If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. This could result in loss of control and steering ability, as your tires may lose contact with the pavement. Hydroplane boat, a fast motor boat used in racing hydroplane racing, a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. This was the first heat at over 100 miles per hour in the threeyear history of the miss burien hydroplane, whose previous pilots included bill tonkin, norm evans, and mira slovak. There was no question in the mind of owner peter woeck. We are here to celebrate unlimited hydroplane racing, with particular emphasis on the golden age of the 50s and 60s. Driver ready to say goodbye after flip in unlimitedlights final hydro notebook. It was to be the simon familys day in the sun, june 27, 1976. It was the 1982 emerald cup on lake washington and john walters was racing mr. All power steering pumps made to precise tolerances.
The hydroplane and raceboat museum in kent, washington, is the only national museum dedicated exclusively to unlimited hydroplane racing. Go fast turn left racing driver brian perkins unlimited. Seafair hydros blast from the past puget sound business. Heerenspergers pay n pak against its fiercest competitor, the miss budweiser. Jack was the only unlimited hydroplane driver in the decade of the 1950s to win 45% of his races and the first ever to win six races in a row. In april, the driver of the ul72 foster care, an unlimited lights hydroplane, was in the midst of a test run on the lake when her boat exploded and caught fire. Modified outboard hydroplane racing classes are powered by modified stock outboard class motors. Silent seafair thunder u95 hydroplane and raceboat museum. Hallmark holmes, the former national champion boat miss bardahl, was the third highest qualifier with leif bergersen at the helm.
Floyd ganassi, us indycar driver and team owner il cinghio italian. When the thunderboats return to lake coeur dalene this summer, a champion of the sports pistonpowered era will be back on the water, if not actually in the drivers seat. Get the high quality products with best price on hydroplanets. As motorboat racing is a dangerous sport, many individuals including drivers, crew members, officials and spectators have been killed in crashes related to the sport, either in a race, in qualifying, in practice or a private testing session.
I dont know if he is a boat restoration guy, but in doing a little research on the pride of pay n pac hydroplane, his name came up. In those days, if you drove unlimited hydros you had the keys to the town, said former driver leif borgersen of issaquah. Jul 26, 2010 lyford, an accomplished aerobatics pilot, limited hydroplane driver and mercenary who flew p51 mustang fighters in the salvadoran air force for three years, will be flying aviator joe clarks. It won the championship in its debut year, and became known for its unique checkerboard pattern, first run in 1968. Mitch was on the podium, thinking he belonged there. Floatplane, a type of seaplane, with one or more slender pontoons. Hed later gain the type of notoriety he long for, plus a spot in the sports history books, by being the first driver. Aquaplaning or hydroplaning, a loss of steering or braking due to water on the road. Read syracuse post standard newspaper archives, jun 17, 1985, p.
Steering you forward since 1914, borgeson has been making industryleading steering parts for nearly 100 years. There was a little bit of him in all of them, said villwock, the winningest driver in unlimited history, of jones impact on hydroplane boat design. This is the new site for hydroplane history which has been located at. This dangerous aerodynamic trait was experienced first hand by relief driver leif borgersen at lake sammamish, wa. Obertomiss madison unlimited hydroplane who has accumulated 18 wins, six driver s championships, four national championships, 11 top qualifier poles, and is the sports winningest active driver, will announce friday his retirement. Drivers are disqualified if they cross the starting line before the official heats clock start time called jumping the gun. Crash memories vivid to walters 10 years later by paul delaney. Between 1959 and 1966, ron left an indelible mark of excellence on the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing. I tend to grant all requests for reuse for promotional nature of the pictures on this site provided the watermark is retained and photo credit given.
Arapahoe basins snow safety director leif borgeson died tuesday while hiking the ridge at the aspen highlands bowl. Sunday, during the unlimited lights final at seafair, her boat cartwheeled and flipped near the. Summit county a posse of ski patrollers, backcountry enthusiasts and avalanche experts will gather at abasin saturday for the fifth annual beacon bowl, a friendly and fierce competition aimed at finding who is the fastest at finding a buried avalanche transceiver. The notre dame story by fred farley apba unlimited historian. By comparison, three were fatally injured in the 1970s and two in the 1980s. With a hydroplaner outboard stabilizer you will find yourself enjoying a more comfortable ride with minimal bow rise.
