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2.5 Modified Class Welcome To The Little Cracker Hydroplane Racing Website, Catch up on the Happenings in the American 2.5 Modified Class on this page John Shewbrooks Class Representative Interview with Mike Weber 
Mike Weber gets airborne while piloting the Miss EMCOR unlimited hydroplane in the Columbia Cup. Weber landed upright and was uninjured This 2.5 Litre Modified Class Newsletter features an exclusive interview with Unlimited Hydroplane racer Mike Weber. I appreciate Mike taking his time to answer my many questions about hydroplane racing. I asked for his opinion on many topics and I got it! I respect his honest and forthright response to each question. For those of you that don’t know Mike, his name has been synonymous with Hydroplane racing for many years. He drove a Grand Prix hydroplane for a few years, currently drives a 5 Litre Hydroplane, but he is best known as the driver of the USA Partners Unlimited Hydroplane U-10. His brother Mark drove for this team prior to a business venture that placed priority on his time. His youngest brother Steve does a masterful job of driving the family 5 Litre Limited Inboard Hydroplane. Now, enjoy the interview! 1. John: I know you received a back injury in the U-10 Unlimited hydroplane last year. How are you feeling now? Mike: Actually pretty good. The fractured vertebrae have healed and are not a problem. I also bruised my tail bone in the accident and that has been a little slower to heal. But I ran 4 races at the end of the season in the 5 Litre with only a little soreness. I'm ready for the snowmobile season! 2. John: What are your racing plans for 2005? Mike: That has not been decided. Kim Gregory has the team in a holding pattern to see where the sport is going. If he decides to race next year than I guess we will sit down and discuss who will be the driver. 3. John: Do you plan to return to Unlimited Hydroplane competition? Mike: I certainly hope to, if the opportunity presents itself. I feel like I still have some unfinished business there. And I would hate to see my Unlimited career end with an ambulance ride! 4. John: Do you like driving your five litre or an unlimited the best? Mike: That's a tough question because I love racing in any class. Reaching the highest level of our sport is truly an honor and I feel like the U-10 team and our boat were really looking good going into the 2004 season. That was exciting! But I am a 5 Litre guy at heart. There is nothing better than coming down for a start with 9 other guys so evenly matched and wearing each others paint colors! I love the competition and the challenge in both classes. 5. John: What is it like to drive an unlimited compared to a five litre? Mike: People are surprised when I tell them how similar the 2 classes are. You have severely restricted engines in boats you have to really fly to go fast. The restrictions in the Unlimiteds have made the starts even more critical and guys are starting to fight hard for lane 1.... sound familiar?. The biggest difference is (obviously) the speed, the sometimes brutal conditions we race Unlimiteds in, the holes left by the huge Unlimited skid fins and the physical strength it takes to drive a 6,800 lb boat. 6. John: In your opinion, what does the future look like for Unlimited Hydroplanes? Mike: I am very concerned for the sport. The owners are back in control and history shows that did not work in the past. I am also concerned about the race sites having so much control in this new organization. Other questions include: will there be restrictions imposed to keep the show exciting? Who will hand down those restrictions? Is there sponsorship to run the sport? Is there a TV package to attract sponsorships? How many teams have the funding to run the full schedule? I believe Gary Garbrecht had Hydro-Prop headed in the right direction but he couldn't attract the sponsorship to put the sport over the top. If he had a million dollar payout at the end of the season would those owners and sites have gone outlaw? No way! I guess time will tell what happens next. 7. John: Do you think the Miss Budweiser team will continue under different sponsorship? Mike: As I understand it, the team members have gone on to new jobs and only Mark Smith is still working at the shop. Joe Little loves the racing team but I think Mrs. Little and the family decided it was time to move on. 8. John: The Detroit River Regatta Association (DRRA) acquired the assets of the Unlimited Hydroplane Tour, Inc. of Orlando, Florida. Do you think that this will bring Unlimited Hydroplane racing back under APBA sanction? Mike: Tom D'Eath is working hard to make that happen but I am not confident he will succeed, at least in the near future. For the new group to come to APBA they would have to be under Tom's control, per the agreement he purchased from Trent Ling (who bought out Hydro-Prop.) And that is the reason they split away from H-P in the first place. There is a lot of mistrust and hard feelings that would have to be fixed before that happens. So for now, Tom D'Eath has a 1 race series..... but he also has the Gold Cup. That may be the motivating force in some people getting there heads out of their butts and fixing this thing! (Did I say that?) 9. John: Mike, I know that you have always been an active leader in Inboard Racing, having served as Commissioner and Inboard Chair. What is your involvement in hosting the 2005 APBA National Meeting? Mike: I was the one who went to APBA to bring the convention to Atlanta; and will serve as the Chairman. We are doing this because we are trying to build a new club here in Region 14.... the Georgia Powerboat Racing Association. We hope that this convention will provide the seed money needed to host a multi-category race near Atlanta in the future. We have some great folks working to make that happen. 