Sunset Hydrofest Race Results

WILDWOOD CREST- Since 2001, Event Coordinator Ann Fitzgerald, has has brought racing crafts to the Wildwoods Hydrofest, an event sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association and the Canadian Boating Federation. Racing five blocks west of the Atlantic Ocean on the bay area known as Sunset Lake, this nine year event held in Wildwood Crest, is an event that continues to draw visitors from Canada as well as the entire northeast from Maine to the Carolinas.
Sunset Lake is a natural racing venue giving race fans full view of the approximate one-mile race course. The ten blocks that border the bay are converted in a race site consisting of 6 blocks of Marketplace and 4 blocks of a protected fenced pit area.
The 2009 race was special with the first New Jersey Governor’s Cup awarded to the weekends top performer; teams also competed for the North American Championships.
The North American Championships races were to be held Saturday, October 10, but 25 to 30 mph west winds made for white caps on the surface of Sunset Lake; dangerous racing conditions forced the committee to cancel Saturday’s racing and push the NAC into Sunday. Sunday, October 11, was ideal weather–sunny skies and a nip of wind gave the event a cool crisp Autumn-like day for the thousands of fans on the shoreline to witness exciting racing.
Eight racing classes were in Wildwood Crest; five classes qualified for the North American Championships due to the four-boat legal starter rule. Classes eligible were 1.5 Litre Stock, 2.5 Litre Stock, 5 Litre, Jersey Speed Skiff, and Pro Stock.
Those give classes would also battle for the New Jersey Governor’s Cup trophy. The NJ Governor’s Cup guidelines require the first heat of the weekend for each class to have at least five legal starters in order to be eligible. The New Jersey Governor’s Cup is based on best overall performance for the weekend and ties are broken by the driver who comes closet to or exceeds the one-mile course competition record in the APBA Inboard category.
Four drivers were tied with two wins each. Michael Smith in PS-24, Brandon Kennedy in T-1, Marc Theoret in CS-444, and David Greenlaw & Bobby Kennedy in JS-99.
The state of New Jersey was represented by Chief Of Staff Wali Abdul-Salaam for Governor Jon Corzine. Mr. Abdul-Salaam and Ann Fitzgerald presented the first New Jersey Governor’s Cup to David Greenlaw, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy from the JS-99 Veri Cheri team. It was a special win for Greenlaw who drives the racing skiff for his legendary father and team owner, Dave Greenlaw, Sr., winner of many championships in the past.
Results below are from the final heats of the North American Championships.
Jersey Speed Skiff
1st: JS-99, David Greenlaw & Bobby Kennedy
2nd: JS-13, Tom Pakradooni and Patrick Dender
3rd: JS-9, Robert Presley & Kenny Walton
The first heat for the Jersey Speed Skiffs had eight boats answer the start. Greenlaw in lane two led the field into the first turn. In lane one, Jimmie Stewart & Peg Ewancio in the JS-100, Summer Storm, lost handle of the craft and started to drift into the racing lanes of others in turn one–a chain reaction resulted. T.J. Sohn and Rob Flayhart in the JS-66, owned by Mitch Brown, got catapulted into a barrel roll. Two other boats got caught in the mix and had to withdraw from the competition–Rob Garratano & Keith McMullen in the JS-62 Smoke On The Water and Mark Johnson and Robert Wood in JS-6 Built For Pleasure. A scary looking incident saw no serious injuries occur but it wiped out half the field of Jersey Speed Skiffs.
In the re-start and final it was all Greenlaw and Kennedy in the 99; the Veri Cheri had pressure, however, on their outside wake from Bill Darby’s JS-13 Darby’s Rapture “GEICO”.
Pro Stock
1st: PS-24, Michael Smith
2nd: PS-122, Dominic Cournoyer
3rd: PS-100, Kenny Walton
Michael Smith won twice but it was not with ease as pressure was supplied from veteran David Paraskevas in Hank and Peggy Wendt’s PS-529. Paraskevas led early on in the heat race but rough water slowed the 529 half way up the back chute; he settled for second behind Smith. In the final, Paraskevas had a great start and a nice lead but, again, half way through the heat, Paraskevas pull into the infield and shut down for a DNF and Smith soaring to the win.
