unlimited Class race on Mission Bay with Mark Weber driving.

Finishing third behind THE ALAMO and WILDFIRE in National Points was MISS LEROI with 4071, followed by PETE'S WICKED ALE (3282), PEGASUS (2578), POCKET MECHANIC (2003), MISS VNODE.COM (1927), MISS GRAHAM TRUCKING (1013), and HIGH PRESSURE (996).