1996 Season Summary

 

Statistics

1.	May 5	Gila River Casino Unlimited Cup	Phoenix, Arizona
2.	June 1-2	Chrysler Jeep APBA Gold Cup	Detroit, Michigan
3.	June 9	Kansas City Hydrofair	Kansas City, Missouri
4.	June 30	Pontiac Thunder On The Ohio	Evansville, Indiana
5.	July 7	Budweiser Indiana Governor's Cup	Madison, Indiana
6.	July 28	Budweiser Columbia Cup	Kennewick, Washington
7.	August 4	Texaco Cup at Seafair	Seattle, Washington
8.	August 11	Molson Thunderfest	Kelowna, British Columbia
9.	September 15	San Diego Bayfair Bill Muncey Cup	San Diego, California
	September 22	Las Vegas Exhibition [no points]	Boulder City, Nevada
10.	October 13	JN Automotive Hydrofest	Honolulu, Hawaii

 

	Winner	Crew Chief	Designer	Builder	Engine	Course	Distance
5/5	PICO American Dream (1)	Danny Walters	Fred Leland	Ken Dryden	Lycoming	1⅝ Miles	17⅞ Miles
6/2	PICO American Dream (1)	Danny Walters	Fred Leland	Ken Dryden	Lycoming	2½ Miles	35 Miles
6/9	Smokin' Joe's (1)	Jim Lucero	Lucero-Jones	Lucero-Jones	Lycoming	2 Miles	28 Miles
6/30	PICO American Dream (2)	Ken Dryden	Fred Leland	Fred Leland	Lycoming	2 Miles	28 Miles
7/7	Smokin' Joe's (1)	Jim Lucero	Lucero-Jones	Lucero-Jones	Lycoming	2½ Miles	35 Miles
7/28	PICO American Dream (2)	Ken Dryden	Fred Leland	Fred Leland	Lycoming	2½ Miles	35 Miles
3/4	PICO American Dream (1)	Ken Dryden	Fred Leland	Ken Dryden	Lycoming	2 Miles	28 Miles
8/11	PICO American Dream (1)	Ken Dryden	Fred Leland	Ken Dryden	Lycoming	2 Miles	18 Miles
9/15	Miss Budweiser (20)	Ron Brown	Brown-Jones	Ron Brown	Lycoming	2½ Miles	35 Miles
10/13	Miss Budweiser (20)	Ron Brown	Brown-Jones	Ron Brown	Lycoming	2½ Miles	35 Miles

 

	Built	Boat High Points	Total	Team Points
1.	(1987)	Smokin' Joe's (1)	11703	(3)
2.	(1995)	Miss Budweiser (20)	9697	(2-12118)
3.	(1988)	DeWALT Tools	9330	(4)
4.	(1993)	Dole Cannery	8528	(5)
5.	(1993)	PICO American Dream (1)	8301	(1-13278)
6.	(1996)	PICO American Dream (2)	5427
7.	(1984)	Miss Exide (4)	4662	(6)
8.	(1992)	Performance Mortgage Appian Jeronimo (2)	4370	(7-3393)
9.	(1996)	Miss VONS (2)	3016	(8)
10.	(1988)	Mill Bay Casino	2835	(9)
11.	(1982)	Computers & Applications (2)	2574	(10)
12.	(1996)	Miss Budweiser (21)	2421
13.	(1988)	Pflueger Honda	2147	(Id
14.	(1994)	Spring Air Mattress	1878	(12)
15.	(1992)	Miss Exide II	1184	(14)
16.	(1995)	Miss E-Lam Plus (2)	990	(15)
17.	(1990)	Appian Jeronimo (1)	225	(13-1202)
18.	(1989)	Outback Aussie Endeavor	95	(16)
19.	(1990)	Smokin' Joe's (2)	000

 

