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12/29
We are finally done cleaning shop and building shelves. This weekend
was the first official work party of the new season. We are stripping systems out of the boat so that it can be turned over
and start on the belly pan replacement project. Crew helping out were Brent, Randy Erb, Jeri Eldridge, Greg and Jerry. Scott
Baker picked up some of the props to work on. New speed secrets Scott? Hoping to turn the boat over this weekend. Will need
everyone we can get. Probably Saturday. We are thinking about running G/GP class this year. It's where the money is.
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| 11/28 |
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| Santa Singers |
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| Dena-Grinch Greg Thayer-Frog |
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| Santa |
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| Saxon Peyton Greg |
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| Grotto night |
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| Grotto Christmas Frog |
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| Grotto Owner Chuck Gibbs & Dylan |
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| UL-1 |
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12/21
Home
for the Holidays…
On
Friday, November 28th, the City of Snohomish held their annual “Home for the Holidays” festival from 12:30 to 4:30, and the UL-1 Graham Trucking-Happy Go Lucky-Pump Tech was there to ring
in the holiday season.
Jerry
& Dorothy Hopp, Greg Hopp, Saxon Hopp, Peyton Hopp, Randy Erb, Jeri Eldridge, Thayer Cueter and Uncle Al Thoreson all
met up in front of Chuck’s Seafood Grotto, Owned by one of the infamous Seafair
Pirates, Chuck Gibbs. Where they all joined in to decorate the UL-1 with garland,
wreaths, bows and lights… but what was missing?? The Christmas Frog?? The Grinch?? And what about Santa??
Well,
I guess you could say the festival was a huge success… That’s right… The Christmas Frog (Thayer Cueter),
the Grinch (Dena Marie of the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce), and Santa were all there to join in the festivities… You
could have had you picture taken with Santa, Sing a song with the Christmas Carolers
or walked the sidewalks of Historic Downtown Snohomish enjoying music from live bands.
At
the end of festival, Chuck Gibbs treated the entire crew to a delicious round of his famous Fish-N-Chips. Of which, was enjoyed by all…
Linda
Amundsen
Public
Relations Director
Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky Wins Tri-Cities Final
Greg Hopp drove to a close victory over Paul Becker in the UL-14 Miss Critical Logic.
Greg thanked the associate sponsors PumpTech, Ed's Automotive and Scott Baker Props for supporting the UL-15
|
| Your Montana Real Estate Association |
7/2
Hopp Racing is
happy to announce a new sponsor. Ratcliff,
Barce & Associates “RB&A” Your Montana
Real Estate Professionals of Polson Montana will be our local sponsor for the big Unlimited Lights race on Flathead
Lake July 19-20. “We are very excited to be participating in such
a spectacular event” Karen Ratcliff, one of the owners, said by phone. She
checked out Jerry’s Corner on The Hoppracing.com website, and was “Blown away” by the record setting accomplishments
of Greg, Jerry and the crew of the Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky. Racing
boats of this caliber haven’t been seen or heard for over 30 years in this part of the country. Flathead Lake is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States. Karen Ratcliff & Joleen Barce owners of RB&A sells some of the most “Prime” Real estate
in the area. Hopp racing is looking forward to putting on a GREAT show for the
race fans, and our new sponsor Ratcliff, Barce & Associates. See you at the Races!!!!
Ratcliff, Barce & Associates
406-883-2700/883-2710 fax
Website: www.rbamontana.com
Karen Ratcliff 406-250-2420
Joleen Barce 406-250-7712
10/15
Devil's Lake
Proves to be Heaven sent...
As you all know by now, the Hopp Racing team is a group of "Boat Racing Junkies" with
a true love for the sport, and never ending dedication to their Sponsors and
Supporters. The Kilo's at Devil's Lake in Lincoln City, OR was no different. If anything, it was
a true reflection of the team and its competitive spirit that helped them break 3 separate records last weekend.
The story really began when Hopp Racing took the Jamie Auld Hull UL-15 to the APBA
GP Nationals at Lake Chelan, WA September 27-28. During the warm
up
period of the final heat, Greg Hopp made a timing run and lost
a blade on the prop while at full throttle on "Big Walley", the name of their faithful motor that has helped
them through the past six race seasons. The loss of the blade and vibration caused severe damage to
the transom of the boat. And with only six days until the ULHRA Championships, and with the title on the line, the crew
began the grueling work to get the boat fixed. But they weren't just working on one boat, they were working
on two. They, also, had the Ron Jones Jr. hull, that had crashed in Port Angeles, WA the previous year that was nearly finished
but still had a few loose ends to finish up in order for it to be ready. So the Hopp Racing crew, in typical fashion, lived
at the boat shop. With some crew members working on the Jones hull and some on the Auld hull. Soon, reality set in and it
was determined that the Auld hull was too severally damaged to get all the repairs done in time for the Port Angeles
race October 4-5, and the decision was made to take the Jones hull to Port Angeles to complete the ULHRA season. All
the great efforts by the whole team, to put a competitive race boat on the water, is what carried Hopp Racing through
to win the ULHRA Championship.
With
the ULHRA Championships over it was back to work on the Auld hull in a gallant attempt to finish the repairs
so that they could make it for the Kilo's the following weekend at Devils Lake in Lincoln City, OR. More sleepless nights
were ahead, as the entire transom and frames in the boat had to be replaced, repaired or beefed up. Parts fabricated
and reinstalled. The deck had to be glued back on, the strut reinstalled and the prop shaft realigned. Putting
the engine back in, taking all the equipment out of the Jones trailer then putting it back in the Auld trailer. Repacked
the truck and only one last thing to do... roll some yellow paint on the repairs just before driving down to Devil's
Lake that afternoon. Pulling
into Lincoln City at 1:00 am Saturday, and grabbing
a couple hours sleep then making it to the drivers meeting at 7am Saturday.
For those of you that have never witnessed a Kilo run, it is an awesome event.
The big block blower motor singing out a song of raw horsepower at 8,000+ RPM. The sound of the motor echoing off the canyon
walls of Devils Lake is a sound you won't soon forget.
