THUNDERFEST: SIGNAL FLAG ONLINE

SIGNAL FLAG ONLINE #54

CHRYSLER JEEP DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP July 11-14, 2002
Saturday June 22 2002
*** A WARM SPRING HELLO FROM SODT TO YOU
Welcome to our first "Signal Flag ONLINE" edition of 2002. For those of you new to the list, SFO is a seasonal newsletter with editions becoming more frequent as raceweek approaches. We've started slow but have plenty of news coming up.
*** GOLD CUP 2002 - JULY 11-14 - A CONFIRMED "GO"!
Yes it's true, sponsors and city agencies have banded together to ensure there will be a Gold Cup race in Detroit this year!
The Chrysler / Jeep Superstores return as title sponsor, and returning associate sponsors include Budweiser, Pepsi, Metro Cars, Authorized Cellular, Detroit Edison, Andiamo, Kowalski, Fox 2 TV, WWJ 950, 101FM WRIF, and The New Alice 106.7. We welcome National City Bank, MGM Grand and WJLB 98FM as new sponsors! We must also thank our Internet sponsor, Gateway Online, "Southeast Michigan's Internet Provider".
We still have vendor and corporate hospitality space available! Both are excellent opportunities for local businesses, our demographics are excellent, and your support will go a long ways towards ensuring the future success of this long standing Detroit tradition. http://thunderfest.com/sponsor/index.html
*** SEASON OPENERS AT EVANSVILLE AND MADISON
Coming right up is the season opener in Evansville IN, June 28 through the 30th! After that it's on to Madison IN, July 5 to July 7. See http://www.hydroprop.com for the full schedule.
*** "HYDROFEST" PARTY AT THE ROOSTERTAIL - JULY 10TH
Wednesday of raceweek - July 10 6:30pm (note re-scheduled date). At the beautiful Roostertail Restaurant, Hydrofest is open to the public. Show your support for Thunderfest! Festivities include auctions and special presentations along with food and open bar by the Roostertail. Tickets are $50 each. Casual, nautical attire. Call us at (800) 359-7760 for more info. Early-bird reservations include choice of free Thursday or Friday pit pass.
The Unlimiteds Detroit (local fan club) raceweek meeting is being re-scheduled so it does not conflict with Hydrofest. Looks like the UD party will be on July 11th.
*** Hydro-Prop Announces 2002 Drivers for Unlimited Hydroplanes
*** Competition Will Be Heated Among Top Professionals
(Lake Hamilton, Fla.) - Hydro-Prop, Inc. today announced drivers and teams for the 2002 Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series. Returning to the series this year are the same faces, personalities and skills that fans enjoyed in 2001.
"We've got an experienced field of drivers assembled for the 2002 Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series, and any one of these drivers is capable of winning a race and potentially the championship," said Gary Garbrecht, chairman of Hydro-Prop. "Last year's competition was tough, producing five different winners which means that this season should prove even more exciting to the drivers, teams and fans."
Dave Villwock, who is currently third on the all-time win list with 36 victories, will return to pilot team owner Bernie Little's U-1 Miss Budweiser. Last season, Villwock produced a victory at Evansville, three second place finishes and 14 heat wins on his way to securing his fifth world championship and 21st world championship for Little. Villwock enters the 2002 season seeking to defend the championship and attempting to add to Little's record of career victories (131) and championships (21).
Jim Harvey announced that veteran Unlimited Hydroplane driver Mark Tate will come out of retirement to drive Harvey's U-2 Miss Trendwest for the 2002 season. Tate, the 1990 Unlimited Hydroplane Rookie of the year, is a four-time National High Point Champion and has 12 career victories. Tate, who last competed for Harvey in 2000, also is a two-time APBA Gold Cup Champion. Harvey also announced that Trendwest Resorts has agreed to sponsor the U-2 race team for the entire 2002 season.
Team owners Ed Cooper Sr. and Jr. will once again compete on the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series with the U-3, the only piston-powered Unlimited Hydroplane in the series. Mitch Evans will drive the turbo-charged Allison aircraft engine again this season at every venue. Evans has spent most of his career driving for the Cooper's and holds the world piston-powered lap speed record of 148.410 mph. The team spent most of the off-season preparing a brand new piston-powered boat, which may make its debut this season.
The Miss Madison, the world's only community-owned Unlimited Hydroplane, has renewed its sponsorship and will again compete as the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto. Steve David has been selected again to drive after a successful return to the sport last year. David produced one of the most thrilling victories in Unlimited Hydroplane history as he piloted the Miss Madison to victory in front of the hometown fans at Madison. David, the 1988 Rookie of the Year, has four career victories and finished fifth in the championship last season. In 2002, the U-6 will extend its record of consecutive Unlimited Hydroplane seasons to 42.
Bill Wurster, owner of the U-8 Llumar Window Film, has signed Jimmy King to drive the U-8 for another season. King, the 1994 Rookie of the Year, had a podium finish at Madison last season and finished eighth in the championship. This season, King is seeking his first career victory and Wurster's sixth.