	Driver High Points	Total
1.	Dave Villwock	13728
2.	Mark Tate	11703
3.	Mark Evans	9693
4.	Mike Hanson	9330
5.	Steve David	8528
6.	Mike Jones	3818
7.	Jimmy King	3526
8.	Mitch Evans	3287
9.	Scott Pierce	3016
10.	Ken Muscatel	2574
11.	Rick Christensen	1878
12.	Chip Hanauer	1570
13.	Mark Weber	1268
14.	Nate Brown	990
15.	Larry Lauterbach	948
16.	Mike Eacrett	583
17.	Ken Dryden	469
18.	Tom Hindley	225
18.	Todd Yarling	225
20.	Dennis Parker	95

 

	Previous Names
1.	Miller American (2), Miller High Life (2), Miss Circus Circus (4), Winston Eagle (3)
3.	Holset Miss Madison (2) , Holset Miss Mazda, Holset Miss U.S. Star, Gaylord's At Kilohana, Valvoline Miss Madison, Kellogg's Tony The Tiger, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Miss Madison (5), Miss Jasper Engines
4.	Miss T-Plus (2), Miss D.O.C. Acuvue (3), Jim Harvey Motorsports, ARC Construction (6), Trendwest Resorts, Miss KISS 106, Molson Jackhammer
5-	Miss Rock KISW-FM (6), Coors Light, Spirit of Hawaii, American Dream
7.	Atlas Van Lines (11), Miller American (1), Miller High Life (1), Race Rock Motor City Diner, ARC Construction (4), Spirit of San Diego, American Spirit (L), Miss Circus Circus (5)
8.	The Brake Shop (2), Lytle State Rep., Miss U.A.W., Miss Hanalei Hotel, Dallas Motor Coach, ARC Construction (5), Tide's American Spirit, American Spirit (2), Miss Wellness Plan (2), Buehler's Buy Low, Kroeger's, Appian Renegade, Miss Rock KISW-FM (5), Miss VONS, Miss Columbia Communications, Waffle House, Miss Jennifer, Miss Welborn Health Plans, Miss R.S. Eastin Hotels
9.	Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda,
10.	Risley's, Seaco Aviation Fuels (2), Holset Miss Madison (3), Miss D.O.C. (2), Miss Chiro Choice, Miss Met/ Lax, Oberto Wild Waves, Oh Boy! Oberto Beef, Oh Boy! Oberto Pork (2), Oh Boy! Oberto (7), Poly Dyn, Miss D.O.C. Ray Ban, Alvey's American Eagle, A-2 Communications, Cooper Express, Spirit of Lake Chelan, Kendall Motor Oil, Master Tire/Holset Turbo, Holset Turbos, Roostertail (2), Master Tire
11.	Atlas Van Lines (10), Spirit of America, Squire Shop (4), Oh Boy! Oberto (6), The Brake Shop (L), ARC Construction (3), Harvey Motor Sports, Miss T-Plus (1), Target Stores (2)
13.	Mr. Pringles (2), Executone (4), Ellis Park, Super Range Golf, Ultra Bold Dash, Tide, Pizza Time/Exide Lynnwood Honda
14.	International News, Phoenix Spirit, Miss A.P.B.A., Miss K.C., Miss Busler, Miss Kasey, Miss Cascade Homes, Miss Bayfair, Miss JN Automotive, Ron's Rods & Customs, Miss Wellness Plan Too, U-7 Racing, Cost Less Carpet
15.	Coors Dry, Miss Circus Circus (7)
17.	ARC Construction Special, Easter Seals, Jackpot Food Mart (2), Miss KPOI, Miss KPOI Gaylord's Kauai, Miss Pog, Taco Time, Miss Sprint, Appian Renegade (2)
19.	Winston Eagle (2)

 