Boats barely touching the water for 5/8 of a mile and the huge rooster tail you could only see at a straightaway run.
The overall speed is determined by averaging a run on the course in both directions. With the APBA Grand Prix boat and engine
rules being overhauled last November and the ULHRA re-joining forces with APBA, the UL and G series boat were eligible for
new APBA/ULHRA records. Although Hopp Racing holds the ULHRA Kilo record at 161.980 MPH with a one way run at 162.332 MPH
the combined ULHRA/APBA records had yet to be established. That... was their mission.
Hopps registered the Auld boat in the 3 classes. Unlimited Light, G-NACCS and Grand
Prix. On Saturday they had "BC" in the boat. Every boat engine needs a name, and "BC" stands for "whatever good parts we could find to put together a motor in Ed
Trihey's shop". BC is Hopp's UL 468ci motor with the blower at 80%. Jerry Hopp drove the G-NACCS
to an average speed of 146.292 MPH, and Greg Hopp drove the UL to an average speed of 149.396. Then they put a new
Scott Baker prop on the boat for the GP run and averaged 155.182 MPH. (see chart below)
With records established, the plan was to run on Sunday for the GP record with
the blower turned up to 120%. This would have added another 300 horsepower and, with the extra ponies, exceeding 155
MPH would have been a walk in the park... But on the return leg of the GP run Greg felt a vibration he didn't
like. With the competitive sprit of the Hopp Racing Team, as well as the knowledge and experience, they were faced
with yet another difficult decision that needed to be made. To continue racing on Sunday, or to call it quits. After
a good night sleep, something that none of them had experienced over the past 2 weeks, common sense took over and
the decision not to run and have the engine inspected was made.
In APBA when a record is set the head has to come off the engine for inspection. Bill
Thompson, APBA inspector, checked the blower gearing, compression ratio and
cubic inch as well as pulley ratio. The Ed's Automotive engine passed with flying colors. But...
in the process, it was found that a roller rocker stud had broken and would have self-destructed the next time out causing
major damage to the engine. Greg's hunch was right, and the decision to not run turned out to be the "right
one"...
"Props"
go out to you all for your efforts, sleepless nights, and sense of dedication to the sport and your team mates...Great job...
and congratulations....
Jerry Hopp stated "Thanks go to the our major sponsors for helping and believing
in our team, Graham Trucking GT, Bill and Happy Rands-Happy Go Lucky and Tom Long and PumpTech. Many others have helped us
out as well. And of course the crew Brent Tiede, Bob Donley, Randy Erb, Bob Schellhase, Travis Sellers, Cody Holmes, Bob Kelly-Wright, Scott
Baker, Ed Trihey and many others". Also Julie Sparrowgrove for taking the pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jasparrowgrove/
9/27
Wow!! What a day. Especially for Marty Wolfe. All the way from Illinois,
and he made
the trip worth while. He WON the "Whole ball of wax"!! Grand
Prix National High Points for the whole season,
and the Grand Prix National
Championship. The first heat was all Greg Hopp in the Graham Trucking-Happy
Go Lucky-Pumptech.
Unfortunately Greg jumped the gun. Not by much, but he
did. Jeff Bernard followed his San Diego Unlimited win
last week with a
strong second place in the heat driving Bob Schellhase's Mill Bay Casino.
Greg finished third.
In the final, Dustin Echols appeared to be the winner,
but he was penalized for bearing out. The deck to deck show
lap after lap
between Dustin and Marty Wolfe had the crowd on pins and needles. After the
excitement was over
the referees made their ruling. Marty Wolfe!!! Great
guy, fast boat, and Grand Prix Champion!!
HEAT
1
1 GP-93 Trafficade-Wolfe Racing Special Marty Wolfe
2
GP-12 Mill Bay Casino Jeff Bernard
3 GP-15 Graham Trucking
GT-Happy Go Lucky-PumpTech
DNF GP-17 Shuck's Auto Supply presents Miss Ted's Red Apple
DNF
GP-18 Baker Equipment-Blockhead Machine
FINAL
1 GP-93
Trafficade-Wolfe Racing Special Marty Wolfe
2 GP-12 Mill Bay
Casino Jeff Bernard
3 GP-17 Shuck's Auto Supply presents Miss
Ted's Red Apple
DNF GP-15 Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky-PumpTech
DNS GP-18 Baker
Equipment-Blockhead Machine
9/25
Mill Bay Casino comes on board as a sponsor for the Grand Prix Summer Nationals and also putting their name
on one of the boats. Bob Schellhase' GP-12 will carry the Mill Bay Casino name for the race at Lake Chelan this weekend. Possible
drivers for his boat include Greg Hopp, Mark Evans and Jerry Hopp. Bob's boat was damaged by a blower over accident in the
ULHRA's final race at Port Angeles. The left sponson had to be replaced and this will be the first time the hull has hit the
water this season. The boat will run in a flashy tan primer color scheme. Still more work to be completed, but Bob is excited
to see his boat back on the water this year. Mill Bay Casino will be sponsoring one of the Grand Prix
heats as well.
The GP-93 Trafficade-Wolfe Racing Special arrived at Lake Chelan today from Illinois. A first time trip
for Marty and crew to beautifull Lake Chelan.
9/23
Grand Prix Summer Nationals
The GP
Summer Nationals at Lake Chelan
Washington September 26-28 is rapidly approaching. Mark Evans, Bob Wright and John
Walcker did a live TV race promo show on local TV. North Central Eastern Washington Radio has been announcing the upcoming
race. The area newspapers are running an ad promoting the race.
Some
of the top name drivers in boat racing will be competing at the Chelan event. Greg and Jerry Hopp, Mark and Mitch Evans, Marty
Wolfe, Kip Brown, Dustin Echols, Charles Xaudaro and Al Carstensen. Plus a host of drivers in the Inboard and OPC classes.
GP-17 Shuck's Auto Supply presents Miss Ted's Red Apple.
Rick
and Shawn Bridgeman leading the ULHRA G in series points in the G-17 with 4169 points over the G-13 with 3050 series points.
