|
|
|
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.
__________________________________________ ********************************************** 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! ********************************************** 12/13/07: Mark's at it Again...and again!
You won't believe it, but Mark Beatty's got two brand new hulls to debut in Division 2 for 2008! Take a look at these two beautys. Mark's 2007 Plumbing Joint and 1979 Miss Van's P-X are done and ready to be geared up for testing. It still amazes me to see one fantastic looking boat after another come out of Mark's shop. Mark says we definitely won't have any trouble being able to see either one of these brightly colored boats on the water. You'll get no argument there Mark. Great work... again. ********************************************** 12/13/07: Morgan's Home!
********************************************** 11/26/07: Pete's newest project!
********************************************** 11/26/07: Test Session Ends with new 2008 Div 1 Specs! A productive test session was held at Coulon Park by CT Exec Committee members and several other members and interested parties in hopes of finding a viable set of specifications for Division 1 for 2008 and to gain insight to what may be done for the future in this class. Performance of various brushless motor and cell count combinations were compared to what we are currently seeing in Div 1. The goal was to keep speeds relatively reasonable for the class and make motor selection less difficult as well as keeping the necessary cost for current members to a minimum. Our biggest concern for the future is to keep the racing fair while keeping it flexible enough to work long-term. This was not an easy task and was certainly a challenge. After weeks of hard thinking, arguing and projecting we were able to get some first hand looks and make an educated decision. In 2008 CT members racing in Div 1 will be able to run either a brushed motor on 12 cells, as in 2007, or any brushless motor on 10 cells. This seems to represent a good compromise that we can move forward with. We will look at feedback at the end of the 2008 season and evaluate what we've seen, as we always do. CT Commissioner, Mitch Dillard, would like to thank the other members of the Exec Committee for their hard work and everyone who donated their time, equipment and input to the necessary testing. "It was a frustrating undertaking, but together we got it done." Now we can get ready to go racing! ********************************************** 11/26/07: Update photos from Tony!
********************************************** 11/16/07: Mitch and Jon team up for 2008!
********************************************** 11/16/07: Slo Mo V to hit the scene in 2008!
********************************************** 10/16/07: A new UL from the Gillmers
********************************************** 10/08/07: Tim's new graphics!
********************************************** 10/04/07: Champion Trendwest hull 4-sale! Well that didn't take long. Mitch Dillard has stipped it almost clean of gear and put the 2007 Div.2 Season Champ 2003 Trendwest hull on the For Sale Page. It needs some TLC, but the boat has proven its worth. Word has it that Mitch is planning ahead for 2008 with a new project and plans to use the proceeds to help finance it all. Check it out on the For Sale Page under Used boats and Equipment. There are a bunch of other cool boats and things listed there too. Something there could be just what you're looking for. ********************************************** 10/04/07: A project from the Lone Star State!
********************************************** 09/25/07: Test Race a Big Success, Rule changes made for 2008!
(View Post Season Test Race Recap!) ********************************************** 09/25/07: New Miss Exide makes debut at Test Race!
********************************************** 08/04/07: Hey, That Guy Looks Familiar! In case some of you may have missed it, our very own Pete Schille was featured in a recent issue of USA Today as part of a story about the major delays in Social Security Disability claims and the effect they are having on peoples lives. They even got the Lobster Boat in the photo. Good stuff! ********************************************** 07/29/07: 2nd Annual Hydro Fun Fest! Yesterday
a group of us volunteers headed up to the Ronald
McDonald House C for the 2007 Classic Thunder Hydro Fun Fest. This was our 2nd Annual event and we hope to keep it going for years
to come. The event began last year as an
effort to bring some summer hydro fun to the families staying at the Ronald
McDonald House while their children undergo cancer treatment at nearby Children’s
Hospital. With the help of the volunteers
from the RMH, Casper Boat Racing Series and transportation from Mark Beatty of Valley Construction Supply,
we were able to set up a Casper race course in the back yard. We also had a real hydroplane parked on its
trailer in the parking lot for people to look at, meet the driver and get a
chance to sit in the cockpit. Jon Zimmerman and his 5 liter stock
hydro Chop Chop were on hand to help
us out and we certainly appreciate it. I
would also like to thank Gary Laws,
Steve Dumanis, Tony and Danny Minalia for coming out to staff the
event. Contributions from Dale Schroeder, Chris Casper also helped
out. Unfortunately, a Chicken Pox scare
in the main house may have held numbers down, but we were able to put some
smiles on the faces of Rhys (pronounced Reese) Allen, his parents and a few
others during the day. Rhys’s mom and dad
report that his cancer is in remission now and that he will conclude the main
portion of his treatment soon. With
luck, they should be able to return to their home in Alaska in the near
future. It was a pleasure meeting them
and we wish them the best. Mitch Dillard Classic Thunder Commissioner ********************************************** 07/04/07: New Miss B&I to hit the water!
