News 2007

12/27Salt Water Damage

As you can see from the pictures this switch panel is one unhappy camper. The panel is out of Bob Schellhase's UL-1 boat that flipped during qualifying at Port Angeles. After the boat flipped it was towed back to the pits. We waited for a crane problem and let the boats getting ready for heat 1 A to get in the water. The boat was washed down the best we could. One week later we pulled out everything we could and washed it and lubed it. One of the things pulled out was the main switch panel. You can see all of the corrosion and rust on the back side of the switches. Some of those switches were new at the beginning of this season, the others looked like new and were one season old. All of the rust and corrosion including the instrument panel and gauges looked like this the next morning (Sunday). The boat went upside down with the main power on and the 12 volts from the battery cause all the corrosion to take place so rapidly. The MSD ingnition module was new the race before, San Diego. Sent the box in to MSD. They couldn't save it, totally destroyed. Beside the physical damage to the boat we are looking at a month of rewiring and thousands of dollars damage to the electrical systems. Racing in salt water is really tough on your equipment even if you don't tip the boat over. Make sure you inspect your whole boat and clean, clean, clean.

11/19

Firebird Lake-what a blast. Plenty of action all day with the Drag's including 250+MPH Top Fuel Hydro's, SS and K-Boat circle races and of course the Unlimited Lights. Everyone tested Friday and Jim Wilmonts boat had and engine problem. Saturday morning when we came in to warm up the motor on the Woodcraft Presents FestoolSupply.com/Happy Go Lucky we discovere that Big Walley (our 5 seanons running engine) had a broken roller lifter. We missed all of Saturday's heats. The UL-17, UL-72, UL-83 and the UL-93 had some exciting racing during the day.

Our crew went to work. Pulled the engine out of the boat, borrowed parts and a rollover stand from the drag and K-boat guys. We spent the rest of Saturday until 10 PM tearing the engine down and replacing the damaged parts and rebuilding the oil pump. Sunday morning we talked the crane guy into coming in early to put the engine back in the boat so that we could hook it back up. Cost us a Hopp Racing hat and a couple of hero cards. Thanks "Crane Guy". The engine started up and ran fine, good to go racing Sunday. Thanks to the teams hard work.

Jerry drove the first heat Sunday. Matched up with Kayleigh Prekins in the UL-72 and Marty Wolfe UL-93. It was an exciting race with several lead changes and Jerry coming from behind on the out side to take the win at the finish line. Dustin Echols finished ahead of Wil Muncey in their 3rd heat. Both boats had mechanical problems and were out for the day.

Greg drove the final heat matched agaisnt the UL-72 and UL-93. Marty lead at the start. Kayleigh had the lead with Greg in second place for lap two with Greg winning at the finish line lap 3.. The crowd was on it's feet cheering. Greg stopped in front of the grandstands and got out on the boat and gave them a big wave to a standing-O. Part of the course ran down the drag course and the Firebird lake people had the timing equipment running. Greg was timed at 144 MPH at the end of the drag 1/4 mile. Very exciting day with all the action going on. If you like blower boats, this was the place to be.

11/15

Woodcraft of Phoeinx Arizona will be on board as a Festool dealer at the Firebird Lake race this weekend. The photos are from a display we did today at the business location in Phoenix. The boat is in the pits and we are scheduled to test Friday afternoon. Greg and crew flew in this evening.

Woodcraft Presents Festools Supply

Dwayne Ernest at Woodcraft

11/15

The season ended with Greg flipping the boat in Port Angeles. Greg OK boat not so lucky. Left sponson tip broken off and the cowling and wings were destroyed. Engine came through OK. The electrical was really eaten up by the salt water. The boat is at Jones Jr's getting repairs made.

Congratulations to Kayleigh Perkins on her driver championship and the UL-72 Team for the National title.

We have the Alamo boat with us down here at Firebird Lake in Phoenix Arizona for a demonstration run with 5 other UL's. If all goes well it should be on the schedule for April of 08.

9/8

Tomorrow Sunday 9 September the GP-12 and the GP-15 will be participating in the Tacoma Inboard Racing Association's Race at Spanaway Washington. Bob Schellhase's boat is the GP-12 and our ex-Alamo boat is the GP-15. The GP-12 will run as Graham Trucking GT and the GP-15 will run as Miss Festools NW. The Miss Festools is on display at the Wooden Boat show in Port Townsend today.

Wednesday August 29
The Hydro Show
7:00pm-7:30pm on WORX
Join Tim Torrance as he talks
Unlimited Hydroplane Racing.
This weeks guests are...
ABRA Chairman, Sam Cole &
U100 Mirageboats.com driver, Greg Hopp

4:00pm to 4:30pm PDT

www.worxradio.com/index.html

8/23

The UL-72 Miss Boat Electric driven by 19 year old Kayleigh Perkins wins the 2007 Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale. Congratulations to Kayleigh on her first Unlimited Light win. Greg Hopp in the UL-1 Festools Presents-Graham Trucking GT-Happy Go Lucky raced deck-to-deck exchanging the lead at each turn. Half way through the first turn of the last lap the UL-1 lost a blade on the prop and had to be shut down. The Ul-1 and the UL-72 are virtually tied for first place in the UL National Hi-points chase. Only 22 points apart. The UL-1 has 5549 points and the UL-72 has 5527. The next race is San Diego Sept 14-16.

