Driver: Steven David – Lighthouse, FL
Home Port: Madison, IN
2009 Finish: 1 (7,970)
www.missmadison.com
Steven David returns in 2010 as the two-time defending National Champion behind the wheel of the Oh Boy! Oberto. David and the Miss Madison Team come into the season riding high after recovering from a spectacular 360 flip at Doha in which the boat landed right side up and returned to race later that day. In the final at Doha the Oberto placed second, and acquired enough points to edge the Elam by a mere 235 points for arguably the most exciting National High Points Championship battle in history. The Oberto captured only one final victory in 2009 (Tri-Cities), but displayed the consistency required to be a champion. The formidable Madison crew led by crew chief Mike “Boat Doctor” Hanson once again will provide their cagey veteran driver with a finely-tuned hull as extensive off season repairs will be completed for the opener in Madison.
HydroDan says: This boat can run with the Elam but will need favorable lane position to beat the Bullet from Ballard. One regatta win is likely with up to three a possibility. A sure fantasy play in 2010.
NOT RACING IN 2010
Driver: Jimmy King – Detroit, MI
Home Port: Evansville, IN
2009 Finish: 9 (3,926)
www.go3racing.com
Again the Allison-powered craft from Posey County hits the circuit with veteran racer Jimmy King at the controls. The boat is reliably unreliable due to the WWII-vintage Allison aircraft engine it packs, but the 2003 Gold Cup-wining sled remains a thundering power on the unlimited circuit. Many people still root for this power plant, and it certainly would be a spine-tingling thrill if the U-3 reached the winners circle in 2010. It should be noted that the U-3 had the Evansville final in its grasp until the prop let go on the third lap of the final heat.
HydroDan says: UPDATE: NOT RACING IN 2010. The mechanical consistency needed to contend for a National Championship remains absent but the only true thunderboat on the circuit still has the beans to race with the fastest turbines in the world. If a break falls their way, a regatta win is not out of the question. Likely a sixth or seventh option for fantasy purposes.
Driver: Jeff Bernard – Kent, WA
Home Port: Decatur, IN
2009 Finish: 3 (7,564)
www.u5racing.com
Young gun Jeff Bernard proved to be a serious factor in 2009, finishing third in the National Championship, a scant 406 points behind the Oh Boy! Oberto. If not for a flip in the final heat at Doha, the former Budweiser Beer Wagon was within striking distance of the 2009 National Championship. Bernard took checkers in Evansville and added two other podium finishes (Detroit, Tri-Cities) to his growing resume. It should also be noted that new teammate J. Michael Kelly (U-7) bolstered Team Formula in 2009 and the young gun tandem will again team drive in 2010. Assuming the boat is repaired physically, and the driver is mended mentally, this team has the Formula to compete in 2010.
HydroDan says: Should again be a factor in 2010 and compete for race victories. A regatta win is a strong possibility. A sure fantasy play in 2010.
Driver: J. Michael Kelly – Puyallup, WA
Home Port: Decatur, IN
2009 Finish: 4 (6,689)
www.u5racing.com
J. Michael Kelly, after finding himself in top flight equipment for the first time in his career, displayed what he was truly capable of by posting three podium finishes in 2009, including a UIM World Championship victory in the final race of the season in Doha, Qatar. Although a spectacular flip in Tri-Cities shook the young driver’s confidence and dealt a blow to the big red equipment truck, the U-7 Team appeared fully recovered as the season concluded in Doha. The victory on Doha Bay just may springboard this young driver to bigger and better things in 2010.
HydroDan says: If JMK can keep the boat shiny side up, the U-7 will again finish in the top 4 in National High Points and is posed to race for another regatta win in 2010. A sure fantasy play in 2010.
Driver: Cal Phipps — Sterling Heights, MI
Home Port: Detroit Michigan
2009 Finish: Did Not Race
www.detroitunlimited.com
The Spirit of Detroit returns to the circuit in 2010 with Cal Phipps behind the wheel. Phipps, a veteran of many inboard racing classes, will have his hands full in 2010 acclimating himself to Unlimited racing. It is unknown at this time which of the team’s two hulls it will campaign. However, either boat offers its own unique set of challenges. Initially constructed in 1987, the former Winston Eagle would easily be the oldest and narrowest hull on the circuit, while the former Trendwest hull would likely be the most ill-handling. Do not expect too much in the way of competitiveness out of this team in 2010.
