CHRYSLER JEEP DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP July 12-15, 2001 Monday February 26 2001 *** OUR FIRST SFO ISSUE OF 2001 Hello and a belated "Happy New Year!" to all our readers. During the first few days of February, Hydro-Prop held it's annual meeting and awards ceremonies in St. Louis. Spirit Of Detroit Thunderfest is proud to be the recipient of the "Management Team of the Year" award for 2000, and we want you to know that planning for Gold Cup 2001 is well underway. *** GEORGE STRATTON MEMORIAL BENEFIT - MARCH 24TH AT THE DYC Please join us for an auction to benefit the George Stratton Memorial Trust, an educational fund that has been established for his children Christopher and Natalia. Master of ceremonies N. Mark Evans will join auctioneer Jerry Toner for the live auction, and there will be a silent auction as well. Reservations are available now, and the list of auction items is fabulous. Mentioning just a few ... Jersey Speed Skiff "Ride of Your Life"; Autographed helmets and driver suits; Seating packages for the Gold Cup race; Luncheons with Racing Legends; Vintage boat ride; Offshore boat ride; and so much more. The event will be held at the Detroit Yacht Club on March 24th, and your hosts are SODT, Unlimiteds Detroit, Marine Prop Riders, Detroit Yacht Club and USA Racing Partners. Unlimiteds Detroit has a web page with all the details: http://www.unlimitedsdetroit.com/stratton/ *** REMEMBERING THE BEST At the Gold Cup race, George powered into third place overall and beat Dave Villwock (in Miss Budweiser) and teammate Mark Weber (in Miss York/DYC) to the J. Lee Schoenith award. The J. Lee Schoenith is a prestigious award itself, going to the driver with the fastest overall speed as a tribute to the original method of determining the Gold Cup winner. A new addition to our photo gallery is a picture of Appian Jeronimo clearing the seawall, capturing a moment that so many of us remember: http://www.thunderfest.com/photogal/00/white/jeronimo.jpg Thanks to Paul T. White, and look for his donation of a print in the benefit's silent auction. As the season was coming to a close, it was pretty obvious that George would become Hydros' "Rookie Of The Year". In his honor, the award has been renamed the "George Stratton Rookie of the Year Award". *** MOVIE DAY AT THE DOSSIN - "BEHIND THE WHEEL" - MARCH 17TH On Saturday March 17th, the Great Lakes Maritime Institute and Unlimiteds Detroit present "Behind The Wheel", a movie day focusing on the drivers. The movies start about Noon, with swapping and "show and tell" beginning at 11am. The Dossin Museum is at location #5 on our Belle Isle map: http://www.thunderfest.com/spectate/bimap2.html First time visitors note that these are one-way streets... it's easiest to stay to the right (follow the shoreline around the Scott Fountain #7) until you get to the Dossin. *** "MADISON" UNVEILED AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL In January, the movie "Madison" made it's public debut at the Sundance Film Festival and received a standing ovation. Most of you already know that the movie stars Jim Caviezel and Jake Lloyd in a father/son story that incorporates the excitement of the 1971 Miss Madison Gold Cup win in Madison, Indiana. Movie web-site (Flash): http://www.madisonthemovie.com Sundance Film Festival: http://www.sundance.org/reg The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum has a review and more links on their site (look about halfway down the page): http://www.thunderboats.org *** SODT MERCHANDISE FROM PAST YEARS IS NOW AVAILABLE Programs, pins, posters, t-shirts and more, dating back to 1972, but not including every year for every item. For a detailed listing visit us at: http://www.thunderfest.com/mmart/mmart.html *** SODT EMAIL ADDRESSES IN TRANSITION We have removed our email addresses from our web page due to overwhelming "spam". There's now a web based form to submit your initial inquiry or comment. - Brian Reed (Volunteer WebMaster)

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