One race left in the G series at Port Angeles Oct 4-5.
GP-18 Baker Equipment-Block Head Machine
Bob Baker
will have his super noisy super fast 2 wing boat there. Bob has been running both UL and APBA GP this year.
GP-93 Traifficade-Wolfe Racing Special
Marty
Wolfe and gang has been racing in both the ULHRA G series and is right at the top of the chase for the APBA GP Hi-Point title.
Lots of good blower boat racing going on this summer on the eastern side of the USA and Canada.
GP-12 Schellhase Racing
Bob Schellhase has
teamed up with Hopp Racing GP-15 to field their two boat team. Bob's boat has not hit the water this year do to a blow
over accident at Port Angeles last year. The left sponson was destroyed as well as the cowling and wings. Jones
JR replaced the sponson. Bob and the Hopp Racing Team have been busy for the last two months finishing up the rest of
the repairs getting the boat ready to run at Chelan. Not enough time to paint so the boat will run with the ever so cool tan
primer on it. Bob's boat holds the World course record for the UL/GP type boats at 126.528 MPH on a surveyed record
1 2/3 mile course in San Diego.
GP-15 Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky-PumpTech
Greg
and Jerry Hopp's former Alamo hull has a very impressive competition history. As the Alamo the
boat won 3 national championships. Under Hopp Racing the hull in conjunction with the UL-12 has racked up 4 UL national championships.
In 2007 it also won the inaugural NACCS G class of the ULHRA Hi-Point Championship with Jerry driving to his first ever driver
Hi-Point championship. The boat is the second fastest Unlimited Light with a lap of 124.118 MPH at the Tri-Cities 1 2/3 mile
course this year. The UL-15 has participated in all of the Unlimited Light events this year as well as attending APBA GP events.
At Valleyfield this year it was one of 5 GP's that all qualified within one second of each other
on their lap times. As the UL-15 the boat is currently in first place in the ULHRA series Hi-Points with 8165 series points over
Joe Frauenheim's UL-72 with 7042 series points. Ever the fan favorite the GP-15 team will be giving their all.
Other
BIG BLOCK teams are expected to compete as well.
As the late
Doug McIntosh said many times "Let's Go Boat Racing"
9/6
The new ULHRA 2009 partner APBA is holding the Grand Prix Summer Nationals at Lake
Chelan Sept 27-28. Come and experience the noise and thrills of all blower boat racing. This
should be a supercharged noisy fun race. The Chelan and Wenatchee radio station SUNNY FM North Central Washington 93.9 and 95.3
Chelan is promoting the race and Mark Evans is doing a half hour TV show in Wenatchee airing TBA. The Chelan radio
station will cover the races live both days. Should get some TV coverage of the race as well. Trophies, tow and prize
money for the GP's is in place. See your favorite LTL's competing with their APBA counterparts.
The sanction can be seen at:
8/30
The Chelan race is coming along very well. A title sponsor for the APBA Grand Prix’s has been sighed.
Washington Truck Dispatch has stepped up to the plate for the event. They dispatch trucks for the fruit companies in Eastern
Washington. The prize money package is in place and growing every day.
We have postponed our gas/carb blower project until after the season is over, busy working on Schellhase’s
boat for the Chelan GP race.
7/5
Pictures of the GP fleet at the Valleyfield UIM World Championships
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| GP-1 SHOW BOAT |
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| GP-50 BRODIE MOTORSPORTS |
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| GP-93 JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
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| GP-7 LONG GONE |
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| GP-59 BABY DOLL III |
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| GP-247 DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
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| GP-15 GRAHAM GT HAPPY GO LUCKY |
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| GP-88 ROLLING THUNDER |
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| GP-777 THE CRUSH |
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| GP-1001 MISS DYNOMITE |
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8/23
THE CHELAN APPLE CUP
What an eventful week. The 2008 Summer Nationals being awarded to the Seattle Inboard Racing Association’s
Chelan race on September 27-28. ULHRA and APBA joining forces for what should become a wild blower boat show. The Hopp Racing
team is now putting in an all out blitz to get Bob Schellhase’s UL/GP-12 returned to running condition for the GP Summer
Nationals at Chelan in a month. Bob’s boat was damaged in a blow over accident at Port Angeles last year. We also have
started work on the first twin carb gasoline blower motor to be run in an Unlimited Light. Glen Davis donated a new 6/71 supercharger
to the project and Ed’s Automotive the carbs and knowledge. We were trying for a test run at the TIRA race in Spanaway
on September 6-7th, but Bob’s boat project is priority 1 right now. We might try to get it out on the
water right after the end of the season.
Marty Wolfe and Dennis Johnson have indicated that they will bring the GP-93 Trafficade-Wolfe Racing Special
to the GP Summer Nationals at Chelan also. The Chelan event is shaping up to be a noisy fire breathing blower boat affair.
The prize money package is in place as well as heat trophies. Other Boats expected to attend: GP-17 Rick Bridgeman Red Apple,
GP-8 Bob Baker Sterling’s Famous Steaks & Seafood, GP-15 Hopp Racing
Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky/PumpTech and other teams are preparing as well.
Jerry
8/17
The Silverdale race in now history. Paul Becker was injured in a blow over accident in the final heat. Paul
suffered a cracked vertebra and a broken ankle in the crash. Paul will have surgery on the ankle this Wednesday. The boat
was broken in front and behind the engine from left to right across the deck. Has some repair work to do there. Kayleigh Perkins driving the UL-72 won the rerun of the final heat, Greg was second in the Graham Trucking
GT/Happy Go Lucky/PumpTech and Mike Sadlon’s Lake Trash Apparel was third.
Hopp
Racing is busy working on the first UL/GP carbureted-gasoline blower motor to be run in a UL/GP boat. Plans are to début the
engine at the Lake Spanaway race Sep 6&7 th.
Jay
Dailey, webmaster, has added some really cool pictures to our photo page. Some for 2008 and some for 2007. More to come. We
will be improving and updating our website.
