|
|
|
CLASSIC THUNDER NEWS |
|
|
The Classic Thunder News page has been established as a place to view breaking stories within and around the growing Classic Thunder community. If you have any news to share, let us know. It doesn't have to be related to the club or even our hobby. Feel free to attach a picture to go along with your news. Just e-mail me in the newsroom at mitchdillard@msn.com.
__________________________________________ ********************************************** 06/18/08: Brent's Driving Debut at Tastin'n Racin' Goes Well! We are all very proud of CT's Brent Hall in making his 5 Litre limited hydro driving debut recently at Lake Sammamish during Tastin' n Racin' driving for Namron Racing. Brent went out and performed very well for his first time behind the wheel. Many of us were on hand to watch and cheer him on. Brent, with the help of friends and employee partners at AT&T raised a bunch of money for Friends of the Children too. Excellent job Brent! We're looking forward to your next opportunity to get some wheel time. Check out the article from APBA Racing News about Brent's rookie driving debut. ********************************************** 06/04/08: An Update on the U-13!
********************************************** 05/30/08: Schille dumps Etta for Bardahl! News Release from Pete Schille Motorsports: "The 1951 Etta has been retired effective immediately. The boat will not continue on the 2008 Classic Thunder season. The team reports ongoing handling problems and reliability issues are the reason for the early exit. The team also reports plans are underway to bring the 1968 Checkerboard Bardahl out to compete through the end of the season." This newsflash comes just two days before the Freedom Cup on Lake Morton. Schille will be pulling the gear out of the Etta and putting it into the Checkerboard Comet for the race. It was decided that the Mega 22/45/1e will power the Bardahl on 10 cells when Schille opted to put the less powerful Mega 22/30/2 back into his Division 2 U-95 boat to improve its driveability. We will see how this extensive changeover works out this coming Sunday. ********************************************** 05/05/08: Harold Mills Honored as Hall of Fame Nominee! A friend of Classic Thunder and pioneering hydroplane driver Harold Mills has been honored as a nominee for induction into the Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame. We all know of his accomplishments out here in the northwest as Harold has been racing all sorts of boats out here for many years. He's one of the most personable guys you'll ever meet as well as one heck of a good race boat driver and spokesman for the sport of hydroplane racing. Take the time to read the article about Harold's recent nomination found on Hydro Insider's web site. Congratulation Harold, your recognition is well deserved! ********************************************** 05/05/08: Max Schroeder's Racing 1/4 Midgets!
********************************************** 04/29/08: ********************************************** 04/26/08: TranquilityHomeCare.com joins the flying 'Gecko' and Namron Racing Team for 2008!
Owned by Elsa and Brent Hall, TranquilityHomeCare.com is a new adult family home provider offering luxury and waterfront adult family homes with top quality care for seniors in the Bothell, Bellevue, Seattle and surrounding areas. "We're proud to be one of the sponsors for the Namron Racing Team," Hall said. "I saw Bud McKay in action at the Spring Training session the other day. He is what he said - 'the biggest, little kid' in the pits. He talks to the fans like they're old friends. He was grabbing kids who were just walking by and putting them in the cockpit. He's a great spokesman for not only his team but for the sport of hydroplane racing." Bud McKay, owner/driver of the GEICO of Lakewood Presents the Namron Racing Team, said TranquilityHomeCare.com's sponsorship allowed his team to make the trip to Firebird Raceway, in Chandler, Ariz., for this weekend's season opening Unlimited Lights Hydroplane Racing Association hydroplane race. "TranquilityHomeCare.com made a huge commitment to our team and our program that will give us an opportunity to get every point we can this season in Lighter-Than-LIGHTS racing," McKay said, the two-time defending series high points champion. "We'll have the boat out for the residents to see at TranquilityHomeCare.com during the season. This will give the residents a break from watching Brent in the back yard running his radio controlled hydroplanes up and down the Sammamish River. I guess there are two 'big kids' in this newly formed partnership." TranquilityHomeCare.com joins GEICO of Lakewood, Wash., and McDonough and Sons Inc., as the Namron Racing Team's primary sponsors for the 2008 season. The GEICO of Lakewood Presents the Namron Racing Team won the 8-Cylinder LTL high points titles in 2006 and 2007. ********************************************** 04/09/08: Morgan's 6 Months old and growing fast!