1.5 Litre Stock
1st: T-1, Brandon Kennedy
2nd: T-5, Jimmy McMullen
3rd: T-24, Kenny Walton
Brandon Kennedy won twice. The heat race was an easy win with Brandon being the only legal starter; the other pilots were itchy on the throttle to the line and it resulted in all of them getting a gun-jumping penalty. In the final, Kennedy had to work his way through the field and won at the last second with a boat length win over Steve Armstrong in the CT-11.
2.5 Litre Stock
1st: CS-444, Marc Theoret
2nd: CS-00, Kent Henderson
3rd: S-999, Kenny Walton
Eleven 2.5’s tried the waters of Sunset Lake. Heat 1-A was Bobby Kennedy winning in the S-88 Playin’ Again; Jimmy McMullen was second with S-76, Back ‘N Blue; Robert Wood took third in the S-69.
Heat 1-B was Marc Theoret winning over Kent Henderson and Kenny Walton.
The final had Theoret in lane one with Kennedy in lane two. Theoret had the better start leading wire to wire in the final. Kennedy chased Theoret closely but in turn two of lap three, his S-88 hit some rough water and hooked. Kennedy re-started, but finished off the podium. The S-88 owned by Sam and Yvonne Horner will travel to Morgan City, LA next weekend to keep their points lead in the 2.5 Litre Stock.
5 Litre
1st: E-816, Tom Thompson
2nd: E-50, Scott Liddycoat
3rd: E-43 Jim Martin
Eleven 5 Litres were in the Wildwoods and as usual, the 5 Litres were true to their reputation of giving race fans exciting racing.
Heat 1-A was 5 Litre national champion point-contender Jim Martin of Virginia winning in his E-43 over Bert Henderson in CE-8; Marc LeCompte of Quebec took third in CE-104. Martin, who led the entire heat, is in a tight 5 Litre point battle with other 5 Litre teams; he will be travelling to Morgan City, LA for racing October 17 and 18 for a final quest to win the national high-points championship.
Heat 1-B was wild with penalties. Quebec racer Ghislain Marcoux won 1-B but in dare-devil fashion. Marcoux rode the roostertail of Joe Less in E-500 in turn two on lap one; the bright orange craft had the crowd wide-eyed as it wavered up on the spray of water behind the E-500. He landed and made a recovery to finish with a win. Bill Chew of Pennville was penalty free in E-48 finishing second. Joe Less out of New York, the physical winner, settled for third after a one minute penalty.
In the final heat Tom Thompson of Maryland in E-816 starting in lane one took this one all the way in front. Plenty of action took place behind Thompson for the other positions. Jim Martin came across the start/line in last and then worked his way through the field finishing third. Scott Liddycoat from Virginia took the E-50 Proptalk through the field to second.
1 Litre, National Modified, and Grand National Hydroplanes were in Wildwood but not enough legal starters to begin the weekend took their classes out of the North American championship races. Their classes did race though on Sunset Lake with the following results:
Joe Sovie of Ogdenburg, NY, in his 1 Litre Y-44 won twice. Local pilot George Conover from Egg Harbor Township swept both NM and GNH.
1 Litre
1st: Y-44 Joe Sovie
2nd: Y-43 Keith McMullen
3rd: Y-89 Bill Johnson
National Mod
1st: NM-18 George Conover
2nd: NM-66 Lou Mustillo
Grand National Hydro
1st: GNH-18 George Conover
2nd: GNH-4 Lous Mustillo
3rd: GNH-8 Jim Deel
The 2010 date has not been set for the tenth Wildwoods Hydrofest due to issues with scheduling on a high tide weekend and fitting that weekend for the event into the powerboat racing schedule as well as the local events scheduling. Information about next year’s event will be posted on www.WildwoodsHydrofest.com
Press release from Ann Fitzgerald.