Last year at Silverdale the UL-1 was leading the race and lost a blade on the prop. When this happens there is an extremely violent vibration set up by the out of balance prop. Last year it broke the transom off the boat. In the repair the UL-1 crew beefed up the transom area. The repair proved successful as this years prop blade loss caused almost zero damage to the hull. Other boats that lost a blade on their boats weren't so lucky. The UL-8 and the UL-98 sustained major damage.

Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder
August 17-19, 2007

UL Final

Place
Boat Driver Team
Speed

Points

Total*

1st
UL 72 Kayleigh Perkins Miss Boat Electric
99.607

400

1110

2nd
UL 19 Ryan Mallow Tropical Tan presents Millennium Digital Media
96.411

300

542

3rd
UL 33 Mark Echols Miss Graham Trucking Presents Estes Racing
88.336

225

625

4th
UL 40 Cal Phipps King & Bunny's Appliances
87.668

169

769

5th
UL 18 Joe Turner Countrywide presents Straightthunder.com
76.05

127

254

UL 1 Greg Hopp Festool Supply NW presents Graham Trucking GT
0

dnf

840

UL 929 Vince Xaudaro Paulsbo PC & Technology Presents Fife RV
0

dsq

313

UL 98 Charles Xaudard Miss Atomic Screen Printing
0

dns

338

UL 14 Paul Becker Compuware presents Miss Critical Logic
0

dns

480

* includes qualifying

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

CONTACT: MUNCEY MARKETING

360-805-0805

Racing Sponsors Unite

Two racing sponsors today announced a cooperative agreement to share deck space on the UL-1 Unlimited Light hydroplane. FestoolSupply.com, a high-end German tool distributor, who made their racing debut as the title sponsor of Hopp Racing’s G-15 at the Seafair race will present the Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky.

Festool Supply Northwest of Mountlake Terrace, Washington has committed to back the national champion team for the balance of the 2007 season. Co-Owner Darcy Neidermeyer said, “After having the chance to meet and work with this racing team at Seafair, we very much wanted to continue our involvement.”

Graham Trucking, Inc. who also sponsors the UL-33 Miss Graham Trucking of Estes Racing, The Graham Trucking Cup at Seafair, and most recently the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder will help support the UL-1 effort. Graham Trucking whose business is transporting import & export containers as well as refrigerated goods & flatbeds in the Northwest has been a very active sponsor in the boat racing community for many years. Hopp Racing’s long-time East Coast sponsor Bill and Happy Rands remain on the boat as “Happy Go Lucky”.

UL-1 Owner Bob Schellhase, who hopes to find time to celebrate his birthday with a successful weekend in Silverdale said, “It may be the longest name in UL racing history, but we are so fortunate to have the backing of these three great organizations.”

The UL-1 FestoolSupply.com presents Graham Trucking GT/Happy Go Lucky will be racing in Dyes Inlet this weekend August 18-19 for the Graham Trucking Cup at Silverdale Thunder, with 39-year-old driver, Greg Hopp at the wheel. Greg’s win at Seafair puts the UL-1 entering the race this weekend with a 295 point lead over second-place UL-72 Boat Electric.

Racing at the Graham Trucking Cup begins early on Saturday with the first heat scheduled for 10:00AM. Festool Supply Northwest and Graham Trucking will share a vendor space at the race site where fans can buy an inflatable toy hydroplane, other racing souvenirs, or even apply for a trucking driving job with Graham Trucking (Class A Truck Drivers Wanted). A side note for the hydroplane trivia buffs: UL-1 and G-15 hydroplane driver Jerry Hopp previously worked for Graham Trucking as a Class A truck driver himself. Perhaps that is where he honed his hydroplane driving skills?

Next month look for exciting things from this team on Mission Bay in San Diego September 14-16. The San Diego race course typically affords the fastest lap speeds of any of the tracks on the circuit. San Diego racing will be followed by the ULHRA Championship finale at Strait Thunder in Port Angeles September 29-30.

For more information on the Unlimited Light Hydroplane racing circuit, visit www.ulhra.org. For more information on the UL-1 racing team, please visit. www.hoppracing.com.

8/10

Repairs to the UL-1 are under way. The belly pan blew out at Seafair and the front wing operating rod broke. The boat was quite a challenge to drive in the final.

8-7

Ed Trihey is out of the hospital after apendix surgery. Everything went well. He watched the races from the UL web and TV. Said "It sure is different being a spectator, instead of working on the boats." Bob Schellhase is back home resting after having 3 screws put in his broken ankle today. Need to get our crew glued back together before Silverdale. The boat needs some patch work too after Seafair.

