The Unlimited Lights - 2003 in Review

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

The 2003 edition of the Unlimited Light Hydroplace Racing Association (ULHRA) now belongs to history. But the memories will linger. From the first race of the season to the last, the UL teams delivered lots of competitive action for the fans.

The Unlimited Lights are automotive-powered inboard hydroplanes. They measure between 20 and 26 feet in length and are descendants of the old 7-Litre Class that debuted in the years following World War II.

The stand-out team of 2003 was the father-and-son combination of Jerry Hopp and Greg Hopp from Snohomish, Washington. Their MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE/HAPPY GO LUCKY (UL-15) entry triumphed in four out of the six High Points races. These included the season-opener in June at Issaquah, Washington. Later, the Hopps took first-place at Olympia and Port Angeles, Washington, and San Diego, California.

The distinction of Unlimited Light High Point Driver of the year went to Phil Bononcini, pilot of GRAHAM TRUCKING (UL-72), which he co-owns with Joe Frauenheim. Bononcini won no races in 2003 but outscored second-place Jerry Hopp, 6850 points to 6677. This marked Phil's fourth straight ULHRA driving title aboard the Ron Jones, Sr-designed UL-72.

The other multiple winner in 2003 was the UL-10 at Valleyfield, Quebec, (as FRAZEE PAINT) and Seattle (as GRAND CENTRAL CASINO). Owned by Milt and Charley Wiggins of Gadsden, Alabama, the UL-10 had Pat Haworth in the cockpit at Valleyfield, while Cal Phipps did the honors at Seattle.

At season's end, MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE (UL-15) had 7517 National High Points. GRAHAM TRUCKING (UL-72) was second with 6850. Then came: SECURITY RACE PRODUCTS (UL-51) with driver George Woods at 4365; FREEDOM RACING (UL-5) with Kevin Aylesworth and Jon Church at 4281; WINDOWS SHAREPOINT SERVICES (UL-19) with Steve Hook at 4040; MISS TED'S RED APPLE MARKET (UL-17) with Rick Bridgeman at 2993; GRAND CENTRAL CASINO (UL-10) with 2862; SHAREPOINT PORTAL SERVICES (UL-58) with Ping Conflitti at 2139; MICROSOFT OFFICE PROJECT (UL-929) with Vince Xaudaro at 2098; and GOLDEN NUGGET CASINO (UL-38) with Dave Bender at 1723, to round out the top-10.

Eleven boats put in an appearance at Issaquah for "Tastin' n Racin'," the traditional season lid-lifter for the Lights on Lake Sammamish. The weather cooperated and the competition was keen.

The victorious UL-15 was driven alternately throughout the weekend by Jerry and Greg Hopp. Jerry took second-place in Heats 1-B and 3-A, while Greg finished first in Heat 2-B and the winner-take-all Final Heat.

Six boats answered the starting gun for the Final, which developed into a real dog fight. UL-15, UL-38, and UL-51 battled for first, second, and third; while UL-14, UL-40, and UL-19 fought for fourth, fifth, and sixth.

When the checkered flag dropped, Greg grabbed the glory with UL-15. Dave Bender was second with UL-38. Then came George Woods in UL-51, Paul Becker in UL-14, and Kelly Stocklin in UL-40, while Steve Hook in UL-19 was disqualified for a DMZ violation before the start.

In short, "Tastin' n Racin'" was an outstanding event and held forth considerable promise for a successful 2003 season.

It was more of the same at Valleyfield over the Fourth of July weekend. Pat Haworth and UL-10 had to work for it. George Woods, back in the cockpit after a 10-year absence from the sport, challenged all the way with UL-51. Woods went all out after Haworth but couldn't quite catch him and was himself passed by Kevin Aylesworth in UL-5.

Haworth did 81.500 miles per hour, Aylesworth 79.339, and Woods 78.466. Then came Wally Johnston in UL-14 and Ping Conflitti in UL-58, while Phil Bononcini in UL-72 was penalized one minute for a DMZ violation.

Before returning to the West Coast, the Unlimited Light contingent staged an exhibition in connection with the Detroit River "River Cruise" in the Motor City. The ULs braved extremely rough water. And the Final Heat had to be cancelled. No National Points were awarded, but victory was nonetheless sweet for driver Randy Haas and WINDOWS SERVER 2003 (UL-110). Cal Phipps was second in the standings with UL-10, followed by Steve Hook and UL-19.