Jerry
8-9
Silverdale Saturday. The wind blew and the rain came and the boats did not race. The plan for tomorrow
is to start off with UL heats 1A and 1B followed by the LTL’s, Skiffs, and the RC’s. Weather forecast for Sunday
looks a lot better.
1A UL-3, UL-72, UL-89, UL-11, UL-13 and G-17
1B UL-14, UL-40, UL-00, UL-929 and UL-15
The tide is one hour later and we should have boats in the water by 11.
8-8
Hello
from Snohomish! Boy have things been hectic. After
winning in Tri-Cities it’s good to be back home. Seafair was tons of fun. We came up 2nd. Congratulations to Paul Becker. He nailed a perfect
start. His boat was uncatchable in that final heat. Kayleigh finished 3rd. So now it’s off to the final leg of this whirlwind tour called “The Gaunlet”. We have a slight lead in the National High Points. Greg and
I split time in the boat so the National Driver Championship will be between Paul and Kayleigh. Should be interesting. Once again everything should go down
to the final race in Port Angeles. San Diego is still not on board with the UL’s.
Bob and I are taking the boat over to Silverdale today. We have a display at McCloud’s Bar and Grill in Bremerton.
It’s a BIG place! They have been there for 101 years. Good to know there are still places older than me! The crew
will be there tomorrow night for some prize giveaways. Our thanks to Becky and
Julie from KMPS Seattle for helping set it up with Rich the owner. Last
year we had a propeller issue. Kayleigh won her first race there last year. This ULHRA is very tight with competition. Think
about it. Kayleigh won in SD. J
Craig Fletcher was victorious in Polson. We captured the Tri-Cities event, and
Paul wins Seafair! 6 races and 4 different winners. How much more competitive
can things be? Well we’re off to Silverdale. Wish us luck!
Sunday, July 27th
|
Place |
Boat |
Driver |
Sponsor |
Speed |
Points |
| 1 |
UL 15 |
Greg
Hopp |
Graham
Trucking GT- Happy Go Lucky Presents Pump Tech of Moses Lake |
107.779 |
400 |
| 2 |
UL 14 |
Paul Becker |
Miss
Critical Logic |
104.736 |
300 |
| 3 |
UL 8 |
Terry
Troxell |
Numerica
Credit Union |
96.096 |
225 |
| 4 |
UL 11 |
Michael Flaherty |
Roxy
94.5 presents Power Punch Oil Supplements |
93.326 |
169 |
| 5 |
UL 89 |
Mike
Sadlon |
Lake
Trash Apparel presents No Excuses Racing |
79.32 |
127 |
| 6 |
UL 13 |
J
Craig Fletcher |
Celtic
Racing Team |
89.234 |
95* |
|
|
UL 40 |
Kelly Stocklin |
King & Bunny's Appliances |
0 |
dnf |
| |
UL 39 |
Joe
Souza |
Rouly
Heat Exchangers presents Napa Auto Parts |
0 |
dns |
* 1 minute penalty - improper score up
7/30
The "Gauntlet" thing is really a grind. Don't get me wrong, we are having all kinds of fun! By now you
know we won in Tri-Cities. Greg set a course record on Friday! 124.118 mph. On Thursday Randy test drove one of
the remote Hydro's we sell at our souvenir stand. It really goes good! Lots of fun. Not nearly as fast as
the real thing, but too much fun to play with. Hopefully we will have some at our souvenir stand in Seattle. Back
to the BIG win in Tri-Cities. The crew put together an awesome "Piece". Set the course record, and won everyone
of our heats. You can't do better then that. We are ready for the big one this weekend on Lake Washington.
The boat came out of TC in GREAT shape! So many boats are improving. Paul Becker finished second again.
He is so close to "Dialing up" a winner. He forced Greg run it "up against the chip" for the extra long start of the
race on the Unlimited 2 1/2 mile course. The water was bumpy. Greg said he didn't realize how fast he was going until
the end of the chute. He was just looking at the water, the oil pressure gauge, and Becker running hard beside him.
By the way I drove the heat win on Saturday! We are bringing the boat to the Stan Sayres pits on Thursday. Rob
Graham is all "Fired up". He should be. He not only sponsored the UL's in Tri-Cities, but he's again sponsoring
the UL's at Seafair. He'll again have two boats for you to root for. The UL-15 and the U-13.
Jerry
7-22
We made it back to Snohomish. A month on the road makes home look really good! We
came out of Polson with the National high points lead. Not by much! Kayleigh had terrible luck on Flathead River.
She's still a very close 2nd. Everything's a go for Tri-Cities. We'll leave very early on Thursday to set up a
display for the kick-off golf tournament. We'll be there from 10:30 till 6pm. May announce another local sponsor
soon! Ed Smith from PumpTech of Moses Lake is on board for TC. We'll see him Friday morning.
The Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky will hit the Columbia river water sometime Friday. Right now Randy and Justin
are working on the boat. Scott Baker's going to work on his specialty (Propellers). We've solved the loose spark
plug wire problem. New wires! It's happened twice in the past two races. Unfortunately it happened the second
time during the final at Polson. Even with 7 instead of 8 we placed 2nd. Doing laundry today. Dorothy made Bob K an Elvis sandwich. Grilled peanut butter and banana's. Bob said Elvis would have been proud of her effort.
Doing lots of errands today. Nothing major, just some stuff we need to help keep this show on the road. Stay tuned.
7/17
Yesterday was all displays, all day. This town is so "Fired" up about the Hydroplanes racing
in Polson again, they bombard us with thankyou's!! At 12:00 noon we set the boat
up on the main drag at Super 1 foods. Immediately we were overwhelmed with curious fans.
We gave out so many pictures of the boat, I had to go to the local Wal-mart and get some more.