Speed Profile '96 [Pt.1]
			5-5	6-2	6-9	6-30	7-7
	Completion % Full Season - Rank		Phoenix 1⅝	Detroit 2½	Kansas 2	Evnsvle 2	Madison 2½
1.	Smokin' Joe's (1)	Test	141.808	168.707	155.132	162.388	162.649
	.888 - 5th	Lap	135.166	152.515	149.822	150.232	150.446
		Heat	131.725	149.823	147.684	148.745	147.869
	( Finals Finished 6 of 6 )
2.	PICO American Dream (1)	Test	149.269	162.502	148.976		161.926
	1.000	Lap	141.577	152.181			149.244
	1.000 - 1st	Heat	140.851	149.328			145.738
	( Finals Finished 5 of 5 )
3.	PICO American Dream (2)	Test			155.692	159.067
	1.000	Lap			145.894	151.982
		Heat			142.745	148.659
	(Finals Finished 3 of 4 )
4.	Miss Budweiser (20)	Test	148.334	162.191	154.965	155.878	159.906
	.933	Lap	143.128	150.628	145.802		147.548
	.947 - 4th	Heat	139.760	148.772	144.579		142.575
	(Finals Finished 6 of 7 )
5.	Miss Budweiser (21)	Test	—	160.717	148.822	155.682	154.884
	1.000	Lap				144.396
		Heat				142.165
	(Finals Finished 2 of 2 )
6.	Jim Harvey Motorsports	Test		153.624	146.765	150.128	150.625
	.972 - 3rd	Lap		142.721	136.003	140.526	144.143
		Heat		138.155	134.985	139.223	140.309
	(Finals Finished 8 of 8 )
7.	DeWALT Tools	Test	136.031	150.400	145.349	147.095	149.207
	.972 - 2nd	Lap	131.736	139.352	133.484	135.624	138.810
		Heat	128.638	136.927	131.035	132.180	135.498
	(Finals Finished 7 of 8 )
8.	Lynnwood Honda	Test
	.833	Lap
		Heat
	(Finals Finished 2 of 3 )
9.	Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda	Test
	Miss VONS (2)	Lap
	.736	Heat
	(Finals Finished 1 of 3 )
10.	Appian Jeronimo (2)	Test	135.599	152.027	141.069	142.242	143.467
	U-99.9	Lap	132.563	142.816	139.419	139.600	135.030
	.735 - 7th	Heat	126.794	140.823	137.465	134.857	130.607
	( Finals Finished 4 of 4
11.	Computers & Applications (2)	Test			133.425	137.360	139.793
	.687 - 8th	Lap			137.083	138.283	129.633
		Heat			132,664	137.410	127.782
	( Finals Finished 2 of 4
12.	Miss E-Lam Plus (2)	Test
	.857	Lap
		Heat
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0
13.	Appian Jeronimo (1)	Test
	.333	Lap
		Heat
	(Finals Finished 0 of 0
14.	Mill Bay Casino	Test	119.578	144.071	132.458	136.387
	Spirit of Lake Chelan .653 - 9Th	Lap Heat	115.912 109.423	114.812 111.927	132.636 128.845	119.247 114.887	117.790 116.449
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0
15.	Miss Exide (4)	Test	133.045	140.174	138.058	132.509	134.056
	.777 - 6th	Lap	106.640	131.988	116.629	110.297	118.872
		Heat	102.273	129.578	113.171	101.227	116.626
	(Finals Finished 0 of 2
16.	Miss Wellness Plan Too	Test	112.452	135.101	126.901	133.331	126.406
	U-7 Racing	Lap		120.366	122.794	112.015	111.055
	.611	Heat	—	110.415	117.071	108.595	102.548
	(Finals Finished 0 of 1
17.	Miss Exide II	Test
	.888	Lap
		Heat
	(Finals Finished 0 of 0
18.	Outback Aussie Endeavor	Test
	. 500	Lap
		Heat
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0

 