********************************************** 04/08/08: Scooter Too Hits the Scene!
********************************************** 04/06/08: Coulon Park Testing! Take a look at some of the highlites from the testing we had at Coulon Park. With one week to go before the season opener, we saw some new boats hit the water along with some of our veteran boats. The weather was challenging and the wind took it's toll, but the test was a good one. Now it's time to get the racing started! The anticipation is high and with the rule changes in both classes of racing, who knows what we'll experience in Lacey when we make our first runs at the start line at the Hester Memorial. Can't wait to see it all unfold. See you there! (click here to view Coulon test photo gallery) ********************************************** 03/05/08: March Testing in Lacey! Several of us were down at Woodland Creek Park for our final reserved pre-season test in Lacey. This time around we got to test in a stiff breeze and see what our boats could handle. Some of us found out the hard way that sometime fast doesn't last. It was a good day of testing and fast water combined with a breeze made for some excitement and bought us some time in the row boat. We saw yet a few more brand new boats out there and that's always fun. I'm sure there will be more testing, scheduled or otherwise before out April 6th scheduled test day at Coulon Park. The season is fast approaching and there is always tweaking to do. Thanks to Dan Clark for hooking us up with the reservations in Lacey for the past three months and for sending us some photos of the latest session. (view March Lacey testing photos) ********************************************** 03/05/08: Brent's New Boat!
********************************************** 03/05/08: Another Etta Sighting!
********************************************** 03/05/08: Miss US Repaired!
********************************************** 03/05/08: Some updated on the U-13!
********************************************** 03/05/08: Updates from Tony! Tony Minalia has been sending us updates on what he's been doing. Looks like the Miss Madison he is finishing work on is the only "start to finish" boat he plans to do for 2008. Tony reports that the new Smokin' Joes he's building is actually "rebuild #4" that was started prior to the Smokin' Joes hull he finished and raced last year. He will be rebuilding the bottom, sponsons and deck on it. He also plans on stripping the paint off of his old My Gypsy, repaint it and do a little sponson work on it before bringing it back. We've also heard that Tony has acquired Clint Crain's 1970 Parco's O-Ring Miss, so we could see him behind the wheel of that one too. You never know with Tony. He keeps you guessing and on your toes. ********************************************** 02/24/08: Brent Produces another CT DVD!
********************************************** 02/24/08: The CT Workshop and February Lacey Testing!
(View Workshop and Feb Testing Photos) ********************************************** 02/16/08: What's an Etta?
********************************************** 01/22/08: 1/10th Scale Workshop date set! We're having another 1/10th Scale Workshop this year! The event is set for Sunday, February 17th. It will be hosted by D.A. Graphics in Seattle and will begin at 12 noon. The event is open for anyone even remotely interested in 1/10th scale electric boats as a hobby. You're invited to come share in the information and fun with us. The focus this year will be on sharing techniques that range from battery pack building to construction techniques with carbon fiber and plastics. Bring a boat down or a project you've been working on. Get questions asked and answered. Troubleshoot a problem you've been having and get suggestions from other hobbyists. If nothing else, come out, eat donuts and talk boats with us. We encourage you to share the information with others or better yet, bring them along too! You can find the announcement with details for the Workshop on the Home Page of this site or you can view the pdf file below. (View Workshop Announcement in pdf format) ********************************************** 01/22/08: Bryan's Been Busy! Bryan Deatherage has started construction on a 1957 Miss Bardahl to add to his stable. Bryan is a second year member and made his debut last season with a very nice scratch built Miss B&I. It's always fun to see new members building boats and coming up with projects like this. Bryan has also built himself a vacuforming machine to make his own plastic parts with. He plans on trying it out very soon and may even bring it to the upcoming 1/10th Scale Workshop in February. Good work Bryan. We're looking forward to seeing the things you've been working on. ********************************************** 01/22/08: Introducing the Timex Twins!
