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TBPNews #108 – January 14,
2007
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>>>> Tunnel Boat Performance News
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In this issue:
1) "Flying
Dutchman" Van der Velden - World F1 Champ/Legend Dies"
2) Gillman
Wins 4th F1 World Championship
3) ChampBoat
Series Announces 2007 Schedule
4) Mike Allen Named
U-7 Unlimited Boat Driver
5)
ZapCat Racing to make
UAE Debut
6) Powerboat Racing on TV
7) Jimboat's Feature articles
******************** TBPNews
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1) "Flying
Dutchman" Van der Velden - World F1 Champ/Legend Dies
Switzerland
– 28 December 2006 – One of the cornerstone’s of the sport of power
boating racing died yesterday when Dutch native Cees Van der Velden lost his
battle to cancer which ended his 40 year association with the sport.
The native of Nistelrode, Holland entered boat racing in 1966 at the age of 23.
In his 24 years of racing, Cees won 7 World Championships missing a possible 8th
in 1976 because of an accident. The original “Flying Dutchman” joined
the catamaran class in 1970 and in just two seasons won his first World Title
while defeating legend in Renato Molinari of Como, Italy his teammate at the
time, in a Molinari designed boat. After racing with Team Mercury for 4 years,
Cees joined Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) in the winter of 1974.
Cees, was now free to design and race his own boats at OMC and relished in this
environment. Van der Velden was in his prime in the 1970’s winning the ON
class titles in 1974, 1975 and 1979, while winning the Continental ON titles in
1974, 1976, 1978 and 1979. He also captured the Continental OZ title in 1977,
1978, 1980 and 1981.
When the sport changed and OMC moved to the V-8 class for the 1981 opening U.I.M.
F1 World Championship season, Cees was right there in the thick of it, fighting
old rival Molinari at the very first race in Como, Italy in July of that year,
taking 2nd place. Two years later, he would win the race in 1983 and finish
either 2nd or 3rd in the World Championship fight the first four years the title
was held. His 8 career wins marks him 6th all-time in the U.I.M. F1 drivers
victory column.
He went on to be a U.I.M. Commissioner and work on the appeals board into this
2006 season. Cees is widely known for his safety innovations. He helped develop
the first power steering system for pilots, worked on the first survival
capsule, and explored adjustable sponsons as well as wings and even brakes that
were innovate but not always right for their time.
A true, racer, boat builder, technician, official and innovator Cees gave and we have all benefited from it.
Check out details at:
www.f1boat.com
******************* TBPNews
*******************
2) Gillman Wins 4th F1 World Championship:
No one who attended the opening round of the 25th Anniversary season of the
U.I.M. F1 World Championship at the Grand Prix of Qatar, could have imaged that
this years long struggle for supremacy on the water would come down to a
dramatic 50 lap shootout, 8 months later at the Grand Prix of Sharjah.
When the smoke cleared, it was the American Scott Gillman standing tall and
capturing his 4th World Title in 10 years. His championship gave the Emirates
Team their most dominate season in their brief history of the sport.
Rather than proving he was fastest, as he showed in 2005, by leading every race
but failing to capture the title. This time around, he was consistent, finishing
with a win at the Grand Prix of China, while reaching the podium 4 different
times in the six races to take the title with 69 points.
Gillman pulled off a real gamble at his home Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi where he
switched boat hulls from his older DAC to a new BABA boat. He would
eventually finish 2nd in the race before electing to switch back to the DAC for
the season finale in Sharjah. The 47 year-old has now taken the title two of the
last three seasons. His four titles have now moved him into 2nd place all-time
along with 22 wins and 51 podiums in just 86 career starts.
Defending World Champion Guido Cappellini of the Tamoil Team lost the title
despite winning half the races taking wins at the Grand Prix’s of Portugal,
Como and Abu Dhabi. His failures to finish at the opening round at Doha along
with another mechanical miscue at Sharjah spelled disaster for his run at his
10th championship. His 65 points were enough for 2nd in the title ledger.
Check out details at: www.f1boat.com
******************* TBPNews
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3) ChampBoat Series Announces 2007 Schedule
ChampBoat
Grand Prix Series, North America’s premier powerboat racing series, announced
details for the 2007 ChampBoat Grand Prix Series and the all new Champ 2
Championships.
During the high profile mid-town Manhattan luncheon during NASCAR’s grand
week, the ChampBoat Series laid out plans for new events, new management and new
sponsorship promotions including state of the art on-water sponsor signage,
corporate box suites and new and improved HD television production. The series
schedule grows again in 2007 with several new events, and the return of many
classic events.