Those fans who are familiar with the notre dame teams history will notice some rather surprising discrepancies between my treatment and the story that appeared in the official notre dame press. In 2007, he celebrated his 25th anniversary as a driver. Teen driver power boats pickle race cars champion racing trailers blog shopping. The pay n pak got airborne and did 2 complete 360 degree flips enroute to an accident.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Made driving the truck 100 times more enjoyable on long trips. It ran as the u32 hallmark homes in 1971, when it was destroyed at the gold cup in madison with leif. If i havent done anything else, getting canopies on boats that would. Mar 21, 2007 very nice story done on x unlimited hydroplane driver steve reynolds by sports machine back in 1987. Lyford, an accomplished aerobatics pilot, limited hydroplane driver and mercenary who flew p51 mustang fighters in the salvadoran air force for three years, will be flying aviator joe clarks. The wild boar gabriele tarquini, italy touring car driver the cisco kid rick chavez, u.
It represents the product of over 100 years of evolution in race boat design and incorporates the most powerful engines, most advanced construction techniques and the best safety systems available in boat racing today. Hydroplaning hydroplaning means loss of traction and sliding on a film of water. Leif borgersen is 74 years old and was born on 08011945. Jean theoret has been in hydroplane racing all his life as a crew member, an engine builder, a driver and a team owner and manager. Hydro qualifying paced by muncey the new york times. I raced a stock hydro in 1957until late 1959 in region 6. July 26, 1990 as a youngster growing up on spokanes south hill, john walters dreamed of becoming an unlimited hydroplane driver. Mar 08, 2017 legendary driver dave villwock, though, said it would be impossible to point to just one boat or design as his greatest legacy. The 100 mile per hour club is conducted by the gulf oil corporation. Ron jones hydroplane design, u95 was the first twin turbine engine boat to run competetively. Other sports driver ready to say goodbye after flip in. Leif borgeson, the snow safety director for arapahoe basin, collapsed while hiking the ridge at the.
New driver dave walther was reported to have won many races in the 7litre class. Can anyone tell me anything about the detroit hydroplane museum operated by dave bartush. The kokomo tribune from kokomo, indiana page 38 publication. Parco oring miss owner laird pierce, after laboring in obscurity for four years with miss dixi cola 1966 and the first parcooring miss 196769 decided. In the past, leif has also been known as o leif borgersen, o l borgersen, leif o borgerson, leif o borgersen and leif o borgersen. Hydroplaner, llc hydrofoil stabilizers in stainless.
Williams, the museums director and author of hydroplane racing in seattle, has been driving unlimited hydroplanes for over a dozen years and was the primary stunt driver for the movie madison. Notre dame, possibly the fastest boat in the fleet, returned with 1969 driver leif borgersen at her helm. Thompsons death came just a few weeks after what in powerboat racing history is known as black sunday, when on june 19, 1966, unlimited hydroplane drivers ron musson miss bardahl, rex. Graham ends speculation about new h1 unlimited team.
He received the mike thomas award in 1969, and again placed second in the 1970 gold cup race. As stated in accidents, drivers are encased in a protective safety capsule made of a kevlar composite material that is almost impenetrable. You need to be a member of hydroplane and raceboat museum to add comments. Fundraiser for borgeson family tonight at summit high. One fast boat rides great handles great my son and i are just going to stop racing, this boat is in great condition no rotton wood sponsons hold air, its fully rigged and ready just drop on your motor,i will ship when you pay or you pickup at our location agreed upon. Drivers are restrained with a 5 point safety harness like those used in other motorsports. It also eliminates the need of more expensive trim tabs and allows the driver to control the orientation of the boat by simply adjusting the trim on the engine. I t took me almost 2 years to find the right prop to make my old swift with a kg4 go fast enough and i ended up with a brass mich.
Motor modifications are limited to strict motor specifications and equipment alterations defined and published in apba category rule books for these outboard hydroplane racing classes. Go fast, turn left racing, llc is proud to be part of the exclusive hydroplane racing circuit. Commonly known for annoying drivers with troublesome leaks, and. Bill shows you how to install this borgeson power steering upgrade kit. Leif borgersen o, 74 wickenburg, az background report. According to the unlimited hydroplane racing association, the accident occurred about 9 a. Hydroplane racing legend to return to coeur dalene the. To become fully qualified to race, the new driver must get signatures from four 4 qualified drivers in hisher class and at least one referee heshe has raced under. May 27, 2016 1971 hallmark homes driver leif borgersen. This is the new site for hydroplane history which has been located at all the material from the old site is. Clapp donated on jims behalf, the u95s gearbox to the hydroplane and raceboat museum.