HydroDan says: Although this team has had success in the past (Gold Cup Win in 2005), it comes off a one-year hiatus with a brand new driver to the Unlimited ranks. Will finish near the bottom in 2010.
Driver: Dave Villwock – Auburn, WA
Home Port: Ballard, WA
2009 Finish: 2 (7,735)
www.u16hydro.com
If not for a devastating flip at Evansville and engine gremlins in the final heat of the 2009 season in Doha, Qatar, the Ellstrom family likely would have captured their third National Title. It should be noted that the points it rented from the U-17 at Evansville would have been a huge factor in the outcome of the season. Make no mistake, Team Ellstrom has its sights set on the Martini & Rossi Trophy in 2010. Sheikh Hassan of Qatar has partnered with the Ellstroms this season as title sponsor of the boat. The Elam has been rechristened the U-96 Spirit of Qatar and will debut a new paint scheme at the Madison Governor’s Cup. If coming up empty for the National Championship the past two seasons is not incentive enough, the fact that driver Dave Villwock is closing in on Bill Muncey’s all-time driver win record likely is. Villwock is only three race wins behind the legendary chauffeur. Most hydro heads may consider the two-time defending National Champion, Oh Boy! Oberto, the odds-on favorite in 2010. However, I believe it is the Ellstroms’ title to lose. Let us not forget that they posted the fastest qualifying speed at five of six races and tallied three regatta wins. Unless they encounter mechanical woes similar to those that sabotaged them in 2009, this team will win the National Championship in 2010.
HydroDan says: Likely will capture National Championship barring bad racing luck. Three or four regatta wins are likely, with a five-win series sweep a possibility. A sure fantasy play in 2010.
Drivers: Kip Brown and Nate Brown – Preston, WA
Home Port: Preston, WA
2009 Finish: 6 (4,584)
www.ourgangracing.com
This team, led by veteran racer Nate Brown, returns with a full season under its sponsons. Not only did the boat show great improvement and competitiveness in 2009, it managed to finish sixth in national high points and appeared to improve gradually from race to race. Although the team’s involvement with the Elam rent-a-points controversy did not do much for the perception of Our Gang as serious race team, the elevated performance of the boat in 2009 proved that the home-built boat from Preston is capable of running with the fastest in the fleet. Kip Brown also showed tremendous improvement over his rookie season the previous year. The Browns will divide driving duties in 2010.
HydroDan says: The team has more experience and a better understanding of what it takes to survive a full season. Look for this boat to qualify for several final heats and place on the podium at least once. Another potential dark horse fantasy selection.
Driver: Brian Perkins – Maple Valley, WA
Home Port: Maple Valley, WA
2009 Finish: 8 (4,193; ran as U-48)
www.gofastturnleftracing.net
Go Fast Turn Left Racing has thankfully placed its two aging Leland hulls up for sale and has acquired a new hull for 2010 in the former San Diego-based Freedom Racing sled. The acquisition of the U-21 will reunite driver Brian Perkins with his former hull, as it was Perkins, who in 2008 raced this Dale Van Wieringen-designed-and-built hull during its debut season. Although the debut season of the boat was marred by a brutal case of new boat-itis, and Pekins was never able to give full account of himself or this boat, the team’s successful spring test sessions held on the Columbia Cup race course and Ted Jones Race course on lake Washinton indicate that this boat and driver combination may finally display the promise and ability many believe the pairing is capable of. This will be Perkins’ first full Unlimited season behind the wheel of a cutting-edge racing hull and there is reason to believe this driver/hull combination may be the biggest surprise in 2010.
HydroDan says: Consistency and heady driving appear to be a marquee of this young driver. The well prepared 21 will likely find its way into several final heats this season. No regatta victories… just yet. A true dark horse fantasy selection.
Driver: Mike Webster – Reading, PA
Home Port: Reading, PA
2009 Finish: 11 (1,789)
www.websterracing.com
The Websters stepped up from the Unlimited Light ranks to field an Unlimited Team in 2009. After an extensive two-year rebuild and reconfiguration of Ed Cooper’s “Tubby” hull to turbine power, the boat ran near the back of the pack all season, with its best finish a seventh place at Tri-Cities. This team is short on equipment and experience at the Unlimited level. Expect the 22 to again race conservatively and toward the rear of the pack.
HydroDan says: This hull just doesn’t have the beans to run with the majority of the other race boats on the circuit.
