6/15/01 - Team T-Shirts SOLD OUT (sorry)!

Just $15 plus $5 shipping!  Contact Phil Bononcini at (425) 557 8628 8 am - 5 pm pacific time or send the money to  Phil Bononcini 385 E Sunset Way Issaquah, WA 98027

 
5/6/01 - UL-72 Sponsors!

Impact Equipment is proud to announce the return of their primary sponsor Coast Cutlery Co.  Coast, who has been sponsoring UL-72 for six years is the number one selling knife and multi-tool brand in the U.S. market.  The Pocket Mechanic tool is one of many Coast products.  Their continuing sponsorship of hydroplane racing affirms the sport's ability to attract product loyal fans across the U.S.!

Impact Equipment is also proud to announce the continued support of Bernie Little's Hydroplanes Inc.  The Little Red Rocket will wear the deep Budweiser red and the new script logo. We also appreciate the technical and physical support from the whole Bud racing team.

- Joe Frauenheim
 

9/14/00 - An early San Diego update...

The team UL-72 has arrived in San Diego and we are set up in the pits.  Click here for two early photos.  For full coverage from this weekend's race, be sure to visit www.ulrs.org and www.hydros.org.  They will be covering the team throughout the race weekend!  

8/30/00 - Looking toward San Diego! 

After the Seafair race we pulled the engine and found some minor damage in the upper end.  This damage has since been remedied.  Also we have dusted off our "San Diego" prop and found it to be in good working order. We qualified last year at 118+mph.  We hope to up that speed this year.  We will be bringing a full team of people to the last race of the year 12-15 team members.  We looking forward to a great time in San Diego.

Phil Bononcini
 

UL-72 Budweiser/Pocket Mechanic will take home top honors this season!
(Reprinted from the August 23rd www.ulrs.org story)

Joe Frauenhim, Phil Bononcini and the Issaquah, Washington based UL-72 Budweiser/Pocket Mechanic team have been with the series since its early days.  The team originally came together restoring vintage hulls and moved over into the Unlimited Lights as a sideline venture.  Soon the racing took center stage and the team's equipment and experience began to evolve with each passing year.  Following a bad crash in Hawaii at the end of the 1999 season, the team went right to work rebuilding the new, improved Pocket Mechanic.  Help and parts from the Budweiser team pulled it all together and that set the stage for the team's success during the 2000 season.

It's an astounding accomplishment when you consider that this team won their first race in Lake Havasu at the beginning of this season.  They now prepare to travel to the San Diego Bayfair race as the 2000 Unlimited Light National High Points Champion.  In addition, driver Phil Bononcini has secured his first UL Driver's Championship.  The team has taken home wins in all five races attended so far this season, with victories in Lake Havasu, AZ; Issaquah, WA; Detroit, MI; Tri-Cities, WA and Seattle, WA.

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to a team that has earned the top honors that they now enjoy.  If all this were not enough, Phil's five victories during the 2000 season puts him within two race wins of tying Charley Wiggins second place standing in Career Unlimited Light wins.  Former driver Bo Schide currently holds the record with twelve wins and three National Championships.

The team has a couple more weeks off before traveling to San Diego’s Mission Bay for the San Diego Bayfair, the final stop on this year's Unlimited Lights Racing Series schedule.
 

8/8/00 - Looking back on Seattle and Tri-Cities...

The Tri-Cities weekend started off with a very fast 113+ mph qualification lap.  Preliminary heat action saw less than stellar performances due to some carburetor problems.  The motor spit, sputtered and coughed through the corners, but would sing down the straight-aways.  That gave us two second places (very close seconds) in heats 1A and 1B.  When it counted the carburetor problem was solved and we were off and running for a win in the final.  We averaged just over 110 mph during the race.  Pretty fast considering there were eight other boats roughing up the water!

In Seattle we enjoyed a perfect weekend!  The boat ran very well, even in the rougher water.  We tested on Friday and ran a speed of 104+ mph on the two-mile course.  We tested on the "big" course as the Light's course was not set until Friday evening.  We had the top speed in Saturday morning's qualification session with a lap of 108.328 mph.  In our first heat we had a great battle with Dave Bender in the UL-38 Security Race Products - our average speeds were barely 1 mph apart.  What a great show for the fans!  Heat 2B gave us our second heat victory of the day and then it was on to the final.  This time out we were on the gas hard as we came from behind at the start and overcame the UL-38 and the UL-110.  The boat ran superbly and gave us our fifth win of the season.

For all the play-by-play details, just visit the archived Tri-Cities and Seattle coverage on Hydros!
 

7/17/00 - The Pocket Mechanic team followed their win in this year's Automotive Gold Cup with a win in the Detroit Unlimited Light final!  The race was shortened when Charley Wiggins flipped the UL-10 Earl's Performance Products.  The was no restart and the race was declared final and the UL-72 team taking home the win!

For a full look back on the Detroit UL final, just click here.
 