2007 ChampBoat Grand Prix Series
May 19-20 ChampBoat Masters Augusta, GA 1/2 C
Jun 23-24 Bay City River Roar Bay City, MI 1/2/3 C
Jun 30-July 1 Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta Pittsburgh, PA 1 TBC
Jul 21-22 Grand Prix at Minneapolis Aquatennial Minneapolis, MN 1/2 C
Aug 4-5 Bud Light Grand Prix of St. Louis St. Louis, MO 1/2 C
Aug 18-19 Belterra Casino Grand Prix of Kentucky Warsaw, KY 1/2 C
Sept 2-3 Roar of the Rockies Windsor, CO 1 C
Sept. 15-16 Grand Prix of New York New York, NY 1 C
Sept 29-30 Grand Prix of Connecticut TBA 1 C
Oct 13-14 Grand Prix of Savannah Savannah, GA 1 TBC
Nov 3-4 Grand Prix of Florida TBA 1 TBC
Check out details at: http://www.champboat.com
******************* TBPNews
*******************
4) Mike Allen Named U-7 Unlimited Boat Driver
39-year-old
New Orleans native Mike Allen has been hired as the driver of the U-7 Unlimited
Hydro.
This will be Allen’s rookie year in the Unlimited Hydro class, but he is already a three-time inductee into the American Power Boat Association’s Hall of Champions. Mike Allen may not be a well-known name in Unlimited Hydroplane racing circles, but his name is very familiar within the Inboard racing ranks across North America. Through the 1990’s, Mike with his father, Billy Allen, established themselves as true contenders in the Inboard flatbottom classes winning several national high point and north American championships in both the Super Stock and KRR flatbottom racing classes. In 2001 Allen found new success in the 5 Litre Hydroplane class and by 2002, dominated this highly competitive hydro class winning the Eastern Divisionals, Summer Nationals, and UIM World Championship title. He was also the 5 Litre National High Point Champion of the APBA.
Possibly the strongest piece in Mike Allen’s arsenal will be his 15+ years
experience racing flatbottom-style powerboats. While few flatbottom
drivers have attempted the transition to Unlimited Hydros, their success is
legendary. Most notable is the current driver of the U16, Dave Villwock. George
Stratton and George Woods were also K-Boat racing champions before switching to
the Unlimited Hydro class. And each holds memorable rankings in the Unlimited
Hydroplane history books.
******************* TBPNews
*******************
5) ZapCat Racing to make
UAE Debut
The
UAE may be the new frontier for the new Zapcat Powerboat Racing Series as early
as next season.
Alan Linnitt, Managing Partner from Zapcat Racing, is currently in the UAE to
set up the series' new office here and recruit new faces for the sport of
powerboat racing. Zapcat boats are 4x2 metre catamarans with 50hp engines
capable of going up to speeds of 100kph. The UK-based series took off as
recently as 2001 and has seen a sudden surge in other countries such as Norway,
Finland, Sweden, Portugal and Spain.
******************* TBPNews *******************
6) Powerboat Racing on TV
*** "Thrill Zone: Extreme
Powerboats" -
National Geographic powerboat show.
Author Jim Russell (Jimboat) is powerboat design technical consultant on a new
National Geographic special for "Thrill Zone"
series...Watch our website for the Next Show scheduled.
Details at: (channel.nationalgeographic.com)
Watch for other show dates on AR's website! www.aeromarineresearch.com/NatGeo_thrill-zone.html
*** "Champ Boat Grand Prix Series" - on SPEED Channel - Check for next show at: www.champboat.com or at: www.speedtv.com
*** "F1 World Championship TV Show" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; Tuesday Jan. 16, 2007 3:00pm ET. [see web site for other show times]
*** NEW "War On Water" TV Show" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; Next Show is on: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007 at 6:00pm ET. [see web site for other show times]
*** "American Powerboat Television" on The Water Channel - Check it out at: www.waterchannel.com; Next Show is on: Thursday Jan. 18, 2007 at 8:00pm ET [see web site for other show times]
[Ed. Note: The Water Channel is available
on The Dish Network]
******************** TBPNews
*******************
7) Jimboat's Feature articles
Jimboat writes Feature articles in HotBoat, Family&Performance Boating, World of Powerboats, Extreme Boats magazines.
-
'The Bottom Line'-"Why does a Pad make a vee Hull faster?" -
F&PB-Sept 2005
- "10
Smokin' Speed Secrets Revealed..." -
HB-Feb2005
-
"Winterizing your Performance Outboard" - F&PB-Jan2005
-
"What a Drag" - 'Trim Angle & Engine Height Can Reduce Drag and
Increase Speed' - HB-Sept2004
-
"10 Safety Tips" - 'Ten Safety Ideas for High Performance Go-Fast
Boats' - HB-Aug2004
- "Flight
Path" - 'Where does Lift Come From?' - HB-April2004
- "Rocket
Science" - 'How To Increase Your Hull's Design Speed With Aerodynamics' -
World of Powerboats-Winter2004
-
"Tunnel
Vision" - 'What Factors Influence Tunnel Hull Performance' - Extreme
Boats-April2003
- "Step-by-Step"
-
'Step
Design in Powerboats' - TBPNews #88, October 2005
******************** TBPNews
*******************
See you next time!
/Jimboat
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