Driver: Dr. Ken Muscatel – Seattle, WA
Relief driver: Jon Zimmerman
Home Port: Seattle, WA
2009 Finish: 10 (2,201)
www.superiorracingu25.com
Dr. Ken returns to the cockpit in 2010 and will race his “new” hull that debuted in 2009. The hull is actually an extensively rebuilt hull, initially built in 2000. 2009 also brought about changes to the teams leadership as it was announced Ron Jones Jr. is a new co-owner and Race Team Manager. The boat showed some promise at Evansville in 2009, finishing four of four heats, and placing fifth in the final. The boat did not show well in the final race in Doha, or at a recent spring test session in which the team showed off a new low-profile engine cowling. Also at this test, backup driver Jon Zimmerman got some seat time and is slated to appear in competition in 2010. Still, with reliability a question, Superior Racing may have another long year ahead.
HydroDan says: This tough luck team may surprise in 2010 but I wouldn’t count on it. Fantasy implication is a mystery at this point.
Driver: J.W. Myers – Burien, WA
Home Port: Seattle, WA
2009 Finish: 5 (5,253)
www.u-37.com
After parting ways with champion French Canadian driver Jean Theoret, Billy and Jane Schumacher return in 2010 with a new full-time driver in J.W. Myers. The 37 camp has also added a new primary sponsor in the shipping company responsible for ferrying the fleet to Doha in 2009, Peters & May, and will reportedly be updating the paint scheme for the upcoming campaign. In his duties as relief driver for this team in 2009, Myers displayed poise, patience, and resolve in placing third at Tri-Cities and Seattle. His promotion to full-time chauffuer is very much deserved. Although Theoret was a force to be reckoned with, the assigned lanes format implemented in 2009 definitely hindered his ability, and limited the crafty Canadian’s capability to outmaneuver Villwock, David, Hopp, and the like for favorable lanes. Meyers may actually be better suited and equipped for the current rulebook and should be game in 2010.
HydroDan says: Has a legitimate chance in any race. Look for Myers to have several podium finishes in 2010 but a regatta win is unlikely. A likely fantasy play in 2010.
UPDATE (7/23/10): Jon Zimmerman will move from the cockpit of the U-25, to the U-37 as relief driver for J.W. Meyers who suffered a broken ankle in a devastating accident in which the boat lost its skid fin and rammed the Seawall adjacent to the rostertail turn on the Gold Cup race course. The Team will enter competition in the Tri-Cities with a leased hydroplane from From Leland. A fantasy gamble.
Driver: Greg Hopp – Snohomish, WA
Home Port: Kirkland, WA
2009 Finish: 7 (4,251)
It was rumored that Leland might try his luck with an automotive-powered race boat in 2010. However, this experiment may require more time for development. In the meantime, the team will likely race the same aging hull it ran last season. In 2009 the addition of Jim Harvey definitely improved the performance of the team over their dismal 2008 showing. In fact, the 100 showed more reliability and speed than it has in several seasons. Veteran Greg Hopp will again drive for Leland in 2010, and Harvey will also return as crew chief. Hopp, a plenty capable and aggressive driver, still seeks his first unlimited victory after debuting in 1999. Unfortunately this will not be the year, as this team’s equipment is just not on par with most of the 2010 Fleet.
HydroDan says: Once again will finish mid to back of the pack in 2010. An unlikely fantasy selection.
Driver: N. Mark Evans, WA
Home Port: Chelan, WA
2009 Finish: Did Not Race
Veteran racer N. Mark Evans returns to the fray as a surprise late addition to the Columbia Cup field in Ted Porter’s U-57 backup hull. Evans, the first pilot to flip and win (Seafair 1997), will chauffeur the third entry out of the Precision Performance stable. Evans last appeared on the circuit in 2003 in Bill Wurtser’s U-8 Llumar Window Film at the Gold Cup in Detroit, where he suffered a violent blowover accident. He has not driven an unlimited in competition since that day. The U-57 hull is a former USA Racing partners entry by way of Competition Specialties (Winston Eagle). It has a long and successful history which includes a Gold Cup victory as recently as 2004 for USA Racing Partners when piloted by Nate Brown.
HydroDan says: The veteran boat and driver have proven ability, but as a late third string entry, parts and pieces may be hard to come by. This boat will need much tuning. A fantasy pass at Tri-Cities.