Eight boats started the Final Heat at the Seattle Seafair Regatta and eight boats finished. The photographers had a field day when the entire field approached the starting line side-by-side. Phipps and UL-10 led into the first turn, but Dave Bender and UL-38 led out of it.

Bender was the sentimental favorite, having previously announced that this would be his final appearance as an Unlimited Light competitor. Phipps overtook Dave at the very end of the race. But it was a grand swan song for the UL-38 team nonetheless.

Behind the UL-10 and the UL-38 came Aylesworth and the UL-5, followed by Bononcini in the UL-72 and Jerry Hopp in the UL-15.

Greg Hopp had been injured driving Fred Leland's U-100 Unlimited hydroplane at Madison, Indiana. So, father Jerry was now doing all of the driving for the MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE team.

The UL boats then journeyed a few miles south the following weekend to Olympia, Washington's scenic Black Lake for the second annual Olympia Speedfest.

Jerry Hopp and UL-15 would not be denied in the Final Heat. He was challenged throughout lap-one by Olympia's own Rick Bridgeman and UL-17 on the outside and Vince Xaudaro and UL-929 on the inside. Hopp slowly but steadily lengthened his lead, but to never more than a roostertail length, while the crowd roared its approval. This was boat racing at its best.

At the finish line, it was Hopp the winner at 82.614, followed by Bridgeman at 80.559. The battle for third and fourth-place was almost as close with Kevin Aylesworth outdistancing Xaudaro, 79.954 to 79.222.

The scene then shifted to southern California. At the outset of the Final Heat on San Diego's Mission Bay, it was anybody's boat race. Both Jerry Hopp and Phil Bononcini had 800 points for two first-places in the preliminary action. Also in the hunt was George Woods who had 600 points for two second-places.

Hopp and the UL-15 streaked to a wire-to-wire win in the Final Heat. This was Jerry's second straight San Diego Lights victory, a magnificent triumph after so many years as a tailender with the under-powered THOR RACING (U-7) Unlimited hydroplane.

Woods and the UL-51 made a race of it and stayed with Hopp on the straightaways. But George's 22-year-old mount couldn't quite corner as well as Jerry's newer state-of-the-art hull.

Aylesworth, Bononcini, Xaudaro, and Bridgeman followed in that order with Cal Phipps failing to finish.

In the words of ULHRA "voice" and public address announcer John Lynch, "Had there been a bobble, either team [Woods and Aylesworth] could have grabbed first spot. Hopp did not miss a beat taking the checkered flag. A solid run for the MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE team."

The final stop on the 2003 Unlimited Light tour featured a first-time event at Port Angeles, Washington, on the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Outstanding weather and an outstanding crowd greeted the racers.

Jerry Hopp and Phil Bononcini ran deck-to-deck and finished one-two in the last heat of the year. Phil's boat finished second to Hopp in the race and in the High Point Standings. But Bononcini was High Point driver because Hopp's boat had two different drivers during the season.

Paul Becker and MICROSOFT SOFTWARE PROTOTYPE (UL-14) took third at Port Angeles, followed by 19-year-old rookie Brian Perkins in fourth with LA CUCARACHA (UL-136).

As John Lynch put it, ""This was a great race. It had the kind of finale that makes us all yearn for the start of the 2004 season. See you there!"

But the newly crowned championship team of Jerry and Greg Hopp had one more port of call before putting the wraps on 2003.

On October 19, at Devil's Lake, near Lincoln City, Oregon, Jerry and MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE set a kilometer straightaway record for the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association (ULHRA) at 161.980 miles per hour. This was based on two runs in opposite directions of 161.628 and 162.332.

Helping in the area of sponsorship for this historic achievement were Freddie's Club Casino and Kendall Motor Oil GT1.

The Hopp team now has seven first-place trophies on the shelf--four in 2003 and three in 2002.

Designed and built by Jamie Auld, the UL-15 is the winningest hull in the nine-year history of the Unlimited Light Racing Series. Prior to being acquired by Jerry and Greg Hopp, the craft won twelve races between 1997 and 1999 as THE ALAMO for previous owner Ned Allen and driver Bo Schide.

The 2003 season marked the third year of the UL boats operating under the aegis of their own corporate identity--the ULHRA. The series started in 1995 as a support class for the larger Unlimited hydroplanes.

Since 1995, the Unlimited Light hydros have created their own level of interest in the sport. They have established themselves as one of power boat racing's finest showcases.