The saga of ron snyder hydroplane and raceboat museum. Jack regas, the 1957 national high point champion and 1958 apba gold cup winner, passed away at his home in nampa, idaho he was 90 years old. Hydroplane history celebrating unlimited hydroplane racing. Businessman david heerensperger was known for being tough, but the sight of his hydroplane driver being severely injured in a crash made him feel like he was having a heart attack. Only one unlimited hydroplane driver has been killed since then. Leif placed second in the 1968 gold cup, setting the gold cup qualifying record of 116. May 27, 2016 may 27, 2016 1971 hallmark homes driver leif borgersen. A 50yearold man who was visiting aspen died tuesday while hiking highland bowl. Lv hydro driver killed in crash las vegas sun newspaper. As driver of bernie littles miss budweiser in 1978, snyder finished second to atlas van lines in national high points and won the tricities columbia cup at kennewick, washington. When the thunderboats return to lake coeur dalene this summer, a champion of the sports pistonpowered era will be back on the water, if not actually in the driver s seat. And thats how john walters first made a name for himself in hydroplane racing. The new driver may only start in the farthest outside position during these heats.
The latest in my ongoing series of famous unlimited hydroplane teams of the past is the notre dame, which last raced in 1973. Scratch heerensperger, who left the sport with a blast at everyone. Sunday, during the unlimited lights final at seafair, her boat cartwheeled and flipped near the end of the first lap. Rob graham today ended months of rumormill speculation by confirming that he has purchased one of ted porters unlimited hydroplanes and will begin his involvement in unlimited hydroplane racing as a team owner after more than two decades as a sponsor in the sport. The official facebook page for the miss madison unlimited hydroplane, owned by the city of madison, in and sponsored by. Miss madison wins gold cup race before 110,000 the new. Hydroplane racing league gp series 395 victoria street salaberrydevalleyfield quebec j6t 1b7 p 450 3716144 ext. Pit stop usa sells borgeson universal joints, borgeson steering universal. The hydroplane that started the turbine revolution is retired but not forgotten. Jun 15, 2010 the national safety commission alerts safety is no accident. Repaired, the pay n pak picked up the first turbinepowered hydroplane victory ever in new york in 1982 and then crashed in august 1982 in a first lap melee at seattle. The 7 litre became a solid front runner in northwest action but had a nasty tendency to blowover backwards when driven without her engine cowling. In the single most exciting duel of the 1978 season, at madison, ron and budweiser beat munceys atlas decisively in heat 2a, after four dynamic sidebyside laps.
They wear a helmet and capsule suit providing additional protection to the torso. Aug 21, 1972 cincinnati, aug, 20 ap conely snowden, a 42. Aug 07, 2011 in april, the driver of the ul72 foster care, an unlimited lights hydroplane, was in the midst of a test run on the lake when her boat exploded and caught fire. Rob graham buys t6 from ted porter, keeps driver j. The rivalry among local pro patrollers will likely stay hot, as repeat winner jeff farragi from breckenridge ski area returns. Summit high school staff and students invite the community to a spaghetti dinner fundraiser tonight from 5. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. A modern unlimited hydroplane is the worlds fastest racing boat, capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph. Now, qualified dealers could sell machinery from the government stockpile and make a commission. Because boat drivers are too busy to concentrate much on reading dials and gauges while competing, a second instrument panel not visible to the driver will be the focus of a video tape recording system, which will run whenever the boat is on the water. Previous to leif s current city of wickenburg, az, leif borgersen lived in sammamish wa and coupeville wa. For resuse of my photos on websites and for promotional use please contact me. It was established in 1949 to recognize those who have driven a power boat 100 mph or better in apba sanctioned regattas on a course approved for records.
Borgeson will not be liable for personal or property damage caused by the use or misuse of any product. The kokomo tribune from kokomo, indiana on june 9, 1971. Due to the complexity of the systems involved with u95 and their relationship to aviation, leif learned to fly to gain further understanding of the systems. Thunder and the glory an era when the hydros reigned. In 47 races entered, musson scored 16 victories, finished second nine times, and third six times. List of fatal accidents in motorboat racing wikipedia. Fifty years ago last sunday, chuck thompson lost his life racing on the detroit river on july 3, 1966, when his miss smirnoff unlimited hydroplane was blown to pieces in heat 3 of the abpa. Mustang borgeson power steering upgrade kit 289 19651966. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. From miss madison racing steve david, driver of the u1 oh boy. Suspension components borgeson borgeson driver side power steering. Miami for a sport that identifies too many of its champions as the late great, longevity may be as much a measure of an unlimited hydroplane driver as career victories. Hydroplaner, llc hydrofoil stabilizers in stainless steel. Visit the national safety commission americas safety headquarters for driver safety information, auto recalls and teen safe driver tips.
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