Latest news...

2/24/10

For ALL of the latest happenings and discussions of the "silly season", make sure to checkout the Forum!

We just found out today that our friend, Elam Vic (Vic Nelawake) passed away suddenly on Monday of an apparent heart attack. Vic was a good friend of Hydropage. As many of you know he initiated the button promotion in 2008 to bring more fans to the Forum. He was a constant figure in the Elam camp. It will be hard walking into the pits in the 2010 season, expecting to see his smiling face, decked out in his blue and orange. Please join me tonight in the weekly Forum Chat (use the link, then click CHAT under th logo), dedicated to Elam Vic, as we discuss our memories of Vic as well as the typical "silly season" stories. I think Vic would have wanted that. Tonight 9:30 Eastern, 6:30 Pacific.

12/25/09

Hydropage wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Can't wait for racing in 2010!

11/21/09

Update on Jeff Bernard, he is okay with a banged up knee. Glad to hear he's fine.

The U16 started shooting flames out the tail pipe on the restart, allowing both the U7 Graham Trucking and the U1 Oh Boy! Oberto to pass him on the outside. J MIke drove the U7 on to the Oryx Cup win & Steve David drove the U1 to it's first ever repeat title! And Steve's 4th National Driver's Championship! What are race! Here are the results:

Final:
U7 1st 400 (1650)
U1 2nd 300 (1300)
U16 3rd 225 (1725)
U37 4th 169 (1038)
U17 withdrew due to salt in the motor
U48 became eligible after the flip for the restart but declined

What a DAY! Another flip, in the final on the first lap, by the U5 FormulaBoats.com. Driver Jeff Bernard has a knee injury but appears to be okay otherwise. I will keep you posted both on Jeff & the restart of the final.

Boats that are in the final: U16, U7, U5, U17, U1, U37. I'm not sure if it will be 6 & a trailer or 5 & a trailer.

Now for Heats 3A & B and 4A & B:
Heat 3A
U5 1st 400 (925)
U17 2nd 300 (825)
U100 DNF 0 (338)
U37 DSQ* (469)
*fuel flow violation

Heat 3B
U16 1st 400 (1200)
U1 2nd 300 (1000)
U7 3rd 225 (850)
U48 4th 169 (465)

Heat 4A-Restart
U7 1st 400 (1250)
U17 2nd 300(1125)
U48 3rd 225 (690)
U1 DSQ* 0 (1000)
*flipped in turn 3

Heat 4B
U37 1st 400 (869)
U16 2nd* 300 (1500)
U5 3rd* 225 (1150)
*jumped the gun

11/20/09

Now for Heats 2A & B:
Heat 2A
U1 1st 400
U5 2nd 300
U7 3rd 225
U48 4th 169
U22 DNF

Heat 2B
U16 1st 400
U37 2nd 300
U17 3rd 225
U100 4th 169
U25 DNS (may have withdrawn)

Heats 1A & 1B have been run in Doha! Here's how they finished:
Heat 1A
U7 1st 400
U17 2nd 300
U22 3rd 225
U37* 4th 169
U25* 5th 127
*hit buoy

Heat 1B
U16 1st 400
U1 2nd 300
U5 3rd 225
U100 4th 169
U48 5th 127*
*1 lap penalty

11/19/09

The first day of qualifying is over! And the boats came to Doha to race judging by the speeds. The top qualifier is the U16 Miss Elam Plus at 146.427, then U1 Oh Boy! Oberto at 145.096, third is the U37 at 137.654. Check the Forum for the entire rundown!

ABRA had a press conference this morning and announced a change to the series name. It will now be H1 Unlimiteds! Head to the Forum and take our Poll on the new name. Post your thoughts on it as well!

11/15/09

Can you believe we are just DAYS away from the final race of 2009?! And in Qatar?!!! A lot of crew members were heading out today from both coasts. They will travel for about 25 hours to get to Doha, Qatar.

TODAY is the day...the day that the old Forum is locked and laid to rest as an archive and the NEW next generation Forum has taken it's place!! If you have no idea what I am talking about...where have you been?? Check out the NEW and improved Hydropage Forum now! Make sure that you register so you can enjoy all of the benefits such as posting and having personal chats with fellow race fans! What are you waiting for?

Back to Doha, for those that haven't seen the schedule I'll post it below. Keep in mind there is an 8 hour time difference between the eastern US and Doha, and 11 hours for the west coast and Doha. I also have heard that HARM is having a slumber party at the museum to watch the racing!! The ABRA will be streaming it LIVE over the internet! I know everyone joins me in giving them a hand for getting that together. Can't imagine missing this race!