[Speed Profile '96 Pt.2]
			7-28	8-4	8-11	9-15	10-13	2½ Mile
	Completion % Full Season - Rank		Pasco 2½	Seattle 2	Kelowna 2	S.Diego 2½	Hawaii 2½	Course Optimum
1.	Smokin' Joe's (1)	Test	166.027	156.301	157.044	165.627	164.983	168.707
	.888 - 5th	Lap	160.910	141.482	140.324	158.792	151.574	160.910
		Heat	156.830	138.643	133.523	157.367	146.698	157.367
	( Finals Finished 6 of 6 )
2.	PICO American Dream (1)	Test		111.991	152.886		154.903	162.502
	1.000	Lap		138.193	142.707		150.243	152.181
	1.000 - 1st	Heat		134.070	138.877		144.019	149.328
	( Finals Finished 5 of 5 )
3.	PICO American Dream (2)	Test	168.055 156.150	157.995		167.986		168.055
	1.000	Lap				159.422		159.422
		Heat	149.477			152.470		153.@@@
	(Finals Finished 3 of 4 )
4.	Miss Budweiser (20)	Test	162.482	152.088	151.569	164.465	160.734	164.465
	.933	Lap	153.035		143.315	155.524	151.610	155.524
	.947 - 4th	Heat	148.143		140.741	151.425	149.187	151.425
	(Finals Finished 6 of 7 )
5.	Miss Budweiser (21)	Test	158.537	152.749				160.717
	1.000	Lap		142.138				149.@@@
		Heat		141.080				147.@@@
	(Finals Finished 2 of 2 )
6.	Jim Harvey Motorsports	Test	155.497	141.493	144.245	150.434	151.281	155.497
	.972 - 3rd	Lap	146.073	129.510	135.527	153.633	141.064	153.633
		Heat	143.869	125.603	130.884	149.386	133.492	149.386
	(Finals Finished 8 of 8 )
7.	DeWALT Tools	Test	154.639	146.231	147.420	156.860	153.788	156.860
	.972 - 2nd	Lap	147.565	131.933	138.092	149.229	145.339	149.229
		Heat	144.325	131.171	135.542	147.153	143.078	147.153
	(Finals Finished 7 of 8 )
8.	Lynnwood Honda	Test	151.271	141.243			150.784	151.271
	.833	Lap	147.299	121.572			137.109	147.299
		Heat	143.638	119.601			133.404	143.638
	(Finals Finished 2 of 3 )
9.	Chaplin's Bellevue Mazda	Test	146.908	140.661	141.113	155.658	154.340	155.658
	Miss VONS (2)	Lap	139.149	127.251	130.489	142.241	139.050	142.241
	.736	Heat	137.551	124.521	129.536	140.903	138.465	140.903
	(Finals Finished 1 of 3 )
10.	Appian Jeronimo (2)	Test	147.856	133.891		137.889	143.367	152.027
	U-99.9	Lap	137.503	124.954		137.632	138.113	144. 000
	.735 - 7th	Heat	129.917	123.694		128.881		142.000
	( Finals Finished 4 of 4
11.	Computers & Applications (2)	Test	149.410	143.275	144.491	150.567	146.163	150.567
	.687 - 8th	Lap	136.436	126.238	127.966	139.295	138.500	143.000
		Heat	133.298	93.271	125.534	125.967	137.582	142.000
	( Finals Finished 2 of 4
12.	Miss E-Lam Plus (2)	Test	148.295	140.315				148.295
	.857	Lap	139.978	125.451				139.978
		Heat	138.528	121.423				138.528
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0
13.	Appian Jeronimo (1)	Test	148.687					148.687
	.333	Lap	136.604					136.604
		Heat	136.015					136.014
	(Finals Finished 0 of 0
14.	Mill Bay Casino	Test	146.242	138.515	130.149			146.242
	Spirit of Lake Chelan .653 - 9Th	Lap Heat	133.853 127.770	111.940 106.078	126.651 119.712	126.042 122.775		137.000 133.000
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0
15.	Miss Exide (4)	Test	139.686	132.962	127.544	134.076	130.382	143.000
	.777 - 6th	Lap	129.840	120.765	126.500	128.195	108.631	131.988
		Heat	122.777	106.977	119.343	124.165	105.050	129.578
	(Finals Finished 0 of 2
16.	Miss Wellness Plan Too	Test	135.414					138.000
	U-7 Racing	Lap	124.761					127.000
	.611	Heat	122.936					122.936
	(Finals Finished 0 of 1
17.	Miss Exide II	Test	133.893	128.907	125.804			133.893
	.888	Lap	124.153	105.088	111.813			124.153
		Heat	121.102	86.892	108.898			121.102
	(Finals Finished 0 of 0
18.	Outback Aussie Endeavor	Test	127.226	130.255				135.000
	. 500	Lap		113.447				118.000
		Heat		110.275				110.275
	( Finals Finished 0 of 0

 

1996

For 1996 the "Unlimiteds" would be limited to a fuel flow of 4.3 gallons per minute down from 4.7. This was in a further effort to save engine parts, limit speed and thereby narrow competition.