********************************************** 01/20/08: Photos from Lacey Test Session! Dan Clark was nice enough to send us some photos from the test session held down at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey today. We thought we'd share them with you and add a few from another January test at Coulon. There have been some new boats out, some of our old favorites and some old favorites with new gear in them. Take a look! Remember there will be more testing in Lacey and Coulon. Note that the February session in Lacey has been changed from the 17th to February 24th. Testing at Coulon will be announced by email. It's always more fun to run boats together so come on out! The 2008 season will be here before you know it, so get ready. ********************************************** 01/06/08: Bardahl Back from the Depths! SUCCESS!! (a report from our own Pete Schille) Today at Coulon Park in
Renton, Divers from the Water Rescue Team recovered the 1968 Bardahl. The Renton Fire Department rescue team
routinely conducts diving drills and training exercises at Coulon. They told me they will sometimes hide objects
for the divers to locate…but for today’s drill they thought a three-foot long
bright yellow hydroplane would do just fine.
The team started by interviewing me as if I were a witness to a lost
swimmer, gathering information and getting reference points. When the diver was in the water he swam out
to the exact location where I thought the boat was last seen, he then dropped
to the bottom and began the search. The
diver is connected to a man on the dock that lets out line as the diver sweeps
left and right. It was all very
fascinating with so much attention given to safety and efficiency, I was very
impressed. After less than ten minutes
word came that the diver was heading for the surface WITH MY BOAT! I was shocked but managed to snap a
photograph to capture the historic moment.
The boat was intact and covered with only a fine layer of silt, it was
also carrying a passenger (and I don’t mean Billy Schumacher). When the cowlings were pulled off a five-inch
bullhead fish was found inside. The fish
was recovered from the hull and returned to the lake…another successful rescue.
I can’t thank the Renton Fire
Station and the Water Rescue Team enough.
They were friendly and professional, and even posed for a photograph
with the Bardahl and myself. Now it’s
time to dry everything out and get ready for the season. But before the boat goes back into the water
I am thinking of adding some floatation. Pete ********************************************** 01/01/08: New Year's Day Fun Run! It was cold, but dry. The warm fire was going and the food was hot. We came out in force to break in the new year at Coulon Park. Several boats were on hand in many different stages of being built. We got a peak at Tony Minalia's Holset Madison boat out on the water, though it is only partially constructed. Pete's new U-95 was on display and looks to be getting gear and finish work soon. Mark Beatty launched his two new boats, the U-80 Vans P-X and the 07 Plumbing Joint. Mitch put an initial test on the Vacationville.com hull with builder owner Jon Zimmerman consulting. Battery Dave had both his Mariner Too and a hull that will become a Miss Lapeer out testing. Mike Schultz put some more impressive laps on his 2-wing Exide. Steve Dumanis has a third Shakey's Special geared up and was running its first tests. Brent had his Coors Dry making fast laps too. We had a good time out there. Thanks for everyone who came out to help and to talk boats. Special thanks to those who furnished wood for the fire, some good food and hot coffee. There will be plenty of testing coming up over the next few months in preparation for the upcoming season. Emails will go out to email list members. It's far more fun to test in a group. It's all about the fun! **********************************************
|
|
Last year our own Dale Schroeder and his wife bought their son Max a race car. Dale reports that Max Schroeder is now a competitive racer in the 1/4 Midget circuit. Mark Beatty equipped the car with a racing flame paint job and Max has been out tearing up the track with it. He's having a great time and his folks are his biggest and loudest fans. Later on we'll be getting a schedule from Dale so that we can try and make it out to a race this season to cheer him on Classic Thunder style! 