8/6

Hopp Racing is 1st & 2nd at Seafair. Greg drove the Graham Trucking GT to a deck to deck first place over hard charging rookie driver Kayleigh Perkins at the finish line. The front wing had failed be for the start of the race and was stuck in full blowover mode. Greg worked the throttle to keep it from going over. Jerry drove the Festool Supply NW to a 2nd place in the NACCS Final. Jerry battled with Cal Phipps in the King & Bunnys Appliances. Both boats were running the 468 inch blown Chev engine. Mike Eacrett in the G-24 with the 575 inch engine took a sizeable lead to finish 1st.

8/1

Dynamic duo set for the Graham Trucking Chevrolet Seafair race. The UL-1 will race as the Graham Trucking GT and the G-15 will be the Festool Supply NW. Greg will drive the UL-1 as well as the U-100 Mirage Boats and Jerry will drive the G-15.

7/2

Dave Villwock in the Miss Elam U-16 wins Evansville and Greg in the Mirage Boats U-100 takes 4th.

EVANSVILLE 7/1

The U-13 wins the provisional and moves to the final.

Final

U-16,U-3,U-6,U-100,U-37,U-10

The U-1 flips in heat 3A along with the U-37 and the U-5. The U-37 made repairs in time for heat 3B and took 2nd place. The U-1 doen't look like it can be repaired for the final.

HT PL SPD HT PL SPD HT PL SPD HT PL SPD PTS

1 2 3 FINAL

U-1 ALLEN 1B 3 135 2B DNF 3A FILPPED 225

U-3 KING 1B 2 140 2B 1 139 3A 2 140 3 135 1225

U-5 BERNARD 1A 2 136 FLIPPED 3A DNS 300

U-6 DAVID 1B 4 131 2A 2 147 3A 1 147 6 114 964

U-10 BRYANT 1A 4 127 2B 3 122 3B 4 127 563

U-13 KELLY 1B 5 124 2A 3 137 3B 5 118 5 125 606

U-16 VILLWOCK 1B 1 143 2A 1 150 3B 1 140 1 140 1600

U-25 MUSCATELL 1A DNF 2A DNS 3A DNS

U-37 THEORET 1A 1 147 FLIPPED 3B 2 132 2 136 1000

U-100 G HOPP 1A 3 129 2B 2 129 3B 3 128 4 128 919

6/26

A NEW SPONSOR IN THE NEWEST CLASS OF BOAT RACING

Seattle, WA June 26, 2007 Festool Supply NW has announced its sponsorship of the G-15 “Thunderboat” of Hopp Racing for the annual Seafair competition in Seattle, WA August 3, 4, 5th. Festool is a German manufacturer of innovative power tools, air tools, tool accessories and consumables offering quality high end power tools in that country for 75 years. The local family-owned U.S. distributorship is run by Bill and Darcy Niedermeyer of Mountlake Terrace, Washington . Niedermeyer said, “The Hopp Racing team and their proven winning record are the perfect match to the Festool brand of tools. Both are the best quality, fast, tough, finish first and are in the race for the long term!”

Thunderboats (G) and the North American Challenge Cup Series were authorized as a developmental series in the fall of 2003 by the Board of Directors of the Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association, Inc. After two seasons of demonstrations the NACCS debuts as a championship point series in 2007.

The term “Thunderboats” was first coined by Seattle Times Sports Editor George N. Meyers in the 1950’s because of the powerful roar of Unlimited Hydroplanes in those days that used Allison and Rolls Royce engines from WWII fighter planes before being replaced by the quieter turbine engines.

Today Thunderboats and the North American Challenge Cup Series merges the power and strength of current technology automotive-based engines with the “thunder” from hydroplane racing from days gone by. To power the larger sized craft, Thunderboats (and yes they do “thunder”) can utilize up to 572 cubic inches with a larger, faster turning supercharger. The letter designation “G” stems from the old Gold Cup Class of the early 20^th Century that included the G-13 Tempo VI, owned and driven by band leader Guy Lombardo to victory in the famous Gold Cup regatta in 1946.

The Festool Supply NW Thunderboat is scheduled to be on display at the Hydro-Mania event at the Seattle Center on Tuesday July 31, 2007 from 3:00 to 8:00 PM. On-the-water testing at Seafair will begin Friday August 3^rd. The G Class boats have two racing heats scheduled on Saturday and a final heat on Sunday. In 2006 in Seattle the G-15 edged the G-13 from Impact Racing on the Lake Washington race course in a deck-to-deck duel that was decided on the final straightaway. Those two teams will be among 6 or more Thunderboats contesting for the Seafair Thunderboat Trophy in 2007. When asked for his thoughts about this new sponsorship, Niedermeyer said, “We know tools. The Hopp family knows hydroplanes. Two winning teams, working together!” For more information on Festools, visit www.festool.com. For more information on the racing schedule and the ACCS Series, visit www.ulhra.org.