Some observers thought that 4.7 gallons per minute did not save that many engine parts.

Also in 1996 all turbines would be required to weigh 6200 lbs. up from 6000. Most leading entries had no trouble making 6000 lbs., but some of the lighter ones would be sensitive to the new 6200 lbs. restriction.

The Budweiser team built another hull for the new limitations known as Turbine V [T-5]. According to Bernie Little Turbine IV [T-4] was not a front runner due to the fuel restrictions of 1994 let alone those of 1996. Turbine III 95 [T-3] was still Budweiser's number one boat as Turbine II [T-2] was on display duty.

Smokin' Joe's retained their sponsorship, however Jim Harvey lost T-Plus. PICO American Dream stood to benefit from increased technical assistance from their Detroit sponsor. They also had a new lighter, wider hull to best deal with the new rule changes.

The hydros started out again at Phoenix with its short course and different eight boat format. In 1995 lane two was favored, but in 1996 lane one would be the place to be. In another change lane choice for the championship heat would be determined by elapsed time in the preliminary heats. Except for Waffle House beating DeWALT Tools in heat 1-B, the inside entry always triumphed.

Miss Budweiser 1995 lost lane choice for the final heat by hitting a buoy in her heat 2-C victory being required to run an extra lap. If this was not enough Budweiser incurred another lap penalty for striking a buoy leaving the pits to start the championship heat. PICO American Dream led Miss Budweiser at the end of five laps to win the Gila River Casino Unlimited Cup.

Miss Budweiser was off to a good start in defending her Gold Cup championship at Detroit by beating PICO in 1-A taking the heat by nine seconds. PICO American Dream won heat 2-B and then its only real opposition was eliminated in the initial turn of heat 2-B when Miss Budweiser crashed into Smokin' Joe's. Joe was out for the duration, but Budweiser came back in heat 3-B to gain a first with Mark Evans at the wheel. Evans got 149 m.p.h. out of the boat in contrast to Chip Hanauer's 150, however he was seven seconds behind the winning PICO American Dream in the final heat whereas Hanauer led PICO by the aformentioned nine seconds' in' 1-A.

After the Gold Cup Chip Hanauer like Jim Kropfeld in 1989 had some reservations as to how the Budweiser hull was set up. He did not feel confortable in the boat and resigned his position as driver.

Since 1992 Chip Hanauer had had five significant accidents with Miss Budweiser as opposed to none with Fran Muncey from 1982 to 1988, one with Circus Circus (89-90} and one with Squire Shop during his tenure from 1978 to 1981. Steve Woomer’s boat went over once from 1992 to 1996 as had Jim Harvey's T-Plus.

Smokin' Joe's had four m.p.h. on Miss Budweiser and PICO American Dream at Kansas City and won the Hydrofair by five seconds in the determinative encounter. PICO American Dream was next followed by Miss Budweiser. Smokin' Joe's was defeated by Miss Budweiser in heat 2-B, however she came back in 3-B to even the score. The new 1996 PICO got the better of Miss Budweiser in heat 1-B.

Budweiser 1996 debuted. at Evansville as she equaled the 1995 boat's qualifying speed. The debut was less than scintillating as the new Bud could not defeat either Smokin' Joe's or the 1996 PICO American Dream,

The 1996 PICO was ahead by a roostertail in the initial turn of the final heat. At this point Smokin' Joe's was behind Budweiser.

PICO went on to win the Thunder-On-The-Ohio by seven seconds as once Joe got by Budweiser she could not catch the Fred Leland entry.

Budweiser went back to Turbine III 95 at Madison, but she faired little better than the new Turbine V. She could not get out of second place being only three m.p.h. off the pace in contrast to Turbine V's seven m.p.h. at Evansville.

Smokin' Joe's beat the 94-95 PICO American Dream in heat 3-B and then took her measure in the final when PICO in lap three tried to go inside to get first place yet was washed down instead. Miss Budweiser led at the start of the heat, but she suffered the same fate as PICO getting her dose of roostertail in lap two. Miss Budweiser was able to recover to take advantage of PICO's misfortune to finish in the runner-up position in the Indiana Governor's Cup.