Schedule for Oryx Cup, Doha, Qatar

			Thursday 11/19/09
08:00A	-	09:00A	Driver’s meeting; course and Rescue team walk through.
09:30A	-	12:00P	Unlimited Testing
01:00P	-	04:00P	Unlimited Qualifying
04:15PM			Podium Event for Top Three Qualifier's; Parings Draw for Friday's Heat Section 1-A, 1-B
04:30P	-	06:00P	Pit Area Open to Public
			Friday 11/20/09
09:00A	-	11:00A	Unlimited Testing
12:00P			Opening Ceremony
12:30P			Unlimited Heat 1A
12:50P			Unlimited Heat 1B
01:05P			Podium for heat winners 1A and 1B, Draw for heats 2A & 2B
02:30P			Unlimited Heat 2A
02:50P			Unlimited Heat 2B
03:10P			Podium Event for Heat Winners; Pairings Draw for Saturday's heat Section 3-A, 3-B
03:30P	-	05:00P	Pit Area Open to Public + VIP Tours
			Saturday 11/21/09
09:00A	-	10:00A	Unlimited Testing
12:00P			Unlimited Heat 3A
12:20P			Unlimited Heat 3B
12:35P			Podium for Heat Winners 3A & 3B; Drawing for Heats 4A & 4B
01:45P			Unlimited Heat 4A
02:05P			Unlimited Heat 4B
04:00P			Oryx Cup UIM World Championship
04:30P			Podium Awards presentation
08:00P			Galla Dinner and Awards Presentation

8/24/09

Okay folks...as promised here are the photos of the Elam flip by Dean Edwards! Click this link to go to the gallery!

8/23/09

What a day! Elam flips, Oberto gets DSQ'd, Elam buys U17 for the race, Nate Brown drives it with an Elam motor...wow! But we still have the final heat to go! Here's a shot of the Elam flip. The entire sequence will be posted late tonight or tomorrow!


Check out all of today's racing action in the FORUM all day long! The heat draws for 1A & 1B are posted and results will be up as soon as they cross the line!

8/19/09
Another weekend of racing is nearly upon us! The weather for this weekend's Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville could NOT be better! Make sure to come out and support the race if you are in the area...we want to make SURE the Freedom Festival KNOWS it's the BOATS that make the weekend. As always check out the FORUM all weekend long for the latest qualifying speeds, heat draws, and heat results.

An official Meet & Greet for fans and participants of the Forum is planned for Saturday at the Four Freedom's Monument around 1pm. Stop by and say hello (and tell us your screen name if you so desire)! I look forward to seeing you all this weekend!

8/6/09
Photos are now posted from the TriCities race! Check them out HERE!

8/5/09
Many of you may have heard the points between the U16 Miss Elam Plus and the U1 Oh Boy! Oberto boat being announced as only 299 during the Seattle race weekend. I had believed it was 599 going in to Seattle but had not had the chance to sit down and recalculate the numbers. After verifying the points on the ABRA website, race by race, heat by heat, the 599 was correct. Elam earned more points than the Oberto this weekend, cutting the Oberto's lead to 249 points. Being that even the newspapers in Seattle had the wrong point totals I felt it very important to get this information out! Again, the numbers have been added using the official ABRA points listed on their site.

Wondering what all the fuss is about? Haven't heard the latest rumor? Want to have YOUR say about the sport? Then head over to the FORUM...THE place to go to voice your opinion on your favorite sport!

8/1/09
We saw not one, but TWO great heats of racing today...the first with the U5 Formula and the U37 Hoss Mortgage and the second between the U1 Oberto and the U16 Elam! Check out the latest results here! And don't forget to check all weekend long for the fastest updates on the web in the Forum!

7/31/09
We saw some good speeds on Lake Washington today! Miss Elam Plus took the top qualifying slot with a speed of 152.4 followed closely by the Oh Boy! Oberto at 152.3! More qualfying and testing sessions will take place Saturday. Be sure to check the FORUM all weekend for THE most up to date information!

7/30/09
It has been HOT, HOT, HOT here in Seattle! But as the boats worked their way into the pits today the temps finally started to fall with the sun. Tomorrow's qualifying and testing sessions should be much closer to "normal", with temps hitting around 83 instead of in the 90s! Stay tuned to the Forum ALL weekend long for the latest updates, qualifying, and heat results as always.