We have to do the same thing this morning. We stayed till 4:10pm. Then it was off
to the Chamber of Commerce display just down the street at the 1st Interstate Bank. About 100 people were already gathered
there for our arrival. Our local sponsors Ratcliff, Barce & Associates had placed adds in two newspapers announcing
our display. The people just kept coming. We stayed until 7pm. Then it was back to the house. Rooms
are hard to find here. So we rented this beautiful old house with a huge yard and a gorgeous
view of the mountains and Flathead Lake. This is one of the most beautiful places I have
ever seen. Today we get to do another
display at the bank. Hopefully we don't run out of pictures. Greg and the guys are
going to arrive tonight. It's going to be just one happy family. Camping in the
yard, cooking on the grill. Nothing like real relaxation with family and crew before
we get down to racing. We'll get the boat in the pits today after our display. One of our sponsors Joleen Barce
and her husband want to take us on the lake for a little boat ride.
|
|
| RB&A Office |
|
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| Karen & Joleen |
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| Joleen, Fans & Jerry |
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| SUPER 1 FOODS |
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| 1st Interstate Bank |
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| 1st Interstate |
|
7-16
Today we worked
on the boat. We are staying in a very nice house.
It’s a two minute drive to our race sponsor Ratcliff, Barce & Associates Montana Real Estate Professionals. Joleen and Janet brought us coffee and breakfast.
Joleen is the Barce part of Ratcliff and Barce. She is very excited to
be participating in this weekends Hydroplane extravaganza. Bob got a hair cut,
while Randy worked on the boat. I did E-mails and phone calls. What a beautiful location. Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson,
Laker coach Phil Jackson, David Letterman, and Charlie Sheen all have homes here. We
met the neighbors. The whole town seems very excited about the races. We went to dinner at a very nice eatery. Kayleigh Perkins
and Wil Muncey were there. Kayleigh stopped by to say hi! Great food, but I am too full and too tired to remember the name of the place. Earlier today we visited with the kids from Smart Start pre-school.
They had a million questions. They never saw anything “That Cool”. The boat was a hit!! Tomorrow is one
display after another. At 12 noon it’s the Super 1 store from noon
until 4pm. Then we go to 1st
Interstate Bank from 5pm-7pm for a Chamber of Commerce event. Friday a 5 hour display for our local sponsor Ratcliff, Barce and Associates. Greg and the crew come in Friday night. Stay tuned for more
from Polson Montana.
7-14
Got to
Chamberlain/Oacoma Friday and immediately went to our race sponsor Swenson Brothers Marine.
Met with the owners Jim and
Kevin. Nice guys. Very involved
with this communities first time Hydroplane race. We decaled the boat and “Blasted”
off to the pits. This is always a fun time. You get to touch base with your
fellow racers. We set the boat and met with some fans. The local folks were
very happy to see us. Saturday was very windy.
Hard to race in 35-40 mph winds. I
went out in our first heat and took third. Though not the result we hoped for, a good finish considering a spark plug wire fell
off leaving me only 7 cylinders to work with. It was an easy fix. We got ready for Sunday, then back to the motel. Went to dinner
at Charley’s in Chamberlain. Great staff!!
We had steak, and it was good! Our thanks to the owner Gena. She not only cooked it, but she picked up our tab too!! We
invited her down to the pits for a tour. We also wanted to put her in the boat. Nice photo for her restaurant. She was to shy to do it. Some of her staffers came down, and had a GREAT time with us. Sunday
was going well with another heat win, and a trip to the finals. In the final
Greg in lane six with a good running start. He hit the first turn in second behind
Kayleigh Perkins. She was running very well all weekend. Being the lone blower boat we have to start from
the extreme outside. With Kayleigh driving so well, an the fact it’s a fast boat, she was hard to catch! Greg ran out of race course. Kayleigh wins!! Congratulations! to her and the UL-72 crew. They did a great
job. Now it’s on to Polson Montana. Left today with Randy and Bob. We made it to Hardin, Montana. Going to bed now.
Stay tuned, and the “Gauntlet” continues.
7/09
Left Detroit
after doing a big load of laundry. Headed to Marty Wolf’s boat shop in
Steger Illinois.
Arrived at the shop around 4:30 pm. It’s a beautiful shop. Marty put the finishing touches on his boat. He is ready to
“Rock and Roll” in SD after a 3rd place finish in Valleyfield. G-Boats beware he’s ready! His sister Elizabeth stopped by. She’s
driving
the “Desperado” this weekend in SD. Kayleigh won’t be the only
lady behind the wheel of a UL.
Took the
UL motor out of the hauler. We’ll replace the VF engine with the UL tomorrow. Went to spend the night at Marty’s dad Randy’s house. We had home cooking. What a treat that was! The good night sleep didn’t hurt either. Marty and I
changed the motors this morning. Very hot here in this Chicago Suburb. Greg has just arrived from Detroit. So it will be Greg, Bob, and me heading off to SD. The boat’s in good shape. The crew
joins us tomorrow morning in SD. They are doing the “Red Eye” from
Seattle to Sioux Falls.
We meet our new local sponsors Jim and Kevin Swenson of Swenson Brothers
Marine for breakfast. Put some stickers on the boat and get ready for the weekend.
| VALLEYFIELD GP TIME TRIALS 7-4-08 |
|
|
| NAME |
DRIVER |
SPEED |
|
|
|
| GP 247 DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
JEFF RICHARDS |
101.32 |
| GP 7 LONG GONE |
JAMES SHANE |
100.31 |
| GP 1001 MISS DYNOMITE |
PIERRE MAHEU |
99.49 |
| GP 93 JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
97.74 |
| GP 15 GRAHAM TRUCKING GT/HAPPY GO LUCKY |
CAL PHIPPS |
97.11 |
| GP 777 THE CRUSH |
PARTICK HAWORTH |
88.67 |
| GP 50 BRODIE MOTORSPORTS |
KENNETH BRODIE |
84.56 |
| GP 1 SHOW BOAT |
SCOTT LADYCOAT |
84.50 |
| GP 88 ROLLING THUNDER |
THOMAS PAKADROONI |
84.34 |
| GP 59 BABY DOLL III |
MARIO MARALDO |
83.08 |
7/4
The GP15
Graham Trucking Happy Go Lucky performed well on Valleyfield’s
first day of official racing, Jerry Hopp sharing driving duties with Unlimited Light and G cohort Cal Phipps. A round of Grand
Prix testing in the morning was followed by Grand Prix time trials in the afternoon, Jerry driving during the test session
and Cal taking
the wheel for the time trials. Jerry and Cal faced some tight competition – the top five Grand Prix wound up performing
within 1.5 seconds of each other. Top speed was GP247 Deep Water Special at 101.32 MPH
Jerry faced
some slight wind during the test, and the winds calmed down for Cal’s time trials, which was Cal’s first Grand Prix ride at Valleyfield ever. They were each pleased with the GP15’s overall performance and program. Filling in for crew
chief Brent Tiede is Jacque Nolet and also Terry The Wrench and Bill Fisk working alongside and with Jerry and Cal all day
in the hot, sunny weather, in the most unshady spot in the pits, on blacktop to boot, and in true hydroplane racing form,
hardly stopped to check out any of the other heats that ran in between Grand Prix. Their hard work paid off, though –
everyone was satisfied and they came through the day victorious, meaning the engine was still running and there was nothing
hanging out of the engine compartment and the boat was still floating when she returned to the docks. There was some attrition
amongst several other GPs, several boats having had to change out engines to continue into the event, so the guys felt great
about their program.