7/7/00 - The UL-72 Team takes home this year's Automotive Gold Cup!  To follow all the action live from Detroit, just click here.
 

7/7/00 - This weekend in Detroit the UL-72 is sponsored by Bernie Little and Coast Cutlery.  With this sponsorship addition the team will be called the Budweiser/Pocket Mechanic.  The team's sponsons will be carry the new BUD lettering (which will be changed on other Budweiser hulls in the near future).  The team is happy to be part of  Bernie Little's entry into ULRS sponsorship and look they forward to great race weekend in Detroit.
 

6/29/00 - The UL-72 Pocket Mechanic will be home for this weekend's Madison Regatta.  Phil Bononcini, writing from his home in Washington state, "It's true. I made a commitment to be the all star coach for our local little league.  Until we have been defeated, twice, I'll be out of racing.  The only race I can for sure make it to is Detroit because there is a three day gap in the tournament.  Is that amazing or what?

I've only had the word officially since the 15th of June that I was selected to be the coach so my plans were in flux.  Now that I have been selected for this honor I'll be a full time coach until we're knocked out or we win the Little League World Series."
 

6/8/00 - How would you like to own a miniature version of the UL-72 Pocket Mechanic?

Models like the one Phil is holding in the photo are for sale!  Just contact Tracy Osterhout at (509) 783-0332. Price?  The basic kit (which you assemble and paint yourself) is $15.  If you want one that's complete as shown, it's $25.  Shipping is $3 for either.

Payments for the model can be sent to Electric Thunder, 7210 West Arrowhead Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99336.  Please call Tracy first to put in your order!
 

6/4/00 - It's the second race of the season and Phil Bononcini, Joe Frauenheim and the entire UL-72 Pocket Mechanic team are celebrating their second win!  The team just won Tastin' n Racin' in Issaquah, Washington.  Click here for all the details on the race weekend.
 

5/27/00 - The UL-72 Pocket Mechanic team will be racing at Tastin' n Racin' in Issaquah, Washington on June 3rd and 4th.
 

5/21/00 - Phil Bononcini, Joe Frauenheim and the entire UL-72 Pocket Mechanic team will be celebrating tonight in Lake Havasu!  The team took home its first Unlimited Light event win today.
 

5/21/00 - (Early update) The UL-72 team is racing in Lake Havasu this weekend.  Yesterday during competition, the UL-72 took a second place and a first place finish in Unlimited Light Heats 1 and 2.  For full coverage of this weekend's racing action, visit www.ulrs.org, www.hydros.org and www.hydrofest.com.
 

5/14/00 - Talking with Phil Bononcini following yesterdays action...

"We were basically blown off the water.  The day started very windy and rough.  The race was put on hold until about 2pm.  We went out to test and so did Hopp with Greg driving.  It was rough!  Then the wind died down and the race was started late.  Because of the limited time and the fact that they really needed to get the Western Divisionals done, they scratched our heats.  Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow."

Also, photos from the Western Divisionals have been posted to our photo gallery!
 

5/13/00 -  We've taken the UL-72 to the Western Divisionals this weekend.  For full coverage of the event, keep an eye on the Unlimited Lights website www.ulrs.org.  The site plans to cover the event both in text and photos. 
 

4/28/00 - Here's an update on our testing session which took place yesterday at the Stan Sayers Pits on Lake Washington in Seattle...

We finished repairs (improvements) at 2:30 AM on Wednesday night. We had "thrashed" the last four nights until 2 - 2:30 each night to get ready.  Up to seven people were working on the boat at one time.

The test went as planned. After the type of re-construction that we did the first run was four to five laps at very slow speed.  We brought the boat in and checked for loose bolts etc.

The second run we tried a different prop. We ran the boat at 80% in the straight-a-ways and 100% in the turns.  Everything tested out fine.  The boat was very quick out of the turns and very stable in the straight-a-ways.  Now we will do further testing at a regional race the Western Divisionals at Renton Washington on May 13-14.

Phil Bononcini
 

Click on the image for a look at the team hard at  work on the boat in preparation for yesterday's test.   For more photos, click here!

4/19/00 - Did you miss the WORX / ULRS webcast?  ULRS.org is currently posting transcripts from the event.  Earlier this evening, Phil Bononcini's interview with Jeff Ayler was added to the site.  Click here to take a look.
 

4/9/00 - The Unlimited Lights Racing Series and WORX Radio recently announced a one hour series of live interviews with the drivers and teams of the ULRS.  It's being billed as an early 2000 season preview.  Our team will be represented as Phil Bononcini will be interviewed during the broadcast!

You can read the initial press release on the ULRS.org website by clicking here.  You can also click here to see the list detailing everyone scheduled to take part in the show.
 

4/9/00 - Today we relaunch the UL-72 site.  With this updated we've redesigned several of the site's top pages.  Over the next few days, the history of the UL-72 will return to the site.

Check back as we continue to add information!