THUNDERFEST: SIGNAL FLAG ONLINE

SIGNAL FLAG ONLINE #52

CHRYSLER JEEP DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP July 12-15, 2001
Tuesday September 18 2001
*** RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Our Hearts, Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Victims and Families affected by the tragedies on September 11, 2001.
*** SAN DIEGO BAYFAIR - NEWS, COMMENTS AND RESULTS
On September 16th, Nate Brown piloted the Miss Elam Plus to his second win of the season. It was a difficult decision to run this race, but most everyone agreed it would be best to carry on. That includes the city of San Diego, the Coast Guard and local police (providing necessary event support), the U.S. Marine Corps Show Band (performing Friday night), HydroProp, and the event organizers (who's executive director, Jim Kidrick, is a former Navy fighter pilot himself). It turned out to be a very special weekend, and I'm sure Saturday's fireworks show meant more than usual.
In a fitting tribute, the U-100 that the Leland (Znetix) team ran was a vintage (1998) PICO hull in it's red, white and blue colors.
From Steve Montgomery, announcer for the TV broadcasts (edited):
I'm still in San Diego, after a very emotional but successful weekend.
I'm hearing that the Sunday crowd was UP 10,000 from last year. It sounds like people wanted something to do. Again, they saw some great racing from all classes. We had Unlimiteds battling all day, side by side. The lights were a hit as always, and the F1 race ended up with 5 points separating 1st and 3rd!
There were several lump-in-the-throat moments...like all of Mission Bay hearing Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud to be an American" and then thundering their approval. There were flags EVERYWHERE. Big ones on the U-9 and the Znetix boats. Next to the flag on Greg's boat it said "Red White and Blue we will fight for you".
Miss Bud had a flag under the driver's window and the slogan "YOU CAN'T HIDE".
Hopefully, there is a picture on the web site of Nate Brown on the awards stage with his team behind him, holding a flag high and shouting "Go Team" ... and you know who I mean.
From HydroProp, the official results press release:
(San Diego, Calif.) Nate Brown, Preston, Wash., piloted Miss Elam Plus to victory today at the Budweiser Bill Muncey Cup, part of San Diego Bayfair's World Series of Powerboat Racing, the last race of the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series presented by Laughlin. The win marks Brown's second consecutive victory of the season as well as his second career Unlimited win.
"This boat can really fly," said Brown. "I am so excited both for myself and this team. We have spent countless hours working on this boat and our hard work and dedication once again was proven today. I wish the season did not have to end today because we are on such a roll. We will just have to keep this momentum going for next year and hopefully we will challenge for the championship. This new boat is two for two, lets keep that streak alive next year."
Dave Villwock took runner-up honors aboard Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser and the APBA Gold Cup winner, Michael Hanson in the Sun Harbor Mortgage finished third.
Mike Weber, Miss EMCOR, finished fourth and Jimmy King, Llumar Window Film, finished fifth.
"It was with heavy hearts that we raced this weekend," said Gary Garbrecht, President of HYDRO-PROP. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones in the tragic events that took place last week. This was not the way we hoped to end a great season but we all pulled together and finished the season on the water."
*** "BEHIND THE WHEEL" - SPECIAL GUEST CHIP HANAUER - NOV 17
Presented by Unlimiteds Detroit in conjunction with the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, "Behind The Wheel" will highlight Chip's racing career at the Dossin Museum on Belle Isle. November 17, doors open 11am.
$5 for advance tickets or $10 for the Deluxe advance ticket which includes a limited edition commemorative print autographed by Chip and the artist Ray Dong. There are only 100 prints and those tickets are going fast.
There will also be a raffle for you and a friend to spend Sunday brunch with Chip at Sindbad's Restaurant (November 18th). MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!
All proceeds (after expenses) will be donated to the Dossin.
Tickets are on sale now, available at the UD meetings or by fax at (734) 434-4623. http://www.unlimitedsdetroit.com
*** QUAKE ON THE LAKE II
Quake On The Lake II was another great event. This is a limited inboard hydroplane race held at Pontiac Lake (MI) in July. Many classes were represented, from 1.0 Litre to 5.0 Litre as well as Jersey Speed Skiffs, National Modifieds, Grand National Hydroplanes, and Grand Prix.
At Quake II, Art Asbury "Canada's Fastest Man On Water" was inducted into the Great Lakes Maritime Institute "Pioneers of Powerboating" 2001 Hall Of Fame. To commemorate the induction, Ray Dong created a small poster about Art. You can see it at:
http://www.thunderfest.com/quake/news/01/asbury/default.htm
Don't miss the link to Art's own site, and the photos there.
*** JACK'S "ALL YOU CAN EAT SHRIMP EATING CONTEST" SEPTEMBER 29
Jack's Riverfront Restaurant is a perennial sponsor of ours, and we wanted to mention their upcoming All You Can Eat Shrimp Eating Contest for those of you in the area. The $10 fee will go directly to one of the charities we support, the Special Olympics, and the winner of the contest gets a weekend getaway at the Grand Traverse Bay Casino. On top of all the fun and excitement, the Palace of Auburn Hills (home of the Detroit Pistons) has generously agreed to match all funds raised through the event. If you are just interested in making a donation, that's great too.
The contest is Saturday September 29th at 2:00pm. Reservations are recommended but they'll take as many walk-ins as they can handle. Jack's phone number is (810) 445-8080.
- Brian Reed (Volunteer WebMaster)