The Johnson-Wolfe
racing team brought his two boats, the UL93 and the G93, to race as Grand Prix at Valleyfield, edging out the GP15 in qualifying by six tenths
of a mile an hour with the G93 (raced as the GP93). The newly acquired GP93 Johnson-Wolfe Special is no stranger to Valleyfield, though – true Valleyfield fans and true Grand Prix fans will
remember the hull as Roger Mahan’s Pleasure Seeker, once piloted by Unlimited driver Jimmy King. Marty Wolfe drove both
the GP93 as well as the UL93, and was satisfied so far with what Johnson-Wolfe has accomplished with their two-boat team.
Unlimited Light fans will also recognize the name Dennis Johnson, half of Johnson-Wolfe racing – his company Trafficade
is an Unlimited Light Series sponsor.
Jerry and
Cal will meet-and-greet
at a welcome get-together tonight for boat owners and teams, along with the Johnson-Wolfe Grand Prix team, who also had a
very successful day. Check back tomorrow for more updates and pictures.
Tracy Morgan
5/27/08
Happy
Hydro Goes to School
The Pumptech
Presents: Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky will be on display at the Cascade View elementary school between 10am and noon
on Friday May 30th. 2007 NACCS National Champion driver Jerry Hopp will be there to show the 550 students the race boat and
engines. Jerry drives school bus for the Snohomish school district and brings 37 kids to and from Cascade View School every
day. Jerry and crew will be passing out Hero Cards by Gold Cup Video of the 4 time UL National Champ, 2007 NACCS National
Champ and straight away record holding boat. Jim and Karon Wilmot will be there taking pictures of the event. School Principal
Lyla Meyer said, "The students are so excited about the hydro coming to the school. They can't wait until Friday."
7/7
Leaving Valleyfield for Detroit with the truck, the boat and myself for a couple of days to see Bill & Happy
Rands and do some work on the boat and reconnect with the one crew guy Bob Wright that helped drive the rig back east. Next
stop Chaimberlain SD. Greg with be in Detroit with Bill and Happy running the U-100 for the Gold Cup.
7/7
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Final - Sunday July 6 2008 |
| 1 |
GP 1001 |
MISS DYNOMITE |
PIERRE MAHEU |
149.78 km/h - 93.07 mph |
2:34.723 |
4 |
20 |
|
| 2 |
GP 59 |
BABY DOLL III |
MARIO V MARALDO |
107.73 km/h - 66.94 mph |
3:35.125 |
3 |
16 |
|
| 3 |
GP 93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
134.33 km/h - 83.47 mph |
2:52.52 |
3 |
12 |
P1 |
| 4 |
GP 247 |
DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
JEFF RICHARDS |
198.91 km/h - 123.6 mph |
1:56.508 |
2 |
0 |
DNF |
| 5 |
GP 7 |
LONG GONE |
JAMES SHANE |
527.12 km/h - 327.53 mph |
0:43.965 |
0 |
0 |
DNF |
| 6 |
GP 50 |
BRODIE MOTOSPORTS |
KENNETH BRODIE |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNF |
7/7
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Sunday July 6
2008 |
| 1 |
GP 50 |
BRODIE MOTOSPORTS |
KENNETH BRODIE |
135.18 km/h - 84 mph |
3:34.297 |
3 |
10 |
P3 |
| 2 |
GP 93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
118.67 km/h - 73.74 mph |
4:04.102 |
3 |
8 |
P3 |
| 3 |
GP 777 |
THE CRUSH |
PATRICK HAWORTH |
373.09 km/h - 231.83 mph |
1:17.644 |
1 |
0 |
DNF |
| 4 |
GP 88 |
ROLLING THUNDER |
THOMAS PAKADROONI |
332.45 km/h - 206.57 mph |
1:27.137 |
1 |
0 |
DNF |
| 5 |
GP 15 |
GRAHAM TRUCKING |
JERRY HOP |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 6 |
GP 444 |
GRAND PRIX VALLEYFIELD |
CLAUDE BERGERON |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Sunday July 6
2008 |
| 1 |
GP 247 |
DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
JEFF RICHARDS |
117.87 km/h - 73.24 mph |
3:16.607 |
4 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
GP 1001 |
MISS DYNOMITE |
PIERRE MAHEU |
116.68 km/h - 72.5 mph |
3:18.608 |
4 |
8 |
|
| 3 |
GP 59 |
BABY DOLL III |
MARIO V MARALDO |
91.18 km/h - 56.65 mph |
4:14.175 |
4 |
6 |
|
| 4 |
GP 7 |
LONG GONE |
JAMES SHANE |
115.5 km/h - 71.77 mph |
3:20.64 |
3 |
5 |
P1 |
| 5 |
GP 1 |
SHOW BOAT |
SCOTT LADYCOAT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
7/5 GP Racing results for Saturday at Valleyfield
HEATS 1A&B
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Saturday July
5 2008 |
| 1 |
GP 1001 |
MISS DYNOMITE |
PIERRE MAHEU |
144.42 km/h - 89.74 mph |
2:40.469 |
4 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
GP 15 |
GRAHAM TRUCKING |