The Fred Leland team went back to their new hull for the Tri-Cities and won the championship heat when Smokin' Joe's had stability problems. The 1995 Miss Budweiser came closer to catching PICO than Smokin' Joe's before going dead in the water during lap three.

Smokin' Joe's did beat PICO American Dream in heat 2-C.in contrast to Miss Budweiser, who could not defeat either of her main antagonists throughout the regatta. Nineteen boats were at Pasco representing 16 teams — one of the best turnouts in years.

Fifteen teams showed up at Seattle for Seafair - the best attendance since 1988. In the Tri-Cities fifteen of the sixteen entries qualified so the U.R.C. broke their rules and allowed a section C — a common sense decision. At Seattle 14 boats qualified and instead of leaving two qualified entries on the beach, it was decided to run a trailer in sections A and B.

PICO 1996 blew over in a pre-race trial forcing Fred Leland to run the 1994-95 American Dream — his back-up hull. PICO 1996 was maybe four m.p.h. faster. Budweiser also ran their #2 1996 boat when it proved to quicker in qualifying than Budweiser 1995. Smokin' Joe's had a reserve entry, however she was not competitive with their #1 charger.

Miss Budweiser posted the fastest lap of the regatta and beat Smokin' Joe's in 1-B. Nevertheless in the ensuing heats the Anheuser-Busch entry was defeated twice by PICO American Dream. PICO and Smokin' Joe's did not meet in the preliminary contests.

PICO American Dream prevailed in the final heat by three m.p.h. over Smokin' Joe's, who had some compressor stall. Miss Budweiser 1996 battled Joe for second all the way yet lost by one second when she fell in a hole on the last lap.

The hydros returned to Kelowna, British Columbia in 1996 after being absent from Lake Okanagan for almost 30 years. Only ten of the 15 teams that raced in Seattle showed up in Canada. The final heat was blown off the Lake, so the Molson Thunderfest was decided on preliminary heat points. Smokin' Joe's therefore was eliminated from the get-go since she failed to start heat 1-A.

Miss Budweiser 1995 and PICO American Dream 1994-95 met in all three preliminaries with PICO getting the advantage: two to one to annex the trophy although Budweiser had the fastest lap at 143.315.

PICO American Dream was next at 142.707 m.p.h.

PICO American Dream 1996 won all her elimination heats at San Diego, but banged up her hull and was unable to make the championship heat. She beat Smokin' Joe's twice although penalized to fourth in heat 1-A and Budweiser once. Smokin' Joe's defeated Miss Budweiser twice prior to the final heat, however when it really counted it was a different story.

Smokin' Joe's jumped out in front in the championship heat and kept a close margin on Miss Budweiser 1995 until the first turn of the third lap where the Bernie Little entry pulled even. Smokin' Joe's lost about 10 m.p.h. in speed during lap three and driver Mark Evans produced his first win for Anheuser-Busch by six seconds.

Fred Leland and his PICO American Dream had the High Point Championship wrapped up heading into the last race of the year at Honolulu. Their 1996 hull was in need of repairs so old lucky American Dream 1994-95 became the standard bearer. Budweiser left their new boat in Seattle and competed with the 1995 Miss Budweiser.

Miss Budweiser driver Mark Evans did a good impression of Chip Hanauer when he took all four heats to win the JN Automotive Hydrofest. Budweiser beat both PICO and Smokin' Joe's in the preliminaries and then PICO again in the final heat to capture the trophy. Smokin' Joe's lost to both PICO and Budweiser in the elimination heats and then failed to start the final. PICO American Dream seemed to be an uninspired entry for most of the regatta as the World High Point Championship had been decided in her favor and driver Dave Villwock had signed to pilot the Miss Budweiser in 1997

Both PICO American Dream 1994-95 and PICO 1996 won races during the season with the old PICO leading the new one four to two. However the 1996 PICO American Dream appeared to be markedly faster.

[Statistics from Greene, V.2]