7/26/09
J Michael Kelly flipped in the first heat of the day while battling with the Oberto & U17 Jerry's Tavern. Mike got out fast even though it landed upside down. He appears to be ok.

7/25/09
We had 1 good heat of racing and 1 parade here today. Check out the latest results from TriCities here! And as always remember to check the Forum for immediate results all weekend!

7/24/09
Today saw lots of boats hitting the water for testing and qualifying. The U1, U5, U7, U16, U100, U17 (with both Kip Brown & Nate Brown at the wheel), U37, U48, & U3 all saw the water at some point today. Check the TriCities page for the latest!

7/15/09
The Gold Cup photos are now posted here! And there are a TON!

7/12/09
The final is now history and the U16 Miss Elam Plus has taken the Gold Cup! Check here for all of the days results.

Heats 4A & B results are here and I have posted the rundown for the final!

Heats 4A & B have been drawn & posted here.

Heats 3A & B have been run...the results are here. The wind is really picking up and doesn't look good at this point.

We've run Heats 2A & B and the draw for Heats 3A & B are now posted here!

7/11/09
Officials have decided, after sending out the rescue boat full of drivers, to delay the rest of today's racing action til tomorrow morning. Testing will start at 8am and the first set of heats may be as early as 9am.

Check here all weekend long for regular updates and heat results!

The heat results for Heats 1A & B are posted here!

Here's the qualifying from yesterday:
U16 159.051
U1 157.379
U5 154.857
U7 152.771
U17 149.763
U37 149.349 (JW Myers driving)
U100 148.424
U48 143.851
U25 139.380 (from testing)
U22 138.060 (from testing)
U3 did not pull in to pits til late last night

U37 threw a prop in yesterdays runs but apparently did not cause any substantial damage. U3 was late getting into the pits due to the repairs from throwing a prop in Madison last weekend.

U22 driver Mike Webster completed his qualifying laps yesterday, so let's all welcome Mike to the rank of unlimited hydroplane driver! Congrats Mike!

7/10/09
Some news coming in from Detroit (thanks to the folks updating me as I won't be arriving til later tonight!)...some rules changes for the Gold Cup! Lanes will not be assigned and speeds prior to the start will not be monitored. The score up buoy for lane choice will be the exit pin of the first turn, which is also the buoy that can't be passed prior to the 1 minute gun.

7/9/09
The U37 team has made arrangements for J. W. Myers (aka J-Dub) to drive their boat in the God Cup this weekend in Detroit if Jean Theoret is not ready to resume the pilot's seat. Stay tuned for full coverage of this weekends racing!

7/7/09
A press release today indicates that Jean Theoret is recovering very well and hopes to leave the hospital before this weekend's Gold Cup in Detroit. While the release mentioned the possibility of him driving this weekend, I have a hard time believing his doctors will clear him after he inhaled a good amount of Ohio River water. But the news of his recovery is AWESOME! And it also states that the U37 is ready with a contigency plan for the Gold Cup. No word as to what that "contingency plan" covers. Keep getting better Jean!

7/6/09
The Madison Courier has a NEW unlimited hydroplane website! Check it out at Courier Unlimiteds! And if that isn't enough for you, don't forget to check out the rest of the links to the hydroplane world here!

Check out the new photos from the Regatta!

7/5/09
Update on Jean Theoret...he's doing better and is off the ventilator! He's spoken by phone with his family & crew and is expected to recover. Don't forget to thank the rescue crews for the work they did yesterday!

See the final results HERE!

The final is set...U16 (lane 2), U7 (lane 3), U5 (lane 1), U3 (lane 4), U100 (inside trailer), U6 (outside trailer).

Check the Madison page for the latest heat results! We're heading to the 3rd flight of Heats!

7/4/09
A HUGE thanks goes out to the rescue people for the awesome job they did today saving Jean.

Click here for the full sequence of flip photos, by Dean Edwards, shot from the Kentucky shore.

