We took GP-88 testing recently in preparation for our first race of the season in Long Sault, Ontario on June 2nd and 3rd. After a long winter of work the boat and team are ready for what should be an exciting 2012 season. There are 12 Grand Prix hydroplanes competing on the ACHA circuit. It should be a very competitive season with the addition of some strong new teams with experienced drivers and crews. See you at the races!
Feb
28
JS-7 headed to Lakeland
JS-7 Rolling Thunder will be headed south to Lakeland, Florida for the Orange Cup Regatta this weekend. There should be a good turn out of Jersey Speed Skiffs and we hope for an excellent race weekend. The race will be live streamed on Hydroplane Quebec.
Jan
23
Tom named “Most Improved Driver” by ACHA
At the first annual ACHA banquet many awards were given out. Among those recognized was Tom Pakradooni, who was named “Most Improved Driver.” Tom drove GP-88 to victory twice in GP finals this past season and was often among the fastest boats. We can not wait to build upon this next season.
Oct
03
Wildwoods Hydrofest 2011
It was a great time at the Wildwoods Hydrofest despite some marginal weather both days. The Grand Prix hydroplanes put on some fun exhibition heats and Ghislain Marcoux got to run some laps in the GP-777 The Crush. JS-7 Rolling Thunder with Roger Harris driving and Mike Burtula riding had a rough 2nd turn in Saturday’s heat. After hooking sharp left they were able to come back and finish 3rd on the course. The boat was too damaged to safely return to the water. Congrats to Skip Gillam on JS-5′s North American Championship and Gary Jones on JS-316′s Sunday victory.
See more Jersey Speed Skiff videos from Wildwoods Hydrofest on Hydroplane Quebec.
Sep
20
GP-88 wins Webster Lake Regatta
The last ACHA Grand Prix race of 2011 was on Webster Lake in Massachusetts and Rolling Thunder won! It was a great way to end the season as many members of the extended Pakradooni family were on hand to see Tom win his 2nd final in GP. The team worked very hard all season and with the victory GP-88 finishes 3rd in the points championship. Enjoy this video of the final:
Sep
12
Beauharnois still not lucky
The points race is tight and GP-88 entered the weekend in 2nd behind GP-46. In Beauharnois the weather was beautiful after some wind on Saturday died down. Rolling Thunder ran very fast but a phantom P5 took away a win resulting in two thirds on Saturday. Sunday a P1 placed GP-88 in lane four for the final. A fast and furious 8 boat final ended without GP-777 or GP-88 finishing and GP-444 limping across the line with damage. GP-50 driven by Ken Brodie Jr. won the final win. Now we third in points with GP-46 still in the lead and The Crush GP-777 in second heading into the final race in Webster this coming weekend.
Aug
22
Tonawanda cut short
GP-88 was thundering up and down the Niagara River all weekend. Tom Pakradoooni finished 2nd in 3 heats but the final was cancelled due to wind and water conditions. This race draws a good crowd even when the weather is less then ideal. Christian Bergeron has photos from Tonawanda on grandprixhydroplane.com.
Aug
08
Hampton Cup Regatta
We took the jersey speed skiff to Hampton, VA for the annual Hampton Cup Regatta. The race is held at Fort Monroe which is the last remaining fort actively used by the military but they are in the process of leaving. The fort is 6 sided with a moat completely surrounding it and is famous for holding Jefferson Davis after the Civil War. The race itself is held on Mill Creek and is viewed from East Mercury Boulevard Bridge. Unfortunately for the many spectators there were not many boats. Hopefully next year with the Summer Nationals being held at Hampton there will be a better turn out of boats. The skiffs had the largest field by far. JS-7 Rolling Thunder finished 1st in 3 heats but came in 2nd in the final behind JS-99 Veri Cheri driven by Dave Greenlaw Jr.
Jul
25
St-Felicien 2011
We made the long haul up to St-Felicien and watched the wind blow on Saturday. On Sunday the Grand Prix had two sets of heats and a final making for a very busy day. This race is the farthest north we travel, about 7 hours north of Montreal. The town is on one side of a narrow river and the pits are crammed into a small lot across from it. Next to the pits is a small VIP area with a bar, DJ, and wooden bleachers. The DJ really gets into pumping up the VIPs, a lot of who have traveled from Valleyfield to attend. As for the racing… GP-88 finished 1st and 3rd in qualifying and secured lane 3 for the final. A full field of Grand Prix had the crowd excited and they were did not disappoint. GP-88 ended up 4th in the final with GP-46 edging out GP-444 for the win. Mike Monahan was driving for Marc Theoret in GP-444 and nearly came from behind to beat Maheu.
Jul
18
Pontiac Lake Waterford, MI
JS-7 headed out to Waterford, Michigan for the APBA Summer Nationals at Quake on the Lake. Rolling Thunder took home the championship with JS-100 Summer Storm in 2nd and JS-45 The Menace 3rd. We will be headed WAY north this weekend to St-Felicien, Quebec for round 4 of the ACHA GP Championship watch live on HydroplaneQuebec.com. To everyone headed to Cambridge have fun and we will try to send some cool air South.