JERRY HOPP |
121.99 km/h - 75.8 mph |
3:09.973 |
4 |
8 |
|
| 3 |
GP 247 |
DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
JEFF RICHARDS |
147.86 km/h - 91.88 mph |
2:36.734 |
3 |
6 |
P2 |
| 4 |
GP 50 |
BRODIE MOTOSPORTS |
KENNETH BRODIE |
132.86 km/h - 82.55 mph |
2:54.43 |
3 |
5 |
P2 |
| 5 |
GP 88 |
ROLLING THUNDER |
THOMAS PAKADROONI |
131.57 km/h - 81.76 mph |
2:56.133 |
3 |
4 |
P6 |
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Saturday July
5 2008 |
| 1 |
GP 93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
144.69 km/h - 89.91 mph |
2:40.168 |
4 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
GP 59 |
BABY DOLL III |
MARIO V MARALDO |
115.26 km/h - 71.62 mph |
3:21.066 |
3 |
8 |
P11 |
| 3 |
GP 7 |
LONG GONE |
JAMES SHANE |
196.2 km/h - 121.91 mph |
1:58.117 |
2 |
0 |
DNF |
| 4 |
GP 777 |
THE CRUSH |
PATRICK HAWORTH |
246.01 km/h - 152.86 mph |
1:34.203 |
1 |
0 |
DNF |
| 5 |
GP 1 |
SHOW BOAT |
SCOTT LADYCOAT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 6 |
GP 444 |
GRAND PRIX VALLEYFIELD |
CLAUDE BERGERON |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
HEAT 2A&B
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Saturday July
5 2008 |
| 1 |
GP 93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
148.11 km/h - 92.03 mph |
2:36.473 |
4 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
GP 247 |
DEEP WATER SPECIAL |
JEFF RICHARDS |
141.38 km/h - 87.85 mph |
2:43.922 |
4 |
8 |
|
| 3 |
GP 15 |
GRAHAM TRUCKING |
CAL PHIPPS |
113.28 km/h - 70.39 mph |
3:24.574 |
4 |
6 |
|
| 4 |
GP 59 |
BABY DOLL III |
MARIO V MARALDO |
103.53 km/h - 64.33 mph |
3:43.84 |
4 |
5 |
|
| 5 |
GP 50 |
BRODIE MOTOSPORTS |
KENNETH BRODIE |
131.25 km/h - 81.55 mph |
2:56.57 |
3 |
4 |
P1 |
| Grand Prix - Coupe Valleyfield - Qualification - Saturday July
5 2008 |
| 1 |
GP 1001 |
MISS DYNOMITE |
PIERRE MAHEU |
151.38 km/h - 94.06 mph |
2:33.09 |
4 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
GP 88 |
ROLLING THUNDER |
THOMAS PAKADROONI |
139.74 km/h - 86.83 mph |
2:45.84 |
4 |
8 |
|
| 3 |
GP 7 |
LONG GONE |
JAMES SHANE |
138.37 km/h - 85.98 mph |
2:47.48 |
4 |
6 |
|
| 4 |
GP 777 |
THE CRUSH |
PATRICK HAWORTH |
142.41 km/h - 88.49 mph |
2:42.734 |
3 |
5 |
P1 |
| 5 |
GP 1 |
SHOW BOAT |
SCOTT LADYCOAT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 6 |
GP 444 |
GRAND PRIX VALLEYFIELD |
CLAUDE BERGERON |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
7/5 NM Racing results for Saturday
| 1 |
NM X93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
126.21 km/h - 78.42 mph |
3:49.531 |
5 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
NM 928 |
ILLUSION |
TONY BLACK |
125.26 km/h - 77.83 mph |
3:51.273 |
5 |
8 |
|
| 3 |
NM 2 |
RED HOT |
MIKE WEBSTER |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNF |
| 4 |
NM 515 |
ONE WAY |
SCOTT LIDDYCOAT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 5 |
NM 32 |
ALL JACKED UP |
KEVIN MCKNIGHT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
7/4 National Mod Qualifying
| 1 |
NM 2 |
RED HOT |
MIKE WEBSTER |
114.41 km/h - 71.09 mph |
4:13.207 |
5 |
10 |
|
| 2 |
NM 928 |
ILLUSION |
TONY BLACK |
123.86 km/h - 76.96 mph |
3:53.887 |
4 |
8 |
P9 |
| 3 |
NM 515 |
ONE WAY |
SCOTT LIDDYCOAT |
385.22 km/h - 239.36 mph |
1:15.199 |
0 |
0 |
DNF |
| 4 |
NM 23 |
GEEZERBOAT |
MIKE MONAHAN |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 5 |
NM 32 |
ALL JACKED UP |
KEVIN MCKNIGHT |
- |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
DNS |
| 6 |
NM X93 |
JOHNSON-WOLFE SPECIAL |
MARTY WOLFE |
124.82 km/h - 77.56 mph |
3:52.074 |
3 |
0 |
P9 P3 |
7/3
3 UL boats are
competing this weekend for the UIM World Championships at Valleyfield Quebec. Dennis Johnson and Marty Wolfe have their 2 Trafficade-Wolfe Racing
Special boats at the event as well as Hopp Racing’s Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky boat. Jerry went to Valleyfield from Evansville IN. where he helped his son Greg run the U-100 and brought the UL-15
along to make the Chamberlain South Dakota race. Jerry had planned to go to the Madison IN. Unlimited race to help Greg when
he found out Sunday that the Valleyfield race had become an UIM World Championship race. With the new GP
engine rule change that has three Organizations in two different Nations and also Australia running the same engine and boat combinations the competition should be very keen.
11 blown boats are expected this weekend.