7/3/09

Heat 1A Draw & Lanes

U5	Formula	Jeff Bernard	lane 2
U3	Chrysler	Jimmy King	lane 1
U100	Shoreline	Greg Hopp	lane 3
U25	Superior	Ken Muscatel	lane 4

Heat 1B Draw & lanes

U7	Graham	J. Michael Kelly	lane 2
U37	Bello's	Jean Theoret	lane 1
U48	Albert Lee	Brian Perkins	lane 3
U22	ServPro	Mike Webster	lane 4-behind

Heat 1C Draws & lanes

U16	Elam	Dave Villwock	lane 2
U1	Oberto	Steve David	lane 1
U17	ActivWater	Kip Brown	lane 3

Qualifying Points

U 16	Miss Elam Plus	Dave Villwock	156.296	100
U1	Oh Boy! Oberto	Steve David	154.657	80
U7	Graham Trucking	J. Michael Kelly		70
U37	Bello's Pizza	Jean Theoret		60
U5	FormulaBoats.com	Jeff Bernard		50
U3	Chrysler Jeep	Jimmy King	144.3	40
U48	Miss Albert Lee	Brian Perkins		30
U17	Miss ActivWater	Kip Brown		30
U100	Shoreline Propellers	Greg Hopp		30
U25	Superior Racing	Ken Muscatel		30
U22	ServPro Madison	Mike Webster		30

Qualifying Results
U16 155.004
U1 154.551
U37 151.042
U7 149.782

Qualifying
U1 154.551
U7 149.782
U16 155.004
U37 151.042
Here's the Qualifying ladder:
U7 Graham Trucking
U16 Miss Elam
U37 Bello's Pizza
U3 Miss Chrysler Jeep
U48 Miss Albert Lee
U5 FormulaBoats.com
U17 Miss Active Water
U1 Oh Boy! Oberto
U100 Miss Shoreline Propeller
U22 Bello's Pizza Presents Miss ServPro Madison
U25 Superior Racing

We've had lots of boats hit the water today! Jean Theoret took the U-37 Beacon Plumbing took a stroll around the course. The U-16 Elam Plus just came back in to the dock with Dave Villwock at the helm after turning 143mph. The hometown favorite, U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto has been out several times with speeds around 153mph. J. Michael Kelly, the new driver of the U-7 , took his boat out hitting speeds of 149mph to 152mph. Jeff Bernard now has the U-5 Formula out on the course!

Don't forget about Pole Position Friday coming up from 3-5pm! I'll be posting here and on the Forum as soon as speeds are known!

7/2/09
If you haven't checked the weather forecast for Madison lately, bring rain gear! While the temps are now supposed to be in the low 80s there's a chance of rain both Saturday & Sunday.

Boats began pulling into Madison yesterday! The Formula team showed up in time to head to dinner. Watch out for more action today as teams start getting setup for the Regatta!
And don't forget to check Hydropage all weekend long for updates! There will be updates in the Forum, as always, as well as here on the main page!

7/1/09
For those of you that can't wait for the Madison Regatta this weekend, head over to the Hydropage Archive page and take a look at some of the awesome photos from the past few years! Gotta Regatta!

6/27/09
Lots of stuff happening in the lead up to the first race of the season in Madison! The highly anticipated return of the U-16 Miss Elam Plus with driver Dave Villwock at the helm will try to wrestle the National Championship out of the hometown team, the current U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, driven by Steve David. The FormulaBoats.com team recently said goodbye to driver Mike Allen and hello to driver J. Michael Kelly, formerly of the U-13. Formula also has a new Crew Chief in John Rice!

6/13/09
It is with great sadness that I have to pass along this news...Terry Troxell has passed away of a massive heart attack.. Our condolences go out to the Troxell family and friends. The family has not yet confirmed plans for a memorial service.

6/8/09
Where does the time go and where should I start?! So much has been happening lately after a quiet few months.

First off, it looks like the race in Evansville WILL happen after all! It is slated for August 21-23. Check out the Thunder on the Ohio site here!

The FormulaBoats.com team let driver Mike Allen go just a couple of weeks ago. Hydropage wishes Mike all the luck in finding a new ride! In his place the team has brought in J. Michael Kelly. Should be an interesting combo having 2 "young guns" gunning for their team. We wish J. Mike lots of luck in his new ride...just watch out for that front straight in Detroit!

The Formula team has also appointed John Rice to Crew Chief of the U-7! Congrats to John!

If you haven't checked out the ABRA site lately, head over there and see the tour of the team shops! Some great photos in the tour organized by Jim Simpson. Thanks to ALL of the photogs that took the time to contribute to this!
U-1 Tour
U-5 & 7 Tour
U-16 Tour
U-17 Tour
U-22 Tour
U-25 Tour
U-37 Tour
U-48 Tour
And the U-3 Tour should be up in the next day or so!

As you can see from the schedule to the left, the Doha, Qatar race appears to be on with some teams already commited to going. From what I understand most teams won't be able to take the entire team, but enough to run the boats.

Have your say at the Hydropage Forum! Let us know what you think!