Here's a couple of photos Dale sent of Max doing his thing behind the wheel. As you can see, he doesn't always keep all four tires on the pavement, but he's in there battling. Great job big Max! Can't wait to see you race live and in person. Keep the pedal to the metal and keep it right side up! Good luck with the racing.
We would like to congratulate Jon Zimmerman and his 5 Liter hydroplane Chop Chop on setting a new record! Jon's been after this record for the last couple of years and finally pulled it off in competition. We're very proud of his accomplishments. Jon has been a front-runner in the class since building the boat and it's good to see him doing big things in it. Here's what Jon had to say about what happened. He explained, "Sunday at Lawrence Lake in Yelm we broke the mile and two
thirds record. The old record, 99.27MPH, was set by Wheeler Baker in the
Pennzoil/Big Bird in 1996. The new record is 101.08MPH. Last year we were over
the record when the last place boat blew over stopping the heat. The first heat
this year Jeff Bernard's rudder broke off in the first turn stopping the heat.
On the restart we were on pace to set the record when Travis Johnston blew over
on the first lap. We jumped in the third restart and raced Wally on the outside
in the final. Sunday morning things came together and we ran away in lane one
for the record. The boat handled perfect and never got out of shape or
dangerous. It was going 115MPH into the turns. Fun Ride." Keep up the good work Jon! We're looking forward to coming out and watching you race at Tastin' N Racin' later this year.
BELFAIR, Wash. -
TranquilityHomeCare.com is the latest sponsor to join Belfair's GEICO of
Lakewood Presents the Namron Racing Team 8-Cylinder Lighter-Than-LIGHTS racing
team. The sponsorship became official after the Unlimited Lights Hydroplane
Racing Association's Spring Training session on Lake Washington
Thursday.
In case you missed the Workshop, you should be sure to get your hands on the 2007 Classic Thunder Season Highlights DVD. This is Brent Hall's second season DVD as he did one last year too. This one is twice as long and has excellent action and music. For a donation of $10 it can be yours. You can also get a second DVD of raw heat racing footage without music for an addition $5 donation. They're both about an hour long and are well worth the price. You should contact Brent at 
We had our 1/10th scale workshop at D.A. Graphics and had a good turnout. A lot of information exchanged hands and there was a lot of chatter about boats throughout the day. Many enthusiast came with their projects in hand and we all had a good time. We would like to thank those who attended and D.A. Graphics for hosting the event. The next weekend we were out at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey for some more testing. It was an absolutely fine day for running boats and we saw a bunch of them. Dan Clark launched his new 59 Miss Spokane. Mark Beatty debuted a brand new 07 Beacon Plumbing too. Actually there were several new 2008 boats getting some trial time and we saw some of our favorites from last year too. We decided to put photos from both events together in one gallery to save time. Hope you like them!
Well he's done it again. Pete Schille's got a new obscure project boat on his plate. It's a model of the Etta. We don't know much about the boat except that it was built in the 1950's and has some modern hull qualities mixed in with some very interesting retro qualities, like a WWII type driver canopy. It' really very cool looking and I'm sure we'll get some more shots of it soon. Some folks have said the real boat resembled a mosquito and pushed water in all different directions. I'm sure Pete will figure out how to make it work.
Yep, he's done it again! This time it's twins. Mark Beatty hit the water last weekend with two brand new creations, the U-44 and U-8 Miss Timex sisters. Mark says that the U-44 is probably the lightest boat he's ever built and plans to put his Plettenberg motor in it. The U-8 is also unique. Mark built it without the 10% extra width. This Karelson design hull is considerably narrower than any of his previous Karelson hulls. He figures that could help keep the thing from catching so much air going into the corners as the deck has a bit more crown to it. Both of them are looking good and will hopefully see plenty of action in the upcoming season. 