********************************************** 07/04/07: 1/10th Scale a Hit at Fast Electric Nationals 2007 Fast Electric Nationals were held in Monroe recently. This marked the first time that 1/10th Scale hydros would participate. Members from the host club, Puget Sound Fast Electrics along with Classic Thunder and ERCU joined together to put on the exhibition. The other participants were impressed with the boats we ran and many will be looking to get into their own 1/10th scale boats in the future. All of the racing was exciting and some of the incredible speeds we saw from the other classes of racing were very impressive. We learned a bunch from guys who came from all over the county and even one guy who was visiting all the way from Germany! Fast Electrics have come a long way and we see them as the present and future of model boating. It was certainly a worthwhile event. Thanks to the guys of PSFEMBC for hosting it. You can view the photos from the event at http://jimclark.smugmug.com/Radio%20Control . There are some great shots of the action taken by Jim Clark. Check them out! Happy Independence Day Everyone! ********************************************** 06/04/07: Tastin' and Racin' is Here, Don't Miss It! Tastin’and Racin’ is this coming weekend, June 8,9-10th at Lake Sammamish State Park. This is always a fun event and plenty of good racing, food and stuff. Here’s a poster for the event if you’d like to look at it or share it with others. Jon Zimmerman, one of our CT founders will be racing his 5 liter, Chop Chop, again. Come on out and root him on to victory. Go get em Jon! There’s a hydro Happy Hour on Friday, June 8th from 4-8pm and Saturday and Sunday racing goes from 10-7pm for the Comcast Cup. Admission is $10 (kids 5 and under are free), (age 6-19 and seniors 65+ are only $5) ********************************************** 05/30/07: A tribute to Charles Hester, a family man, a soldier and a hydro fan.
I met PFC, Charles Hester last season at a race we had in Lacey. We later saw him again at a race at Coulon Park later in the season. He was really excited about joining CT and I was going to build him a 2004 Miss Budweiser upon his return from duty in Iraq. He was to return this summer and had been keeping in touch with me via email from his station there since deployment. I recently received an email from his wife Roxanne who informed me that Charles had been killed in Iraq on May 26th. I’ve since been in contact with his wife, letting her know that we regret not getting to know her husband better and that she and their child were in our thoughts and prayers. Tomorrow they will be honoring Charles at Fort Lewis for his duty and the ultimate sacrifice he made. We honored Charles with a moment of silence at the Presidents Cup and will honor him again next season with a memorial race bearing his name. I would personally like to thank Roxanne for her extending her friendship to us, providing the photo of Charles and giving us the opportunity to keep in touch with her in the future. She says that Charles was hooked on the boats and was really looking forward to being a part of Classic Thunder. He was just a boat geek like all of us. He was a nice guy too. I wish we would have had the privilege of knowing him better. God Speed and God Bless. Mitch Dillard Classic Thunder Commissioner
(Link to the Defense Dept Release) http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=10947
********************************************** 05/28/07: 1/10th Scale Beacon Plumbing Spotlighted! Our own Mark Beatty has made an impression with the U-37 racing team. His beautiful replica of their 2007 Beacon Plumbing is now being featured on their web site. They got involved with Mark early on and even provided the paint and scale graphics for his model. Mark’s got a winning boat on his hands and got his first win this past weekend driving it at the Presidents Cup in Covington. Now the boys over at Schumacher Racing have something to live up to. They got the real boat out testing last weekend in the Tri-cities and, from what we’ve heard, looked very good. They plan on keeping an eye on how CT and Mark’s boat are doing. We all plan on watching their boat during the 2007 unlimited racing season. Great job Mark! Read their spotlight on Mark by clicking the link below. There is also a link his fan spotlight on the front page of their site. http://www.u-37.com/content/spotlight.html