10. John: What is your profession? Mike: I am an engineer for General Motors, currently working in the Doraville, GA assembly plant as a part of our new "crossover sport utility van" (minivan!) Quality Launch Team. This project ends in December and my next assignment is undecided. I am going to China this month to do some training for the folks at our assembly plant in Shanghai. 11. John: What are your hobbies? Mike: Besides racing for an Unlimited team, co-owning a 5 Litre team and restoring my Vintage boat, Les Brown's second "Long Gone"? I have 3 kids and 2 are in college. That's all the hobbies I can afford! Oh, and I follow NASCAR pretty close and host a gang twice a year for the Atlanta races. I confess, I am a Tony Stewart fan since Mike Skinner lost his ride. That always gets a reaction! 12. John: Describe a typical day in your life. Mike: That would put the rest of these folks to sleep for sure! Suffice it to say that my days are made up of family, General Motors and APBA activities, in one form or another! Happy Holidays everybody...... and may 2005 bring you a SAFE and successful season of good racing with good friends! Thanks again Mike! See you in Atlanta. John Shewbrooks November 1st 2004 - 2.5 Litre Modified Class News John Shewbrooks Class Representative Behind the scenes at Morgan City: Attached is a picture of Glenn & Eileen Koutney at Morgan City, Louisiana. Eileen’s hobby is horses. As we all know, Glenn’s hobby is making his 2.5 litre modified hydroplane super fast. 
It was fascinating to see our racing friends from the deep South near their homes. We are so used to seeing the Mashburns, the English family, the Allens, and several others at races in Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, and other stops along the inboard tour. It is easy to forget how far they travel to race. The Morgan City race served as a vivid reminder to many of us just how far it is down to Louisiana. There was a lot of excitement among the local community to have racing return to town. It has been 15 years since Inboards had competed in the area. Our racing had been such a big part of many of their lives. The Siracusa family and many others had lived this sport. They had been without boat racing for many years and were excited to have it back. There were thousands of fans there. Many talked of all the racing that they had seen years ago. Business leaders and City officials were supportive of the event. This will become a big race in the future. Don Mashburn was instrumental in this race as was Oren Dupree, Billy Allen, Judy Allen, Bruce Broussard, and many others. You would not believe what Don did behind the scenes for this race. Friday night, he held a party at his house with several racers and loads of Cajun cooking, cold beer, tours of the boat building shop, and fellowship with many old friends. Remember John Prevost? He was at Mashburn’s party. John drove the unlimited hydroplane Circus Circus. A memorable day in racing occurred when John Prevost in Circus Circus and Ron Snyder in Miss Madison flipped at exactly the same moment. I believe this happened in San Diego. The footage of that crash was shown on TV hundreds of times. Don paid the motel bill for several of us that made it to Lafayette on Friday. Thanks Don! While in town, we toured Don’s Machine shop. His business is scattered around town and employs about 60 people. Don’s daughters Kim Graham and Katherine Vincent were a pleasure to meet. Saturday afternoon, one of Don’s employees, Marshall Landry cooked dinner for all the drivers and crew members. Marshall was asked, “Has Don told you what you are supposed to be doing at Mashburn Machine?” Marshall’s reply, “Making Money”. Marshall was cooking on Don’s BBQ trailer. Marshall admitted that Don knows how to make many things but has no idea how to cook. Sunday was Mashburn’s day as his A 60, Mr. Bud, won the race to the delight of several fans. No one deserved this win anymore than the Mashburn team. Randy English works hard to keep this boat out front. Congratulations to all. The big news of the weekend was Chris Oliver’s purchase of a new Staudacher 2.5 litre modified hydroplane from the Don Mashburn team. Chris has shown tremendous potential with his ½ of a Chevy V8. Now he will have a hull to handle the power. I am thrilled to see this five time National Champion return to his winning days. Chris is one of my racing heroes. He was wining Championships at a time when hydroplane racing was at it height of participation and competitiveness. Good luck with the new Every Penny, A 4! Glenn Koutney ran great until a broken fuel pump drive shortened his weekend. Mike Allen drove a beautiful race running some laps over 100 MPH average. Glenn and Eileen will be great next year racing out of their summer home in Michigan. The 5 litre class was a hit. Mike Weber looked good all weekend in the Weber brothers’ new boat. John Ballero stole the show in his Alottazip, E9. He had amazing acceleration. He won everything in an old wood Staudacher hull. Congratulations John. Back to the 2.5 Mods, Tommy Thompson did not have a