DIAMOND CUP 2004

MISS SEATTLE GETS THIRD DIV.1 WIN AT DIAMOND CUP! 

On July 15^th Classic Thunder held its 2004 Diamond Cup at Lake Pleasant in Bothell.  Those who attended were greeted with great weather, great fun and great food.  The people of the Lake Pleasant RV Park and the City of Bothell really know how to have a good time.  It was a great day of great racing action too.  We had a large number of spectators coming and going all day long and genuinely enjoyed ourselves.  It was nice to hear that many folks had come to this race more than once and are looking forward to this event next year.  They made us feel really welcome and we did our best to put on a good show.  Simply, the racing was fabulous. 

A very competitive field of 12 boats stepped up for Division 1 racing.  Its amazing how evenly matched these boats are becoming.  Some of the boats in attendance were Chris Cootsona’s Waferers Club Lady driven by Danny Sacry, Mike Krone’s Hurricane IV, “Battery” Dave Sacry’s Short Circuit, Dave Helton’s Miss Burien, Jim Clark’s ’67 Bardahl and John Dyer’s Rebel, Suh.  Craig Mullen’s $Bill won the Consolation heat and advanced to the final.  

The Final Heat was another great one.  Pete Schille’s Mr. P’s and Mitch Dillard’sGale IV made good starts slightly ahead of the other competitors.  They were closely followed by Dale Van Wyk’s Miss Seattle, Jeff Howard’s Miss Budweiser and Bob VandenAkker’s Notre Dame.  $ Bill started from the trailer position.   Gale IV and Mr. P’s staged one of their now common deck-to-deck duals for what seemed like two or three laps.  Almost out of nowhere came Miss Seattle to join in the fun.  As the boats rounded turn two, the Seattle diced its way into the lead.  It was as though she just snuck up on the unsuspecting lead boats and stole the show.  The stealthy Seattle left town with a bewildered two-boat posse in pursuit.  She would swiftly negotiate the final lap and make a clean getaway with a victory.  Mr. P’s held on to second place until the final corner.  Gale IV managed to pin it on the buoy line and out sprint him to the finish line.  Mr. P’s would settle for third.  Notre Dame wrestled her way to a fourth place finish followed closely by fifth place Miss Budweiser.  $ Bill finished sixth.  Outstanding racing guys!  We could even hear the crowd cheering over the sound of that gas-powered Margarita mixer.  That’s what I call racing!  Congratulations to Dale Van Wyk’s Miss Seattle, winner of the 2004 Classic Thunder Diamond Cup in Division 1! 

ANOTHER DIV.2 WIN FOR AMERICAN SPEEDY PRINTING. HELTON TAKES DIAMOND CUP! 

The Division 2 boats did battle with 11 boats showing up to compete.  Highlights included the launching of Mike Krone’s new Island Security Systems.  It ran well during the day.  Mike tried various little changes in battery position and other things.  It’s definitely a keeper.  Other boats on hand were Mitch Dillard’s Coors Dry, Jeff Howard’s Dewalt Tools, John Dyer’s 76 Atlas Van Lines and Dale Van Wyk’s 83 Atlas Van Lines.  Pete Schille’s Stroh Light won the Consolation Heat and advanced to the final heat. 

The Division 2 Final Heat saw Pat Malaspina’s very fast Squire Shop lead from the start followed by Craig Mullen’s Pride of Pay’n Pak, Dave Helton’s American Speedy Printing, Dave Sacry’s Weisfields and Bob VandenAkker’s Candyman.  For some reason, the boats were late to the line.  This whittled off valuable make up time for the trailer starting Stroh Light.  By the end of lap one, the Stroh had passed four boats and was sitting in second place behind the leading Squire by the end of lap three.  That’s when things started happening.  The Squire charged into turn one to begin her fourth lap, caught an edge and rolled.  As Pete glanced ahead to prepare for the carnage in turn one, his Stroh pitched to the right and rolled at the end of the front stretch.   Speedy Printing took over the lead, rounded the turn and continued up the backstretch leaving Pay’n Pak, Weisfields and Candyman to work their way throught the dead boats.  Speedy Printing completed lap two in the lead and never looked back.  Pay’n Pak would finish second ahead of the Weisfields, who finished a respectable third.  Candyman finished fourth. Patience and smart driving proved to be the difference in this one.  Congratulations to Dave Helton’s American Speedy Printing, winner of the 2004 Classic Thunder Diamond Cup in Division 2!  As you may have noticed, there have been some different boats making their presence known in this division too.  I love it.  Speedy Printing has worked out some bugs and is beginning to flex her muscles.  The Squire Shop is now looking extremely formidable with her new brushless gear.  Consistency will be the key, but keep an eye on these two and several others too.  This is so much fun! 

We would like to thank the City of Bothell for sponsorship of the Diamond Cup and the staff at Lake Pleasant RV Park and Knights of Columbus for the use of their facilities.  Thanks to the generous businesses in Bothell who donated prizes for the event.  Swanson’s Shoe Repair donated a nice wooden shoeshine kit.  Chevron of Bothell donated a Platinum Car wash.  Steve’s Café donated a gift certificate.  Grease Monkey of Bothell donated a free oil change service.  Alexa’s Café donated a gift certificate.  Schucks of Bothell donated a bucket full of car wash and car care products.  Thanks Harley!  Safeway of Bothell donated a lady’s wristwatch and a Gatorade baseball cap.  D.J.’s Loan and Sport donated a $25 gift certificate and the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum chipped in with trading cards and a Bob Carver photo book.  We would also like to thank the residents of Lake Pleasant RV Park, namely Marlene and Steve for coordinating the excellent barbecue and party for everyone.  Thanks to Bud for cooking on the grill.  I was especially pleased to find out that the abundant leftovers were packed up and taken over to the tent city in Bothell.  I’m sure the homeless folks over there ate well that night and were thankful that you thought of them.  As I always say, “That’s what it’s all about.”  Thanks to Bob and Judy and everyone else who helped out up there and made this happen.  I know there were a lot of you.  We’re certainly grateful for your contributions to Classic Thunder. 

Well, its time for race #7.  It’s not a big event, but it marks the start of the home stretch of the 2004 season and competition is heating up.  It’s the Apple Cup on Lake Waughop in Lakewood, WA on August 1^st.  The lake is located in Fort Steilacoom Park in Pierce County.  The place has been known to have fast water.  Don’t miss it!  This racing just seems to get better all the time.  Are you sure this isn’t illegal?  I’m lovin’ it!  Hope you are too.  Thanks again everyone. 

Sincerely,  

Mitch Dillard

Classic Thunder Commissioner