********************************************** 04/15/07: Introducing Fast Freddy!
********************************************** 3/31/07: More from Eddie
********************************************** 03/02/07: Valu-Mart's Back!
********************************************** 03/02/07: Clint's new Ride!
********************************************** 03/02/07: Another new Pizza Boat!
********************************************** 03/02/07: Pete's new boat out testing again!
“Evil” Pete Schille is now “Pizza” Pete Schille and
was out shaking the newly completed model down after making strut depth
changes. The boat looks good and the
ride has improved. It’s another Bob
Gilliam boat for Pete. Why change a
good thing.
********************************************** 03/02/07: Mark's Latest Creations!
Check these two beauties out! Mark Beatty’s new Lite All-Star was out testing the other day and it is scary fast. He’ll have to tame that beast, but how many of us would like to have that problem. This boat also has the first dummy turbine that CT has seen. Sweet! We’re all awaiting the newest of his fleet, the 2007 Beacon Plumbing, but here’s a sneak peak. Mark is just waiting for the U-37 graphics guy to finish his set of 1/10th scale graphics for the boat. Looks awesome. In the background of the shop, you can see Dale Schroeder’s 76 Bud, which will be getting a makeover for the upcoming season. ********************************************** 02/20/07: Check out Hansen Racing!
Check
out Eddie Hansen of Hansen Racing and his line of scale model
accessories. He’s the guy who is
making scale drivers, engine stacks, windshields and other things for all sizes
of models. He’s partial to the hydros,
so we’re blessed to have made his acquaintance. Eddie’s a nice guy and is going to be our sponsor for the Diamond
Cup this year. We’ve put together a web
page to show off some of Eddie’s creations and give you the opportunity to
contact him directly for things that you need.
Eddie’s drivers are also for sale through Offshore Electrics and
Fuller’s Fast Electric’s web sites.
Thanks to Eddie for supporting CT and other hobbyists too. We really like what you’re doing! ********************************************** 02/20/07: Winston Lobster gets a Shake Down!
********************************************** 02/18/07: Projects in Plastics!
********************************************** 02/15/07: 2nd Annual RMH Hydro Fun Fest!
We are in the process of laying the groundwork for our 2nd Annual Ronald McDonald House Hydro Fun Fest. We have gotten commitments from the H.A.R.M. to again provide a display hull and from the guys at Casper Racing Series to supply the Casper Boat racecourse and assistance for the day. I can’t thank these guys enough for the help they’re providing. It’s a worthwhile event and tons of fun for the families up there. We also would like to thank Mark Beatty and his company Valley Construction Supply for their continued support of the event. Valley has also signed on to be the sponsor for the CT Governors Cup in 2007. Mark, along with the many CT and Casper Racing family volunteers are the reason we have been able to do this type of charity work along with the racing we do. With a little luck and a lot of preparation, we can put some more smiles on a bunch of kids’ and parents’ faces again this summer. We hope you’ll consider joining us as a volunteer. It’s a very rewarding experience. The event is tentatively set for Saturday, July 28th. We’ll keep you posted! ********************************************** 02/13/07: Progress on Smokin' Joes
********************************************** 02/12/07: Tranquility Home Care!
CT
Welcomes Tranquility Home Care as a race sponsor for 2007. Brent Hall and his wife have a new adult
home care business called Tranquility Home Care. Brent’s wife has been an adult care nurse for many years and is
the inspiration behind the couple’s new endeavor. They have recently purchased a new house on the shore of the
Sammamish River and are now open for business.