good weekend in Mr. Bud II. Better times next year. Quote of the Week — “All of life is education and everybody is a teacher and everybody is forever a pupil.” - Abraham Maslow John Shewbrooks September 1st 2004 - 2.5 Litre Modified Class News John Shewbrooks Class Representative My friends from Seattle, Justin Weymouth and team are in Celina, Ohio. Justin called this evening and commented that the water is rough today. The weather will change for the weekend and smooth water will be the case. I can’t wait for the Region 6 folks see this boat go. The A 20 boat will be the class of the field. The following was recently posted on the Inboard Racing chat line: “Justin, Mark, Dustin and crew. What a class act you people have been all year. What better representatives could we have from the left coast? Godspeed. Mack NM33. Good Luck to both #20 boats!! Have a great time Justin, Mark, Shelly and Dustin. Bring home some hardware!!! E-4 Miss Shoreline Sign & Awning, Bryan, Mick, Renee & the Gang.” It is neat to see this type of support for the team. My Sho nuff has gone through a rebuilding this week. It has a new alternator, rebuilt ignition, and other parts. David Pagano will be driving some heats this weekend. David is from Australia. Chris Cordle will be driving in the 2.5 litre modified class heats. I hear that the race at Louisville, Kentucky is canceled. This comes from Billy Noonan. The race lost their primary sponsor. Hopes are to hold the event next year. I hear that a race has been added to the schedule at Ocoee, Florida, on October 30 & 31, 2004. Mike Zorzi plans on being at the Wildwood Crest, New Jersey race in his Staudacher hull. The boat is the old Bandit which was raced by Joe Longo for many years. Mike won a qualifying heat at Hampton on Saturday! I read that HydroProp has sold Trent Ling. I read that Trent is a Lawyer and a Minister. I do not know if Tom D’Eath is with the new owner. Best of luck to all in this new venture. This article makes mention of the Mashburn team’s record at Michigan. Jeff Ayler reports Hampton results as follows: "A" 2.5 Litre Modified 1st A-60 Mr. Bud...Nicky Pellerin 2nd A-29 Special Edition...Ann Fitzgerald 3rd A-37 Sonic Speed...Tim Struzek Before the final heat, winds kicked up creating the worst water conditions of the day for the 2.5 Litre Modifieds. The race went on with Nicky Pellerin picking boats off one by one on the outside. Pellerin gained the lead after lap two going to victory at 85.657 MPH. Ann Fitzgerald's return to hydro wars in 2004 gave her the silver finish. Tim Struzek was third in Bill McCowan's Sonic Speed. One of the favorites was Jim Aid in A-33 In Cahoots Again but a DNF took the A-33 out of contention.” John Shewbrooks August 11th - 2.5 Litre Modified Class News John Shewbrooks Class Representative There is no finer boat racing experience than to come to Kent Island Maryland for their early August event. I spent time with Larry Lauterbach at his shop in the area. He has built a beautiful 2 seat vintage hydroplane! It is between the size of a Grand Prix and an Unlimited. This will be a hit with everyone who has ever been bitten with the hydroplane bug. It is always fun to hear the stories at the Kent Island race party on Friday night. Chuck Miller, driver of the 2.5 litre modified hydroplane Whoopee was the focus of attention in my conversation with his two older sisters Mimi and Carla. Their friend had explained that Chuck was a royal pain in the hind end (PIA) as a child but she said he grew up to be a hot guy. Sister Mimi and Carla went on to explain that their younger brother Chuck was always into mischief. His sisters were having a party one rainy night. Everyone removed their shoes before entering the house for the party. Chuck went out and tied everyone's shoe laces together connecting dozens of shoes. Chuck got the nickname Crash Miller at an early age. When he started driving, he tore down a fence, wrecked seven cars, and tore the door off of a motor home. As a child his sisters would dress Chuck up as a girl every Halloween. They would make him wear a dress, complete with makeup. On one of his childhood Christmas holidays, Chuck had to explain to the Police why he was taking bulbs from outdoor decorations to pop on the streets. Well Chuck grew up to be one of our finest racers. He is married and has two beautiful children. His father Charles, owner of Whoopee, is a legend in the class as our most senior competitor. Saturday night is another party. They serve all of the Maryland Crab that you can eat along with corn and all of the free beer you can drink. I enjoyed crabs and beer with Dennis Macey, Ralph Baker, David Baker, Jim Hunt, Elizabeth Wolfe, and others. Later JR (Jim) Robinson took Jim Hunt, Mike Reisender, and me out for some bar hopping around the Chesapeake Bay nightspots in his 18 foot center console Wellcraft. It was a great time. They had a great boat race too! Ann Fitgerald won in Sandy Thompson's beautiful hydroplane that Larry Lauterbach drove for many years. My racing hero Chris Oliver ran second in his Datsun powered Every Penny. Third was Tim Struzek driving Bill McCowan's V6 powered boat. Eric Sylvia and Mike Zorzi did not make a start. My Sho nuff had a broke valve but finished fourth. Chuck Miller has a bad day with engine trouble. I returned to Ohio Sunday morning and will report the second day results later. John Shewbrooks  
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Cracker Hydroplane Racing Team 2004 - 2009 |