2004 GOVERNOR'S CUP

 

On September 19th, Classic Thunder held its Governor’s Cup Exhibition in Lacey, WA.  The setting at Woodlawn Creek Park was perfect for racing.  The event was sponsored by Dan Clark and we hope to put this race on our season schedule for the 2005 season.  The water level was low for this time of year due to minimal rainfall, but there was plenty of room to set up a course and we could see that the place would be even better when the water returns to its normal level.  We drove from a very nice floating dock area.  We’ve been told that most of the time it’s actually floating.  The racing was cool and the folks that turned out had a good time.  The weather was warm, but the rain came by briefly in the afternoon to flirt with the otherwise abundant sunshine.

IT’S CLEAR TO SEE,

BUD BEST IN DIV.1 GOVERNOR’S CUP!

The ten boats in Division 1 started the day off well with good heat racing.  Two of our boats were commissioned to try out some new motors that we wanted to test out and compare performance on.  Dale Van Wyk outfitted his Berryessa Belle with two different Graupner 700 sized motors during the day and gave us some good feedback.  He also brought out his Such Crust for the first time this year and outfitted it with a Johnson motor for the day.  We’ll be discussing the results in more detail in our off-season meetings, but the results seem promising.  We hope to find a comparable motor to the Astro 25-5 turn in order to give members another option for Division 1 competition in the future.  Thanks to Dale and Pat Malaspina, who provided two of the motors, for making this experiment possible.  We were also favored with a rare appearance from Doug Tulip’s stunning 68 Checkerboard Bardahl.  The boat had some nagging control problems and had to be withdrawn, but it was good to see her on the water again.  Other boats on hand included Mike Krone’s Hurricane IV, Bob Vanden Akker’s Miss US 5 and Dave Sacry’s Short Circuit.  Dale Van Wyk’s Berryessa Belle made her way to the Final by winning the Consolation Heat.  The Belle was joined in the Final by Pete Schille’s Mr. P’s, Pat Malaspina’s Thriftway, Mitch Dillard’s Gale IV, Jeff Howard’s Miss Budweiser and Dale’s other boat, the Such Crust. I’d say the motor experiment was going pretty well.  Bob Vanden Akker stepped in to drive the Belle, while Dale took the wheel of the Such Crust. 

The Final began in familiar fashion with the Mr. P’s and Gale hitting the line together closely followed by the rest of the field. Gale IV held a slight lead on the outside of the Mr. P's going into the first turn and led up the backstretch.  Mr.P's passed on the inside in turn two and held a slight lead at the start of lap 2.  In the middle of turn one, the Gale boat fell into the hole created by the skid fin of the P’s and did a slow rollover.  Some good driving by Pat Malaspina and Jeff Howard allowed the Thriftway and Budweiser to miss the capsized Gale.  The chase was on up the backstretch with Mr. P’s holding the lead.  The Budweiser and Thriftway followed close behind.  The Bud gained ground in the following lap and was finally able to pry the lead away from Mr. P’s as the race neared its end.  Mr. P’s held on to second place and finished ahead of the third placed Thriftway.  Such Crust held off the Berryessa Belle to take fourth.  The Belle finished fifth.  The Bud certainly saved the best for last this year with two straight race wins.  Congratulations to Jeff Howard’s Miss Budweiser, winner of the 2004 Classic Thunder Governor’s Cup Exhibition in Division 1!  Jeff has now won both races since his recent LASIC eye surgery.  Jeff, what’s the name of that doctor?

PAT GETS FIRST CT DIV.2 WIN

ROOKIE DRIVES SQUIRE TO VICTORY AT GOVERNOR’S CUP!

Seven boats graced the shores of the pond for Division 2 competition.  Pete Schille brought the 4-point Elam out and left the Stroh Light at home for the day.  The Elam performed well all day long.  Officially, Dave Sacry’s Weisfields advanced to the Final Heat as the trailer based on points.  Unofficially, Mike Krone’s Island Security Systems also became a trailer.  Things were pretty flexible at the exhibition.  Other boats in the Final were Dave Helton’s American Speedy Printing, Bob Vanden Akker’s Candyman, Mitch Dillard’s Coors Dry, Pete Schille’s Elam and Pat Malaspina’s Squire Shop.

The story of the Final Heat was a simple one.  Squire hits the start on the nose.  Squire runs really fast.  Squire says good-bye to the competition.  The Elam gave chase for a lap or so, but was no match for the red boat.  She would finish an impressive second.  Speedy Printing outdistanced the Coors to take third.  Coors Dry didn’t seem her normal self, but managed to hold down fourth.  Candyman followed in fifth followed by the Weisfields in sixth.  Island Security rounded out the field in seventh.  Yep, everyone finished!  Hands down, the Squire Shop earned this win.  She led from wire to wire.  Congratulations to Pat Malaspina’s Squire Shop, winner of the 2004 Classic Thunder Governor’s Cup Exhibition in Division 2!  This is Pat’s first victory in Classic Thunder.  Way to go Pat!  Not bad for a rookie.  Something tells me that we will see more good things from him in the future.

I would like to thank Dan Clark for putting on such a neat event.  We all had a good time.  Thanks to everyone who turned out.  Thanks to Dale and Pat for volunteering to put together our motor test in Division 1 for us.  I think we’ve got a good thing going in this club.  This 2004 season has been a great success in so many areas.  I say it over and over, but I really do appreciate how much everyone works together to help each other and to help the club.  That is what we’re all about and that type of attitude has made things so much more fun and productive for all of us.  I’m excited to hear what all of you have planned for the off-season.  In some ways it’s even more exciting than the racing.  Our monthly meetings will likely start in November.  We’ll keep you posted on that.  First thing first, let’s talk about the upcoming banquet.  Sunday, October 10th is the date.  2pm is the time.  Bill’s Bodacious BBQ is the place.  We will be presenting awards and prizes, talking about boats and eating a lot of good food!  What else could you want?  I hope all of you can make it.  Congratulations to Classic Thunder on another great season of racing!!

Sincerely,

Mitch Dillard

Classic Thunder Commissioner