You can see the beginnings of their web site at www.Tranquilityhomecare.com
. They picked a great site and we wish
them great success. Tranquility Home
Care will be sponsoring the Mapes Mile High Regatta at Angle Lake this
year.
********************************************** 02/01/07: Follow the Progress of the U-21 Build!
http://www.u21racing.com/gallery/construction/U21ConstructionLog.htm is a link for the U-21’s building of their brand new boat. You can go there and see photos of the
process from start to finish, or at least what they’ve completed so far. Now you can see how a real unlimited takes
shape. Thanks to Mark Beatty for
bringing this to our attention. It’s
pretty cool. ********************************************** 01/30/07: Boats Changing Hands!
Gordy,
Doug and Travis Gilmer are joining the CT ranks this year with two competitive
boats. During the off-season, they purchased Brent Hall’s 1966 Miss US,
and recently picked up Pat Malaspina’s 1960 Miss Thriftway in an eBay
auction. Pat has since sold his 85 Squire Shop, the Pride of Pay’n Pak
and is selling the Blue Blaster on eBay too.
Gordy's family has years of experience with the big boats and they are
currently working on completing their first Unlimited Light hydroplane.
(Same hull as the current Mike's Hard Lemonade) All in all, this 2
brothers and son team will be very busy in 2007. Welcome guys! Let us know if there is anything we can do
to help. ********************************************** 01/22/07: U-37 Team Has a new boat!
********************************************** 01/13/07: Minalia Update!
********************************************** 01/08/07: 2007 Rulebook can be downloaded now!
You can now download a pdf format of our 2007 Rulebook for printing if you like. There is also a link to it on the top of the Rulebook page. Thanks to Jim Clark for converting the page to pdf format for us. We appreciate it.
********************************************** 01/08/07: David Newton's Hydro Photos!
Just heard from Year 2000 CT Champion David Newton. He wants to spread the word about his web site featuring a vast collection of hydroplane photos including boats of today and those dating back to the vintage era. If you find some photos that you would like to order prints of, you can contact him at newtonmarine@gmail.com. To view the collection and find out more information, visit his site at newtonmarine.smugmug.com. The site is also on our Links page for future reference. Thanks David.
********************************************** 01/01/07: New Years Day Fun Run!
|
|
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. 
Classic Thunder 
Mike Schultz 
Dale Schroeder
The Coors Lite put in some impressive laps in a test
session at Coulon.
New CT member, Steve Dumanis, weighed in with his new
boat on Saturday too.
The
Winston Lobster boat has been completed and has now got the brushless
gear in it for the first time.
Mark Beatty 
Danny Minalia 
Several of us die hard hydro guys hit the water for our annual New Years Day Fun Run. Surprisingly, there were also several new boats on the scene too. We got a peak at Mark Beaty's new Miss Timex and Freddie's Club hydros. The Freddie's even had a beautiful matching and functional tug boat to boot. Mark was also displaying his almost completed 2007 Beacon Plumbing. Both the Freddie's and the Beacon are equipped with canard wings that adjust their angle when the boats turn left. Clint Crain's new 85 Coors Light was out for what we think was her maiden voyage. Pete Schille's Winston Eagle is done now and gave us a good show. Brent Hall brought out his newly geared up Coors Dry too. There is plenty of power in that thing for 2007. Dave Sacry had a nearly completed Coral Reef testing on the water and it looked good! Dave's Circus was also out testing and still runs strong. Other returning boats that hit the water included Jeff Howard's Budweiser, Mitch Dillard's Trendwest and Mike Schultz's Griffon Bud. We also got a look at some other nearly finished projects. New member, Steve Dumanis, had his Shakey's Special on display. It appears to be heading for the paint shop soon. Dan Clark is putting the finishing touches on his new Miss Bardahl. Danny Minalia showed off the beginnings of a Smokin' Joes. Mike Schultz is in the middle of construction of what may become a new Miss Thriftway too. Thanks to everyone who came out. We had a good time hanging out around the fire, running boats, talking boats and stuffing our faces. Can't beat that. We got shots of most of the boats, but some were missed. You'll have to stay tuned for more info on some of them.