With the short
notice Jerry could not get His crew chief Brent Tiede and engine Guru Ed Trihey to Canada in time. That coupled with Bob Kelly who was helping Jerry drive the boat to Evansville, Madison and South Dakota didn’t have his passport. So Jerry took Bob to Madison
to help Greg and drove sole to Valleyfield with no crew. What will Jerry do? Well many boat racing friends
that he has made over the years are at the Valleyfield event and
are giving Jerry a hand. Jerry first ran into Cal Phipps and Tracy Morgan from Milt Wiggins G-10 ULHRA team. Cal went right to work on the boat helping Jerry and is on as a second drive for the race. Also long
time friend from Valleyfield Jacque and Marc Perrier are helping as well as “Terry The Wrench” with Bill &
Happy Rands and the Trafficade guys. Jerry said “How cool is this to have made so many friends over the all the years
of racing lend a helping hand”.
The action starts
tomorrow. This site will be updated with news and pictures.
7/2
Arrived in ValleyField at sunset. A bit tired. Calling for rain in the morning and nice the rest of the weekend. I'm
the only one here and because of the last minute plan to come to VF the crew chief Brent and Ed Trihey can't make it. Looks
like a fun weekend with 10 or more blower boats.
6/30/08
The Hopp’s brought
the “Thunder” to the Ohio River. In this era
of the quieter turbine engine Unlimited's
Greg and Jerry Hopp excited
the Evansville crowd with record setting runs on consecutive days with the
Graham Trucking GT/Happy
Go Lucky “Blown” Chevy program. Greg went out Saturday for his attempt
at a new record. This 4 time Unlimited Lights, and last years G-Boat National
Champion, clocked a one lap average of 119.270 mph, establishing the new ABRA 2 mile GP course record. The crowd loved it!! Not to be outdone. Papa Jerry went out Sunday and went even faster with a one lap average of 123.660 mph. Jerry is off to Valleyfield Quebec to
compete in the World Championship GP race. While Jerry does that, son Greg will
continue his driving duties with Fred Leland’s U-100 Unlimited Hydroplane in Madison Indiana.
After the late arrival of
the U-100 and a lot of work by the crew, Greg ran a couple of heats finishing 4th in both. Off to the race at Madison
next weekend for Greg and the U-100 guys.
6/28/08
The GP-15 pulled into Evansville Friday evening after 52 hours straight driving. Lightning and a tornado. Set the
boat up today and took it out on the 2 mile course and set a 2 mile G/GP record at 119.270 mph on a very rough and windy
race course. Fred's U-100 had a rough trip blowing 3 trailer tires on the way. The Hopp Racing crew helped Greg and got
the boat ready for Sunday's racing about midnight tonight. Qualifying at 8 am tomorrow. Greg drew heat 2A to be run at
10 am CDT.
5/31 EDMONDS WATERFRONT FESTIVAL
The Friday display for the UL-15 at Cascade View Elementary went very well. Over 500 kids came
out and saw the boat first hand and all received Hero Cards thanks to Becky from Gold Cup Video. After that was finished we
took the boat to be set up at the Edmonds Waterfront Festival Friday thru Sunday 5/30-6/1. What a huge affair. The PumpTech
Presents: Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky has a prime location by the water with Larry Garcia's recently purchased GP-50
hull that he bought from Ken Brodie. He will run the boat as the supercharged UL-99.
I will be there after 2 pm today signing Hero Cards and selling Graham Trucking GT race boat
toys. They also have some Offshore boats giving 150MPH boat rides. Another cool thing for the kids is a hydro coloring contest.
The winner will get a cool prize. A day at Seafair with a boat team. Oh Boy Oberto and Graham Trucking have supplied racing
things for gift bags for 2nd and 3rd place winners. Scores of kids are submitting entries. Winners will be judged by
a panel from the Edmonds Rotary Club. Many more things for kids and adults to do. A great way to kick off the racing season.
Sorry I got this in too late to be posted on the ULHRA web site, but tell your friends and the
race fans about the hydro display. Owners, here is where you have the opportunity to me potential sponsors.
Jerry Hopp
|
There is something for everyone at the Festival. There is lots of
food, art, and activities for kids and adults.
Here are just a few things to do and see:
|
5/30
The UL-15 Unlimited Light Hydroplane, PumpTech Presents: Graham Trucking GT-Happy go Lucky will
be on display Saturday May 31 at the Edmonds Waterfront Festival. Jerry Hopp will be there signing Hero Cards and ULHRA race
magazines.
4/10/08
The 2008 season starts this weekend. The boat and truck are all packed
up to go to the Moses Lake race this weekend 4/12&13. Our sponsors this year are Graham Trucking GT and Happy Go Lucky.
There may be more that a dozen events to attend this year. One big welcome is the return of the Tri-Cities race 7/25-27. Greg
will be driving for Leland Unlimited and Greg and I will be sharing the driving in the UL-15/GP-15. Weather at Moses Lake
looks inviting, 76º and sunny. The following Thursday 4/17
the boat will be at Spring Training at Stan Sayres pits in Seattle.
3/18/08
Paul Roald Pedersen
April 27th 1972 - March 14th 2008
Big Pauly's Gone
Pauly was a member of Hopp Racing for many years. One of a group of Greg's friend's That helped run the UL-15 and the
Unlimited U-15 in 1999. Greg got rookie of the year in the Unlimiteds that year with Pauly's help. There is a web
site set up in memory of Paul.
www.paulpedersen.org
 Paul Roald Pedersen, 35, passed away unexpectedly as a result of a tragic work related accident on Friday
March 14th.
Paul lived a full life. One that was filled with helping others. He used his
mechanical knowledge and gift to bless people. When he wasn't fixing a lawn mower, working on someone's vehicle or tinkering
in his shop, you could find him hanging out with fa mily and friends. A get together wasn't complete unless Paul showed up
wearing his trusted hickory shirt and "uptown" romeos, carrying a batch of hot wings.
Paul loved his yearly trips to Alaska where he would fish with his family
aboard the Inger B. We all missed him when he was away for the summer but were comforted knowing that he was exactly where
he loved to be. Now we can have that same comfort as we know that he is in a better place with his Heavenly Father.
Paul is survived by his parents Roald & Inger Pedersen, brothers Peter
(and wife, Rebecca) and David, and many family and close friends.
.
|
