The Unlimiteds - 2000 in Review

By Fred Farley - Unlimited Hydroplane Historian

Bernie Little's MISS BUDWEISER would not be denied in 2000. Owner Little, driver/team manager Dave Villwock, and crew chief Mark Smith claimed a 20th National High Point Championship for Anheuser-Busch. This was on the strength of six victories in seven races, including the Gold Cup at Detroit, on the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series tour.

MISS BUDWEISER (U-1) scored 9576 points for the year, compared to 6410 for second-place YORK HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING (U-10) and driver Mark Weber.

Then came APPIAN JERONIMO (U-5) with George Stratton (5591), JONES RACING/MISS GO BOWLING (U-9) with Mike Hanson (5549), MISS E-LAM PLUS (U-16) with Mark Evans (5318), MISS MADISON/OH BOY! OBERTO (U-6) with Charley Wiggins, Jerry Hopp, and Nate Brown (5103), FREDDIE'S CLUB/MISS CHRYSLER JEEP (U-2) with Mark Tate (4494), ZNETIX (U-100) with Greg Hopp (4218), MASTER TIRE/VACATIONVILLE.COM (U-3) with Mitch Evans and Mike Weber (3302), MISS FREEI (U-25) with Ken Muscatel (2742), ZNETIX II (U-99) with Terry Troxell (1633), and THE NEW KID IN TOWN (U-28) with Jerry Hale (750).

MISS BUDWEISER's only defeat occurred at the Tri-Cities, Washington, Columbia Cup. That was when damage suffered during a collision with another boat in a preliminary heat forced the BUD to withdraw. MISS E-LAM PLUS emerged as the winner that day with former MISS BUDWEISER pilot Mark Evans doing the honors.

The BUD crew, led by Villwock and Smith, were especially adept in 2000 at setting up their boat to offset the horsepower lost due to the fuel restrictor rule.

At Detroit, the MISS BUDWEISER team set an Unlimited Class record for consecutive race wins with ten in a row, including the last six of 1999 and the first four of 2000. That broke Bill Muncey's long-standing mark of nine victories with the ATLAS VAN LINES during 1978 and 1979.

After 38 seasons of participation, Bernie Little's team has a grand total of 130 wins. Between 1963 and 2000, Little's boats entered 342 Unlimited races and finished in the top three at 218 of them.

Kim Gregory's Las Vegas-based U-10 and U-5 entries took second and third respectively in the High Point Standings.

The YORK HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING with Mark Weber took second at Madison, Indiana, and Detroit, Michigan, and third at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Evansville, Indiana.

The APPIAN JERONIMO with rookie George Stratton at the controls took second at the Tri-Cities, third at Detroit, fourth at Madison, and fifth at Lake Havasu City.

Stratton appeared to be on the threshold of a long and successful career in the Unlimited ranks. He had already clinched the Rookie-of-the-Year title for 2000 when George was tragically lost in a "blow-over" accident at San Diego. This was during a test run on the last day of the season.

A gust of wind caused the U-5's bow to pitch skyward. The boat landed upside-down. Stratton is believed to have died instantly.

This was the first loss of life in the Unlimited Class since Dean Chenoweth's fatality in 1982 at the Tri-Cities with MISS BUDWEISER. This was also the first death to occur since the introduction in 1986 of the F-16 safety canopy, which has been credited with saving numerous lives in Unlimited racing.

Following the announcement of Stratton's passing at San Diego, teammate Weber took the YORK (U-10) out onto the Mission Bay oval course for a one-lap tribute to his fallen comrade. Mark then returned to the pits and withdrew from the race.

A season that ended so tragically began on a very positive note. MISS FREEI, owned by Dr. Ken Muscatel and piloted by Indy Car driver Russ Wicks, set a new mile straightaway record of 205.494 miles per hour on Seattle's Lake Washington.

This eclipsed the previous standard of 200.419, established in 1962 by Roy Duby in George Simon's MISS U.S. I at Guntersville, Alabama. It was a long time in coming!

Over the years, a number of boats have attempted the straightaway mile but fell short of the record. These included TAHOE MISS (1966), MISS BUDWEISER (1966 & 1979), PRIDE OF PAY 'n PAK (1969), RED MAN (1974), and THE SQUIRE SHOP (1979).

Unfortunately, MISS FREEI did not experience the same good fortune in competition that she enjoyed in the record run. Her best 2000 finish was a seventh in the General Motors Cup at Seattle with Dr. Muscatel driving.

The year's happiest moment occurred in the MISS E-LAM PLUS pits after the Tri-Cities race. After seven years of trying, the Ellstrom family of Ballard, Washington, had finally achieved the winner's circle!

Mark Evans and the U-16 took the checkered flag--and the Columbia Cup--at a speed of 139.735 for the Final Heat, followed by Stratton in APPIAN JERONIMO at 138.097 and Nate Brown in OH BOY! OBERTO at 134.676.

