Formulaboats.com Racing — Success in 2008

The 2008 unlimited hydroplane race season for Team Formulaboats.com was a true success! Below is the season recap by Ted Porter, team owner.

The first event of the year, “Thunder on the Ohio” at Evansville, Indiana, is always exciting for the U-5 and U-7 Formulaboats.com teams. The drivers and team members had been testing their boats on different waterways including Grand Lake St. Marys in Celina, Ohio, and the crew had been checking the hulls over and over, making sure they were up to standard for high speeds.

The media was hot on the circuit to report the play by play. The teams came out strong during the Evansville event, hinting that the following races were going to be exciting and up to the Formula name. The driver of U-5, Jeff Bernard, finished with a third-place victory, as well as earning 50 in qualifying points and 1,169 points in the total heats. Driver of the U-7 boat, Mike Allen, followed close behind with a fourth-place title, 40 in qualifying points and 1,092 points in the total heats. A great start to the year!

The second race in Madison, Indiana, the “Madison Regatta,” definitely stirred up the excitement! Bernard outmaneuvered several veteran drivers to earn his first-ever victory at the 58th Indiana Governor's Cup! Bernard managed to unseat the favorite, U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto. According to the ABRA, “In the second lap of the five in the winner-take-all race, Bernard edged past David to claim the lead. After that move, David could do little to catch the streaking red boat.” Bernard showed great racing skill during this race, finishing the weekend with 70 qualifying and 1,100 points in the total heats. Allen also had a great race, earning third place in the final with 50 points in qualifying points and 750 points in the total heats to end the event. The U-5 and U-7 teams were on the move! Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels presented the Governor's Cup trophy in Jeff's first unlimited race victory!

The next event, the "Chrysler-Jeep Superstores Gold Cup" in Detroit, Michigan, went a bit differently than planned. Poor weather and unmanageable water conditions proved to be too much for the event; the ABRA had to cancel the 100th running of the Gold Cup. The Formulaboats.com teams were able to complete two sets of heats on Saturday afternoon; however, on Sunday the U-7 boat flipped, causing Allen to retire his boat for the finishing heats, but not before accumulating 40 qualifying points and 394 total heat points. With two of the five heats completed, the race was deemed a “no contest.” The U-5 boat did remain the top high points champion, adding a total of 50 qualifying points and 800 heat points.

The next venue took the unlimited hydroplane teams to the "Tri-Cities Lamb-Weston Columbia Cup" in Tri-Cities, Washington. Jimmy Shane raced for Mike Allen in the U-7 boat due to an injury Allen received at the Detroit, Michigan, race. Shane drove the new backup boat, formerly known as the U-10 or Lucero hull, which won the '04 Gold Cup for the late great Kim Gregory in Detroit. The backup boat was dressed in team colors and performed amazingly well, earning the team a fourth-place title for the weekend--264 heat points. Bernard also finished well in the preliminary heats, earning a third-place victory for the weekend and an outstanding 907 heat points!

During the Chevrolet Cup at “Seafair” in Seattle, Washington, the U-5 and U-7 Formulaboats.com teams finished with top scores. The U-5 was the second fastest qualifier with 999 points—a third-place finish for the event. U-7, driven again by Jimmy Shane, was given a fourth and 649 points—a strong comeback for the weekend! With the current U-7 boat being a backup boat, Shane finished in true winning style. Formula is definitely fortunate to have Shane on their team. Mike Allen was at home resting, but was soon back on the race circuit and in action for Formula. After this exciting race, Bernard's final points were a total of 4,146, trailing closely behind the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto boat with 4,764!

Thousands of race enthusiasts and local residents lined the shores of Grand Lake in Celina, Ohio, on August 22-24 to watch the "2008 Formulaboats.com Inboard Summer Nationals Governor's Cup Regatta." A total of 91 boats from 25 states attended the event with over 30,000 people in attendance! The turnout was much higher than previous years—65 boats competed last year. The day was filled with fun and excitement for all who attended. A charity raffle for the Auglaize-Mercer YMCA was held, and multiple winners had the opportunity to take laps around the race course in the 2009 Formula 382 Poker Run FAS3TECH®. The group of winners had a blast riding on the 382—reaching speed around 80 mph. The Celina event is a great way for family, friends and racing enthusiasts to enjoy a day of fun on the water! Jeff Bernard was on hand to pilot the U-5 Formulaboats.com during four exhibition sessions over the course of the weekend.

The final race in the 2008 season, the “Bill Muncey Cup” at Bayfair in San Diego, California, was a definite success for the Formulaboats.com teams. Formula’s U-5 Jeff Bernard earned a well-deserved first place in the final. Out-driving all other teams and receiving 1,600 points for the day, Jeff won all heats he entered! Bernard ended the 2008 American Boat Racing Association's season as the only driver to win two races, with his first-place finish at the Indiana Governor's Cup in Madison, Indiana, and his first at the 2008 San Diego Bayfair event—congratulations, Jeff! Formula's U-7 boat, driven by Mike Allen, also had an outstanding outcome for the weekend. Allen finished the event in third place and the season in fifth with 4,039 points.

Bernard had a great year with multiple heat and race wins—he has been consistent with overall finishes. He finished the season with a winning second-place title in the 2008 National High Point standings, earning 6,825 points!

The Formulaboats.com teams of U-5 and U-7 had a great 2008 season. To find out more about the Formula teams, please visit www.u5racing.com or www.formulaboats.com/racing.