Michael Hanson will again pilot the U-9 for the fourth consecutive year for team owners Mike and Lori Jones. In a terrific battle for the APBA Gold Cup, Hanson outran the competition on the Detroit River and secured his first Gold Cup and the first career victory for Jones Racing. In addition to his victory in Detroit, Hanson secured three podium finishes and finished fourth in the championship. In 2002, Hanson will seek his fourth career Unlimited victory and will attempt to defend the APBA Gold Cup.
With three consecutive second-place finishes in the Championship, Mark Weber returns for another attempt at winning the championship in USA Racing Partners U-10 Miss Emcor owned by Kim Gregory. Owner of two career victories, Weber won seven preliminary heats in 2001. Considered one of the best drivers in the series, Weber's goal each season has been to win the championship and a victory in front of his hometown crowd at the Detroit Gold Cup, which would go a long way toward reaching this goal.
Mike Weber will drive the USA Racing Partners U-10 Miss EMCOR owned by Kim Gregory, filling in for his brother Mark who has decided to take the season off. Mike drove part-time last season for USA Racing Partners in the U-15 back-up boat and secured a heat victory at San Diego and finished fourth in that final. Mike, the 1998 Unlimited Hydroplane Rookie of the Year, will attempt to win his first career Unlimited race this season.
Nate Brown, the hottest driver on the Unlimited series, returns to pilot the Ellstrom Families U-16 Miss Elam Plus. A former Unlimited Rookie of the Year, Brown won the final two races of the 2001 season at Seattle and San Diego and brings that confidence to the start of the 2002 season. The U-16 team was in the process of completing a brand new boat at the beginning of the 2001 season and thus did not make the first three Mid-West races. This season, the U-16 is ready to challenge for the championship, as it will travel to Southern Indiana and Detroit for those races. Brown's victories last season were his first and second of his 10-year Unlimited Hydroplane career.
Dr. Ken Muscatel, team owner and driver of Superior Racing's U-25, returns for another season as the series' only owner and driver. Muscatel, the Unlimited Rookie of the Year in 1991, is a past commissioner of the sport, the president of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Seattle, Wash. and a Forensic Psychologist. The team spent the entire off-season basically rebuilding the boat. They widened the tunnel by five inches, reinforced the cockpit, have a new full front wing and have made other changes to the cowling, plenum box, rear wing and air traps.
Longtime Unlimited Hydroplane owner, Fred Leland, will again compete with two boats for the 2002 season. Leland's Unlimited resume includes 18 career victories, including two APBA Gold Cups, and a World Championship. The U-100 will be piloted by the 1999 Rookie of the Year Greg Hopp and the U-99 will be driven by Terry Troxell.
Greg Hopp's 2001 season began with four consecutive podium finishes, which included two second and two third place finishes. His fast start propelled him to a third place finish in the championship. Hopp's third place was the second time he had secured that position in the championship. The first was in 1999, his rookie year, as he became the first Unlimited Hydroplane rookie to secure more than 10,000 points in a single season. Hopp enters the 2002 season still in search of his first career victory.
Terry Troxell began his Unlimited Hydroplane career in 2000 with Fred Leland at the Budweiser Columbia Cup at Tri-Cities, Wash. After a successful second half of the 2000 season for Leland where he produced a heat win and a fourth place finish, Troxell entered the 2001 season looking to compete for a full season. Troxell burst upon the Unlimited scene with his first career victory in only his seventh start as a professional Unlimited driver. Troxell won the Budweiser Columbia Cup and finished sixth in the championship in 2001.
The Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series begins June 28-30 in Evansville, Ind. with the Budweiser Thunder on the Ohio.
Tentative driver line-up for the 2002 Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Series:

Hull # Name Driver Owner U-1 Miss Budweiser Dave Villwock Bernie Little U-2 Miss Trendwest Mark Tate Jim Harvey U-3 Cooper's Express Mitch Evans Ed Cooper Sr. & Jr. U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto Steve David City of Madison, Ind. U-8 LLumar Window Film Jimmy King Bill Wurster U-9 Jones Racing Mike Hanson Mike & Lori Jones U-10 Miss Emcor Mark Weber Kim Gregory U-16 Miss E-Lam Plus Nate Brown Ellstrom Family U-25 Superior Racing Dr. Ken Muscatel Dr. Ken Muscatel U-99 Leland Racing Terry Troxell Fred Leland U-100 Leland Racing Greg Hopp Fred Leland

* Additional teams and drivers may compete during the season at selected events.
Headquartered in Lake Hamilton, Fla., HYDRO-PROP combines Unlimited Hydroplanes, the biggest, fastest racing boats in the world, with Formula One, the most versatile, fastest accelerating and fastest turning boats in the world. HYDRO-PROP events are held throughout North America and are the only forms of Professional Powerboat Racing televised on ESPN2. For more information on HYDRO-PROP, visit www.hydroprop.com .
- Brian Reed (Volunteer WebMaster)