The most recent victory by a Ballard-based entry in the Unlimited ranks was in 1968 by the legendary MISS BARDAHL, owned by Ole Bardahl and driven by Billy Schumacher.

In additional 2000 action, MISS E-LAM PLUS finished second at San Diego and third at Seattle.

The Ellstroms have announced a new hull to replace the Columbia Cup winner that is scheduled to compete in 2001 with Nate Brown as driver.

The sport's oldest and most prestigious trophy--the APBA Gold Cup, which originated in 1904--had a rousing revival at Detroit in 2000.

MISS BUDWEISER averaged 139.416 in winning the Final Heat. The U-10 (running as MISS DYC in this race) checked in second at 136.693 for the 12-1/2 miles, while APPIAN JERONIMO was third at 132.073.

George Stratton thrilled the crowd--not to mention himself--when he and the APPIAN slid out of the "Roostertail Turn" on lap-two of the Final Heat, while battling MISS DYC, only to find Mark Evans and MISS E-LAM PLUS sitting dead in the water directly in front of him.

Stratton had to think fast. He knew that if he slowed down, he would crash into the E-LAM at tremendous speed. George had no choice but to stand on the gas and hope for the best.

APPIAN JERONIMO threaded the needle between the disabled MISS E-LAM PLUS on the left and the seawall on the right. In Stratton's words, "I don't think I had two inches on either side."

Fred Leland's former MISS PICO team of 1999 re-appeared in 2000, sponsored by ZNETIX. Chip Hanauer had won three races, including the Gold Cup, for Leland but had since retired from competition. Greg Hopp, Hanauer's replacement and 1999 Rookie-of-the-Year, was unable to match the success of his predecessor.

Hopp was disqualified for technical violations at Evansville and the Tri-Cities. Greg finished fourth with the U-100 at Lake Havasu City and San Diego and fifth at Seattle.

The community-owned MISS MADISON from southern Indiana used three drivers during the year. Charley Wiggins, a promising rookie, newly recruited from the Unlimited Light Class, suffered injuries at Evansville and again at Detroit and resigned from the team. Jerry Hopp (Greg's father) replaced Wiggins (with 15 minutes notice!) at Detroit and guided the MISS M to a fifth in the Gold Cup. Nate Brown was hired for the West Coast races, where he finished third at the Tri-Cities and San Diego and fourth at Seattle, under the sponsorship of OH BOY! OBERTO.

The Jim Harvey Motorsports team was hampered by mechanical difficulties in 2000. But they nevertheless managed to put together several impressive performances during the year. Mark Tate guided the U-2 hydroplane to second-place at Lake Havasu City and Evansville as FREDDIE'S CLUB and fourth at Detroit as MISS CHRYSLER JEEP.

Mike Hanson (also known as "The Boat Doctor") unveiled a newly rebuilt U-9 entry for the Mike Jones racing team. (This was the former U-11, built in 1992, which had crashed at Seattle in 1998 with Lindsey Emmons driving.) Hanson piloted the revitalized U-9 to second-place at Seattle as MISS GO BOWLING and third at Madison as JONES RACING.

The U-3, U-8, and U-99 teams also managed to qualify for an occasional Final Heat during 2000.

The U-3, owned by Ed Cooper, Sr., and Ed Cooper, Jr., of Madison and Evansville, Indiana, finished fifth at Evansville as MASTER TIRE and fifth at the Tri-Cities as VACATIONVILLE.COM. (The V-12 Allison-powered U-3 is the only Unlimited hydroplane currently active that doesn't use a Lycoming L-7 turbine engine.)

Bill Wurster's U-8 tied down a fourth at Evansville and a fifth at Madison as LLUMAR WINDOW FILM.

And Fred Leland's U-99 finished fourth at the Tri-Cities and sixth at Seattle as ZNETIX II. Rookie driver Terry Troxell is yet another graduate of the highly competitive Unlimited Light Racing Series, where so many future Unlimited pilots have made their mark.

Two important developments relative to the future of Unlimited racing were announced during 2000. The first of these had to do with Budweiser, the world's best-selling beer, being named title sponsor of the "Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series."

As sponsor of MISS BUDWEISER for nearly four decades, Budweiser Beer gives the series instant name recognition with the media and the fans and should help grow the sport for years to come.

During Gold Cup week at Detroit, the American Power Boat Association (APBA) announced the transfer of ownership of the Unlimited Class to HYDRO-PROP, Inc., a new company headed by Bernie Little and veteran marine executive Gary Garbrecht.

APBA President Mike Jones declared, "The transfer of ownership is similar to the one we did earlier this year with the Offshore Racing Commission.

"We believe that it is in the best interest of Unlimited boat racing to free the company up from an owner-managed series to a pure business. As a business, the tremendous capital investment that is required to run a national race series can be justified and made.

"I am tremendously optimistic about Gary Garbrecht's leadership and the future of Unlimited racing."