Sport mourns the death of Keith Jackson.
The U-11 Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s racing on Mission Bay in San Diego this past year.
the drivers who didn’t have a great deal of races under their belts, I would be excluding owners such as Stan Sayres and his drivers: Lou Fageol (six years and ten races) and Joe Taggart (four years and seven races). Sayres didn’t attend that many races, but look at his accomplishment and the innovation that he brought to this sport. What I am trying to do is show the loyalty that some drivers have to their owner and their team.
Unlimited Racing Group announces sponsors.
February 2018
A few years ago, after learning that Greg Hopp was departing the Leland team, I started thinking and trying to remember all the drivers who have stuck it out with one owner for years. I couldn’t remember how long Hopp had been with Leland, but it seemed like forever. The only driver that came to mind who may have driven longer for one owner was Ken Muscatel. So, I decided to do some digging, and I was surprised with what I found.
The criteria I choose was that a driver would have to drive for an owner a minimum of four years, regardless of the number of races he had driven. Some teams ran a limited schedule, like only in their hometown. If I excluded
The waterlogged pit area in Madison, Indiana, when the race
had to be modified because of a flooded Ohio River in 2015.
UNJ: Going into the ’57 season, do you know if there were any major hull changes to the Miss Thriftway?
Muncey: No, I really don’t remember about that. There may have been some runner changes.
You moved from Detroit to Seattle about this time.
I moved to Seattle that winter and it allowed me to spend more time with the crew in spring testing, which I’d never done before. I was driving every day. If
While the “off-season” is far too long, it does allow for quality time to prepare for the frantic three months of the summer season. And, while the pace is not like June, July or August, much is being done to advance the sport we all find near and dear.
Owners have had numerous planning and scheduling meetings and have agreed to a 2018 race schedule. Boat count, which has been a source of much dialog, is forming nicely and, as of this writing, we have a minimum of
eight confirmed boats intending to attend all events.
H1 has had multiple constructive meetings with race site partners and we
believe this consistent dialog will produce a result more in keeping with all our desires. All sites view this effort a positive for all, most certainly the fan, and we are happy to advance that desire. Continued, click here....
Owner’s loyalty or driver’s longevity?
by Jim Sharkey
In last month’s issue, we reprinted the first segment of an interview where Bill Muncey talked about driving the Miss Thriftway of 1955 and ’56. This month, in an interview that was originally published in the February 1978 issue of the Unlimited NewsJournal, Muncey talks about driving the boat in 1957, his accident when the boat was destroyed that year, and about his infamous accident aboard the second Miss Thriftway in 1958. The interview was conducted by a young Craig Fjarlie in 1977.
Bill Muncey accepts the Gold Cup after winning the race in Seattle in 1957.
The U-11 hydroplane will carry the name Reliable Diamond Tool presents J&D’s
next season as the result of new agreements that were signed by the team recently. The boat is owned by Scott and Shannon Raney and operates out of Edmonds, Washington.
In December, the race team announced that it has come to an
agreement with Reliable Diamond Tool, Inc., of Phoenix to be its presenting sponsor for the season. The company
Keith Jackson was known for broadcasting many historic sporting events during his long career, but unlimited hydroplane fans also remember him for his work in calling hydro action, both on local TV in Seattle and on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Jackson passed away on January 12 in Los Angeles at the age of 89.
A 1954 graduate of Washington State University, Jackson immediately got a job in the sports department at KOMO TV in Seattle where, amongst his other duties, he would call the racing action on Lake Washington each summer. Continued, click here....
Bill Muncey talks about driving the Miss Thriftway, Part 2.
The Madison Regatta has operated under a severe financial deficit in recent years because a number of their races became the victim of weather calamities. The race was canceled in 2013 and modified to an exhibition race in 2015 because the Ohio River was flooded. In both cases, the race organizers had to pay the cost of docks, cranes, and other necessities, but received very little revenue from ticket sales. As a result, the
organization was carrying a debt of about $60,000 at this time a year ago.
In an effort to climb out of that financial hole, the Madison Regatta officials decided that they would cut their expenses by reducing the amount of money they would pay to the race teams that entered their boats in their 2017 event. Continued, click here....
The officials of the Madison Regatta announced recently the signing of Midwest Tube Mills, Inc., as the title sponsor for the 2018 Indiana Governor’s Cup Regatta, which has been scheduled for July 6 to 8 in Madison, Indiana. The signing comes as a welcome relief to a
racing organization that has seen its share of financial woes recently. It’s been a saga that serves as an excellent example of the issues that continue to plague the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing in general.
The complicated business of funding a race and the boats.
by Andy Muntz
helped sponsor the boat at the San Diego event this past season and found the relationship to be beneficial.
“We are delighted to partner with the U-11 team and driver Tom Thompson,” said Jonathan Johnson, CEO of the company. “After a successful introduction to the U-11 team at the 2017 San Diego Bayfair race, we decided that this was a great fit for our company. Continued, click here....
A message from the chairman.
Acting H1 Unlimited chairman Charlie Grooms
brings us up to speed with what’s going on.
by Charlie Grooms
Bob Gilliam drove 20 years for
the same owner: himself.
you’re going to do anything well, you have to do that. You have to be willing to pay the price. While everybody else is up skiing and having fun playing golf or tennis and all that jazz, I’m out driving a stupid race boat. But, I was learning and I learned a lot. Continued, click here....
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